Force Multiplier

In London on Force Multiplier, host and guest swap seats as Danny discusses how a teenage incident around alcohol shaped his belief in personal responsibility and control of self, not others, including why he doesn’t drink. He describes empowering teams by deleting work apps on leave and planning successors, and shares his core principle of using privilege to help others, shaped by his North African Jewish heritage and refugee parents. Danny explains raising his daughter by treating her like an adult and involving her in decisions; she later became a key mentor as he left a senior CIO role at London Business School to join Cloudforce. He contrasts fulfilling “good stress” in high-growth startups with toxic workplaces, argues employees should grow rather than take roles they fully know, and outlines a non-transactional, integrity-driven approach to “selling” by showing value. They discuss AI’s risks for education, the need for responsible use, community learning among customers, and focusing on outcomes, concluding with advice to trust yourself and be a “go-giver.”

01:07 Responsibility Over Excuses

03:29 Control and Letting Go

06:03 Privilege and Opening Doors

07:21 Heritage and Family Values

11:18 Parenting for Responsibility

13:35 Leaving CIO for Startup

17:32 Calculated Risk and Reinvention

20:46 Toxic Job and Contractor Lessons

24:36 Startup Stress and Empowered Teams

30:35 Moving Fast in Europe

32:09 AI Speed Culture

33:22 Signals To Product

35:12 Selling As A Peer

39:06 Integrity And Persona

41:06 Bias And First Impressions

43:11 User Focus And Impact

46:43 Students And Cognitive Decay

49:25 Education Leaders Collaborate

53:34 Guardrails And Reality

56:58 Force For Good With AI

01:01:11 Advice And Giving Back

01:05:05 Closing Reflections

In this episode of Force Multiplier, Danny is joined by Cerys Hutton, AI Centre of Excellence Lead and Head of Warwick Digital Academy.Cerys and Danny discuss cognitive deskilling, growing privacy concerns, and shifting attitudes toward AI-generated content.If you like Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast Sondership, which shares Inspiring Stories from People with Purpose at Sondership.comLinks:Follow Cerys on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceryshutton/Watch Hannah Fry’s video on building an AI Agent:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnzR5aOElvw00:17 Cerys Mission And Ethics02:15 AI Risks In Education04:43 Parenting And Tech Boundaries06:51 Future Jobs And Squiggly Careers09:25 Product Mindset For GenAI10:34 Warwick AI Strategy12:50 Polarisation And Culture Clash16:00 Early Wins And Use Cases19:16 Building AI Literacy26:17 Privacy Backlash And Regulation30:32 Choosing Models And Avoiding Slop33:16 Eighteen Month Vision36:27 Invisible AI And Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Force Multiplier, recorded in our brand new home studio in London, Danny is joined by Professor Baba Sheba of City St. George’s, University of London

Baba and Danny talk flipping AI on its head, where AI becomes the prompter, and the user the learner. We also hear about Baba’s Diaspora Nexus, and the potential that comes from bringing together a community of like-minded people.

If you like Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast Sondership, which shares Inspiring Stories from People with Purpose at Sondership.com

Links:

Follow Baba on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/babasheba/

Read more about the Diaspora Nexus on Baba’s Substack: https://blueprintnotes.substack.com/p/diaspora-nexus-london-and-the-case

Chapters

00:00 Social Media Wake Up

01:07 Meet Professor Sheba

02:23 Leading Digital Change

04:54 AI Accelerator Program

07:03 AI Is Not Just Tool

08:44 Critical Thinking Risks

12:06 Human AI Collaboration

14:49 Project X Core Skills

16:11 Duolog Learning Platform

18:54 Nebula One AI Gateway

23:14 Measuring Impact Maturity

25:19 Student Led Prototyping

28:42 Role Play Studio Simulations

30:53 Choosing Models Ecosystems

33:45 AI Powered Viva Exams

36:37 Diaspora Nexus Network

38:43 Rural Education Potential

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

Recorded in New York, Danny is joined by Dr. Michael J. Jabbour, AI Innovation Officer at Microsoft to delve into how AI is affecting parenting, the difference between education and training, and the importance of agency, presence, and comfort with ambiguity. We also get to hear Michael read from his recent children’s book series ‘The Giving Mind’, inspired by conversations with his daughter.

If you like Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast ⁠Sondership⁠, which shares Inspiring Stories from People with Purpose at Sondership.com

Purchase ‘The Giving Mind’ here: ⁠https://www.amazon.co.uk/Giving-Mind/dp/1972829009⁠

Follow Michael on Substack:

⁠https://substack.com/@michaeljjabbour/posts⁠

Michael’s Website:

⁠https://www.michaeljabbour.com/

Chapters

01:08 From Medicine to Government Tech

04:47 Culture Shapes AI Adoption

07:16 Education Versus Training

15:57 Answers Are Free Now

19:00 Writing The Giving Mind

22:22 Michael Reads The Giving Mind

25:21 A Different Type of Human

28:09 Parenting and Hidden Influences

30:11 Are We Living in a Simulation?

33:53 Offline Time and Voice AI

37:57 Learning to Handle Ambiguity

45:36 Compiled Intent and Outcomes

46:57 Mourning Dead Skills

49:57 AI Sommelier and Harnesses

54:11 Platform Shifts and First Encounters

57:42 nebulaONE

In this episode of Force Multiplier, Danny is joined by Jenny Rae, CIO of Imperial College London.

Jenny shares her career path from a business degree at Oxford Brookes, to roles at Microsoft and BT, leading to her joining Imperial as Director of Digital Products. The conversation explores where the topic of sustainability has gone when talking about AI, and touches on student trust, concerns about profiling, and a lack of a “golden” GenAI use case. 

If you like Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast Sondership, which shares Inspiring Stories from People with Purpose at Sondership.com

Links:

Watch AI Confidential with Hannah Fry: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002q76b/ai-confidential-with-hannah-fry

Read ‘Hello World’ by Hannah Fry:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hello-World-How-Human-Machine/dp/1784163066/

Title Chapters

00:14 What’s the change you’re trying to make

01:19 Becoming Imperial CIO

03:14 From Microsoft to BT

05:40 Meet Daisy AI

07:25 GenAI Vision at Imperial

10:51 Jobs Fears and AI Teachers

11:54 Governance and Ethics

14:38 Student Data Boundaries

17:28 Student Success Chatbot

18:47 Collaboration Beyond IT

19:20 Frictionless Tool Enablement

19:45 Change Management Over Use Cases

20:33 Everyday Productivity Wins

21:53 Humans Still Matter

22:59 User Centric vs AI First

24:27 Blade Runner Future Vision

26:35 Sustainability and AI Costs

29:55 Risks and Critical Thinking

30:54 Managing Humans and Agents

33:31 Robots and Autonomy Fears

35:45 Human Flaws and Trust

36:41 Augmenting Healthcare Decisions

In this episode of Force Multiplier, Danny is joined by Lailany Sierra, Strategic Operations & Transformation Leader, with experience across IMAX, Disney, and Chanel.

Lailany discusses the change she wants to make through individual transformation: building resilience, adapting in volatile times, upskilling, and developing agency as technology reshapes work.

She emphasises showing up by adding value, supporting collaboration, and considering human implications during digital transformation.

The conversation warns that organisations often treat technology as an ROI investment while treating people as a cost, risking displacement, underinvestment in upskilling, and using AI to replicate existing dysfunction; successful transformation requires data, security, ethics, and alignment to customer journeys and Conway’s law.

Lailany describes learning via structured courses (including an Oxford AI course) and creative studies, prefers Claude as a thought partner and Perplexity for sourced research, and advocates prompting for alternative viewpoints to avoid confirmation bias.

She raises concerns about AI representation, pace, accountability, and societal/ecological impacts, while highlighting benefits like democratised access, productivity gains, and advances in life sciences and climate tech.
If you like Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast Sondership that shares Inspiring Stories from People with Purpose at Sondership.com

00:49 What’s the change you’re trying to make

02:16 Leadership and Adding Value

04:43 Human Centric AI Transformation

05:35 Why Tech Deployments Fail

09:28 ROI Versus People Investment

11:49 Conway’s Law and Org Design

15:21 Collective Intelligence With GenAI

16:00 Luxury Needs Humans

17:10 Reskilling and Learning Styles

19:43 Art Deco Inspiration

20:26 Choosing AI Tools

22:36 Low Cost Learning Paths

24:41 Avoiding Confirmation Bias

27:43 AI Risks and Representation

33:04 Democratisation and Breakthroughs

35:28 Climate and Sustainability Outlook

In this episode of Force Multiplier, Danny is joined by Dame Clare Barclay, President of Enterprise & Industry, EMEA at Microsoft and former CEO, Microsoft UK. Clare and Danny discuss how they see AI being used in education, and how this extends to future generations. She shares what she’s seeing across AI startups and enterprises, why skills and lifelong learning are the critical unlock, and what governments can do to drive productivity and inclusive growth.

If you liked Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast that shares inspiring stories from people with purpose - Sondership

Referenced in this episode:

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, Ethan Mollick

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Co-Intelligence-Living-Working-Ethan-Mollick-ebook/dp/B0CHHY2PS4

Supremacy (AI, ChatGPT, and the race that will change the world), Parmy Olson https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supremacy-ChatGPT-Race-Change-World/dp/1035038226

00:45 AI as a Lifter for All

01:31 Who Shapes the Outcome

03:18 Personalized Tutors in Education

03:26 Teachers Plus AI Support

05:26 Kids Using AI Wisely

07:01 Clare's Role at Microsoft

08:14 Government and AI Strategy

09:40 Skills and Lifelong Learning

11:47 AI Reshaping Organizations

13:33 Agents and Frontier Firms

16:57 Adoption Speed and Disruption

02:14 Enterprises Meet Startups

18:45 AI As Shock Trigger

19:11 Banking AI Benchmark Race

20:40 Startup Acceleration Era

21:41 Agent Costs And Value

24:11 Experimentation Culture Shift

25:14 Personal Agents In Practice

26:46 Satya And Microsoft Agents

28:44 Microsoft Culture To AI

33:35 Curiosity New Year Advice

34:14 Mum Learns AI Story

Danny is joined by Dr. Laura Gilbert, CBE, in a conversation that delves into the global inequalities that can be both created, and addressed by AI.

Laura highlights the crucial role of human motivation in deploying AI technologies, drawing on her wealth of experience working in Downing Street, and now as part of the Tony Blair Institute. The conversation also touches on the importance of open-source solutions and the unintended consequences of overconfidence.

Read the books Danny mentions:

Black Box Thinking - https://amzn.eu/d/a7s6u2C

Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution - https://amzn.eu/d/fmeOY9Q

If you liked Force Multiplier, make sure to check out Danny’s debut podcast that shares inspiring stories from people with purpose - Sondership

01:15 Vision for a Less Unequal World

02:55 Motivations Behind AI Development

08:42 Cultural Impacts of AI

12:10 Predicting the Future

17:45 Optimizing for Better Decision Making

22:20 Government and AI: Real-World Applications

26:45 AI-Powered Vulnerability Detection

27:30 Human-Centric Tech Development

27:59 Become an Expert in your Own Right

29:29 Know What You Don’t Know

33:35 Open Source and Collaboration

37:43 Embodied AI and Robotics

43:00 Decide What You Care About

"What is the world you want to build?"

In the premiere episode of Force Multiplier, Danny Attias sits down with Claudia Harris OBE (CEO of Makers) to discuss why the future of work isn't about code, it's about becoming a "fearless learner".

Claudia shares her journey from McKinsey and Tony Blair’s Delivery Unit to leading Europe’s first coding bootcamp, where she proves that resilience and emotional intelligence are the true skills of the future. Together, they strip away the sci-fi fear of AI, reframing it as a "word calculator", a tool that requires human mastery, not just blind adoption.

They dive deep into:

* The 3 Stages of AI Adoption: Moving from Mastery (prompting) to Automation (efficiency) to Re-imagining (complexity).* The "Playground" Trap: Why AI "friends" who never disagree with us might be dangerous for human resilience.* Agency over Anxiety: Why we must stop reacting to tech trends and start deciding what meaningful work looks like.* The Optimist’s Case: Why this is the most exciting time to be alive, if we are willing to.

00:18 The Change Makers: Transforming Careers

01:28 Personal Passion and Professional Journey

02:22 The Genesis of Makers: Coding Bootcamp

03:17 The Importance of Fearless Learning

04:05 AI and the Future of Work

04:35 Claudia's Career Path: From McKinsey to OBE

06:39 The Role of AI in Career Education

07:24 The Impact of AI on Society and Work

08:09 Building Skills for the Future

17:46 Mastering AI: A Three-Tier Approach

27:03 Balancing Personal and Professional Life

27:52 The Privilege of Working in AI

29:37 Conclusion: Embracing Change and Optimism