Courage to Advance with Kim Bohr

Google vs. Barcelona: Two Paths for AI and Trust


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The traditional change management playbook doesn't work for AI—and most organizations are about to learn this the hard way. 

David Eliot, PhD candidate and author of Artificially Intelligent: The Very Human Story of AI, reveals a critical insight: those building AI systems actively benefit from keeping people confused. When confusion reigns, democratic participation gets deferred to tech executives who have vested interests—not the leaders and employees who'll live with the consequences. 

The proof? Google's failed Toronto smart city versus Barcelona's thriving democratic smart city. Same technology. Opposite outcomes. 

In this conversation, David and Kim Bohr (President of SparkEffect) explore: 

  • Why AI Advisory boards filled with tech executives create dangerous knowledge gaps 
    • The Barcelona model: democratic decision-making, hidden technology, citizen voting on data use 
      • Google's Toronto failure: corporate opacity versus public good 
        • The entry-level pipeline crisis: "We're going to run out of the well to promote from within" 
          • AI as amplifier: magnifying both society's problems AND its solutions 
            • Why understanding algorithms from 700 AD matters for today's implementations 
            • SparkEffect's Trust Study found AI-driven systems among the most disruptive forces to employee trust. 

              The difference between the 36% who emerge stronger and the 64% who don't? Transparency, inclusion, and who controls the decisions. 

              Build trust through AI implementation. Listen now. 

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              Courage to Advance with Kim BohrBy SparkEffect