Are we using AI in a way that actually makes us smarter or are we unknowingly making ourselves less capable, less curious, and easier to automate?
On this episode of Digital Disruption, we are joined by artificial intelligence expert and neuroscientist, Dr. Vivienne Ming.
Over her career, Dr. Vivienne Ming has founded 6 startups, been chief scientist at 2 others, and founded The Human Trust, a philanthropic data trust and “mad science incubator” that explores seemingly intractable problems—from a lone child’s disability to global economic inclusion—for free. She co-founded Dionysus Health, combining AI and epigenetics to invent the first ever biological test for postpartum depression and change the lives of millions of families. She also develops AI tools for learning at home and in school, models of bias in hiring and promotion, and neurotechnologies to treat dementia and TBI. Vivienne was named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017. She is featured frequently for her research and inventions in The Financial Times, The Atlantic, Quartz Magazine and the New York Times.
Dr. Vivienne Ming sits down with Geoff to unpack one of the most misunderstood truths about artificial intelligence: AI isn’t here to replace your thinking it’s here to challenge it. And whether you grow or get left behind depends entirely on how you choose to engage with it. Dr. Ming reveals why most organizations and most individuals are using AI in the worst possible way. Instead of creating leverage, they’re creating “work slop,” cognitive dependency, shallow automation, and declining human capability. She explains why the real competitive advantage in the AI age comes from productive friction, creative complementarity, and teams that know how to use AI to explore the ill-posed problems—the ambiguous, uncertain, high-value challenges machines can’t solve on their own. From how to robot-proof your company, to why AI tutors fail when they give answers, to the science of courage, reward systems, and organizational culture, this conversation is one of the most honest explorations of the future of human capability in an AI-saturated world.
In this video:
00:00 Intro
02:30 The real value of hybrid intelligence
05:00 Cognitive automation vs. true complementarity
08:20 Ill-posed problems: where humans still win
12:10 What elite performers really do differently
16:00 The paradox of AI: why more automation creates more work
18:30 How hybrid teams beat prediction markets
20:50 Inequality & imagination disease in AI
23:10 AI tutors & the golden rule: never give the answer
28:00 The nemesis prompt: how to robot-proof yourself
44:20 Courage, ethics & reward structures in organizations
54:00 Using AI without losing the human story
01:06:30 How to robot-proof your company
Connect with Vivienne:
Website: https://socos.org/about-vivienne
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienneming/
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