The Future Of Less Work

Nirit Cohen

What if the future of work isn’t about having all the answers but about asking the right questions? The Future Of Less Work podcast reimagines the relationships between individuals, organizations, and work. Hosted by work futurist Nirit Cohen, the podcast delves into the evolving work ecosystem through conversations with leaders, thinkers, and visionaries. Together, they explore how we are co-creating work—one puzzle piece at a time. https://workfutures.niritcohen.com/ https://linktr.ee/niritcohen

  1. 1d ago

    How AI Is Changing Communication at Work with David Maffei

    How is AI changing the way we communicate at work? And what happens totrust when employees can no longer tell whether a message from a leader wasactually written by that leader?In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down withDavid Maffei, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Staffbase, toexplore what authentic workplace communication means in the age of AI.Together, they discuss how AI can personalize communication at scale whilemaking it harder to know what is genuinely human, why efficiency can come atthe expense of authenticity, and what happens when people begincommunicating with colleagues the way they communicate with AI. They explorethe connection between communication, trust and belonging, why knowing whatmatters to employees has to come before communicating with them, and whyhuman experience and relationships may become more valuable as AI makesintelligence increasingly accessible.As AI becomes embedded in everyday work, David argues that the response maybe surprisingly human: communication will need to become more personal,transparent and authentic than ever before.Whether you're leading AI transformation, managing distributed teams,building organizational culture or simply wondering how AI will change humanrelationships at work, this conversation explores what we risk losing whencommunication becomes more automated, and what may become more valuablebecause of it.https://youtu.be/AOpSEHgSpXoGuest Information:David Maffei is the SVP/GM Americas at Staffbase and a seasoned executivewith over 20 years of experience driving strategic and operational growthfor both public and private companies. He leads the go-to-market strategyacross the US, Canada, and Mexico, sitting on the global ExecutiveLeadership Team and overseeing sales, marketing, operations, and customersuccess. With deep expertise in B2B technology, David has a proven trackrecord in scaling teams, executing direct and indirect sales models, forgingstrategic alliances, and expanding internationally. His leadership hasdriven major growth milestones across multiple organizations, includingdoubling Carbonite’s B2B SaaS revenue, tripling Bridgeline Digital’s SaaSbusiness, and establishing Akumina as a category leader through a strategicpartnership with Accenture Ventures. At Staffbase, he continues to deliverexceptional value to enterprise and mid-market clients in the fast-evolvingemployee communications space.Links:https://staffbase.com/Chapters:00:00 How AI Is Changing Communication at Work02:22 What Does Authentic Communication Mean in the Age of AI?06:03 Can AI Personalization Feel Authentic?07:55 Why Workplace Communication Needs to Start With Listening09:16 How Can Leaders Personalize Communication at Scale?13:50 Is AI Changing How We Communicate?15:58 How Is AI Changing Human Communication Skills?17:25 Does AI Efficiency Come at the Cost of Authenticity?18:21 What Human Value Can AI Not Replace?20:49 Why Human Communication Is a Competitive Advantage23:04 How Do You Create Belonging in a Digital Workplace?24:42 How Should Leaders Communicate With Distributed Teams?28:20 Will AI Make Workplace Communication More Human?32:12 How AI Is Blurring Work and Life34:32 How Can You Stay Valuable in the Future of Work?

    How AI Is Changing Communication at Work with David Maffei

  2. Sep 1

    Can You Trust AI to Make Decisions with Marinela Profi

    Can organizations trust AI to make decisions? What Should AI Never Decide? What happens when employees trust AI more than they trust their managers, colleagues, or even themselves? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Marinela Profi, Global AI & Generative AI Market Strategy Lead at SAS and Human & AI Trust expert, to explore what trust really means in the age of AI. Together, they discuss why using AI is very different from trusting it, how organizations should decide which decisions can be delegated to AI and which must remain human, and why governance, accountability, and decision intelligence will become essential capabilities for every business. Marinela shares why curiosity and continuous learning may become the most important career skills, why AI performance should be managed alongside human performance, and how organizations can build trust without losing the uniquely human judgment that drives innovation. They also explore one of the most surprising shifts emerging today: people are increasingly turning to AI before they turn to colleagues, managers, or even themselves. What does that mean for leadership, learning, communication, and the future of human relationships at work? Whether you're leading AI transformation, designing AI governance, managing hybrid human-AI teams, or simply wondering what should never be delegated to artificial intelligence, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on how organizations can build trust while keeping people at the center of decision-making. https://youtu.be/nuCiiwl-k3k Guest Information: Marinela Profi is an AI strategist, TEDx speaker, and Human & AI Trust Expert focused on the future of work and the evolving relationship between humans and intelligent systems. She currently leads global market strategy for agentic AI at SAS, where she works at the intersection of technology, trust, and business transformation. With roots in data science and a passion for helping people navigate change, Marinela brings a human-centered perspective to how AI is redefining jobs, leadership, and opportunity.    Links: Website: marinelaprofi.com  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinelaprofi/ Instagram: marinelaprofi Chapters: 00:00 Can Organizations Trust AI to Make Decisions?01:20 What’s the Difference Between Using AI and Trusting AI?02:32 Why Are People Trusting AI More Than Humans?06:08 What Human Capabilities Could AI Replace Without Us Realizing?09:24 How Do We Develop Human Skills in the Age of AI?13:54 What Is Decision Intelligence and Why Does It Matter?15:34 Which Decisions Should Humans Never Delegate to AI?19:21 When Should Companies Use AI Agents vs Traditional Automation?22:18 How Do You Measure the Performance of AI Agents?25:11 What Work Should Always Remain Human?29:25 What Will Organizational Trust Look Like in Five Years?30:03 How Will AI Change HR, Leadership and Employee Trust?

    Can You Trust AI to Make Decisions with Marinela Profi

  3. Aug 25

    How Do You Build a Workforce Around Capabilities with Lara Vandenberg

    How to use freelance talent in enterprise companies? How Do You Manage Employees, Freelancers and AI Together? What Happens to Careers When Work Becomes Fractional? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Lara Vandenberg, Founder and CEO of Assemble, to explore how marketing teams are combining employees, freelancers, agencies and AI around changing business needs. They discuss why freelance talent is becoming a strategic capability, which roles companies are keeping inside, why senior creative judgment is gaining value, and how organizations are building trusted external talent benches instead of relying on one-off hires. The conversation also raises a harder question: if more experienced work moves outside the organization, where will future talent gain the experience, relationships and judgment needed to grow? https://youtu.be/YCY9NqYchWo Guest Information: Lara Vandenberg is the Founder & CEO of Assemble, a managed workforce platform that has placed 50,000+ senior freelance marketers inside Fortune 500 organisations like Delta, MassMutual and Colgate. The best leaders she works with are starting to think less like executives and more like casting directors. Figuring out the right mix of permanent staff, freelancers and agentic AI for every brief, every quarter, every objective. By 2027 freelancers are projected to outnumber full-time employees in the US for the first time. Most organisations aren't built for that yet. Lara has the live platform data and the CMO/CEO conversations to show exactly what that transition looks like on the ground. Chapters: 00:00 How AI Turns Jobs Into Fractional Work01:40 How Do You Build a Workforce Around Capabilities?03:15 Why Are Companies Moving Beyond Traditional Headcount?06:00 Why Freelance Talent Is Becoming a Strategic Workforce Model08:49 Is Fractional Talent Really About Cost Savings?10:07 Which Marketing Skills Are Companies Hiring Now?11:39 Why AI Hasn’t Replaced Copywriters13:49 Which Capabilities Should Companies Keep In-House?14:45 Why Enterprise Freelancers Are Becoming Easier to Hire18:25 How Do You Integrate Freelancers Into the Organization?21:01 What Happens to Career Development in a Fractional Workforce?22:05 Where Will Future Experts Gain Experience?26:03 Why More Professionals Will Become a Business of One27:52 How Worker Protections Need to Change28:38 What Does the Future of Work Really Look Like?

    How Do You Build a Workforce Around Capabilities with Lara Vandenberg

  4. Aug 19

    How AI Is Changing Software Engineering Jobs with Mo Bhende

    When AI can write code, what makes a software engineer great? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Mo Bhende, co-founder and CEO of Karat, to explore how AI is reshaping software engineering, technical hiring and the future of engineering talent. Together, they discuss why AI is not eliminating the need for engineers, but moving engineering work closer to real business problems. Mo explains why strong engineers may become even more valuable in the AI era, why companies need to rethink technical interviews, and how entry-level engineering jobs can be rebuilt around AI fluency, judgment and domain expertise. Whether you’re hiring technical talent, leading AI transformation or starting a software engineering career, this conversation offers a practical look at what changes when AI becomes part of the engineering team. https://youtu.be/vKg3EPvuqP8 Guest Information: Mo Bhende is the co-founder and CEO of Karat. Karat is the trusted standard for talent evaluation and improvement that helps leaders build more capable and competitive workforces in the Human + AI era. Before Karat, Mo held leadership roles at Microsoft, leading global strategy for Xbox and overseeing the company's China fund. He holds an MBA from Wharton, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and a BS with Honors from Penn State. Mo resides with his family in Seattle.   Links: Karat’s 2025-2026 Workforce Transformation Report: https://connect.karat.com/hubfs/2025-2026-AI-Workforce-Transformation-Report.pdf Chapters: 00:00 What Makes a Great Software Engineer When AI Can Code?01:25 Will AI Replace Software Engineers?02:49 Why Engineering Jobs Are Moving Beyond Big Tech04:30 What Is the Future of Entry-Level Software Engineering?06:50 Why Software Engineering Is More Than Writing Code09:10 Why Strong Engineers Become More Valuable With AI11:45 How Companies Should Measure Engineering Value14:45 How AI Is Changing Technical Interviews17:04 What Skills Define the Engineer of the Future?19:02 Why Engineering Managers Need to Become Builders20:53 How New Software Engineers Can Build AI-Era Careers23:53 Why Future Engineers Need More Than Computer Science25:48 What Will Software Engineering Look Like in the Future?28:44 How Should Companies Compensate AI-Era Talent?

    How AI Is Changing Software Engineering Jobs with Mo Bhende

  5. Aug 11

    How AI Will Change Competitive Advantage with Doug Stephens

    What Will Customers Pay for When Everyone Has AI?  What Happens When Consumers Use AI to Make Buying Decisions? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with retail futurist Doug Stephens, founder of Retail Prophet and author of The Future of Competitive Advantage, to explore how AI is changing business, retail, consumer behavior, and the value of human work. Together, they discuss why AI will quickly become table stakes, why creativity and critical thinking will become essential sources of competitive advantage, and why companies that replace people without understanding their unique contribution may lose what makes them different. Doug explains how AI-powered consumers and shopping agents could transform advertising, purchasing decisions, brand transparency, and the relationship between companies and customers. They also explore what happens to retail jobs when information becomes a commodity, why customers may increasingly pay for human experience rather than product knowledge, and why trust and fairness will determine whether employees support or undermine AI transformation. Whether you are leading AI strategy, rethinking customer experience, redesigning retail work, or asking what humans contribute when intelligence becomes abundant, this conversation offers a new way to understand competitive advantage in the age of AI. https://youtu.be/OB4k915AXKY Guest Information: Doug Stephens is a globally recognized futurist, keynote speaker, and advisor to major international brands. His work explores how technology, demographics, and cultural shifts are reshaping consumer behavior and business strategy. He is the author of several influential books on the future of retail and commerce including Resurrecting Retail, Reengineering Retail and The Retail Revival. https://www.retailprophet.com/ Author of The Future of Competitive Advantage: A Business Plan to Save Your Customers, Your Company, and Democracy   LINK: https://www.retailprophet.com/books/   Chapters: 00:00 What Makes Companies Different When Everyone Has AI?01:35 Where Does Competitive Advantage Come From in the AI Era?05:12 Will AI Replace Knowledge Workers?08:20 Why Critical Thinking and Creativity Matter More With AI?11:07 How Human Creativity Becomes a Competitive Advantage?13:25 Why Trust Matters for Successful AI Transformation?17:19 Who Gets the Productivity Gains From AI?19:54 Can AI Agents Replace Human Expertise?22:18 What Happens When Consumers Have AI Too?22:58 How AI Will Change Advertising and Consumer Choice?25:17 Will AI Shopping Agents Replace Traditional Advertising?28:03 How AI Will Change Brand Trust and Transparency?29:45 Which Jobs Are Most Vulnerable to AI?31:19 What Will Customers Still Pay Humans For?32:09 Why Human Experience Becomes More Valuable in Retail?34:55 What Should Business Leaders Ask About the Future of Work?37:31 How Trust and Fairness Can Become Competitive Advantage?

    How AI Will Change Competitive Advantage with Doug Stephens

  6. Aug 7

    How AI is changing organizational design with Karalee Close

    How do companies successfully implement AI across the organization? How do you redesign jobs with AI?   In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Karalee Close, Global Lead for the Talent Practice at Accenture, to explore how AI is changing organizational design. Together, they discuss why work is replacing jobs as the building block of organizations, how AI is reshaping leadership, learning, and internal talent mobility, and why companies need to redesign workflows instead of simply automating existing roles. Karalee shares how Accenture transformed its own operating model before helping clients do the same, and explains why organizations that align talent, technology, and business strategy are pulling ahead. Whether you're leading AI transformation, rethinking organizational design, or preparing your workforce for what's next, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for building organizations that can continuously adapt in the age of AI.  https://youtu.be/xrubGI9qOo0  Guest Information: Karalee Close is Accenture’s Global Lead for the Talent & Organization practice and a member of the company’s Global Management Committee. She is dedicated to reinventing work, driving change and enhancing the employee experience to boost productivity, drive growth and make work more meaningful. Karalee is expanding the Talent & Organization practice to further help clients fuel sustainable growth by connecting people and technology to unlock human ingenuity; find new ways to access, create and unlock talent; and design organizations that thrive in the context of constant change. She drives Accenture’s talent, organization and change agendas across the full range of capabilities and ecosystem partners and leads asset and offering development. Karalee is a respected and innovative leader whose career spans more than two decades of senior regional and global leadership roles while based in Toronto, Calgary, Paris and London. She has had a passion for working at the intersection of strategy, technology and people for her entire career and has deep expertise in organizational change and digital & AI transformation services, coupled with a highly successful track record of CxO advisory. In recent years, Karalee worked for a top-tier consulting firm where she held a variety of regional and global industry-based leadership roles in addition to her client work. With clients, her focus is large-scale digital, AI and technology transformation and innovative approaches to accelerating value and speed through integrated approaches to technology, people and ways of working. Karalee is a renowned author, TED and event speaker, an invited lecturer and CEO advisor who enjoys exchanging ideas across sectors and disciplines. She is a passionate supporter of women in technology and leadership, thought diversity, psychological safety and new ways of working. Karalee also leads a full and enriching life as a mother of two teenagers, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She enjoys outdoor adventures, traveling and cooking and spent a glorious “gap year” sailing across the Atlantic with her family! She received her Master of Business Administration from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and is based out of Vancouver, Canada. Links:Karalee's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karalee-close-3b706232/ Talent Reinventor's report: accenture.com/talent-reinventors Chapters: 00:00 Why Are Most AI Projects Failing to Deliver Business Value? 03:32 How Do You Redesign Work for AI Instead of Jobs? 07:14 How AI Is Changing Organizational Design 09:04 How AI Improves Internal Talent Mobility 11:56 What Skills Will Humans Need in an AI Workplace? 18:42 What Is Co-Learning Between Humans and AI? 23:38 How Managers Will Lead Humans and AI Agents 28:47 Why Trust Is the Key to Successful AI Adoption 32:36 Can AI Create Better Jobs Instead of Eliminating Them? 35:50 What Will the Organization of the Future Look Like?

    How AI is changing organizational design with Karalee Close

  7. Jul 28

    How to Build Trust and Human Connection at Work with Randy Lyman

    What Becomes More Human as AI Takes Over Work?  Why do people perform differently when they feel seen, heard, and connected at work? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Randy Lyman, physicist, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author of The Third Element, to explore why emotional awareness may become one of the most important leadership capabilities in the age of AI. Together, they discuss how leaders can develop emotional awareness even when it does not come naturally, and why leadership itself may become the most valuable human capability as more work is shared with non-human intelligence. Randy explains how listening, slowing down, asking better questions, and paying attention to emotional and physical cues can help leaders build trust and strengthen human connection, even across remote and digital workplaces. Whether you are leading through AI transformation, managing a distributed team, or rethinking what people uniquely contribute at work, this conversation offers a practical reminder that technology may change how work gets done, but trust, belonging, meaning, and human connection still determine whether people can do their best work. https://youtu.be/zUxxUh8IIls  Guest Information: Randy Lyman is a physicist, entrepreneur, and expert in emotional intelligence and service-based leadership. He built the American Dream from humble beginnings, eventually founding multiple 8-figure businesses, including an Inc. 500 company. He discovered that lasting success requires embracing the emotional aspect of being human. His entrepreneurial journey spans four decades, earning multiple patents and growing his businesses 30x after integrating spiritual principles, he now shares through The Third Element, which offers tools for emotional healing and personal growth.   His background in both physics and business gives him credibility in corporate and spiritual communities. His book, The Third Element (#1 New Release in Personal Growth), reveals how unhealed emotional patterns shape reality and how to transform them for abundance.   A pivotal moment for Randy came after achieving material success but realizing emotional disconnection. This led him to focus on emotional awareness, which spurred business growth and renewed purpose. Today, Randy shares his principles to help individuals and organizations achieve clarity, connection, and authentic transformation by harnessing emotional intelligence and turning inner healing into outward success. Beyond his professional life, Randy is a craftsman who builds custom motorcycle engines and restores classic cars. His mission is to inspire others to heal, lead, and unlock their full potential by embracing "The Third Element" and their emotional truth.   Links: Instagram: @iamrandylymanLinkedIn: @iamrandylyman  Chapters: 00:00 What Human Skills Matter Most in the Age of AI?01:13 Why Emotional Awareness Improves Leadership02:49 How Human Connection Drives Business Performance07:24 How Leaders Can Develop Emotional Awareness08:04 How Active Listening Builds Trust at Work10:42 Why Human Conversations Matter More in the AI Era12:06 How Leaders Make Employees Feel Seen13:55 The Leadership Habit That Makes People Feel Valued16:29 How to Build Human Connection in Remote Teams19:00 Why Small Talk Is an Important Leadership Skill19:51 How Networking Builds Career Resilience22:24 How Leaders Can Become More Emotionally Aware24:06 Simple Ways to Practice Better Leadership Every Day25:35 What Human Capability Will Matter Most in the Future?27:41 Why Emotional Awareness Matters in a Technology-Driven World29:19 What AI Cannot Replace About Human Work32:28 Randy Lyman and The Third Element

    How to Build Trust and Human Connection at Work with Randy Lyman

  8. Jul 21

    How Do You Manage AI Work You Can't See with Lexi Reese

    How can leaders see what AI is actually doing inside their organization? If employees are using AI every day, why can't leaders see where work is changing, what value AI is creating, or how work is actually getting done? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Lexi Reese, Founder and CEO of Lanai, to explore why organizations have systems for managing people but almost none for managing AI work. Together, they discuss why AI should be treated as operating labor rather than just another software tool, why measuring prompts and licenses tells leaders almost nothing about business impact, and how organizations can gain visibility into the work AI is already performing across the business. They also explore how companies can identify the employees quietly transforming workflows, why AI forces leaders to rethink accountability and performance, and why the future of work will depend less on execution and more on human judgment. Whether you're leading AI adoption, measuring AI ROI, or trying to understand how work itself is changing, this conversation offers a new way to think about managing organizations in the age of AI. https://youtu.be/MriSEpv8Yfg  Guest Information: Lexi Reese is Co-Founder and CEO of Lanai. Enterprise AI Accountability Company. Former COO of Gusto, VP of Google Advertising, and US Senate Candidate from California. Links: https://www.withlanai.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/lanai-software/posts/?feedView=allhttps://substack.com/@lexireeseChapters: 00:00 What AI Work Is Already Happening Inside Your Company?01:20 How Do Humans and AI Actually Work Together?03:08 How Do You Measure AI ROI Instead of AI Adoption?05:04 Why Is AI Transformation Happening From the Bottom Up?08:06 How Do You Measure AI Productivity?09:32 Why Aren't Companies Seeing Results From AI?12:04 How Do You Build High-Performing Human-AI Teams?15:06 How Do You See What AI Is Actually Doing?18:51 How Do You Scale AI Success Across the Organization?19:52 Why Should AI Be Treated as Labor Instead of Software?22:06 Should AI Have Performance Reviews?24:33 How Do You Break Organizational Silos With AI?29:02 What Skills Will Humans Need When AI Does the Work?31:16 Is AI Eliminating the Experience Future Leaders Need?34:15 What Makes Humans Valuable in an AI World?36:00 What Legacy Will We Leave in the Age of AI?

    How Do You Manage AI Work You Can't See with Lexi Reese
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About

What if the future of work isn’t about having all the answers but about asking the right questions? The Future Of Less Work podcast reimagines the relationships between individuals, organizations, and work. Hosted by work futurist Nirit Cohen, the podcast delves into the evolving work ecosystem through conversations with leaders, thinkers, and visionaries. Together, they explore how we are co-creating work—one puzzle piece at a time. https://workfutures.niritcohen.com/ https://linktr.ee/niritcohen

Information

  • Creator
    Nirit Cohen
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Nirit Cohen
  • Show Website
    The Future Of Less Work