AI and the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, Business, Ethics, HR, and IT for AI Enthusiasts, Leaders and Academics

Silvio Savarese, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist at Salesforce, shares insights into building trustworthy AI systems. They discuss designing AI with safety and human oversight to protect users. The conversation dives into the critical need for data privacy and bias mitigation in predictive models. There’s a focus on balancing the speed of innovation with long-term impacts on trust and compliance. The episode also emphasizes the necessity of transparency in navigating AI ethics, particularly in high-stakes decision-making.

Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer at Coursera, shares her insights on how AI is transforming education. She discusses the shift from traditional degrees to personalized learning experiences and microcredentials. Marni emphasizes the vital role teachers play, advocating for their integration into AI-enhanced environments. The conversation touches on how AI tools are democratizing access to education while maintaining integrity, highlighting the need for a blend of technical skills and critical human abilities in the evolving job market.

Tess Posner, CEO of AI4ALL, is on a mission to diversify the AI field and embed ethics in tech education. She discusses the importance of AI literacy for everyone and how project-based learning empowers students to grasp AI's real-world impact. Tess highlights the need for equitable access to AI education, stressing that AI can either reinforce biases or drive positive change based on who leads its development. She also shares insights on shifting the narrative around AI from fear to creativity, emphasizing the role of critical thinking in navigating the future of technology.

Brian Elliott, CEO of Work Forward and bestselling author, shares his journey from Google and Slack to advising leaders on healthier workplace cultures. He highlights the dangers of hustle culture and the need for alignment and accountability. The discussion dives into the hidden risks of AI, revealing how employees often adopt it in secret due to anxiety about judgment. Elliott emphasizes the importance of fostering trust and experimentation, arguing that the future of work relies on collaboration and valuing human craftsmanship in an AI-driven world.

Martin Goodson, CEO of Evolution AI and former Oxford researcher, shares his fascinating journey from biological data to pioneering AI in optical character recognition. He discusses the shortcomings of traditional OCR and how contextual understanding transforms document intelligence. The conversation touches on the importance of domain knowledge in financial analysis and the challenges of accuracy in AI, particularly with numerical data. Goodson questions the pursuit of AGI, advocating for AI systems that enhance human capabilities rather than mimic them.

Scott Stevenson is the CEO and co-founder of Spellbook, a legal tech company transforming how attorneys review contracts with AI. Since launching in 2018, Spellbook’s AI copilot has been adopted by more than 1,700 legal teams and helps review over a million contracts annually. Scott recently led the company through a $20 million Series A backed by Inovia Capital, Thomson Reuters Ventures, The Legaltech Fund, and others. Before Spellbook, he founded Mune, a startup at the intersection of music and technology, and holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.In this conversation, we discuss:Scott Stevenson’s journey from building electronic instruments to launching Spellbook, the world’s first generative AI copilot for lawyers.Why contracts, not court cases, were the ideal entry point for legal AI and how Spellbook now helps 3,000+ legal teams review over a million contracts a year.How AI is expanding access to legal services by reducing costs and enabling lawyers to serve the 70% of clients who previously couldn’t afford help.Why AI won’t replace lawyers and how tools like Spellbook enhance human judgment rather than automate legal decisions.Why now may be the best time to enter the legal field as AI eliminates drudgery and creates more room for strategy and client work.What product-market fit really looks like and how Scott found it after testing more than 100 hypotheses before landing on a solution that clicked.Why the best AI products embrace controlled chaos over rigid structure and how leaning into complexity reflects how the real world actually works.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Scott on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Build an AI platform that's growing faster than OpenAI

To coincide with International Human Resources Day (May 20th), this special compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work explores the promises and pitfalls of AI in hiring.HR leaders are under pressure to innovate—but how can we automate hiring ethically, avoid bias, and stay compliant with evolving laws and expectations?In this episode, we revisit key moments from past interviews with four top voices shaping the future of ethical workforce automation:🔹 Sean Behr (CEO, Fountain) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14183120 🔹 Keith Sonderling (U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor, formerly EEOC Commissioner) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15934483 🔹 Guillermo Corea (Former Director, SHRM Innovation Lab) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12706119 🔹 Josh Drean (Futurist, Co-Founder, Work3 Institute) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16473644 💡 What You’ll Learn:How AI is already transforming the hiring processWhat compliance really means in the age of automationWhy HR professionals must take the lead on responsible innovationHow to balance efficiency with fairness and transparency  ResourcesSubscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe Data Privacy Day Special Episode: AI, Deepfakes & The Future of Trust: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16554098 The Future of AI Ethics Special: Perspectives from Women Leaders in AI on Bias, Accountability & Trust: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16733990World Health Day Special: How AI Is Making Healthcare Smarter, Cheaper, and Kinder: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16935235

Matt Biilmann, CEO and co-founder of Netlify, known for his role in revolutionizing web development through the JAMstack architecture, dives into fascinating topics. He shares the evolution of web tools and discusses the emergence of coding agents that will reshape website creation. The conversation touches on the importance of an open web in an AI-driven era, highlights the rise of low-code creators, and covers his journey from developer to leader. Matt also offers insights into fostering creativity and innovation in tech.

Dave Marchick, Dean of American University’s Kogod School of Business, shares his insights on integrating AI into academia. He discusses how students are learning to collaborate with AI from their first semester, transforming classroom dynamics. Marchick emphasizes the importance of communication, professionalism, and negotiation as essential skills for the future. He also addresses the cultural shifts needed among faculty for AI adoption and the evolving educational landscape that must adapt to maintain relevance in an AI-driven world.

Snehal Antani, CEO and Co-founder of Horizon3, shares his inspiring journey from software engineer to cybersecurity leader. He discusses the powerful role of AI in modern cyber warfare and its transformative effects on business strategies. Antani brings to light Horizon3's unique approach to Red Teaming as a service and how AI can dramatically enhance penetration testing. He also predicts a future job landscape shaped by AI, emphasizing the critical importance of specialized skills and the human touch in tech careers.