Future Of Work Podcast How Empathy and AI Together Will Redefine the Future of Work with Sophie Wade
Jan 27, 2026
Sophie Wade, workforce innovator, author of Empathy Works, and founder of Flexcel Network, brings a human-centered take on AI and upskilling. She discusses integrated AI strategies, building trust between leaders and teams, designing work to augment people, generational differences in tech use, and practical steps companies can take now to prepare for 2026.
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Young Workers Sabotaged Early AI Rollouts
- Sophie cites Ryta data showing 41% of millennials and Gen Z sabotaged AI integration early in 2025.
- She links this sabotage to fear about job displacement when leaders mishandle adoption.
Communicate Impacts And Upskill Clearly
- Be transparent about potential impacts and upskilling plans to lower fear and sabotage.
- Communicate that humans will orchestrate and integrate AI and that upskilling is planned.
Knowledge Work Needs Task Decomposition
- Knowledge work has been vague and must be decomposed into tasks for AI to augment it.
- Task decomposition enables targeted augmentation and process redesign.