The Anxious Achiever Exploring AI Anxiety With A Leader In Charge Of AI Transformation with Lee Gonzales
Dec 2, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Lee Gonzales, an engineering leader at BetterUp and creator of AI Flight School, tackles the prevalent anxiety surrounding AI. He explains how to transform fear into agency and optimism. Lee emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and collective sensemaking in adapting to AI. Listeners will discover how to shift from being 'AI passengers' to 'AI pilots' and why overreliance on AI can weaken cognitive skills. He also shares inspiring stories of individuals gaining new capabilities through AI engagement.
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Reinvention Fueled By AI Anxiety
- Lee Gonzales felt extreme AI anxiety and reinvented his career around it.
- He created systems to reduce that anxiety by increasing AI literacy and agency.
AI As A Civilizational Shift
- Lee argues this AI wave differs from past tech shifts and may rival industrial revolutions.
- He frames AI as a civilizational-scale change, not just another tool.
Adopt A Pilot Mindset
- Cultivate agency and optimism to move from an AI passenger to an AI pilot.
- Use agency to experiment, lobby, and shape the AI future you want.