Highlights

• Jerry’s 1994 rejection of the word “consumer”
• Why trust is the missing link in AI
• What 28 years of continuous memory looks like
• Cyborgs, curiosity, and “Upkido” as everyday practice

Summary

In this conversation, Jerry Michalski—founder of the Relationship Economy eXpedition (REX) and curator of Jerry’s Brain—traces his path from tech analyst to trust-centric systems thinker.

He explains how rejecting the word consumer led him to explore the deeper social contracts shaping technology and work.

Together with Jax NiCarthaigh and Erik Sanner, Jerry unpacks what it really means to be cyborgs in practice (humans fused with software), why agency and culture matter more than any tool choice, and how reflection and intuition can keep us grounded as AI accelerates.

They discuss TheBrain (Jerry’s 28-year continuous-memory practice), the pressures of workplace automation, and practical ways to reclaim trust. The episode closes with Jerry’s invitation to “improve everything you touch” via Upkido, and to rethink constraints so we can re-humanize systems.

Takeaways

• Trust precedes technology: AI’s impact depends on the social contract between people—especially employer ↔ employee.

• Agency is non-negotiable: We’ve drifted from citizens to consumers; reclaiming agency is essential.

• Cyborgs are here (quietly): We already fuse with software (Excel, Photoshop, TheBrain); the question is how consciously we do it.

  Reflection + intuition are superpowers: They anchor learning and creativity amid rapid change.

  Find your “sense of up”: Grounding practices (Aikido, note-taking, journaling and “following the bubbles”) help orient us when everything shifts.

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  🔗 Links & Resources

  Featured

  🧠 Jerry’s Brain: https://bra.in/Jerry

  🌐 Jerry’s website (Speaking & Consulting): https://jerrymichalski.com

  🤝 Design from Trust: https://designfromtrust.com

  🧩 TheBrain software: https://www.thebrain.com

  🌈 TheJoyLine: https://thejoyline.com

  ⬆️ Upkido: https://upkido.com

  
  

  Referenced

  📘 Donella Meadows – “Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System”

  🌊 InnSæi – The Power of Intuition (Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, book & film)

  🧵 Quote by Joanna Maciejewska:
  “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.”

  💡 Ethan Mollick — Co-Intelligence: https://www.oneusefulthing.org

  🧠 DeepMind AlphaGo / AlphaZero: https://deepmind.google/discover/alphago/

  🧩 Kyle Shannon’s AI Salon: https://aisalon.ai

  🖼️ Gary Larson “Crisis Clinic” cartoon:
  https://store.gocomics.com/product/the-far-side-comic-art-print-crisis-clinic

  🪴 Karen Smiley – “AI, Software, & Wetware” Interview Series: https://sixpeas.substack.com/p/aisw-interviews
  

  🌀 PLANET Framework hub: https://planetcollab.substack.com

  
  

  
  

• “The consumer mass-marketing bargain involves a series of breaches of trust which we have normalized.”

• “Agency glowed bright fluorescent yellow for me — it’s what citizens have, not consumers.”

• “You’re already a cyborg. You’ve fused with some sort of software; the question is how consciously you do it.”

• “Things that don’t pass through your wetware — that don’t shake your neurons — you don’t know exist.”

• “Find something that gives you a sense of up — a way to orient when everything’s changing.”

• “If you can’t be hopeful, try curiosity.” — April Rinne (via Jerry)

• “How did we lose faith in humans? and how do we get it back?”

• On Upkido: “What would a practice look like where you improve everything you touch?”

• “We’ve consumerized everything. AI could actually liberate us from that trap — give us back a sense of agency.”

• “Curiosity is also the path to making friends with people who disagree with you.”