HUMAN & AI

In this episode, we sit down with Katalin Westhoff, who leads the AI Center of Excellence at Siemens Financial Services, for a conversation about what it really takes to scale AI responsibly.Katalin unpacks the tension at the heart of AI adoption: the same technology that demands rigorous governance is your most powerful weapon for unlocking business value. From everyday AI literacy programs that spark intrinsic motivation across 2,600+ employees to process redesigns that transformed how SFS thinks about credit decisions, she shows us that the greatest untapped opportunity in AI isn't the algorithm — it's the people.She reveals why you cannot just automate an existing process. Reinvention requires rethinking roles, processes, and business models from the ground up. And scaling AI isn't primarily a technical problem — it's a leadership opportunity.Whether you're navigating AI governance, building organizational capability, or leading through transformation, this episode offers practical insights on what it takes to scale AI with trust and purpose.

In this episode, we sit down with Nils Janus, Chief AI Officer at Covestro, for a conversation on what it takes to deploy AI at scale across the safety-first world of chemical manufacturing. Nils brings a mathematician’s clarity and a background in theoretical computer science and psychology to the challenge of leading traditional industrial heritage into digital leadership.Why is Covestro replacing traditional 5-to-10-year IT roadmaps with agile 6-month game plans? How do probabilistic machine learning models win the trust of traditional chemical engineers to optimize batch cycle times? And what does it mean to define AI simply as Machine Learning plus Autonomy?Nils unpacks how automated plant monitoring unlocked double-digit million-euro cost avoidance, how Covestro’s internal AI Academy upskills domain experts into departmental AI leaders, and why Europe’s competitive edge lies in combining centuries of industrial heritage with AI innovation. From closed-loop plant control under strict safety guarantees to quantum-driven material simulation, this conversation offers a practical blueprint for turning AI ambition into bottom-line impact.

In this episode, we sit down with Jochen Gross, who leads Data Strategy and Architecture within the Sustainability team at Siemens, for a conversation that challenges how we think about both AI and sustainability. Jochen takes us behind the scenes of one of the most complex data challenges in corporate history: building the foundation that makes sustainable decision-making actually possible at scale.Why has sustainability evolved from a values-driven conversation into a data-driven discipline? Why are frameworks like the CSRD accelerating rather than slowing down the industry?Jochen unpacks the tension at the heart of AI today: the same technology consuming enormous energy could be our most powerful weapon against climate change. From product carbon footprints to digital twins that turned a 50kg robot gripper into a 2kg polymer marvel, Jochen shows us that the greatest untapped opportunity in sustainability isn't policy or engineering — it's data. And if you think that sounds dry, think again.

In this episode, we headed to the heart of Silicon Valley to meet Professor Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of Stanford's Digital Economy Lab and one of the world's leading thinkers on the economics of AI, for a conversation that bridges economics with bold human vision. Erik brings his clarity to some of today's biggest leadership questions: Why are companies spending billions on AI but seeing underwhelming results? What does his famous productivity J curve tell us about where we are right now and how close we are to turning the corner? And what separates the organizations that will thrive from those that won't survive the transition? From the power law of AI adoption and the danger of selection bias in productivity metrics, to the philosophical question of whether AI will one day need to "accept" us humans too, this episode is as thought-provoking as it is practical. Erik also shares why he believes we are not passive bystanders in the AI era, but active agents with more power to shape the world than any generation before us. A must-listen for leaders, innovators, and anyone ready to stop wondering what AI will do to them, and start deciding what they will do with it.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Christian Essling, Global Head of Data & AI at E.ON, one of Europe's largest energy companies, for a conversation about what it truly takes to drive AI transformation in the physical world.Christian shares his journey from dreaming of a consulting career to discovering the power of data-driven prediction during his PhD, and how that moment set him on a path to leading AI at scale across 76,000 colleagues and 1.6 million kilometers of infrastructure.We explore why Christian believes in the power of many smaller wins over elusive moonshots, how E.ON is tackling the volatility of renewable energy with AI and even quantum computing, and what it really means to keep a grid in balance when solar panels, heat pumps, and electric vehicles are rewriting the rules of energy consumption.From drone-based cable inspections and Boston Dynamics robots in transformer stations, to AI-powered customer experiences in 50 million households, this episode is a masterclass in grounding technology in real business value.Tune in to find out why Christian's boldest advice to every geek out there is simple: understand the business first.