Is GenAI a revolution or merely an evolution of data-driven innovation and automation? Dan Klein has been at the forefront of data-driven tech for thirty years. From the timeless principles guiding how he helps organisations and the need to test GenAI’s output, to finding the value and championing curiosity, he provided real food for thought in this conversation with Stephen Morris.

As someone who has been working with neural networks, deep learning, automation and data-driven decision-making since the 1990s, Dan sees GenAI not as a revolution but as a continuation. Don’t go after the tech; think about how you can improve your business, focus on continuous enhancements and foster a culture that encourages small-scale innovation by those at the sharp end. He illustrates his view with references from real-world experience in the aircraft, automotive, banking, government and other sectors.

Dan believes we must champion curiosity to ensure organisations continue improving and adapting to new possibilities. However, he thinks many organisations neglect to maintain employees’ skills and use their knowledge and perspective to drive innovation. We must ensure experienced teams focus on doing what GenAI can’t – questioning, experimenting, and inventing. “The individuals who exhibit curiosity in the workplace,” he says, “always do substantially better than those who do not.”

In the rapidly advancing world of AI, curiosity stands out as a differentiator between those who will thrive and those who may be left behind.

You’ll learn:

• How GenAI can augment human decision-making
• The precursors and technological changes that paved the way for Generative AI
• What GenAI means for managers and management
• The blockers that will stop many organisations from transforming and leveraging AI
• What it means for the workforce of the future – onboarding, training and collaboration
• The intricacies of synthesising information, managing data, and making informed decisions in evolving tech landscapes

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Connect with Dan on LinkedIn.

Listen to Dan's Data Today podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts).

Join Dan for kayaking, whale watching and lots more on the beautiful shores of Lake Sunart in Scotland.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Barbara Minto 'The Pyramid Principle' (Amazon.co.uk)

The Essential Deming (Amazon.co.uk)

It seems we're awash with data these days. It's meant to improve decision-making and outcomes. While sales data tells us what has happened, it rarely tells us why it happened. It also tells us nothing about what didn't happen. Why did a customer walk away? What didn't they choose — and why?

Today's guest dives into that exact mystery almost every day. Tessa Stuart works in the food and drink retail space, helping brands to decode customer behaviour and perception, revealing the mindset behind the metrics. These consumer insights bring the numbers to life and transform how companies present themselves to customers when it matters most.

Known as 'The Shopper Stalker', Tessa shares her journey from advertising focus groups to becoming a leading voice of live customer insight via attempting to sell her children to Innocent drinks. Featured on Radio 4's The Today Programme, she's also the author of two books about getting stocked and then getting picked off the shelf.

What Tessa does is eminently transferrable outside of food and drink, listen to 'What Data Doesn't Tell Us' to find out:

• Tessa's approach and how she became the Shopper Stalker
• What she's learned about how consumers think and behave
• How real-time encounters can help brands connect with customers
• What her observations of buyer behaviour reveal about how brands should present themselves
• How augmenting sales data can help us connect with actual customer needs

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Connect with Tessa on LinkedIn.

Sign up for her insight-packed newsletters.

Buy her books on Amazon: Packed and Flying Off The Shelves.

What’s the best way to get employees talking about your business on social media? And is it worth doing? Are people influenced by what people say about their employers? In this episode, Stephen Morris speaks with employee advocacy expert Andrew Seel about the value, tools, benefits and best approaches, as well as its vital role in marketing and brand strategy.

Andrew is an accomplished expert in employee advocacy and social media. With a distinguished career that began at AOL, he navigated the landscape of early online communities. After founding one of the UK's first social media agencies, he identified the powerful potential of employees as brand advocates. This led to the launch of the first UK-based employee advocacy platform, Togethr. Working with well-known brands like John Lewis and Partners, BT, HSBC and the Post Office, Andrew’s passion is making digital communication more authentic and personal.

Listen to this episode of Curious Business to learn:

• What employee advocacy is and how it can work for marketing, sales, recruitment and employees.
• Why authenticity and trust are the key elements in an effective advocacy strategy.
• The best ways to encourage, motivate and help employees to participate.
• How a structured approach, ongoing training and support are essential.
• Togethr’s step-by-step guide to establishing employee advocacy and their ten-level advocacy scale.
• The unexpected benefits and ways employee advocacy can build trust, enhance recruitment and boost brand visibility.

Find out more about Togethr and its approach: https://www.wearetogethr.io/

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewseel/

Check out Andrew’s podcast: https://www.wearetogethr.io/resources/podcasts

Mentioned in the episode: 'Tiny Habits' by BJ Fogg (Penguin)