“The biggest risk is not being imaginative enough.” If we only focus on avoiding harm, we’ll miss the chance to create real good.
But I’ll be honest—this is a personal conundrum for me right now. I can see the bridge between where we are and what ethical, impactful AI could look like. I even think I know how to build it. The problem is I don't trust the people laying the bricks. And I don't mean the engineers.
I mean the CEOs - the investors.
Imagination without trust? I will be sleeping on this one tonight.
Thank you, Paul and Charlene
PS I did not listen and will do so in the near future. I’m sure there was more context shared, so please know I’m offering this response as just my initial thoughts :)
Hey Paul, very impressive having Charlene as an expert guest, her book Groundswell is one of the first true seminal books that covered the rise of social media.
Two thoughts of hers that I found interesting. Neela mentioned it already but I thought it was telling that she said marketers need to be more imaginative in using AI, and that is what will lead to more interesting uses of the technology. I agree completely, marketers are terrible about simply copying what’s working at the time and hesitant to look for new ground. AI offers so much potential that marketers need to be proactively leaning into to find new uses.
I also thought it was interesting what Charlene said about disclosing AI use. She seemed to be saying that companies should disclose to customers the minimum amount necessary to avoid losing the customers’ trust. I mostly agree with this, as I think this is a good compromise between wanting to have transparency, while also protecting IP, and internal processes to maintain competitive advantages.
Great interview, thanks for pulling this together.
Thanks, Bette. I don't see how organizations can avoid letting go of some roles that AI can easily replace. But better to upscale the humans than get rid of them. Charlene's outlook is positive -- and considering it's "Charlene," she knows better than me.
I will take time to listen to this podcast, too. I do not use AI in what I do, but I am deeply invested in learning about the ethical ways ahead. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
My pleasure. ChatGPT and I have some great theological discussions. It even wrote a sermon for me one time! (I'm not a pastor, but wanted to see what it could do.) If I didn't know better, I would think it was Christian! LOL
This was one of those rare pieces that challenges without overwhelming—Charlene’s clarity shines, but so does yours in how you shaped the narrative.
What struck me most was the reframing of imagination as an ethical duty. That line hit like truth. It’s easy to talk about AI in terms of tools and risks, but much harder—and braver—to talk about it in terms of human courage.
Thank you for surfacing that quiet call to action: lead with values, speak with clarity, and don’t wait for someone else to set the standard.
Looking forward to the adoption pyramid next week—it feels like the right next layer.
I am going to go down a rabbit hole on this one -
“The biggest risk is not being imaginative enough.” If we only focus on avoiding harm, we’ll miss the chance to create real good.
But I’ll be honest—this is a personal conundrum for me right now. I can see the bridge between where we are and what ethical, impactful AI could look like. I even think I know how to build it. The problem is I don't trust the people laying the bricks. And I don't mean the engineers.
I mean the CEOs - the investors.
Imagination without trust? I will be sleeping on this one tonight.
Thank you, Paul and Charlene
PS I did not listen and will do so in the near future. I’m sure there was more context shared, so please know I’m offering this response as just my initial thoughts :)
Her take on that question surprised me as well. She adds more context in the audio.
okay, so I will be listening this weekend
I consume too many coffees over the one. Thank you Paul
Hey Paul, very impressive having Charlene as an expert guest, her book Groundswell is one of the first true seminal books that covered the rise of social media.
Two thoughts of hers that I found interesting. Neela mentioned it already but I thought it was telling that she said marketers need to be more imaginative in using AI, and that is what will lead to more interesting uses of the technology. I agree completely, marketers are terrible about simply copying what’s working at the time and hesitant to look for new ground. AI offers so much potential that marketers need to be proactively leaning into to find new uses.
I also thought it was interesting what Charlene said about disclosing AI use. She seemed to be saying that companies should disclose to customers the minimum amount necessary to avoid losing the customers’ trust. I mostly agree with this, as I think this is a good compromise between wanting to have transparency, while also protecting IP, and internal processes to maintain competitive advantages.
Great interview, thanks for pulling this together.
Thanks, Mack. When it comes to someone who knows their field, you can't do better than Charlene.
She made some interesting—surprising even—points that merit consideration. I'm anxious to see what she says about that in her new book.
I loved this and especially what she said about how the goal shouldn’t be to eliminate people.
Or at the very least, it shouldn’t be to eliminate your good people.
The focus should be on removing the work that’s getting in their way so they’re freed up to actually be effective.
But to do that, some companies do need to let go of the folks who are just there to maintain the status quo.
Thanks, Bette. I don't see how organizations can avoid letting go of some roles that AI can easily replace. But better to upscale the humans than get rid of them. Charlene's outlook is positive -- and considering it's "Charlene," she knows better than me.
I will take time to listen to this podcast, too. I do not use AI in what I do, but I am deeply invested in learning about the ethical ways ahead. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
My pleasure. ChatGPT and I have some great theological discussions. It even wrote a sermon for me one time! (I'm not a pastor, but wanted to see what it could do.) If I didn't know better, I would think it was Christian! LOL
This was one of those rare pieces that challenges without overwhelming—Charlene’s clarity shines, but so does yours in how you shaped the narrative.
What struck me most was the reframing of imagination as an ethical duty. That line hit like truth. It’s easy to talk about AI in terms of tools and risks, but much harder—and braver—to talk about it in terms of human courage.
Thank you for surfacing that quiet call to action: lead with values, speak with clarity, and don’t wait for someone else to set the standard.
Looking forward to the adoption pyramid next week—it feels like the right next layer.