In this episode, Brian Gorman speaks with Jonathan Schaeffer, founder of Synsira Software Solutions, inventor of Kind, and an AI pioneer who has spent more than 40 years working at the forefront of artificial intelligence. For Jonathan, the arrival of ChatGPT was not the beginning of AI. It was the moment when decades of largely invisible development suddenly became visible to everyone. He sees enormous potential in what comes next, from advances in medicine and education to safer transportation and greater access to knowledge. But he is equally clear that the technology we have today remains imperfect, and that its rapid advancement is outpacing our ability to fully understand, govern, and use it responsibly. At the heart of the conversation is a different way of thinking about our relationship with AI. Jonathan prefers augmented intelligence to artificial intelligence: using AI to extend what people can do rather than simply using it to automate work away. His metaphor is powerful. Make AI the apprentice. Let it gather information, surface possibilities, summarize data, and offer perspectives you might not have considered. But stay in charge. Understand the context. Question what comes back. Verify the facts. Decide what matters. And take responsibility for the outcome. Brian and Jonathan also explore what happens when people turn too much of their thinking over to AI. If technology takes on work that once developed analytical ability, writing skills, and leadership capability, organizations have to become more intentional about how those capabilities will be developed. The answer is not to reject AI, but neither is it to unquestioningly accept whatever AI produces. The conversation closes with another dimension of staying in charge: the data we give AI access to. Jonathan discusses privacy, accuracy, environmental impact, and why those concerns led him to develop KIND, an AI tool designed to work locally with a user’s own data. AI can do extraordinary things. That does not make it the expert, the decision-maker, or the accountable party. Stay in charge. Make AI the apprentice. In This Episode Why ChatGPT represented a seismic shift after decades of largely invisible AI developmentHow augmented intelligence reframes AI as a resource for extending human capability rather than simply replacing workWhy treating AI as an apprentice keeps context, discernment, decision-making, and responsibility with the humanHow leaders can use AI without allowing important human skills and capabilities to atrophyWhy accuracy, privacy, data ownership, and environmental impact matter in deciding how and where we use AI About Jonathan Schaeffer Jonathan Schaeffer is the inventor of KIND and has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence for more than 40 years. An AI researcher, entrepreneur, and inventor, he has spent his career building practical AI systems designed to solve real problems with greater accuracy, transparency, and trust. KIND was first conceived in 2017 while Jonathan was teaching full-time and responding to hundreds of student emails. He created an AI system that interacted only with documents he explicitly provided, giving him a way to generate reliable, explainable answers grounded in trusted information. After years of personal use and refinement, that system evolved into KIND, a downloadable desktop application that allows users to curate their own data, interact with it in depth, and uncover insights without sacrificing privacy. Today, Jonathan is focused on advancing a more trustworthy model for AI that gives users greater control over their information and reduces dependence on opaque, cloud-based systems. Through KIND, he is working to make AI more private, accurate, and useful for individuals and organizations alike. About Brian Gorman Brian Gorman is an executive advisor, author, speaker, coach, and host of Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work. He works at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human wisdom, helping CEOs, founders, boards, and senior leadership teams think clearly about AI, change, decision-making, culture, trust, and the future of work. His book, Leading into the Age of Wisdom: Reimagining the Future of Work, explores how leaders can move beyond intelligence alone and bring deeper wisdom to the decisions shaping people, organizations, and society. To Continue the Conversation If anything you hear in this podcast sparks a conversation or a question you want to explore, reach out. Jonathan Website: https://kind.synsira.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-schaeffer-phd-frsc-aaai-fellow-3318015/ Brian Email: Brian@TransformingLives.Coach Phone; +1 917.653.5198 Website: TransformingLives.Coach