Live from Manchester, Danny interviews Dr. Miri Firth from the University of Manchester about AI as a core employability skill and the importance of keeping humans central.

Firth explains her work on “flexible assessment,” describing multiple kinds of assessment flexibility (mode, deadlines, word count) that increase student autonomy and reduce poor AI use by avoiding single-answer tasks. They discuss using AI openly for formative drafting and feedback, supporting international students with translation, and helping learners rehearse presentations. Both argue human “transferable skills” remain essential, confidence, curiosity, adaptability, empathy, critical thinking, ethics, and lifelong learning, especially as tools change quickly.

They critique AI-generated communication on social platforms, emphasise human connection and creativity, and note tensions around creative IP. The episode closes with reflections on agile leadership and combining humans and AI to accelerate product evolution.

01:39 Change Through Employability

02:27 Flexible Assessment Explained

04:36 AI In Assessment Policy

06:18 Humans Still Matter

07:28 Transferable Skills For Work

10:25 Ethics Kindness And Honesty

12:01 AI For Student Communication

13:02 AI Written Content Fatigue

15:28 Inclusive Communication With AI

16:51 Curiosity Over Laziness

17:34 National AI Education Research

18:14 Human Awareness With AI

18:45 Creativity And Gen AI

19:36 Protecting The Human Touch

21:24 Why Live Art Still Matters

23:01 Libraries And Shared Spaces

24:23 Future Graduate Skills

27:56 Speed Of Change Reality Check

30:07 Mindsets And Diverse Teams

33:14 AI In The Workforce