In this episode of IYKYK, we’re talking about visibility, AI, attention, discipline, and the very real feeling that everyone is trying to stay on top of everything at once.

We start with our 1:1 check-in: Muna reflects on maternity leave, redundancy, and whether visibility has become the new performance. Zaynob shares what she’s been researching around AI, child labour and the hidden human labour behind “innovation”. Nim talks through the UK’s position on AI regulation, national security and what it means when technology moves faster than the systems meant to govern it.

Then we get into Industry Signals, from social media addiction and infinite scroll to Spotify’s AI verification, deepfakes, AI-generated content and the way our attention is being designed around.

We end with The Backlog and The Retro: what we’re reading, listening to, reflecting on, and trying to do differently before the next episode.

Count on your fingers sometimes | IYKYK 001

In the first episode of IYKYK, Nim is joined by Dannie and Zaynob for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, work, privacy, industry shifts and what it actually means to keep growing in a changing tech landscape.

We start with the question a lot of us are quietly asking: are we becoming too dependent on AI? From debugging code to writing presentations, AI is speeding things up, but it may also be changing how we think, problem-solve and learn. Dannie reflects on the difference between using AI as a tool and outsourcing too much of your thinking, while Nim frames AI as “the new calculator”, something useful, but not something we should use for everything.

The conversation then moves into the job market, especially the impact of AI on early-career roles. We talk about the rising bar for juniors, why having projects is no longer enough, and why understanding what you have built matters more than ever. Zaynob also shares reflections from an economics lesson on how AI is affecting jobs, especially the entry-level tasks that usually help people build experience.

From there, we discuss Meta glasses, privacy, consent and the growing discomfort of being turned into content without permission. We ask what happens when recording becomes invisible, and why Muslim women in particular may have added concerns around privacy, safety and sacred spaces.

The episode also takes a turn into industrialisation, China’s development strategy, African economies and why “just copy China” is a lazy answer. Zaynob unpacks her essay on Made in China 2025, while Nim reflects on governance, trust, capital flight, propaganda, innovation and why countries need strategies that actually fit their context.

We close with tech industry signals, including AI hype, layoffs, overproduction of apps, data centres, environmental costs and the question underneath it all: what problems are we choosing to solve, and who benefits?

In this episode, we discuss

- AI dependence and the risk of losing problem-solving muscles

- Why AI might be the new calculator

- The changing job market and why early-career roles are being hit hardest

- Why junior candidates need to understand their projects, not just build them

- Meta glasses, consent, privacy and being turned into content

- Why countries cannot simply copy China’s industrialisation strategy

- AI hype, lean teams, layoffs and the cost of “efficiency”

- Data centres, water usage and environmental trade-offs

- Practical ways to stay informed and build career resilience

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and introductions01:00 What the IYKYK one-to-one section is for01:20 Dannie on AI dependence and cognitive skills04:20 AI as the new calculator05:00 Nim on AI, job cuts and the changing workforce06:35 Why the bar for junior roles is getting higher09:00 Zaynob on early-career roles and AI impact data11:10 Meta glasses, privacy and recording without consent16:00 Being turned into content without permission17:20 Zaynob on industrialisation and Made in China 202520:20 Why copying China’s playbook does not work22:40 Capital flight, institutions and trust24:10 Propaganda, control and national development strategies25:45 Copying, learning and innovating27:10 Tech industry focus27:30 AI hype and the obsession with doing more with fewer people29:20 AI costs, environmental costs and hidden trade-offs30:20 Overproduction of apps and “everyone can build now” culture32:30 Data centres, water and the problems tech chooses to solve34:30 Layoffs, leadership shifts and industry signals35:35 Career backlog: what to read, learn and listen to37:00 Weekly retro reflections40:00 Wrap up and share

Backlog from this episode

Things we suggested listeners look into after the episode:

- Build a clearer understanding of AI, including prompting, tokens, large language models and what AI can and cannot do.

- Consider an AI certification, or at least read through the learning modules to demystify the topic.

- Read government digital, technology or innovation strategies to understand where priorities and investment may be heading.

- Stay close to industry signals, especially around AI, workforce restructuring and early-career opportunities.

- Listen to Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review.

- Seek out more nuanced conversations on AI, rather than only the hype or the fear.

Closing reflection

This episode is really about knowing when to use the tools and when to count on your fingers sometimes.

AI can help us move faster, but it should not replace the process of thinking, learning, questioning and building judgement. As the industry shifts, the work is not just to keep up. It is to stay awake, stay thoughtful and stay grounded enough to ask better questions.