Podcast
AI at Work
Hosted by Neil C. Hughes · EN
What does AI really mean for the modern workplace, and are we ready for what comes next?
AI at Work is a podcast from the Tech Talks Network, the home of conversations that showcase the voices at the heart of enterprise technology. You may know me from Tech Talks Daily, where we explore a different area of innovation in every episode. This show takes a focused look at one of the biggest shifts in business: how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work.
From intelligent automation to agentic AI and from the promise of workplace efficiency to the risks of unintended consequences, we aim to provide a grounded and accessible perspective on how AI is shaping the future of work.
If you’re using AI in your business or thinking about how to get started, this podcast is your chance to learn from the people already doing it.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Deputy’s View on AI, ROI, and the Human Side of Workforce Management
Jan 1100:29:53Tap to summarizeWhat happens when eighty percent of the global workforce receives less than one percent of technology investment, and why has this imbalance gone largely unchallenged for so long?In this episode, I sat down with Emma Seymour, Chief Financial Officer of Deputy, to unpack the realities facing the world’s so-called invisible workforce. Deskless workers power healthcare, retail, hospitality, and frontline services, yet the tools built to support them have historically lagged far behind those designed for office-based teams. Emma brings a grounded, finance-led perspective on why this gap exists and why it is finally starting to close.We explored how AI-driven workforce management is moving beyond hype and into practical, measurable outcomes. From optimizing staffing levels to reduce overstaffing and burnout, to giving workers more control over their schedules through self-service tools, Emma shared how Deputy is translating technology investment into real operational and human impact. We also discussed how AI is reshaping the finance function itself, automating admin-heavy tasks and freeing up teams' time to focus on higher-value work.What also stood out in this conversation was leadership. Deputy’s predominantly female executive team offers a rare example of scaling a billion-dollar technology company while balancing high performance with high care. Emma shared how trust, accountability, and empathy shape decision-making inside the business, and why that culture matters just as much as product innovation when serving a workforce that has been overlooked for decades.As AI continues to accelerate and workforce pressures intensify, what would it look like if more technology companies truly built for the people who keep the global economy running, and how differently might work feel if the invisible workforce finally became visible?Useful LinksConnect with Emma SeymourLearn more about Deputy,Follow on LinkedInThanks to our sponsors, Alcor, for supporting the show.
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Agentic AI, Governance, and the Future of Work Inside the Enterprise
Jan 500:31:58Tap to summarizeAre today’s AI tools actually doing the work, or are they still sitting on the sidelines offering advice that humans have to act on?In this episode of the AI at Work podcast, I sat down with Oren Michels, Founder and CEO of Barndoor AI, to explore why so much enterprise AI still feels stuck in what he calls “advisor mode.” We talked about the gap between AI that summarizes and AI that acts, and why that distinction matters far more to knowledge workers than most leaders realize. Oren drew on his experience building Mashery during the early days of APIs, drawing a clear parallel between then and now, when powerful technology exists but remains inaccessible to the people who actually need to use it.We spent a lot of time unpacking what true agentic AI really means inside the enterprise. For Oren, it is not about smarter chatbots or recycled RPA workflows, but about agents that can safely take action inside systems like Salesforce, CRMs, and other tools of record. We discussed why so many AI initiatives fail to deliver ROI, and why the missing skill is often not prompt engineering, but the ability to break real business problems into clear, executable instructions that an AI agent can actually follow.Governance became a central theme in our conversation, especially as we dug into the Model Context Protocol, or MCP. While MCP is emerging as a powerful standard for connecting AI to enterprise tools, Oren explained why it also introduces new security, cost, and control challenges if left unchecked. We explored why governance should act as a launchpad rather than a brake, how least-privilege access changes the conversation, and why the most important question is not how a model was trained, but what it can do with access right now.If you are thinking seriously about agentic AI, enterprise adoption, or how to prevent “bring your own AI” from becoming the next wave of shadow IT, this episode will give you a grounded, experience-led perspective on what actually needs to change inside organizations. As AI agents begin to operate at speed and scale across core systems, are your guardrails designed to stop progress, or to make it possible to move forward with confidence?I would love to hear your thoughts after listening. How close do you think we really are to AI that acts, not just advises?Useful LinksConnect with Oren MichelsLearn more about Barndoor AIThanks to our sponsors, Alcor, for supporting the show.
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