Automation Archives - Don't Stop Us Now

AI on the Org Chart – Patrick Forth

March 13, 2026March 16, 2026
by Claire

What does it actually mean to have a colleague who never sleeps, never calls in sick, and can hold thousands of conversations at once? Not in theory but right now, in real organisations?

Our guest this week is Patrick Forth, an Group Executive Director at FutureSecure AI, a company that builds what they call AI co-workers: sophisticated agentic systems that sit on org charts, have names and personas, and are managed much like human employees.

Patrick shares what some of the AI co-workers they’ve built so far actually do in enterprises today and what it takes to get them working inside organisations.

In this episode you’ll hear:

About the AI co-worker managing thousands of scheduling conversations on WhatsApp
Why their AI co-workers focus on complex, high-return use cases rather than simple automation
Patrick’s take on the job loss debate
How one organisation puts humans and AI co-workers on the same org chart just in different colours, and
Whether AI co-workers should be treated like software or like colleagues.

If you want a glimpse into the possible future of your workplace and colleagues then enjoy this episode with someone who’s at the coalface helping companies choose use cases and deploying AI co-workers right now…

Useful Links

FutureSecure AI website

Patrick Forth on LinkedIn

Interview

Agents Explained – Dominick Ng

December 19, 2025December 19, 2025
by Claire

If you’ve heard the term ‘AI agents’ but aren’t quite sure what they actually are or how they could help you at work, this is the episode for you.

Our guest is Dominick Ng, Director of Engineering at Relevance AI, a platform that helps businesses build and deploy AI agents. Before joining the startup world, Dom spent nine years at Google, rising from software engineer to senior manager. He also holds a PhD in Computational Linguistics and won a Fulbright Scholarship to UC Berkeley.

What makes Dom such a brilliant guide for this topic is his ability to explain complex technology in human terms. As he puts it, agents are fundamentally about adding human-like decision making to automation — handling the qualitative judgments that previously only people could make.

In this conversation you’ll hear:

A clear explanation of what agents actually are and why they’re different from previous automation
Real examples of agents creating entirely new business possibilities that couldn’t exist before
How to address privacy and security concerns when handing tasks to agents
Dom’s advice for anyone feeling overwhelmed by all of this

Dom is refreshingly honest about both the opportunities and the concerns he has about AI’s impact. His perspective on how humans and AI can work together — and the ‘spark’ that makes human creativity irreplaceable — is genuinely hopeful without being naive.

If you’ve been curious about agents but not sure where to start, this is the conversation you can thank us for later.

As this is our final episode of the year, we want to wish all our listeners Season’s Greetings. Thank you for listening throughout the year, and we wish you a kind and fulfilling new year ahead.

Enjoy this episode with the ever-curious and articulate Dominick Ng.

Useful Links

Relevance AI

Dominic Ng on LinkedIn

Interview

Teaching the World AI – Annie Liao

October 8, 2025October 9, 2025
by Claire

What happens when a group of friends gathering at Starbucks on Sundays to experiment with ChatGPT evolves into a global movement spanning more than 40 cities?

That’s the journey of Build Club, and its founder Annie Liao has some compelling insights about what it takes to actually make AI adoption work—not just in theory, but in practice.

Annie, who recently raised over $1.7 million and relocated to San Francisco, has a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping work. From her early days in data science at Westpac to strategy consulting at BCG and venture capital, she’s now solving what she calls the “AI adoption problem” that enterprises are struggling with worldwide.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Why Annie’s “AI Champions” approach has been Build Club’s most successful way of helping companies embrace AI
How she struck partnership deals with big names like Nvidia and Lovable
Annie’s prediction we’re all likely to have agents working overnight on our behalf and what that means
The AI tools Annie uses in her daily workflow, and
What makes San Francisco’s AI ecosystem fundamentally different from Australia’s

From her vantage point in the Bay Area, Annie shares what excites her most about seeing people use AI for the first time, why there might be too many no-code tools flooding the market, and the practical steps anyone can take to position themselves for what’s coming next.

Enjoy this episode with the indomitable Annie Liao.

Useful links:

Build Club website

Annie Liao on LinkedIn

Interview

AI Will Replace Jobs But …. – Peter Guagenti

July 9, 2025July 9, 2025
by Claire

This week we’re sharing an AI conversation many executives are afraid to have. Our guest, Peter Guagenti, CEO of agentic platform and AI agent builder, EverWorker, is one of those rare voices willing to say what others won’t: “AI will replace jobs”. Perhaps surprisingly, he goes on to explain why that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

While many in the industry underestimate or downplay AI’s capabilities, Peter speaks plainly about what he’s seeing happen right now in businesses across multiple industries.

Peter has been at the forefront of enterprise AI adoption for nearly a decade. Before EverWorker, he was President of TabNine, a pioneering AI code assistant, and he’s held leadership roles at major data infrastructure and dev tools companies including Cockroach Labs.

What you’ll hear Peter share in this episode:

Why job replacement fears are missing the bigger picture
Which “boring” businesses are actually leading early AI agent adoption
Skills you need to successfully implement AI for automation in any business
Why Peter calls AGI talk “nonsense” and what leaders should focus on instead, and
The one thing about AI’s future that genuinely worries him most.

Peter has a gift for cutting through the hype with plain talking, concrete examples and practical insights in an easy to understand way..

This is a refreshing and informative conversation for anyone wanting a glimpse into early adoption of AI agents and much more.

Enjoy this conversation with the plain-speaking and savvy Peter Guagenti.

Useful Links

EverWorker website

EverWorker AI Academy – free AI fundamentals course for business leaders

Bonus Episode

Pulse Check on AI’s Global Rollout

June 27, 2025June 28, 2025
by Claire

We’re not long back from attending the AI Summit in London – the headline event for London Tech Week. And so this week’s episode is all about sharing the sometimes surprising key insights we took away.

The Summit brought together an incredible cross-section of nationalities, perspectives, and industries, giving us what felt like a real-time pulse check of where AI stands right now. We were there on your behalf, identifying amazing leaders and securing some fantastic upcoming guests for the show.

In this episode, we share our biggest takeaways from the event – and we suspect at least one of them will challenge what you might expect about AI’s current impact in the business world.

What you’ll hear:

The surprising reality about AI’s bottom-line impact in most organisations
Why even the biggest companies are missing a crucial strategic opportunity with their AI approach
The coming wave of autonomous AI Agents and what this means for how we’ll all be working soon,
Some rare ‘behind the curtain’ examples of how some of the most forward thinking businesses are applying AI, and . . .
The fascinating cultural divide we observed between how Europeans and Americans are talking about AI’s impact on jobs.

We also explore why so many AI pilots are failing to scale, the risks of unauthorised AI tool usage in workplaces, and what successful AI deployment actually looks like when companies think beyond just automating existing processes.

If you’ve been wondering whether your organisation is behind the curve with AI, or if you’re curious about what’s really happening beyond the hype, this episode offers some much-needed perspective from the front lines of the AI world around the globe.

Useful Links

The AI Summit London

McKinsey report on the ‘Gen AI Paradox’

Interview

Demystifying Hiring in the Age of AI – Magdalena…

June 11, 2025June 11, 2025
by Claire

Ever wondered what really happens after you hit ‘apply’ on that dream job? We’re pulling back the curtain on modern recruitment with Magdalena Orascanin, an international HR consultant and speaker who advises and trains HR teams globally on strategic AI implementation.

Based in Switzerland and founder of Magnate HR, Magdalena has a wealth of HR experience, and a refreshingly honest perspective on how AI is actually being used in hiring and in HR today – spoiler alert: it’s not what most people think.

Magdalena speaks regularly about AI and HR including at the AI Summit London where we can also be found this week. 🙂

In this episode we explore:

The ATS Mythology Magdalena reveals the biggest myth about Applicant Tracking Systems and shares what’s really screening your CV
The Application Avalanche Why recruiters are drowning in applications like never before and what this means for your job search strategy
How to successfully apply for roles
Using AI as Your Career Coach How to flip the script and use AI tools to your advantage, and . . .
Future-Proofing Your Career Essential skills for staying relevant as AI reshapes the workplace.

Magdalena shares fantastic insider knowledge and tips in our conversation. She also reveals her favourite AI tools for automation and content creation, plus why she believes we’re still at the “dial-up internet” stage of AI development.

Whether you’re actively job hunting, or just want to understand how the hiring landscape is shifting, or how roles will change as AI is deployed, this conversation offers priceless insider insights.

Enjoy this episode with the dynamic and optimistic Magdalena Orascanin.

Useful Links:

Magdalena on LinkedIn

Magdalena’s business Magnate

The AI Summit London

Interview

Our Chat with Chat – ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode

February 11, 2025
by Claire

Drumroll . . . our episode this week features a world famous guest who needs no introduction.

After detailed negotiations with their agent 😉 we’re thrilled to share that our guest is none other than ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode.

Since launching in the 3rd quarter of last year, Open AI’s ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode has been transforming how people interact with AI. It’s played countless roles – from life coach to confidant, knowledge companion to conversation practice partner.

And now? We’re adding ‘podcast guest’ to its extensive repertoire!

We approached our unique conversation with this famous ‘synthetic’ guest as both a test drive and a demonstration; taking ChatGPT for a ‘spin’ and letting you experience its capabilities in real-time.

You’ll hear Chat switch between languages effortlessly, offer predictions and insights about adapting to tomorrow’s workplace, and even attempt some dad jokes. Groan! (We apologise in advance!)

Through some persistent questioning, we also uncovered what might be previously unreported usage data. Is it a world-first revelation or an AI hallucination? Only OpenAI knows for sure!

We’re confident you’ll find this conversation as fun and intriguing as we did. So settle in and enjoy this episode featuring our first-ever synthetic guest, ChatGPT.

Useful Info for trying Advanced Voice Mode yourself:

Advanced Voice Mode is easy to access. You open your ChatGPT app and you’ll see a button on the bottom right that has white zigzag bars with a black background – it’s called the Wavelength icon. Click on this and you can get started. It’s worth noting that ChatGPT free users have limited access.

Image Credit: ChatGPT

What Is Episode

What is Artificial Intelligence?

January 17, 2019
by admin

Welcome to our first ‘What Is. . .’ episode. And, drumroll please … the topic of our first in this series is Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We’re quite sure you’ll be hearing a lot more about AI this year and so why not start 2019 one step ahead and enjoy this super useful primer on all things AI, all explained simply with some fascinating examples.

In this episode we’re thrilled to feature two world-class AI experts: UK-based Kriti Sharma (see also Episode 19) as well as Australian-based Marie Johnson. (Stay tuned for our longer interview with her coming up in the next few weeks.)

So, if you’re a bit fuzzy about the differences between AI, automation and machine learning then this episode is for you!

You’ll learn:

What AI is and what it isn’t
Some of today’s amazing use cases for AI
What a digital human is and how it can respond to speech, text or even sign language
How to help reduce the chances of bias being coded in to systems
The new types of jobs that AI is creating
How to future-proof yourself
And much more.

Don’t miss this one!

Want our special AI Cheat Sheet briefing?

If you’d like a copy of our ‘What is AI Cheat Sheet’ briefing paper we’ve prepared, then don’t forget to email us at hello@dontstopusnow.co for your copy!

Meet our AI Experts featured in this Episode:

Kriti Sharma

Kriti Sharma is an Artificial Intelligence technologist and a leading global voice on AI ethics and its impact on society. In addition to advising global businesses on AI, she focuses on AI for Social Good. She built her first robot at the age of 15 in India and has been building AI technologies to solve global issues ever since, from productivity to education to domestic violence. Kriti was recently named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for advancements in AI and was included in the Recode 100 list of key influencers in technology in 2017. She was invited as a Civic Leader by the Obama Foundation Summit for her work in ethical technology. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Google Grace Hopper Scholar and recently gave expert testimony on AI Policy to the UK Parliament in the House of Lords. Earlier this year, Kriti spearheaded the launch of the Sage Future Makers Lab, a forum that will equip young people around the world with hands-on learning for entering a career in Artificial Intelligence.

Kriti was appointed a United Nations Young Leader at the General Assembly in 2018.

Kriti on LinkedIn

Kriti on Twitter

Marie Johnson

Marie has been described as a “public entrepreneur”, “crazy brave” – a trailblazer with a track record for tackling wicked problems head-on. Marie says she prefers the ‘edge’ because it’s uncomfortable and that’s what sparks innovation.

Marie conceived and led the global co-design and co-creation effort with people with disability to deliver ‘Nadia’ the first AI powered digital human for service delivery. This world leading work has sparked a global industry and appetite for AI powered digital humans.

Her next humanitarian project is bringing to life the AI powered ‘Digital Human Cardiac Coach’ – with the mission to make cardiac health information accessible to anyone on the planet.

The digital initiatives Marie has led have been recognised globally. Marie was named ‘Innovative CIO of the Year 2006-2007, Australia’ and in 2013, named one of Australia’s ‘100 Women of Influence’.

An impatient optimist, Marie is an inclusion and diversity advocate. She believes that artificial intelligence is a creative liberating humanising capability, that will truly transform the interactions between people regardless of ability.

Marie on LinkedIn

Marie’s business: Centre for Digital Business

Other Useful Links

All about Pegg, the accounting chat bot (mentioned by Kriti): https://www.sage.com/en-gb/products/pegg/

Article on rAInbow (mentioned by Kriti): https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/new-ai-smart-companion-aims-to-combat-domestic-violence-in-sa-18132692

Video introducing the digital human Nadia (mentioned by Marie): https://youtu.be/lf6L6DrPiOE

Article “The Making of the Digital Human Cardiac Coach” (mentioned by Marie): https://www.cio.co.nz/article/646193/cio-upfront-making-digital-human-cardiac-coach/

MIT Media Lab newsletters (as recommended by Kriti): https://www.media.mit.edu/

Book Marie recommends: AI Superpowers https://www.amazon.com/AI-Superpowers-China-Silicon-Valley-ebook/dp/B0795DNWCF

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