Podcast
Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work
Hosted by Brian Gorman, Host · EN
Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work explores what leaders need to see, ask, and own as artificial intelligence reshapes work, decisions, culture, trust, and human value.
Formerly Qonversations, the podcast continues Brian Gorman’s long-running exploration of leadership, change, and the future of work—now with a sharper focus on the age of AI. This is not a show about chasing tools or predicting the next technology trend. It is about the human work AI makes more urgent: discernment, accountability, governance, ethical judgment, workforce trust, and wise decision-making.
Each episode features thoughtful conversations with leaders, thinkers, practitioners, and change-makers who are looking beyond AI hype to what work is becoming—and what leadership must become in response.
For leaders, founders, executives, coaches, consultants, HR professionals, and anyone asking how AI can help make work more human, not less.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
172: Don't Let Technology Be the Leader
Jun 1800:26:31Tap to summarizeAI is already changing the way we work. The question is no longer whether leaders will adopt it. The question is whether they will lead it.In this episode of Qonversations, Brian talks with Jim Spignardo, Director of Cloud Strategy and AI Enablement at ProArc, about why AI implementation is not primarily a technology challenge. It is a leadership challenge.Too often, organizations measure AI adoption by activity: who is using it, how often, and how quickly. But usage is not the same as value. Without a clear purpose, AI can create fear, shallow adoption, and dehumanizing pressure instead of better work.Brian and Jim explore what leaders need to define before the tools take over. What is AI for? Is it here to reduce headcount, increase speed, eliminate dull work, strengthen collaboration, or expand human creativity? Those choices shape culture, trust, and the future of work.The conversation also turns to education, where AI is already challenging assumptions about learning, intelligence, evaluation, and preparation for a changing workplace. At the center is the distinction between intelligence and wisdom, and the need for discernment and critical thinking as AI becomes more capable.AI can make work more human and humane, or it can deepen practices that reduce people to metrics. The tools will not decide which path we take. Leaders will.Don’t let AI lead. Lead AI.
Transcribe →171: Into the Fog: AI and Leadership
Jun 1100:29:03Tap to summarizeIn a world obsessed with speed, certainty, and fast answers, leadership often happens somewhere else entirely. In the fog.In this episode of Qonversations, Brian Gorman is joined by Pete Behrens, author of Into the Fog: Leadership Stories from the Edge of Uncertainty, for a conversation about leading when the path forward is unclear. Pete uses “fog” as a metaphor for the ambiguity and complexity leaders face when old answers no longer fit and new ones have not yet emerged.Brian and Pete explore how artificial intelligence is intensifying that fog. AI increases the pressure to move faster, decide sooner, and appear more certain. Yet the deeper leadership challenge may be slowing down enough to ask better questions, notice what is changing, and resist the temptation to perform confidence when presence, humility, and discernment are needed.A central theme is the “messy middle” between decision and destination. Leaders often announce change and expect adoption. Real leadership is often shown after the decision, when people are confused, resisting, grieving, adapting, and trying to make sense of what comes next.The episode closes with a powerful distinction. Being a leader is not the same as practicing leadership. A title may grant authority, but leadership is a choice available at every level, especially when the way forward is unclear.
Transcribe →170: Practical AI
Jun 400:29:04Tap to summarizeAI is not just changing enterprise strategy. It is changing the daily experience of work.In this episode of Qonversations, David Dean, AI technologist, practitioner, and author of An Inbox Between Us, joins Brian Gorman to explore what it means to use AI wisely in real-world settings.David brings a practical behavioral lens to AI. He explains that every organization has an official system of processes, roles, and documentation, and an unofficial system revealed in inboxes, chat threads, meetings, workarounds, and judgment calls. AI does not enter a blank slate. It reflects the behaviors already present. That makes AI implementation a leadership issue, not just a technology issue. Used well, AI can create breathing room, surface patterns, reduce backlog, and support better work. Used poorly, it can accelerate confusion, mistrust, and dysfunction.This conversation is not only for executives in large organizations. It is equally relevant for solopreneurs, individual contributors, and anyone trying to use AI more thoughtfully. The question is not simply, “What can AI do?” It is, “What human work should AI support, and where must judgment remain ours?”This is practical AI. Not replacement, not hype, not fear, but augmentation grounded in trust, context, and human wisdom.
Transcribe →169: Thriving in the Time of AI
May 2800:40:19Tap to summarizeAI is accelerating capability. But what if the real challenge is learning how to thrive alongside it?In this episode of Qonversations, Fred Marshall joins Brian Gorman to explore a question many leaders are only beginning to confront. How do we integrate artificial intelligence into our lives and work without losing ourselves in the process?Fred, author of Thrive: The Antidote to Future Shock, introduces a practical and deeply human approach to navigating rapid technological change. Rather than treating AI as a replacement for human thinking, he frames it as a strategic partner, one that can help reduce noise, manage complexity, and create more space for what matters most.Together, Brian and Fred explore the difference between intelligence and wisdom, why innovation is often less about invention than remixing what already exists, and how leaders can avoid being overwhelmed by accelerating inputs and competing demands. They also discuss Fred’s concept of symbiotic intelligence — the emerging partnership between human judgment and AI capability — and why the most important leadership question may no longer be what AI can do, but what humans must continue to do. If AI can increasingly think with us, what becomes essential for us to protect, strengthen, and cultivate as humans?
Transcribe →168: AI Isn’t a Technology Problem. It’s a Leadership One.
May 2100:28:07Tap to summarizeMost organizations are treating AI like a technology implementation. What if that is the wrong starting point?In this episode of Qonversations, Kathy Eastwood, Founder and Chief People Strategist of E Equals Why, joins host Brian Gorman to explore why artificial intelligence may be one of the biggest people and leadership shifts organizations have faced in decades.Kathy shares why some organizations are beginning to place AI under HR rather than IT, recognizing that the real challenge is not the technology itself, but how people experience, adopt, and respond to change. Together, they examine the pressure leaders face to improve efficiency while maintaining trust, culture, and human connection.The conversation also explores Conscious Capitalism, purpose-driven leadership, and the growing expectation, especially among younger generations, that organizations lead with something more than profit alone.As intelligence becomes increasingly abundant, what role must leadership play in protecting what remains distinctly human?
Transcribe →167: AI and Innovation
May 1300:35:09Tap to summarizeWhat if AI’s greatest value isn’t optimization, but innovation? In this episode of Qonversations, Jamie Cassar, Founder and Product Lead for Inspiru.ai, joins Brian Gorman to explore a question many organizations are missing as they rush to implement AI. What happens when artificial intelligence is used not simply to make work faster or cheaper, but to expand human curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving?Jamie challenges the growing tendency to view AI primarily through the lens of efficiency and cost reduction. Instead, he makes the case for using AI to free cognitive capacity, amplify critical thinking, and help people innovate in ways that traditional organizational structures often suppress.Together, Brian and Jamie explore why so many organizations unintentionally stifle innovation through functional silos, why belonging and diverse perspectives matter more than ever in an AI-driven world, and how leaders can rethink the relationship between human intelligence, organizational culture, and technology. They also wrestle with a harder leadership question: if AI can increasingly optimize execution, what remains distinctly human in creating the future? This conversation is not about whether AI belongs in organizations. It is about whether leaders will use it to reduce human contribution or expand human possibility.
Transcribe →166: AI, Wisdom, and Leadership Choices
May 700:39:29Tap to summarizeJeff Burningham, author of The Last Book Written by a Human: Becoming Wise in the Age of AI, joins Brian Gorman for a conversation that reframes AI from a tool into something far more confronting: a mirror. As Jeff describes it, AI reflects back not just our data, but our values and decisions, especially the ones we’ve normalized. The real issue isn’t AI technology. It’s how leaders respond when what’s reflected back becomes harder to ignore.The conversation moves quickly from possibility to responsibility. What happens when decisions driven by efficiency such as automation, layoffs, and optimization begin to reshape lives and communities at scale? And what does leadership require when short-term performance pressures collide with long-term human consequences?Jeff and Brian land on a clear tension. As machines become more intelligent, the answer is not to become more machine-like. It’s to become more human, more capable of judgment, responsibility, and care. AI may be accelerating change, but it is also creating a crucible. One that will either deepen inequality and disconnection or push leaders to rethink what business is actually for.This isn’t a conversation about adopting AI well. It’s about deciding what and who it’s all ultimately for.
Transcribe →165: Corporate AI. Individual Impact.
Apr 3000:30:16Tap to summarizeAI isn’t just changing how work gets done. It’s changing who gets to keep doing it. In this episode of Qonversations, Sam Alvita, Director of Learning Design at Masterclass and Executive Coach, joins Brian Gorman to explore the human impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce beyond strategy, beyond systems, and into the lived reality of individuals navigating uncertainty.This conversation starts where most don’t: with the people beneath the headlines. Sam shares what she is seeing firsthand through her coaching work: skilled professionals investing in AI, doing everything “right,” and still finding themselves displaced. Together, Sam and Brian examine the tension between organizational decisions and individual consequences, and the growing gap between efficiency gains and human experience. Among the things they explore are:Why AI-driven layoffs are creating frustration, not just fearThe hidden cost of losing experience, judgment, and institutional wisdomThe rise of portfolio careers and side gigs as both necessity and choiceThe conversation also challenges leaders directly. AI adoption may be a leadership decision, but most organizations are not yet thinking deeply about how to redesign work around human energy, contribution, and meaning. Instead, many are defaulting to efficiency at the expense of engagement, trust, and long-term capability. This isn’t just about jobs. It’s about what work becomes and who it still works for.If this conversation lands close to home, you’re not alone. The shift is already underway. The question is whether you are reacting to it or helping shape what comes next.
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