Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson

• Go All In on AI: The Economist’s Kenneth Cukier on AI's Experimentation Era

  If AI is becoming a “playground” for experimentation, are today’s organizations bold enough to explore it or are they still too afraid to try?On this episode of Digital Disruption, we are joined by Kenneth Cukier, Deputy Executive Editor at The Economist and bestselling author.Kenneth Cukier is the Deputy Executive Editor at The Economist. He is the author of several books on technology and society, notably “Framers” on the power of mental models and the limitations of AI, with Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Francis de Vericourt, as well as “Big Data: A Revolution That Transforms How We Live, Work and Think” with Viktor. It was a NYT bestseller translated into over 20 languages, and sold over two million copies worldwide. It won the National Library of China’s Wenjin Book Award and was a finalist for the FT Business Book of the Year. Kenn also coauthored a follow-on book, “Learning with Big Data: The Future of Education”. He has been a frequent commentator on CBS, CNN, NPR, the BBC and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s global council on data-driven development.Kenneth has spent decades at the intersection of AI, journalism, business strategy, and global policy. In this conversation, he sits down with Geoff to share candid insights on how AI is reshaping organizations, leadership, economics, and the future of work. He breaks down the real state of AI, what’s hype, what’s real, and what it means for workers, leaders, and companies. Kenneth explains how AI is shifting from automating tasks to expanding the frontier of knowledge, why today’s multi-trillion-dollar AI investment wave is both overhyped and underhyped, and how everything from healthcare to management is poised to transform. This episode explores why most companies should treat AI as a “playground” for experimentation, how The Economist is using generative AI behind the scenes, the human skills needed to stay competitive, and why great leadership now requires enabling curiosity, psychological safety, and responsible innovation. Kenneth also unpacks the growing “AI-lash,” the limits of GDP as a measure of progress, and why the organizations that learn fastest, not the ones that simply know the most, will win the future.In this episode:00:00 Intro05:00 AI Today: Overhyped, underhyped, or both?10:00 From Big Data to LLMs: How we got here15:00 The $3 trillion AI wave: What it really signals20:00 Automation vs. knowledge expansion25:00 Inside The Economist: How they actually use Generative AI30:00 Why “more content” isn’t a strategy35:00 Leadership in the age of AI: Curiosity, judgment, culture40:00 The skills humans must keep and why they matter more now45:00 The rise of the “AI-lash” and public skepticism50:00 GDP, progress, and what we’re measuring wrong55:00 Why the fastest learners win the future1:01:00 What can this technology really do?Connect with Kenneth:Connect with Kenneth:Website: http://www.cukier.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-cukier-9ab56335/X: https://x.com/kncukierVisit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

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• Is AI Eroding Identity? Future of Work Expert on How AI is Taking More than Jobs

  What does the future of work really look like when AI, identity, and culture collide?On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon, Chair of the Institute for the Future of Work.Anne-Marie is a leading voice in the tech world, known for her work as a trustee at the Institute for the Future of Work and as the temporary Arithmetician on Channel 4’s Countdown. A former child prodigy who passed A-level computing at 11 and earned a Master’s in Maths and Computer Science from Oxford by 20, she has since spoken globally for companies including Facebook, Amazon, Google and Mastercard. She hosts the acclaimed Women Tech Charge podcast and is a sought-after presenter who has interviewed figures such as Jack Dorsey and Sir Lewis Hamilton. Anne-Marie has received multiple Honorary Doctorates, serves on several national boards, and continues to champion diversity and innovation in tech. Her latest book, She’s In CTRL, was published in 2022.Dr. Anne-Marie joins Geoff to break down how AI, big data, quantum, and the wider “Fourth Industrial Revolution” are transforming jobs, workplaces, identity, culture, and society. From redefining long-held beliefs about “jobs for life,” to the cultural fractures emerging between companies, workers, and society, Dr. Anne-Marie goes deep on what’s changing, what still isn’t understood, and what leaders must do right now to avoid being left behind. This conversation dives into why most AI use cases are still limited to fraud detection and customer service, and the hidden cultural blockers preventing real transformation. She emphasizes the danger of hype cycles, and how to stay focused on real value and how to build organizations that can experiment, learn, and make “high-quality mistakes.”In this episode:00:00 Intro00:31 The Future of Work: What’s changing now02:32 Generational identity, legacy jobs & why work is no longer “for life”04:36 Work identity crisis & fragmentation of modern careers07:45 Rethinking digital transformation & the fourth industrial revolution11:36 Why the institute avoids the AI hype & looks beyond it13:39 AI Hype vs. reality17:50 High-quality mistakes21:06 Tech design failures23:18 Culture, customers & building organizations that reflect the real world29:04 Destroying the “Einstein Myth” & rewriting who tech is for39:37 First-principles thinking50:34 Norms, unintended consequences & system-level change55:32 When will the dust settle? ai timelines, disruption & what’s next57:28 Closing thoughtsConnect with Dr. Ann-Marie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimafidon/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyouraverageami/Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

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• How AI Will Save Humanity: Creator of The Last Invention Explains

  When intelligence becomes abundant, what happens to humanity’s purpose?Andy Mills, the co-founder of The New York Times’ The Daily and creator of The Last Invention, joins us on this episode of Digital Disruption.Andy is a reporter, editor, podcast producer, and co-founder of Longview. His most recent series, The Last Invention, explores the AI revolution, from Alan Turing’s early ideas to today’s fierce debates between accelerationists, doomers, and those focused on building the technology safely. Before that, he co-created The Daily at The New York Times and produced acclaimed documentary series including Rabbit Hole, Caliphate, and The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. A former fundamentalist Christian from Louisiana and Illinois, Andy now champions curiosity, skepticism, and the transformative power of listening to people with different perspectives, values that shape his award-winning journalism across politics, terrorism, culture wars, technology, and science. Andy sits down with Geoff to break down the real debate shaping the future of AI. From the “doomers” warning of existential risk to the accelerationists racing toward AGI, Andy maps out the three major AI camps influencing policy, economics, and the future of human intelligence. This conversation explores why some researchers fear AGI, why others believe it will save humanity, how job loss and automation could reshape society, and why 2025 is becoming an “AI 101 moment” for the public. Andy also shares what he’s learned after years investigating OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and the people behind the AGI race. If you want clarity on AGI, existential risk, the future of work, and what it all means for humanity, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. In this episode:00:00 Intro01:00 The three camps of AI: doom, acceleration, scouts05:00 Why skeptics aren’t driving the AI debate07:00 Job loss, productivity & “good” vs. “bad” disruption09:00 Existential risk & why scientists are sounding alarms12:00 The origins of doomers and accelerationists17:00 How AI debates escalated after ChatGPT22:00 Why 2025 is an AI “101 moment” for the public24:00 The tech stack wars: OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI28:00 Why leaders joined the AI race30:00 The accelerationist mindset33:00 Contrarians, symbolists & the forgotten history of AI39:00 Big Tech, branding & why AI CEOs avoid open conflict42:00 The closed group chats of AI’s elite builders46:00 Sci-Fi narratives vs. real-world intelligence risks52:00 The AI bubble & why adoption is unlike any tech before01:00:00 Are we entering a wright-brothers-to-moon-landing era?01:10:00 What AGI means for capitalism, work & purpose01:18:00 Why public debate needs to start now01:20:00 What happens nextConnect with Andy:Website: https://www.andymills.work/aboutVisit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

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• AGI Is Here: AI Legend Peter Norvig on Why it Doesn't Matter Anymore

  Are we chasing the wrong goal with Artificial General Intelligence, and missing the breakthroughs that matter nowOn this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by former research director at Google and AI legend, Peter Norvig.Peter is an American computer scientist and a Distinguished Education Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). He is also a researcher at Google, where he previously served as Director of Research and led the company’s core search algorithms group. Before joining Google, Norvig headed NASA Ames Research Center’s Computational Sciences Division, where he served as NASA’s senior computer scientist and received the NASA Exceptional Achievement Award in 2001.He is best known as the co-author, alongside Stuart J. Russell, of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach — the world’s most widely used textbook in the field of artificial intelligence.Peter sits down with Geoff to separate facts from fiction about where AI is really headed. He explains why the hype around Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) misses the point, how today’s models are already “general,” and what truly matters most: making AI safer, more reliable, and human-centered. He discusses the rapid evolution of generative models, the risks of misinformation, AI safety, open-source regulation, and the balance between democratizing AI and containing powerful systems. This conversation explores the impact of AI on jobs, education, cybersecurity, and global inequality, and how organizations can adapt, not by chasing hype, but by aligning AI to business and societal goals. If you want to understand where AI actually stands, beyond the headlines, this is the conversation you need to hear. In this episode:00:00 Intro01:00 How AI evolved since Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach03:00 Is AGI already here? Norvig’s take on general intelligence06:00 The surprising progress in large language models08:00 Evolution vs. revolution10:00 Making AI safer and more reliable12:00 Lessons from social media and unintended consequences15:00 The real AI risks: misinformation and misuse18:00 Inside Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute20:00 Regulation, policy, and the role of government22:00 Why AI may need an Underwriters Laboratory moment24:00 Will there be one “winner” in the AI race?26:00 The open-source dilemma: freedom vs. safety28:00 Can AI improve cybersecurity more than it harms it?30:00 “Teach Yourself Programming in 10 Years” in the AI age33:00 The speed paradox: learning vs. automation36:00 How AI might (finally) change productivity38:00 Global economics, China, and leapfrog technologies42:00 The job market: faster disruption and inequality45:00 The social safety net and future of full-time work48:00 Winners, losers, and redistributing value in the AI era50:00 How CEOs should really approach AI strategy52:00 Why hiring a “PhD in AI” isn’t the answer54:00 The democratization of AI for small businesses56:00 The future of IT and enterprise functions57:00 Advice for staying relevant as a technologist59:00 A realistic optimism for AI’s futureConnect with Peter:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pnorvig/Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

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• Why AI is Failing: Ex-Google Chief Cassie Kozyrkov Debunks "AI-first"

  Is “AI-first” the future of business or just another tech buzzword?On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by former Google Chief Decision Scientist and CEO of Kozyr, Cassie Kozyrkov.Cassie is best known for founding the field of Decision Intelligence and serving as Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist, where she helped lead the company’s AI-first transformation. A sought-after advisor and keynote speaker, Cassie has guided organizations including Gucci, NASA, Meta, Spotify, Salesforce, and GSK on AI strategy. She combines deep technical expertise with theater-trained charisma to make complex concepts engaging and actionable for executive and general audiences alike delighting audiences in over 40 countries across all seven continents, including stages at the UN, WEF, Web Summit, and SXSW.Cassie sits down with Geoff to unpack the hidden cost of the “AI-first” hype, the dangers of AI infrastructure debt, and why real AI readiness starts with people, not technology. She reveals how leaders can architect their organizations for innovation, build human-in-the-loop systems, and create cultures that embrace experimentation instead of fearing mistakes.Cassie exposes why 95% of organizations fail to achieve measurable ROI from AI and how leaders can finally bridge the AI value gap. This conversation dives into why AI success isn’t about tools, it’s about leadership, measurement, and mindset.Most organizations chasing “AI transformation” see no measurable ROI not because the technology fails, but because leaders are still measuring value the old way. Generative AI success is hard to quantify when there isn’t a single “right answer,” yet many businesses keep trying to apply outdated metrics to a completely new paradigm.In this video:00:00 Intro00:44 The Generative AI Value Gap: Why 95% get no ROI02:20 The paradox of AI productivity05:38 Why measuring AI value is harder than we think12:04 Leadership abdication: “Just sprinkle AI on everything”15:10 AI infrastructure debt explained20:17 What real AI readiness looks like (beyond tech)23:42 Humans as part of AI infrastructure28:00 Why “AI-first” isn’t one-size-fits-all33:31 Building human judgment into AI systems36:19 The risks of scaling too fast41:34 Automation vs augmentation: where leaders go wrong44:00 The “do the work” approach to AI success48:35 The recipe for an AI-ready organization53:40 Guardrails, governance, and security in AI systems57:00 Thinking probabilistically: a new mindset for leaders1:03:20 The human side of AI transformation1:06:45 Leading through uncertaintyConnect with Cassie:Website: https://www.kozyr.com/aboutLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kozyrkov/X: https://x.com/decisionleaderYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KozyrkovVisit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

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