Hitchhiker's Guide to AI Governance

Don't panic. In our next (and final 2026) episode ... governance, risk and compliance expert Renee Murphy reflects on the highs and (the very) lows of AI in 2026.   In this preview, Renee believes 2026 was the year organisations began adopting agentic AI at scale, not necessarily because they understood or governed it, but because they trusted their technology vendors enough to introduce it.   Ren...

Don't panic. Finance consultant, coach and GrowCFO podcast host Kevin Appleby, explores how AI could reshape the role of the CFO and the finance function. In this podcast, Kevin talks about the compelling AI opportunity of less time crunching numbers and finding more time for a thinking space. What it means for CFOs is better analysis of the numbers, challenging assumptions, exploring alternatives...

What if you lost your next job opportunity because a computer decided you were too old before a human had even read your CV? And what if the employer couldn't explain why? In this bonus podcast episode, Bruce Mullan is joined by career expert Pamela Frost. Together they explore the hidden biases, missing guardrails and new career opportunities behind automated recruitment. Most importantly, they u...

Don't panic. In our next episode, Finance consultant, coach and GrowCFO podcast host Kevin Appleby, explores how AI could reshape the role of the CFO and the finance function. In this preview, Kevin talks about the compelling AI opportunity of less time crunching numbers and more time for finding a thinking space. What it means for CFOs is better analysis of the numbers, challenging assumptions, e...

Don't panic. Michelle Barry, a mediation expert and engagement specialist, shares her insights on early employee engagement and navigating workplace conflict that comes with AI driven change. Key topics The role of mediation in organizational conflict How AI impacts workplace relationships and conflict Strategies for early intervention and conflict prevention The importance of trust and communicat...

Don't panic. In our next episode, Michelle Barry, a mediation expert and engagement specialist, shares her insights on early employee engagement and navigating workplace conflict that comes with AI driven change. In this preview, Michele reflects on how people can respond when they fear AI or organisational change might threaten their jobs. When fear sets in, leaders need to offer more than reassu...

Don't panic. Sarah Barnbrook, a socio technologist and CEO of Xallarap, discusses the critical issues surrounding AI ethics, and safety. She shares insights on AI risks, discusses tragic cases in unsafe technology use, the importance of proactive regulation, and her innovative assessment tool, ALT-TAB, to help organizations navigate AI deployment responsibly. Sarah is CEO and Founder of Xallarap -...

Don't panic. What happens when an organisation spends millions switching on Microsoft Copilot for 9,000 employees without first asking what problem it is solving, what data Copilot can access, how people will use it, or what success looks like? This episode explores a real-world Copilot deployment that demonstrates how quickly an AI initiative can turn from a productivity opportunity into a privac...

Don't panic. Next week's episode is all about ethical AI with socio-technologist Sarah Barnbrook. In this clip, the conversation touched on the human implications of AI. In an increasingly digital world, Sarah argues that we’re losing something fundamental: the chemistry of face-to-face human connection. She describes the “chemisphere” as the human-to-human interaction and chemical response that h...

Don't Panic! Today's episode is all about AI and privacy with Keturah Charlesworth, Privacy expert. AI has emerged as a modern-day enigma. As we navigate through its complexities, a striking observation was made: many people are caught between denial and action regarding their use of AI. In this episode, Ketchura Charlesworth shares insights on AI governance, privacy laws, shadow AI, and how organ...

Don't Panic! Next week's episode is all about AI and privacy with Keturah Charlesworth, Privacy expert. In this clip our conversation touched on the broader implications of AI. An analogy was made to CrowdStrike, a vendor that faced a catastrophic software upgrade, bringing down 8.5 million Microsoft computers world-wide due to unforeseen vulnerabilities. Keturah likens AI to Ozempic, the miracle...

Don’t panic. In this episode, due to popular demand, Phyllis Elin returns to the pod to continue our conversation about AI and information governance. Phyllis Elin shares her extensive expertise in information governance, the impact of AI on data management, and the importance of clean, well-structured data for effective AI deployment. She discusses her recent awards, her insights on records reten...

Don't panic. In this bonus episode, I reflect on my journey of over 30 years in IT, where I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of technology in businesses. Traditional technology implementations followed a structured process, but the emergence of AI has changed the game. Unlike everything before it, AI tools like ChatGPT can be accessed and used directly by employees without waiting...

Don’t panic. In this episode, I picked up Derek Crager.   Derek is a visionary AI Solutions Architect & founder of Practical AI. And he's also a Hoosier (someone from Indiana US). His insights provide a refreshing perspective on how AI can complement human capabilities rather than replace them. Derek emphasizes the importance of a human-first approach to AI. He believes that AI should enhance...

Don't panic. On August 2, 2026, the EU AI Act activates core transparency duties under Article 50, grants the European AI Office broad enforcement powers over general-purpose models, and adjusts previous high-risk compliance timelines. In this episode, I picked up John Webb-O'Rourke and Shane McCarthy from Ambrion AI, an Irish intelligence company purpose built for the AI era.  John is a recoverin...

Don't panic. This week I share what good AI governance looks like in Australia. To watch this episode as a video visit: https://youtu.be/ygSaj2_yWVg?si=4FXRLMMZqbeYd5DG Episode Navigation 0:00 When AI goes wrong, it goes badly wrong 2:10 Why our Regulators are twitchy 4:43 Examples of AI systems and use cases 6:07 Biggest challenge when deploying AI systems 7:36 Why do we need an AI Governance Sta...

Don’t panic. In this engaging two part episode, I picked up Career Transition expert, Pamela Frost.   Pamela has thirty years of expertise across capability assessment, talent management, career transition coaching, leadership development and employee engagement.   Pamela is the founder and CEO of Adapt and Thrive, a multi-tool, multi-layered AI platform enabling people to realise their potential...

Don’t panic. In this engaging two part episode, I picked up Career Transition expert, Pamela Frost.   Pamela has thirty years of expertise across capability assessment, talent management, career transition coaching, leadership development and employee engagement.   Pamela is the founder and CEO of Adapt and Thrive, a multi-tool, multi-layered AI platform enabling people to realise their potential...

Don’t panic. In this episode I picked up Information Governance expert, Phyllis Elin. With over three decades of senior information governance leadership, Phyllis Elin helps her global clients create, deploy, and maintain defensible and cost-saving information governance strategies. After 30 years, she's now preparing to bring Information Governance into the AI era. Key Takeaways The importance of...

Don’t panic. In this episode I picked up Crisis Expert, Gerry McCusker. Gerry McCusker is the driving force behind The Drill, unique software for crisis simulation training. Gerry talks about: AI Risks Are Often Old Risks in New Packaging Focus on Consequences, Not the Technology AI Amplifies Existing Organisational Weaknesses Organisations Need Business Continuity and Crisis Planning for AI Crisi...

Welcome to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Governance, the podcast for anyone trying to make sense of intelligent machines, messy politics, and everything in between.   Don’t panic.   In this episode I picked up Duncan Brett   Duncan is the successful Chief Operating Officer at Decidr AI.   Duncan shares his perspectives about these topics:   - AI is Really About “Intelligence”, Not Just Models - Gov...

Welcome to "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Governance", the podcast for anyone trying to make sense of intelligent machines, messy politics, and everything in between.   Don’t panic.   In this Part 2 episode I picked up Professor Michael Davern.   Michael is the Professor of Accounting & Business Information Systems at the prestigious University of Melbourne. Michael has been working with AI sin...

Welcome to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Governance, the podcast for anyone trying to make sense of intelligent machines, messy politics, and everything in between.   Don’t panic.   In this episode I picked up Professor Michael Davern.   Michael is the Professor of Accounting & Business Information Systems at the prestigious University of Melbourne. Michael has been working with AI since the 19...

Welcome to "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Governance", the podcast for anyone trying to make sense of intelligent machines, messy politics, and everything in between.   Don’t panic.   In this episode I picked up Jacinta Whelan. Jacinta is the eminently successful lead Partner at Watermark Search Melbourne.   Jacinta specialises in placing seasoned C-Suite professionals in organisations for specific...

Welcome to "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Governance", the podcast for anyone trying to make sense of intelligent machines, messy politics, and everything in between.   Don’t panic.  In this episode I picked up Phil Cornish. Philip, our resident human in the loop, has over twenty years of board level experience across the commercial, government and not for profit sectors with particular experience...