AI Unplugged - The Future of Work

About AI Unplugged - The Future of Work

With hard-won wisdom from decades at the intersection of business and critical social issues, co-hosts Deval Patrick and Warren Valdmanis and their guests demystify AI, tackle public fears and predict what will happen next as workers wrestle for relevance with the powerful AI tools of tomorrow.

Publisher

AI Unplugged - The Future of Work

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Oct 2025

Latest episode

5 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

6 of 11 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Special Episode: AI's Workforce Reckoning

   Leadership Now CEO Daniella Ballou-Aares and industry leaders Warren Valdmanis, Jonathan Frankle, Mike Novogratz, Alexa von Tobel, and Dane Linn discuss preparing workers for an AI-driven future and ensuring shared benefits in this interview.

2. 

   1 Apr 2026

   Episode 10: The Reflection

   "The future is not a forecasting exercise—it’s a design exercise." – David Autor. In this season finale of AI Unplugged, hosts Warren Valdmanis and Deval Patrick reflect on the most important ideas from their conversations across Season 1. They explore whether AI is something happening to us or something we have the power to shape, revisiting key themes including augmentation versus automation, the dignity of work, worker voice, and the risks of inequality. Drawing on insights from their guests, they examine the role of leadership, policy, and collective responsibility in determining AI’s impact, and make the case that AI’s greatest potential lies in how intentionally we choose to use it to solve society’s most pressing problems.

3. 

   1 Apr 2026

   Episode 9: The Capitalist

   "It’s a digital person" – Dave Roux. In this episode of AI Unplugged, hosts Warren Valdmanis and Deval Patrick engage in a wide-ranging conversation with investor and technologist Dave Roux about the structural impact of AI on the economy and labor force. Roux explores how AI’s “agentic” capabilities, its ability to act autonomously and improve itself, set it apart from prior technologies, reframing it as a new form of labor rather than just a tool. The discussion examines the implications for business leaders, policymakers, and workers, highlighting the need for intentional deployment, workforce adaptation, and ethical guardrails to ensure AI’s benefits are broadly shared.

4. 

   5 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 8: The Labor Leader

   Host Warren Valdmanis and guest Mary Kay Henry, president of SEIU, discuss how AI reshapes work and empower workers to shape innovation for human potential.

5. 

   10 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 7: The Scientist

   Technologist and entrepreneur David Siegel discusses how AI solves real-world problems, stressing human agency in this interview.

6. 

   3 Dec 2025

   Episode 6: The CEO Whisper

   Host Warren Valdemanis interviews business strategist Chris Zook about AI's transformative power reshaping industries, productivity, and leadership for the future of work.

7. 

   21 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 5: The Economist

   Ford Professor of Economics at MIT David Autor discusses with hosts Warren Valdmanis and Deval Patrick how AI transforms the workforce as both an automation and collaboration tool.

8. 

   11 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 4: The Philanthropist

   Warren Valdmanis and Deval Patrick interview Rachel Korberg, Executive Director of the Families and Workers Fund, about AI's impact on job quality, equity, and inclusive workforce development.

9. 

   4 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 3: The Policymaker

   Host Warren Valdmanis and guest Brian Deese discuss AI's impact on economic strategy and sustainable investing, offering insights into policy and workforce challenges.

10. 

    28 Oct 2025

    Episode 2: The Prophet

    Warren Valdmanis interviews Deval Patrick and Erik Brynjolfsson about AI's economic impact, the Turing trap, and the future of work.

11. 

    21 Oct 2025

    Episode 1: The Introduction

    Hosts Warren Valdmanis and Deval Patrick interview industry experts about artificial intelligence's impact on work, exploring opportunities and challenges for a balanced future.

Inside a recent episode

Special Episode: AI's Workforce Reckoning

Published 5 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Those are the ways in which individuals get exposure to the AI that we're all here talking about. And the last thing I would say is I hear you about the individuals who may no longer be employed. But the fact of the matter is, we have a lot of people working in the largest companies in the United States. And we are in, to your point, this period of experimentation. What are we going to do for the vast number of people who are currently working for JPMorgan Chase, GM? Pick your company. And how do we help those individuals not go back and get an associate's degree, not get a four-year degree, but how do we help those individuals develop these skills, stackable courses, but ways in which individuals can demonstrate the acquisition of some of these AI-related skills? […]

Who has been a guest on AI Unplugged - The Future of Work

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Daniella Ballou-Aares
• Jonathan Frankle
• Mike Novogratz
• Alexa von Tobel
• Dane Linn

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

9 ratings

Contact AI Unplugged - The Future of Work

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about AI Unplugged - The Future of Work