Jeff Burningham, author of The Last Book Written by a Human: Becoming Wise in the Age of AI, joins Brian Gorman for a conversation that reframes AI from a tool into something far more confronting: a mirror. As Jeff describes it, AI reflects back not just our data, but our values and decisions, especially the ones we’ve normalized. The real issue isn’t AI technology. It’s how leaders respond when what’s reflected back becomes harder to ignore.

The conversation moves quickly from possibility to responsibility. What happens when decisions driven by efficiency such as automation, layoffs, and optimization begin to reshape lives and communities at scale? And what does leadership require when short-term performance pressures collide with long-term human consequences?

Jeff and Brian land on a clear tension. As machines become more intelligent, the answer is not to become more machine-like. It’s to become more human, more capable of judgment, responsibility, and care. AI may be accelerating change, but it is also creating a crucible. One that will either deepen inequality and disconnection or push leaders to rethink what business is actually for.

This isn’t a conversation about adopting AI well. It’s about deciding what and who it’s all ultimately for.