Stop Treating AI Like a Toy - Building real Workflows and AI Digital Twins w/ Tim Rayner

In this episode of Digital Nexus, Chris and Mark are joined by Dr Tim Rayner — AI Philosopher, author of Hacker Culture and the New Rules of Innovation, and educator at UTS Business School — to unpack how AI can move from “smart autocomplete” to genuine teammates that help people think better, learn faster and build braver.

If you’re a founder, product lead, educator or operator trying to make sense of AI beyond the hype cycle, this one goes deep into the human side of intelligent systems: judgment, values, learning, and what it means to flourish in an automated economy.

Timestamps:
 00:00 – Intro: meet AI philosopher Tim Rayner & set up the human + AI theme
 00:41 – AI pilots with zero ROI, job automation & why “shadow AI” is everywhere
 01:59 – Human practical wisdom vs machine “intelligence” & why education needs to change
 03:01 – Exams, “cheating” with ChatGPT & shifting to a build-first mindset
 05:01 – Rethinking business models so AI isn’t just a bolt-on tool
 10:00 – Using first principles to spot what’s broken & where AI can help
 15:00 – Life as a journey of discovery, learning and updating your story
 20:01 – Philosophy as a toolkit for uncertainty and AI-driven change
 25:00 – Tim’s path: from researcher to AI educator and innovation partner for leaders
 30:00 – Human + AI superteams, synthetic intelligence & where the “magic” happens
 35:01 – Training subject-matter experts, managers & execs to act as AI leads
 40:02 – Why many leaders are naive about AI and why practical wisdom matters
 45:00 – Historical parallels: electricity, revolutions and what this AI moment signals
 50:01 – Helping people bring their “magic” into work & unlock grassroots innovation
 56:01 – Custom GPTs, Typing Minds & teaching people to build useful agents
 57:00 – How to join Tim’s AI programs, why 2026 will be a big AI year & closing remarks 

Check out:

Superesque: https://superesque.com/
Tim Rayner:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-rayner-superesque/

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why universities are being forced to rethink the traditional degree
How one business school is restructuring its graduate programs around AI, project-based learning and “build-first” mindsets, and what that signals for employers and students.

From tools to teammates:
What separates “AI as a fast calculator” from “AI as a collaborator”, and how to frame agent workflows so they support, rather than replace, human judgment.

Hacker culture and innovation inside big organisations
Tim’s take on the “hidden hackers” in every company, and how leaders can give them space, scaffolding and safety to run meaningful experiments instead of gimmicky pilots.

Cognitive offloading vs. cognitive laziness
When it is smart to lean on AI for heavy lifting — and where you need to keep humans in the loop so your team doesn’t atrophy its own thinking.

Philosophy as a practical AI skill
How ideas from Socrates and modern ethics show up in real product decisions: from incentives and power, to who benefits, who’s left out, and how you decide what “good” looks like.

Future