Big Brother at work

ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard are playing good chatbot assistants right now. But how should we be thinking about the ramifications of this technology? I chat with Pengcheng Shi, professor and director at Rochester Institute of Technology. We cover university policy, universal basic income, job impacts, quantum computing, and other topics.

In the second episode of a two-part series, I chat with space lawyer Jonathan Lim and research director AJ Link about protecting human rights in space and that famous Skylab 4 strike. 

In this episode, I chat with space lawyer Michelle L.D. Hanlon, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Space Law and president of the National Space Society about what laws that will govern humans on Mars and what it will take for humans to work successfully in space. We also wonder — how will Elon Musk govern Mars if he reaches it first?

Screenshots, keypad tracking, automated warnings...workplace surveillance is rising in popularity. But what does this mean for employee wellbeing and is there a middle ground? My guests are Lewis Maltby, president and founder of the National Workrights Institute and David Tomczak, I-O psychology doctoral candidate at The George Washington University.

Remote working has mostly been blamed for stifling creativity. But the pandemic has created other stressors, which can lead to negative behaviours. In this episode we examine malevolent creativity. My guest is Roni-Reiter Palmon, professor of industrial/organisational psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

In part 1 of this series, we discussed how avatars could increase presence in the office. This concluding part discusses how avatars could boost creativity, productivity and push other company goals too  - depending on how avatars are represented.  My guest is Professor Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University’s Department of Media and Information.

Working from home has made us more reliant on technology than ever. From feeling the 'zoom fatigue' to managing our multiple identities on social media platforms - it's become even harder to switch off. Can avatars step in and help?  In this episode we explore avatars representing us in meetings, learning our personalities, and travelling with us on social media.  My guests are Mahesh Ramasubramanian, co-founder and CEO at Loom.ai and James Andrews, head of product & founding team at Genies + partner, Humans.

Remote work has been beneficial for many employees, allowing greater flexibility and no morning rush hour commute. But what if you are still at the beginning of your career? Rowena Hennigan, a remote work expert, says it is totally possible for young professionals to advance their career through remote working. In this episode, she explains the importance of self-awareness and starting early. 

Since Covid-19, we've been mostly left to our own devices in calculating the risks of everyday life. But some of these decisions have led to public outcry and shaming.  In this episode we examine how good we are at assessing risk. My guest is Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, professor of law and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Deb Perelman's New York Times piece, In the Covid-19 Economy, You Can Have a Kid or a Job. You Can’t Have Both. struck a chord with parents everywhere. She wrote: "Every single person confesses burnout, despair, feeling like they are losing their minds, knowing in their guts that this is untenable."  In this episode, I catch up with my childhood friend, Sheila Joy, about the challenges she's faced parenting her 7-year old son Micah during lockdown.  From juggling three different jobs - mother, teacher and employee - to Micah gatecrashing her meetings, Sheila shares how she's coped. She also talks about her joy of discovering an aspect of Micah's personality and what she misses most about being in the office.   Please send any feedback here: [email protected]