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Elevate Your AIQ

Elevate Your AIQ

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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Bob Pulver is helping each of us navigate our respective journeys with artificial intelligence (AI) effectively and responsibly. Bob chats with AI and Future of Work experts, talent and transformation leaders, and practitioners who provide diverse perspectives on how AI is solving real-world challenges and driving responsible innovation.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Ep 125: Democratizing Coaching and Strengthening Human Agency with Diane Weaver

    Ep 125: Democratizing Coaching and Strengthening Human Agency with Diane Weaver
    Jul 3 2026
    Bob is joined by Diane Weaver, co-founder and COO of Baryons, who brings a career defined by translation — across languages, disciplines, and roles — to what she describes as the most important problem she has ever worked on: human flourishing in the age of AI. Drawing on her background in EdTech, linguistics, and startup leadership, including the founding and acquisition of CourseTune, Diane shares how a post-exit identity crisis and the release of ChatGPT converged to spark the idea for Baryons. The platform is a voice-based AI companion designed to support mental wealth, resilience, and human agency through four modes: daily check-in, checkout, thinking partner, and flourishing partner. Diane and Bob explore the science behind the product, the organizational dysfunction it is built to address, and why Baryons was designed from day one to get people off AI and back into meaningful connection with other human beings. Keywords Baryons, human flourishing, mental wealth, human agency, resilience, voice AI, executive coaching, organizational health, edtech, CourseTune, systems thinking, neuroplasticity, burnout, resonance report, team dynamics, responsible AI, technology stewardship, Diane Weaver Takeaways Baryons is a voice-based AI companion that supports individual and organizational health through four modes: check-in, checkout, thinking partner, and flourishing partner The platform democratizes access to a daily practice long associated with high performers and executive coaching, making it available to every employee at $20 a month Baryons uses a patent-pending approach to memory, allowing it to surface patterns and prior conversations in ways that build continuity and accountability over time Weekly resonance reports give individuals and teams insight into energy levels, recurring themes, and early indicators of burnout — without exposing individual conversations The product is built on six well-researched domains of organizational health: coordination, shared reality, early risk visibility, decision quality, engagement, and learning velocity Diane frames the current moment not as a technology problem but as a human one, and argues that organizations fixated on productivity metrics are missing the signals that actually predict team resilience and long-term performance Baryons is intentionally designed to be non-addictive and non-affirming — it is built to help users identify root causes and reconnect with human beings, not keep them talking to an AI Quotes "I really want to be working with people who want to be doing something that was impossible to do before." "We talk about ourselves as being the first AI that is truly built and designed to get people off of AI and back connecting with human beings in the real world." "The interface is more of your inner world than anything else." "It doesn't matter that an individual resonance — or even a team — is always trending up. When everything's always trending up, you know as a leader they've gamed the system." "Those six functions of the organization have to be repaired — or they may survive all of this tech disruption and still be dysfunctional." Chapters 00:02 Welcome and introductions 00:46 Diane's background: from the family farm to edtech and entrepreneurship 10:11 The paparazzi story: Pat Weaver, the Today Show, and a legacy of democratizing technology 12:41 The genesis of Baryons and the post-ChatGPT moment 15:33 Human agency as the core design principle 18:26 How Baryons works: voice-first design and the check-in mode 21:48 Shifting from technology users to technology stewards 23:38 The checkout mode: cognitive offloading and ending the workday with clarity 26:01 The thinking partner and flourishing partner modes 29:48 Democratizing executive coaching and the value of a non-judgmental AI 36:47 Why voice is the right interface: psychological safety and trust 41:15 A user story: Baryons as a neutral mediator in a fractured friendship 43:29 Mental wealth vs. mental health: resilience as a daily practice 47:34 Resonance reports: individual and team insights, burnout signals, and the limits of productivity metrics 52:00 Choosing the right partners: ethical AI, organizational dysfunction, and the six domains of health 59:51 What's ahead: Baryons.com, community brain health initiatives, and keeping humans at the center Diane Weaver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weaver-diane Baryons: https://baryons.com/ For advisory work and marketing inquiries: Bob Pulver:⁠⁠ ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver⁠⁠⁠ Elevate Your AIQ:⁠⁠ ⁠https://elevateyouraiq.com⁠⁠⁠ Substack: ⁠https://elevateyouraiq.substack.com⁠
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep 61: Assessing AI Literacy, Readiness, and Maturity with Eryn Peters and Iwo Szapar

    Ep 61: Assessing AI Literacy, Readiness, and Maturity with Eryn Peters and Iwo Szapar
    Jul 1 2026
    Bob Pulver catches up with Erin Peters and Iwo Szapar to explore the evolving landscape of AI literacy and their AI Maturity Index (AIMI). They discuss the importance of understanding how AI is being utilized in the workplace, the development of AIMI to benchmark AI readiness, and the STEP framework for implementing AI strategies. The conversation hits on the distinction between automation and augmentation, challenges orgs face in measuring productivity, and the need for a more nuanced understanding of AI's value proposition. Bob and his guests discuss the multifaceted aspects of AI adoption, how to measure progress, how to gauge maturity levels, and the importance of benchmarking. They explore the evolving landscape of AI skills in hiring, cultural shifts towards AI integration, and the necessity of responsible innovation. The dialogue also touches on the governance and ethical considerations surrounding AI, as well as global perspectives on its implementation, particularly in regions like Saudi Arabia. Keywords AI literacy, AI maturity index, future of work, automation, augmentation, productivity, change management, digital transformation, workforce development, AI strategy, AI adoption, organizational maturity, competitive benchmarking, AI skills, hiring trends, cultural shifts, responsible innovation, AI governance, global AI perspectives Takeaways AI literacy is crucial for the future of work. The AI maturity index helps organizations benchmark their AI readiness. The STEP framework simplifies AI implementation processes. Many organizations struggle with AI implementation despite having strategies. AI can enhance productivity and work-life balance. Understanding the real value of AI goes beyond cost savings. Personalized approaches to AI implementation are essential. The landscape of AI is rapidly evolving, requiring continuous learning. Measuring AI adoption success requires real data, not just anecdotes. Departments within organizations may have varying maturity levels in AI adoption. AI skills are becoming essential in hiring practices across industries. Cultural shifts are influencing how organizations embrace AI technology. Responsible innovation is crucial for leveraging AI effectively. AI governance must balance control with worker empowerment. Global perspectives on AI adoption reveal significant regional differences. Organizations need to adapt to the rapid pace of AI advancements. Sound Bites "AI is going to steal your job." "We help individuals, teams and organizations." "Democratize access to insights." "80% of AI implementation projects are failing." "AI can really help fix a lot of challenges." "It's about making my life easier." "We need to start looking at real value." "This is what I'm doing right now." "We can go more in depth, more personalized." "We're all tech enabled in different ways." "This is a balancing act of guided empowerment." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI Literacy and Maturity Index 03:49 Understanding the AI Maturity Index 11:44 The STEP Framework for AI Implementation 18:43 Navigating Automation vs. Augmentation 23:23 Measuring AI Value Beyond Cost Savings 25:55 Measuring Success in AI Adoption 30:23 Understanding Organizational Maturity in AI 31:21 The Competitive Edge of AI Benchmarking 32:58 The Future of AI Skills in Hiring 37:12 Cultural Shifts in AI Adoption 40:37 Responsible Innovation in AI 46:05 Navigating AI Governance and Ethics 50:00 Global Perspectives on AI Implementation Eryn Peters: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erynpeters Iwo Szapar: https://www.iwoszapar.com/ For advisory work and marketing inquiries: Bob Pulver: https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver Elevate Your AIQ: https://elevateyouraiq.com Thanks to Warden AI (https://warden-ai.com) for their sponsorship and support of the show! Warden is an AI assurance platform for HR technology to demonstrate AI-powered solutions are fair, compliant and trustworthy.
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    55 mins
  • Ep 124: Rethinking Content Discovery and Responsible Innovation with Daniel Sieberg

    Ep 124: Rethinking Content Discovery and Responsible Innovation with Daniel Sieberg
    Jun 26 2026
    Daniel Sieberg, co-founder and CEO of Screen Genius, joined the show to discuss how his company is building what he calls a universal navigation layer for human curiosity. Coming from over a decade in broadcast journalism followed by six years at Google, Daniel brings a distinctive perspective on how we search, discover, and consume content. Screen Genius started as a B2C streaming guide and pivoted into a B2B discovery-as-a-service platform, helping companies with large digital catalogs, from books and art to retail and food, surface more relevant recommendations through conversational, intent-driven AI. The conversation covers the gap between what recommendation engines promise and what they actually deliver, the importance of building AI responsibly by design, and the concept of "Gen T," generation transition, as a framework for shared human responsibility in shaping where AI goes next. Keywords Daniel Sieberg, Screen Genius, discovery as a service, recommendation engines, conversational search, semantic tagging, human-centric AI, responsible AI, paradox of choice, content discovery, B2B middleware, personalization, digital catalogs, Gen T, generation transition, Google News Lab, AI hype cycle Takeaways Screen Genius pivoted from a consumer streaming guide to a B2B discovery-as-a-service platform after recognizing that its recommendation engine had broader value across verticals including books, art, food, and retail Most recommendation systems ask users to search like a machine; Screen Genius is building conversational, intent-driven discovery that lets people search more like humans The paradox of choice is a core design constraint: once options exceed roughly five, human decision-making breaks down, so narrowing a massive catalog to a meaningful few is the real product Enterprise knowledge workers are a second use case: internal discovery tools to help employees navigate large data archives, not just consumer-facing recommendations Daniel frames responsible AI not as compliance but as ethos, citing his family history and mission to leave something beneficial to humanity as the throughline behind the company "Gen T," generation transition, reframes the AI debate away from generational blame toward shared responsibility for shaping what AI becomes Quotes "It feels like a rebellious act to fight for humanity these days." "AI is now helping us to search more like a human, which I find fascinating in the discovery evolution of where this is all going." "We like to call ourselves the universal navigation layer for human curiosity." "Business is trust, money is trust, relationships are trust. You're going to need to talk to a human being." "Gen T is generation transition, and we all have a shared responsibility in thinking that through." "I hope that we champion this responsible AI flag for as long as we're in existence." Chapters 00:02 Welcome and introductions 01:01 Daniel's career arc from journalism to Google to entrepreneurship 04:53 The origins of Screen Genius and the problem of content overload 08:38 From streaming guide to B2B discovery-as-a-service platform 13:02 Competing with Algolia and moving past the AI hype cycle 15:55 Personalization, intent, and the limits of recommendation engines 20:10 The paradox of choice and narrowing massive digital catalogs 24:14 Breaking down silos and building a universal navigation layer 30:33 Respecting human time and the enterprise knowledge worker use case 40:30 Why human relationships still matter more than vibe coding 43:05 Gen T, generation transition, and shared responsibility for AI's future 46:32 Responsible by design and the Screen Genius mission Daniel Sieberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielsieberg/ ScreenGenius: screengeni.us For advisory work and marketing inquiries: Bob Pulver:⁠⁠ ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver⁠⁠⁠ Elevate Your AIQ:⁠⁠ ⁠https://elevateyouraiq.com⁠⁠⁠ Substack: ⁠https://elevateyouraiq.substack.com⁠
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    53 mins
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