Welcome to Emerald Podcast Series. Join our hosts as they talk to experts using their research to create real impact in society. In each episode we explore the role research plays in our modern world, and ask how it can contribute to solving the complex environmental, economic, social and political challenges facing our planet.
Is AI helping us make better choices, or quietly making them for us?
Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how we consume – influencing what we buy, wear and eat, often in ways that aren’t immediately visible. From personalised recommendations to behavioural nudges, AI is quietly transforming everyday decision‑making and raising new questions around ethics, trust and responsibility.
In this episode of the Emerald Podcast Series, Tom Shiels speaks with three experts: Professor Sima Hamadeh, Dr Rosy Boardman and Dr Alexandros Karakostas. Together, they explore how AI is influencing consumer behaviour, where the line sits between empowerment and manipulation, and what a more responsible, transparent consumer landscape could look like in the future.
In this episode:
- How AI is already shaping everyday consumer decisions
- The line between nudging and genuinely empowering better choices
- Where AI is improving food systems—and where it still falls short
- The tension between fast fashion, sustainability and AI‑driven consumption
- How bias in AI systems can widen inequalities
- The ethical risks of AI quietly influencing behaviour
- The role of transparency, trust and consumer awareness
- What responsibility policymakers and companies hold—and where regulation struggles
- What a responsible AI‑powered consumer ecosystem could look like in the future.
For more details on the Emerald Podcast Series, please visit: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/emerald-podcast-series
Welcome to Emerald Podcast Series. Join our hosts as they talk to experts using their research to create real impact in society. In each episode we explore the role research plays in our modern world, and ask how it can contribute to solving the complex environmental, economic, social and political challenges facing our planet.
19 Feb 2026
Leadership in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming how organisations operate – accelerating decisions,
redistributing responsibility and raising new questions around trust, ethics and the future of human-
centred work.
In this episode of the Emerald Podcast Series, Rebecca Torr speaks with three experts across
responsible management, organisational behaviour and sustainability education. Together, they
explore how leadership expectations are shifting, where ethical boundaries are being tested and the
skills leaders need to support teams in hybrid human-AI environments.
In this episode:
• How AI is reshaping leadership expectations
• What accountability looks like when AI decisions go wrong
• The line between insight and surveillance
• Whether emotional intelligence still gives leaders an advantage
• How organisations can prepare leaders for hybrid human-AI teams
Full details and a transcript can be found on our Emerald Podcast Series website
https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/emerald-podcast-series
Host:
Rebecca Torr is a co-producer and host of the Emerald Podcast Series. She is the Publishing
Development Manager for Sustainable Structures and Infrastructures and works with authors and
organisations in engineering subjects such as civil engineering and the built environment to further
the impact of research in the real world.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccatorr
Guests:
Dr Margaret A Goralski is a Professor of Strategy in the School of Business, Quinnipiac University
(QU), USA. She is QU’s Coordinator of UN PRME (United Nations Principles for Responsible
Management Education) and serves on the QU Sustainability Implementation Committee.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-a-goralski-37a67556/
Dr Constantine (Costa) Manolchev is a Senior Lecturer at Sustainable Futures, University of Exeter
Business School. He is the School Sustainability Champion and a Faculty Climate Advocate.
www.linkedin.com/in/cmanolchev
Dr Laura Steele is a Reader of Business Ethics and Sustainability Education at Queen’s Business
School, Queens University Belfast. Her teaching and research focus on the intersection of ethics,
responsibility, sustainability, and technology, with emphasis on artificial intelligence. LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurarsteele
Further resources:
‘Who’s really in charge – leaders or algorithms?’
https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/responsible-management-whos-really-in-charge-leaders-
or-algorithms
Blog: “The hidden power shift in decision-making” by Dr Margaret A Goralski.
https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-and-blog/whos-really-charge-leaders-or-
algorithms-hidden-power-shift-decision-making
Welcome to Emerald Podcast Series. Join our hosts as they talk to experts using their research to create real impact in society. In each episode we explore the role research plays in our modern world, and ask how it can contribute to solving the complex environmental, economic, social and political challenges facing our planet.
18 Dec 2025
Informality in Policymaking
In this episode of the Emerald Podcast Series, host Nick Wallwork is joined by Lindsey Garner-Knapp and Tamara Mulherin, co-editors of the book Informality and Policymaking: Weaving the Threads of Everyday Policy Work.
Welcome to Emerald Podcast Series. Join our hosts as they talk to experts using their research to create real impact in society. In each episode we explore the role research plays in our modern world, and ask how it can contribute to solving the complex environmental, economic, social and political challenges facing our planet.
Who has been a guest on Emerald Podcast Series
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Joanna Joseph
Gordon Schmidt
Sy Islam
Dr Alexia Maddox
Dr Christel Hartkamp-Bakker
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.2 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
64
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
31
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Questions about Emerald Podcast Series
Who hosts Emerald Podcast Series?
Rebecca Torr and Tom Shiels and Daniel Ridge host the show. Published by Emerald Publishing.
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The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
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