342: From Reaction to Reflection: Philosopher Anders Indset on AI, Consciousness, and the Path to the Singularity

Anders Indset is a Norwegian philosopher, author, tech investor, and former Olympic handball player often called “the business philosopher.” He is the founder of the Global Institute of Leadership and Technology and chairman of Njordis Group, a venture firm focused on the intersection of humanity and exponential technologies. Anders has invested in deep tech companies like Terra Quantum and launched The Quantum Economy Alliance to explore the future of innovation. He brings a unique mix of philosophical insight and real-world experience to today’s conversation.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Anders believes our economy is society’s “operating system” and how AI might destabilize or enhance itHow we’ve built an economy driven by reaction rather than reflection and what it takes to shift toward more thoughtful progressWhat the “final narcissistic injury” means for humanity as we face the rise of superintelligenceWhy it's naive to separate economy from ecology and how the concept of the quantum economy offers a new way to align hyper-efficiency with sustainabilityThe difference between artificial general intelligence and artificial human intelligence and why Anders argues for enhancing ourselves before trying to replace usWhat the technological singularity really is, why it's misunderstood, and how Anders thinks we should prepare for itResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Anders on LinkedIn or on his websiteExplore Anders’ published work, including “The Quantum Economy”AI fun fact articleOn How to Optimize Hiring Processes and Celebrate Cognitive Diversity

In honor of National Safety Month, this special compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work brings together powerful conversations with four thought leaders focused on designing AI systems that protect users, prevent harm, and promote trust. Featuring past guests:Silvio Savarese (Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist, Salesforce) -Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15548310Navindra Yadav (Co-founder & CEO, Theom) -  Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12370356Eric Siegel (CEO, Gooder AI & Author ) -  Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14464391Ben Kus (CTO, Box) -  Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14789034✅ What You’ll Learn: What it means to design AI with safety, transparency, and human oversight in mindHow leading enterprises approach responsible AI development at scaleWhy data privacy and permissions are critical to safe AI deploymentHow to detect and mitigate bias in predictive modelsWhy responsible AI requires balancing speed with long-term impactHow trust, explainability, and compliance shape the future of enterprise AI  ResourcesSubscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe Other special compilation episodes Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)Data Privacy Day Special Episode: AI, Deepfakes & The Future of TrustThe Future of AI Ethics Special: Perspectives from Women Leaders in AI on Bias, Accountability & TrustWorld Health Day Special: How AI Is Making Healthcare Smarter, Cheaper, and Kinder

Marni Baker Stein is the Chief Content Officer at Coursera, the global learning platform with over 175 million learners and partnerships across 6,200 campuses, businesses, and governments. She leads Coursera’s content and credential strategy and manages global partner relationships. Before joining Coursera, Marni was Chief Academic Officer and Provost at Western Governors University, where she oversaw programs for more than 135,000 students. She has also held leadership roles focused on access, student success, and program design at the University of Texas, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Marni earned her PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.In this conversation, we discuss:How AI is shifting education from one-size-fits-all to personalized, contextualized learning tailored to each studentWhy microcredentials and stackable learning are replacing traditional degrees as the new path for lifelong learnersThe role of educators in the AI era and why they should be part of the solution, not sidelined by automationWhat it means for universities to stay relevant as learning becomes more modular, flexible, and job-alignedWhy GenAI is fueling demand for both technical skills and enduring human abilities like critical thinking and communicationHow tools like AI tutors, instant translations, and proctoring are democratizing access and preserving integrity at scaleResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Marni on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Identify The Power of Product and Listening to Your Customers. Past episodes mentioned in this conversation:[With Dave Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business] - On How AI is Changing Academia[Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO] - On using AI to prevent students from cheating plus lessons for leaders on innovation and team culture

Tess Posner is the CEO and founding leader of AI4ALL, a nonprofit that works to ensure the next generation of AI leaders is diverse and well-quipped to innovate. Since joining in 2017, she has focused on embedding ethics, responsibility, and real-world impact into AI education. Her work connects students from underrepresented backgrounds to hands-on projects and mentorships that prepare them to lead in tech. Beyond her role at AI4ALL, Tess is a musician whose 2023 EP Alchemy has over 600,000 streams on Spotify. She was named a 2020 Brilliant Woman in AI Ethics Hall of Fame Honoree and holds degrees from St. John’s University and Columbia University.In this conversation, we discuss:Why AI literacy is becoming essential for everyone, from casual users to future developersThe role of project-based learning in helping students see the real-world impact of AIWhat it takes to expand AI access for underrepresented communitiesHow AI can either reinforce bias or drive real change, depending on who’s leading its developmentWhy schools should stop penalizing AI use and instead teach students to use it with curiosity and responsibilityTess’s views on balancing optimism and caution in the development of AI toolsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Tess on LinkedIn or learn more about AI4ALLAI fun fact articleOn How To Build and Activate a Powerful NetworkPast episodes mentioned in this conversation:[With Tess in 2020] - About what leaders do in a crisis[With Tess in 2019] - About how to mitigate AI bias and hiring best practices [With Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO] - On Using AI to Prevent Students from Cheating[With Marcus "Bellringer" Bell] - On Creating North America’s First AI Artist

Brian Elliott is one of the most recognized future of work thought leaders and the CEO of Work Forward, where he advises senior leaders on how to build better organizations. A former senior executive at Slack, Brian is also the bestselling author of How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives. His insights have been published in Harvard Business Review and Fortune, and cited in Time, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Economist, and Forbes. He holds a BA in Math and Economics from Northwestern and an MBA from Harvard.In this conversation, we discuss:Brian Elliott’s leadership journey from Google and Slack to founding Work Forward and advising companies on building healthier workplace cultures.Why alignment, accountability, and shared purpose matter more than hustle culture in scaling organizations effectively.The hidden risks of AI at work, including why employees often use it in secret out of fear of punishment or judgment.The growing tension between executives and employees in an era of midnight layoffs, return-to-office mandates, and AI-induced anxiety.How progressive leaders can create space for experimentation with AI and lead with fallibility instead of fear.Why the future of work depends on creating space for learning, building trust, and valuing human craftsmanship in an AI-powered world.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribeConnect with Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belliott/AI fun fact article: https://ashugarg.substack.com/p/nvidias-ai-factory-betOn How To Deliver IT Service To The Legal Industry: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-mckenna-serial-cio-and-legaltech-expert-discusses/id1476885647?i=1000624398232

Dr. Martin Goodson is the founder and CEO of Evolution AI, a company he launched in 2012 to apply deep learning to optical character recognition (OCR). The company has received one of the largest AI R&D grants ever awarded by the UK government, along with investment from First Minute Capital. A former scientific researcher at Oxford University, Martin has led AI research across several organizations and was elected Chair of the Data Science and AI Section of the Royal Statistical Society in 2019.In this conversation, we discuss:Martin Goodson’s journey from researching biological data to founding Evolution AI and pioneering deep learning for document understanding.Why traditional OCR missed the mark, and how combining visual and linguistic context unlocked a new frontier in document intelligence.The evolution from data extraction to true financial analysis, and why domain knowledge is essential for reading statements like income reports.The risks of LLM hallucinations, especially with numerical data, and why accuracy still requires combining techniques across model types.What Martin believes intelligence really is, and why language alone may be the wrong benchmark for AGI.Why recreating human intelligence shouldn’t be the goal of AI research, and how we can build systems that support, not mimic, human thinking.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Martin on LinkedInCheck out the YouTube channel of the London Machine Learning MeetupAI fun fact articleOn How to Ovecome Imposter SyndromePast episodes mentioned:On Why doing Taxes is like finding the Best Route on a Map with Daniel MarcousOn Making AI Smarter Without Harming Humans with Peter Voss

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 is the CEO and co-founder of Netlify, a platform that has raised over $200M to reshape how websites are built and deployed. A key figure in the open source web development community, Matt helped popularize the JAMstack architecture to improve performance and streamline developer workflows. Before launching Netlify in 2014 with Christian Bach, he built several startups and earned a degree in Musicology from the University of Copenhagen.In this conversation, we discuss:How Matt Biilmann coined the term “JAMstack”, and how it redefined the architecture of the modern webThe evolution of Netlify from a bootstrapped side project to a platform used by 6M+ developersWhy the future of web development includes designing not just for humans but also for AI agents, with a focus on Agent Experience (AX)The rise of low-code creators and “vibe coders” who build sophisticated projects by prompting instead of programmingWhy the open web matters more than ever in the age of AI, and what’s at stake in the battle between open and closed platformsMatt’s reflections on leadership, delegation, and what still drives him after more than a decade of building tools that empower other buildersResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Matt on LinkedInRead the new blog from Matt: Biilmann BlogAI fun fact articleOn the future of automation in B2B sales

Dave Marchick is the Dean of American University’s Kogod School of Business and a seasoned leader with experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He spent over a decade as Managing Director at The Carlyle Group, where he served on the management committee and advanced the firm’s sustainability and diversity efforts. In government, he held senior roles in both the Biden and Clinton administrations, including leadership positions at the State Department, the White House, and the Development Finance Corporation. Dave directed the Center for Presidential Transition during the 2020 cycle and later launched the Transition Lab podcast and co-authored The Peaceful Transition of Power. A dedicated advocate for civil rights and historical preservation, he has served on the boards of the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Park Foundation. Dave holds degrees from George Washington University, the LBJ School at UT Austin, and UC San Diego.In this conversation, we discuss:How Dean Dave Marchick is helping to infuse AI across the curriculum at American University’s Kogod School of Business.The resistance and cultural shifts required to get faculty on board with AI adoption.How students are learning to prompt, critique, and collaborate with AI from their first semester (and how it’s reshaping classroom dynamics).Why professionalism, communication, and negotiation are now prioritized as “skills of the future”.How Kogod is thinking about measuring the real-world impact of AI education beyond the classroom.Lessons from U.S. presidential transitions and what they reveal about leadership during critical moments.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-marchick/ AI fun fact article: https://www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/cheat-thon-contest-explores-ais-strengths-and-flaws-higher-education On what it was like to co-author a book with ChatGPT: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bob-rogers-ai-expert-physicist-author-and-ceo-of-oii/id1476885647?i=1000606108950 Other episodes mentioned in the show:Episode with George Sivulka [Hebbia CEO]Episode with Tom Wheeler [Former FCC Chairman and author of Techlash]Episode with Chris Caren [Turnitin CEO]Read Dave Marchick’s book: The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of America’s Presidential Transitions