DISRUPTOR CONFESSIONS with John Ayers

Disruptor Confessions
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What happens when change doesn’t knock, but kicks the door in? DISRUPTOR CONFESSIONS is where digital transformation gets personal. Hosted by veteran strategist John Ayers, this podcast interrogates the chaos of innovation, from collapsing industries and breakthrough tech to the people left in its wake. Through unscripted conversations with visionaries, whistleblowers, and insiders, we explore what disruption really means for business, ethics, and the future of human decision-making. This isn’t hype. It’s confession.

  1. The Hidden Costs of "Always On" ❗ BURNOUT Survival Guide: 2026 | Disruptor Confessions

    6D AGO

    The Hidden Costs of "Always On" ❗ BURNOUT Survival Guide: 2026 | Disruptor Confessions

    Stop blaming yourself for feeling burnt out. In this episode of Disruptor Confessions, John Ayers sits down with the leadership team from Five to Flow; Kate Visconti, Dr. Alexis Yaki, and Jason Holler... to reveal a startling truth: The $8.8 trillion global disengagement crisis isn't a lack of willpower. It’s a biological mismatch between the human nervous system and a legacy work culture accelerated by AI. If you feel like you're "falling behind," or if your team is disengaged despite every new tech tool you implement, this conversation is the survival guide you need. We move past the HR buzzwords and dive into the physiological and psychological reality of leading in the "Agentic Era." 🎙 Disruptor Confessions explores AI, disruption, leadership, and the human side of technological change. Guests: Kate Visconti, Dr. Alexis Yaki, and Jason Holler (Five to Flow) 🌐 https://fivetoflow.com/ 🚀 JOIN THE DISRUPTION COMMUNITY Stay ahead of the curve and go deeper into the ethical and strategic dimensions of tech disruption: 👉 Subscribe to THE BRIEFING on Substack: https://disruptorconfessions.substack.com/ 👉 Visit Disruptor Confessions: https://disruptorconfessions.com/ 👉 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disruptorconfessions 👉 Connect with John Ayers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlayers #Disruption #Burnout #NervousSystem #FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #DisruptorConfessions #FiveToFlow

    1h 12m
  2. 🕵️ AI is Theft: The Brutal Truth About Data, UBI, and Our Human Value | John C. Havens

    FEB 10

    🕵️ AI is Theft: The Brutal Truth About Data, UBI, and Our Human Value | John C. Havens

    Most conversations about AI focus on what the technology can do. This conversation is about the consequential why, and what remains of us if machines do the work. John Ayers sits down with IEEE ethics pioneer John C. Havens to peel back the curtain on the "internet economy" fueled by our personal data. Havens doesn't pull punches: he defines the unauthorized use of personal data for AI training as "theft" and exposes the dangerous fallacies of the tech industry’s favorite safety nets. You will learn: • Why AI training is "theft": How companies profit from your intellectual property without credit or compensation. • The UBI Myth: Why Universal Basic Income is "complete crap" and an "absolute lie" in the face of mass automation. • The AGI Ideology: Understanding why the race toward Artificial General Intelligence is more "religious" than scientific. • Human Flourishing vs. GDP: Why our current financial metrics fail to measure caregiving, nature, and human worth. • The "Uncanny Valley" of Tracking: How social media and AI manipulate our values for the sake of efficiency. This episode is for leaders and citizens who are ready to stop racing with machines and start designing for humanity. If the goal of AI is to "surpass human intelligence," we must decide what we value before we are made obsolete.🎙 Disruptor Confessions explores the human, ethical, and strategic dimensions of technological disruption.Guest: John C. Havens, Sustainability Practice Lead, IEEE Standards AssociationFeatured Books: Hacking Happiness and Heartificial Intelligence.🌐 Connect with John C Havens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnchavens/🚀 JOIN THE DISRUPTION COMMUNITYStay ahead of the curve and go deeper into the ethical and strategic dimensions of tech disruption:👉 Subscribe to THE BRIEFING on Substack: https://disruptorconfessions.substack.com/👉 Visit Disruptor Confessions: https://disruptorconfessions.com/👉 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disruptorconfessions/👉 Connect with John Ayers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlayers/

    1h 2m
  3. 🚀 How to Successfully Deploy AI Agents in Your Company. And Why Most AI Pilots Failed in 2025 ❗

    FEB 3

    🚀 How to Successfully Deploy AI Agents in Your Company. And Why Most AI Pilots Failed in 2025 ❗

    This conversation breaks down how they actually made that happen. This is for anyone who wants to understand How to successfully Deploy Digital Labor to work alongside Human Employees.You will learn:• Why most AI agent initiatives fail when treated like IT projects• The mindset shift from “AI tools” to “digital workers”• How to define the job, motivation, and success criteria for an AI agent• Why coaching and management matter just as much as technology• How humans and AI coworkers work side by side• What “workforce orchestration” means in practice• Why the next talent war will be for AI-ready humansThis episode is for executives and leaders who are ready to move beyond AI experimentation and build real operating models with AI agents. Understand Why (in 2025) AI Pilots failed, and Proof of Concepts were abandoned. AI is not just automation.It is workforce design.🎙 Disruptor Confessions explores AI, disruption, leadership, and the human side of technological change.Guest: Brandon Metcalf, CEO & Founder, Asymbl🌐 https://www.asymbl.com/ 🚀 JOIN THE DISRUPTION COMMUNITY Stay ahead of the curve and go deeper into the ethical and strategic dimensions of tech disruption: 👉 Subscribe to THE BRIEFING on Substack: https://disruptorconfessions.substack...👉 Visit Disruptor Confessions: https://disruptorconfessions.com/ 👉 Follow us on Instagram:  / disruptorconfessions  👉 Connect with John Ayers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlayers/

    1h 11m
  4. Who Controls AI Safety? Big Tech, Power, & Accountability | Dr. Rumman Chowdhury

    JAN 27

    Who Controls AI Safety? Big Tech, Power, & Accountability | Dr. Rumman Chowdhury

    AI isn’t just helping us. It’s deciding.Who gets hired.Who gets flagged.What gets seen.And increasingly, what counts as “safe.”In this episode of Disruptor Confessions, John Ayers sits down with Dr. Rumman Chowdhury — TIME100 AI honoree, former Director of ML Ethics at Twitter, and global leader in responsible AI — to unpack how AI safety is being defined, who benefits, and why regular people are being left out of the conversation.Inside this episode:🔹 The Lobbying Shift — Why today’s AI companies are racing to DC to define regulation on their own terms🔹 Red Teaming Reality — How human-centered testing reveals harms technical labs miss🔹 The Trust Collapse — Why AI is accelerating the erosion of trust across media, institutions, and society🔹 Inside Twitter — First-hand lessons from the Elon Musk takeover and what “fiduciary duty” really means🔹 Right to Repair AI — Why we may need the right to challenge automated decisions that affect our livesThis isn’t a sci-fi debate.It’s about power, governance, and who gets a voice as AI reshapes society.About Our GuestDr. Rumman Chowdhury is a pioneer in applied algorithmic ethics, former Director of META at Twitter, Harvard Fellow for Responsible AI, and founder of a public benefit corporation building infrastructure for inclusive AI evaluations.🚀 JOIN THE DISRUPTION COMMUNITY Stay ahead of the curve and go deeper into the ethical and strategic dimensions of tech disruption: 👉 Subscribe to THE BRIEFING on Substack: https://disruptorconfessions.substack.com 👉 Visit Disruptor Confessions: https://disruptorconfessions.com/ 👉 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disruptorconfessions/👉 Connect with John Ayers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlayers/

    1h 13m
  5. Is Our Infrastructure Already Compromised? Q-Day & AI Warfare | Chuck Brooks

    JAN 20

    Is Our Infrastructure Already Compromised? Q-Day & AI Warfare | Chuck Brooks

    "We have not prepared ourselves enough for the digital world."In the powerful conclusion of our two-part series, global cybersecurity authority Chuck Brooks moves from individual risks to the high-stakes world of national security and AI-driven warfare.This isn't just about data breaches; it’s about the "conversations inside the conversations" regarding the water we drink, the energy we rely on, and the satellites orbiting above our heads.In this episode, we disrupt:The 50% Risk Factor: Why Chuck believes a conflict-driven attack on our water and energy grids is more likely than not.Q-Day & Quantum Computing: The looming moment when current encryption becomes obsolete and our most private data becomes an open book.Satellite Vulnerability: With 10,000+ satellites in orbit, why these private-sector assets are the new "front line" in global conflict.The Genesis Mission: How the government is finally partnering with tech leaders to build a "Manhattan Project" for AI safety.The Gray Swan Events: Why we must stop being complacent and start preparing for the predictable disruptions of tomorrow.Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/DxfA26wWWso?si=TnO__m0wWs5DpSfQAbout Our Guest: Chuck Brooks is a globally recognized thought leader in cybersecurity and emerging technologies. A regular contributor to Forbes and a consultant to government agencies, he is a leading voice on the intersection of technology, policy, and national security. Follow Chuck Brooks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckbrooks/🚀 JOIN THE DISRUPTION COMMUNITY Stay ahead of the curve and go deeper into the ethical and strategic dimensions of tech disruption: 👉 Subscribe to THE BRIEFING on Substack: https://disruptorconfessions.substack.com/👉 Visit the Disruptor Confessions Website: https://disruptorconfessions.com/ 👉 Follow the Visual Journey on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/disruptorconfessions/👉 Connect with John Ayers on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlayers/#Cybersecurity #AIWarfare #QuantumComputing #NationalSecurity #DisruptorConfessions #ChuckBrooks #TechEthics #QDay

    51 min
  6. Cybersecurity in the Age of AI: Why You Are the New Target with Cybersecurity Expert Chuck Brooks

    JAN 13

    Cybersecurity in the Age of AI: Why You Are the New Target with Cybersecurity Expert Chuck Brooks

    "The bottom line is: don't click on anything you don't know. They're trying to steal your identity and take over your computer." — Chuck Brooks In this first part of a deep-dive series, John Ayers sits down with global cybersecurity icon Chuck Brooks to expose the rapid, dangerous evolution of digital threats. From his early days at the Voice of America during the Cold War to serving two US Presidents and advising the G20, Chuck has seen the public’s digital vulnerabilities from the inside.This episode explores why we are currently in an "asymmetrical" war where criminals only have to get lucky once.In Part 1, we discuss:The AI Differentiator: Why AI makes phishing automated, deadly, and nearly impossible to detect.The COVID Catalyst: How the pandemic forced a digital transformation that created thousands of new vulnerabilities for every organization.The Identity Crisis: Why social media has made "social engineering" and profile mimicking easier than ever.Small Business Risk: Why a single breach can mean the end of a company, and how to protect yourself.Cyber Hygiene Essentials: The non-negotiable role of multi-factor authentication and the surprising reason passwords still matter.About Chuck Brooks: Chuck is a globally recognized expert who has helped Fortune 1000 companies navigate a world where every click is a potential risk. He is a professor at Georgetown and a regular contributor to Forbes. Thank you for joining this confession. This is a two-part series; stay tuned for Part 2, where we zoom out to global geopolitical risk and quantum disruption. To stay ahead of the disruption, subscribe to Disruptor Confessions.Follow Chuck Brooks:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckbrooks/🚀 JOIN THE DISRUPTION COMMUNITY Stay ahead of the curve and go deeper into the ethical and strategic dimensions of tech disruption: 👉 Subscribe to THE BRIEFING on Substack: https://disruptorconfessions.substack.com/ 👉 Visit the Disruptor Confessions Website: https://disruptorconfessions.com/ 👉 Follow the Visual Journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disruptorconfessions/ 👉 Connect with John Ayers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlayers/

    49 min
  7. The public needs to worry about defense. Full stop. There is no regulation in the world about AI in defense.

    JAN 6

    The public needs to worry about defense. Full stop. There is no regulation in the world about AI in defense.

    In this episode of Disruptor Confessions, John Ayers sits down with Dr. Mariarosaria Taddeo, Professor of Digital Ethics and Defense Technologies at the University of Oxford. Dr. Taddeo is a world-renowned philosopher who operates at the intersection of human values and high-stakes military technology. This isn’t just a tech talk—it’s a deep dive into the "invisible front" where AI, ethics, and global power collide. In this episode, we discuss: The AI "Summer and Winter" Cycles: Why the current era of pervasive AI is fundamentally different from the last 60 years. AI "On" vs. "In" Your Life: How algorithms are quietly determining your financial, medical, and professional fate without your knowledge. The Fragility of Robustness: Why minor input changes can cause AI systems to behave radically and unpredictably. The Battlefield Reality: The chilling truth about AI in defense, the lack of global regulation, and why liberal democracies risk betraying their values in the race for dominance. Low-Quality Sci-Fi: Why "sentient AI" is a distraction from the real-world need for governance and accountability. About the Guest:Dr. Mariarosaria Taddeo is a Professor at the Oxford Internet Institute and a leading voice in the ethics of AI and cybersecurity. Her work advises governments and organizations on how to navigate the digital revolution without losing the moral compass of democracy. Website: https://disruptorconfessions.com/ Subscribe: https://disruptorconfessions.substack.com/

    1h 2m

  8. 12/23/2025 · BONUS

    A Personal Note: AI Reality in 2025, the Reckoning Ahead in 2026

    Before the year ends, I wanted to share a short personal note. Disruptor Confessions began as an experiment—rooted in a feeling many of us share: the pace of disruption is accelerating, and the consequences are real. Because of you, that experiment worked. 2025 was the year AI hype met AI reality.Less talk. More building. More impact. 2026 will be the year of reckoning.Trust becomes the responsibility.Accountability becomes the disruption.Cybersecurity shifts from data protection to truth protection. This isn’t just about technology. It’s about every industry, every role, and the growing importance of human judgment in an AI-driven world. We’re taking a short holiday break and returning in January with new episodes every Tuesday. If you want to stay connected, subscribe to The Briefing on Substack—one email a week, two-minute read, built for people navigating disruption in real time. Thanks for listening.Stay curious. Stay disruptive.

    2 min
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What happens when change doesn’t knock, but kicks the door in? DISRUPTOR CONFESSIONS is where digital transformation gets personal. Hosted by veteran strategist John Ayers, this podcast interrogates the chaos of innovation, from collapsing industries and breakthrough tech to the people left in its wake. Through unscripted conversations with visionaries, whistleblowers, and insiders, we explore what disruption really means for business, ethics, and the future of human decision-making. This isn’t hype. It’s confession.

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