Human Intelligence in the Age of AI: A Conversation with Lori Figueiredo

In this episode, I sit down with Lori Figueiredo – global education strategist, digital learning expert, and founder of Syzygy – an organization that helps teams align human intelligence (HI) with artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve breakthrough impact.

Lori shares her incredible journey from growing up in apartheid-era South Africa to leading learning transformation initiatives across 100+ countries. With decades of experience across government, NGOs, startups, and corporations, she offers a compelling vision for the future of learning that centers on people, purpose, and measurable impact.

We explore: 

🔗 The five key principles of Syzygy: People, Purpose, Process, Platforms, and Principles—and why alignment (true syzygy) matters now more than ever.

 🧠 Why Human Intelligence (HI) must be developed alongside AI—and what’s at stake if we don’t.

 🌱 How to design systems that create self-organizing learning teams and unlock untapped human potential.

 🌍 Why AI presents a leapfrogging opportunity for emerging economies—and how Lori is seeing it play out across Africa and the Middle East.

Lori’s mantra? Innovation with integrity for positive impact. Her work is a rallying call for leaders, educators, and changemakers who want to future-proof learning and unlock real transformation—through both technology and human-centered design.

Follow Lori and learn more about her work here:
 🔗 Website: https://fusionbysyzygy.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lori-syzygy

Podcast produced by Riti Suresh.