Humans + AI

Joseph Jay Williams, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto and leader of the Intelligent Adaptive Interventions research group, explores how adaptive experimentation can uncover better solutions to everyday problems. Learn how one-minute experiments simplify behavior change, reframing stress improves focus and collaboration, and AI combined with psychology can personalize interventions for individual needs. Williams also explains how adaptive AI systems can optimize for meaningful outcomes instead of attention alone, challenge unhelpful beliefs, support healthier decisions, and help people think more critically with tools such as AB Prompter and AB Scribe.

Join Cleotilde Gonzalez, Professor of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University and founding director of the Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory, as she explores the crucial differences between human-AI augmentation and genuine complementarity in decision making. Drawing on cognitive science and collective intelligence, Dr. Gonzalez discusses why effective human-AI teams require more than simply adding AI—highlighting the importance of theory of mind, mutual understanding, and thoughtful team role design. Listeners will gain actionable insights into measuring collaborative process metrics, distributing workload, and pioneering new organizational forms to enhance human-AI collaboration in high-stakes decisions.

In this episode, Jory Des Jardins—Founder & Principal at Candor Partners and author of 'Human Agency Architecture'—explores how organizations can navigate AI adoption while preserving essential human judgment and skill retention. Drawing on her experience leading initiatives like BlogHer and the AI Operators Exchange, Jory discusses frameworks for task delegation, the risks of cognitive foreclosure and succession hollowing, and the importance of transparency in building trust. Listeners will learn practical strategies for balancing productivity with human flourishing, ensuring organizations adapt to AI without sacrificing unique human strengths.

Futurist and professional director Melissa Clark-Reynolds, founder of FutureCentre.nz and NZ Order of Merit appointee, joins the podcast to explore how boards and senior leaders can navigate the myths and realities of AI adoption. Drawing on her expertise in strategy and disruptive business models, Clark-Reynolds discusses why embracing a capability multiplier mindset toward AI drives genuine productivity and how prompt engineering and board-level education are key. Listeners will gain practical foresight tools, learn strategies for effective AI governance, and discover how leaders can enhance their own judgment while reimagining their organization’s operating models for an AI-enabled future.

In this episode, Eva Minkoff, Founder of Bold Being and Chief Transformation Officer at Transformental, explores how rapid AI disruption is reshaping human identity, leadership, and wellbeing. She shares insights from her work with healthcare executives, offering practical strategies for cultivating self-compassion, authentic human connection, and resilience amid deep uncertainty. Listeners will learn why embracing vulnerability, admitting uncertainty, and augmenting human creativity are essential leadership skills for navigating transformational change in an AI-driven era.

In this episode, Jack Myers—media ecologist and founder of The Myers Report—explores the crucial interplay between human judgment and AI, drawing on his expertise and his latest book, Your Third Brain. Listeners will discover how 'third brain thinking' fosters a collaborative partnership between people and machine intelligence, and why techniques like 'techno intuition,' intentional pauses, and useful friction lead to smarter decisions. Myers also discusses the importance of preserving trust, empathy, and deep human connection as leaders navigate automation, offering actionable strategies to harness AI for collective intelligence and meaningful growth.

In this episode, Pukar Hamal—Founder & CEO of SecurityPal AI and Nepalese startup hub Silicon Peaks—explores the emotional impact gap between AI-generated writing and human creativity, and examines how intelligence augmentation, not full automation, should guide AI’s future. Drawing on his cybersecurity expertise, Pukar discusses emerging concepts like zero data retention and the agentic security paradigm, highlighting why automation with verification, layered human validation, and compute equality are vital. Listeners will gain valuable insights into expanding human agency, overcoming the barrier to launching, and supporting focus and perseverance in an AI-driven world.

Join Professor Oren Etzioni, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University of Washington and founding CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, as he explores the evolution of agentic AI from early software agents to today’s autonomous assistants. Discover how natural language breakthroughs have transformed human-AI interaction, the challenges of building digital trust, and why maintaining human accountability remains essential. Tune in for practical insights on effective interface design, ways to bound AI autonomy, and how AI is democratizing cognitive potential and accelerating expert work.

In this episode, futurist and strategy advisor Ross Dawson, Chairman of Advanced Human Technologies and founder of Informivity, explores how recursive self-improvement and double loop learning are transforming both AI systems and human learning in organizations. Listeners will discover key differences between single and double loop systems, the role of reinforcement learning in AI advancement, and practical steps for integrating effective learning loops to enhance AI-human collaboration. Ross shares why maintaining human judgment is crucial as AI evolves, and offers insights for chief learning officers on redesigning organizational learning for the AI era.

In this episode, David Weinberger—author of 'Beautiful Particulars' and researcher at Harvard MetaLab—explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping Western ideas about universal laws, human cognition, and the value of lived, bodily experiences. Listeners will discover why AI thrives on processing immense particulars and how integrating human generalization with AI’s specificity can build complementary intelligence. Weinberger offers insight into the philosophical impact of technology, the centrality of embodiment for meaning and morality, and an optimistic vision for using conversational AI to deepen learning and curiosity in real-life situations.