In this episode of the Future of Work Hub's In Conversation podcast, Lucy Lewis sits down with Professor Gina Neff, Professor of Responsible AI at Queen Mary University of London and Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy at the University of Cambridge - an independent research centre that aims to make digital technologies work for people, society and the planet. They discuss why the real value from AI will come not from top-down efficiency drives but from empowering people on the ground to negotiate, reimagine and shape how these tools are used.

Key takeaways:

1. Reframe AI as a tool for transformation, not just efficiency: Organisations that treat AI adoption purely as a cost-cutting or efficiency exercise risk missing its greatest value. The biggest productivity gains will come not from automating today's tasks but from empowering teams to reimagine the products and services they deliver. 
2. Empower frontline workers to shape how new technologies are used: Top-down mandates can stifle the creativity that drives innovation. Give employees at every level the space to experiment with how they work with new tools and how they are deployed within their teams. 
3. Close the gap between investment in technology and investment in people: Communicate a clear narrative that connects technology adoption to better work, not fewer workers, and invest in the team structures, skills development and cultural conditions needed to realise the return. 
4. Build equity into your AI strategy from the outset: Female-dominated roles are at a disproportionate risk of automation and women remain underrepresented in technical and decision-making roles. Diversify the teams building and deploying AI and invest in reskilling pathways that channel affected workers towards the high-touch, interpersonal roles that will endure. 
5. Build resilience by creating space for negotiation: Lasting organisational resilience comes from cultures where people feel they are part of the solution. Give employees genuine agency to be entrepreneurial and creative with new technologies.