Soul In The Machine.

Human Wisdom in the Age of AI.

The team at The Barn, Arla's forward-thinking in-house agency, invited me to speak at their summit this week. I've been consistently impressed by how they approach innovation, not with panic or half-measures, but with genuine curiosity and strategic intention. While many organisations are still debating whether AI is friend or foe, The Barn has built an impressive methodology: running sophisticated pilots, establishing a dedicated AI creative council, creating internal resources, and fostering open conversations that make their team feel genuinely empowered rather than threatened.

During our first conversation about what I might share, we found ourselves circling around a deeper question that transcends implementation details: what does growth mean in the age of AI? Not just for their business, but for the creative minds that power it and the humans behind those minds. The question resonated because it sits at the intersection of technology and humanity where the most important work happens.

How do we grow as organisations when algorithms can make autonomous decisions? As creative thinkers when machines generate endless content? As people when technology constantly pulls us toward acceleration over reflection?

As I prepared for this talk, connections began emerging between pieces I'd written over the past year; The Agentic Era, my exploration of creative superpowers, The Synthesised Strategist, The Noetic Spiral. What had seemed like separate investigations suddenly revealed themselves as variations on a single theme: how we navigate growth when the fundamental relationship between humans and machines is being rewritten.

"Soul in the Machine" became the natural convergence of these ideas. It examines how organisations like The Barn can move beyond fragmented AI adoption toward thoughtful orchestration. It explores how creative thinkers can cultivate uniquely human capacities when technical skills are increasingly automated. It considers how we might honour our cyclical nature in a world demanding constant production.

The Barn has kindly allowed me to share this talk publicly, perfectly reflecting their ethos of openness and collective growth. Where other organisations might keep such conversations behind closed doors, they understand that progress happens through shared exploration, not siloed thinking.

This isn't finished work, rather it's living thought still evolving. But by mapping these connections, inspired by the thoughtful environment The Barn has created, I hope it offers a more intentional path forward as we navigate this pivotal moment together.