Why the hardest part of AI transformation has nothing to do with AI.
Watch the live Conversation
Rory Sutherland, David Johns & Matthew Byrne
THE TRUST GAP
The same AI rollout tells two very different stories.
Most AI strategies fail in the space between what leaders intend and what people experience. Massive consequences.
What leaders think they’re rolling out
Productivity gains
Faster/Better service
Operational efficiency
Cost Savings
Competitive advantage
What employees & customers may hear
Am I being replaced?
Am I talking to a robot?
Does this company still care?
Are people still part of the plan?
Can I trust what happens next?
WHAT WE'LL UNPACK LIVE
Six things most leaders are getting wrong
01
The behavioural bottleneck
Why AI transformation stalls when leaders focus on tools but underestimate human response.
02
The speed trap
The risk isn't that the AI won't work. The risk is that it will and the humans operating it won't be ready.
03
The permission problem
Why compliance is not the same as trust and why people need more than a rollout plan.
04
The silence tax
What leaders don't say about AI is being interpreted by employees anyway and rarely in the organisation's favour.
05
The psychology of adoption
People don't resist change because they're difficult. They resist when the story doesn't make sense.
06
Bringing people with you
Why transformation succeeds only when people feel part of the future, not subjected to it.
SPEAKERS
A live discussion with two leading voices.
Together, they’ll unpack why adoption won’t be won by the companies with the best tools, but by the leaders who understand people.
Rory Sutherland
Vice Chairman, Ogilvy | Author, Alchemy | Wikiman, The Specator | Chief Evangelist, meetmagic
Rory Sutherland is one of the world's leading voices on behavioural science, marketing, and human decision-making. Known for challenging conventional business logic, Rory brings a sharp, often unexpected lens to why people behave the way they do and why rational strategies often fail in irrational human systems.
Matthew Byrne
Adjunct Faculty Member & Program Director | UNSW Australian Graduate School of Management
Matthew Byrne brings deep expertise in leadership, organisational behaviour, He was asked to write a white-paper for the Australian productivity commission to identify the human implications of AI transformation. His work explores how businesses can navigate AI adoption in ways that account for people, trust, change, and the real-world complexity leaders often underestimate.
This conversation is for anyone navigating AI adoption, organisational change, workforce transformation.
CEOS & Founders
People & Culture leaders
Transformation teams
Revenue leaders
Board advisors
Change leaders
What they said after
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