I’m writing this first as a parent. Our daughter, Phoebe (23), lives with autism, ADHD, and epilepsy—and our family’s “wellness journey” has included diagnoses, ER visits, and two craniotomies. So when a workplace pitches “wellness” through a wrist-worn device, I don’t hear a product demo. I hear a promise: Will this actually help real people live and work better—or will it simply measure them more efficiently? Wearable technology is everywhere. From Fitbits counting steps to

Let me be honest: watching organizations deploy AI systems without proper risk management is like watching someone hand car keys to a teenager without teaching them to drive. It is terrifying, preventable, and almost guaranteed to end badly. As someone who has spent decades working at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and ethical AI deployment, I have seen brilliant organizations make the same seven mistakes repeatedly. The good news? Every single one is fixable.

You've built your AI governance framework. You've checked the boxes, risk assessments, bias audits, compliance documentation. Everything looks perfect on paper. But here's the uncomfortable truth: your AI governance isn't actually governing anything if humans aren't actively scrutinizing the system . AI governance without human oversight is like autopilot without a pilot, technically functional until the moment it isn't. And by then, the damage is done. Let me explain why eve

You've built your AI governance framework. You've checked the boxes, risk assessments, bias audits, compliance documentation. Everything looks perfect on paper. But here's the uncomfortable truth: your AI governance isn't actually governing anything if humans aren't actively scrutinizing the system . AI governance without human oversight is like autopilot without a pilot, technically functional until the moment it isn't. And by then, the damage is done. Let me explain why eve

I’m writing this first as a parent. Our daughter, Phoebe, is 23. She’s autistic, ADHD, and epileptic. Our family has done the whole tour: diagnoses, therapies, ER visits, and two craniotomies. So when I say “sensory load” isn’t a buzzword, I mean it in the most literal, nervous-system way possible. Now zoom out to work. You have invested millions in AI-powered tools to boost productivity. Your dashboards are sleek. Your notifications are instant. Your analytics are real-time.

I am a parent first. Our daughter, Phoebe, is 23. She is autistic, ADHD, and epileptic. We have done the long stretch of diagnoses, therapies, school meetings, and the kind of ER visits that erase your sense of time. She has also survived two craniotomies. When you have lived that, the words “trust,” “safety,” and “accountability” stop being abstract nouns. They become the whole point. So when I hear leaders talk about “ethical AI” like it is a compliance chore, I have a hard

As a parent, I do not think about wearables in abstracts. I think about the nights my wife of 31 years (Suzy Girard at https://tenderwildfires.substack.com/ ) and my daughter spent in the ER. I think about our daughter, now 23, living with autism, ADHD, and epilepsy—and what it means to build tools that reduce harm before a hard day turns into a medical crisis. A decade ago, wearables mostly meant one thing: steps. Maybe a heart rate graph if you were feeling fancy. Now the s

Imagine walking into a grocery store. The fluorescent lights hum and flicker overhead. A dozen conversations blend into a wall of noise. The air conditioning creates a constant low drone. For many people, this is just... Tuesday. But for neurodivergent individuals: especially autistic adults: this sensory cocktail can trigger overwhelming distress, cognitive fatigue, and a desperate need to escape. This is the reality of sensory sensitivity. And it is one of the most underadd

I’m writing this as a parent first. Our daughter Phoebe is 23 and autistic, ADHD, and epileptic. We’ve done the rounds you never want to do: diagnoses, therapies, ER visits, and two craniotomies. When your kid’s brain is the battleground, you get very serious, very fast, about what helps attention, what steals it, and what quietly drains a person’s ability to cope. We have all felt it. That heavy, foggy feeling after hours of video calls. The inability to concentrate after sc

My wife of 31 years (Suzy Girard at https://tenderwildfires.substack.com/ ) and my daughter have taught me something no whitepaper ever could: the line between “helpful” and “harmful” is often invisible until you’ve lived it. Our daughter, Phoebe, is 23 and lives with autism, ADHD, and epilepsy. We’ve done the ER visits, the long nights, the waiting rooms, the two craniotomies. So when I look at mental health wearables, I don’t just see sensors and dashboards. I see a promise

I’m writing this as a parent first. Our daughter Phoebe is 23. She’s autistic, ADHD, and has epilepsy. We’ve done the full tour: diagnoses, therapies, ER visits, and two craniotomies. So when I say “distraction” isn’t just annoying, I mean it can be dangerous. Let’s be honest: most of the technology we use every day wasn’t designed to help us focus. It was designed to capture our attention and keep it hostage. From infinite scroll feeds to notification bombardment, modern AI

I’m writing this as a parent first. Our daughter is 23. She’s autistic, ADHD, and epileptic. We’ve done the diagnosis maze, the therapies, the long ER visits that blur into morning, and two craniotomies that changed how I think about “support” forever. When you’ve lived that reality, the workplace question stops being abstract. It becomes simple: will this environment help someone thrive, or quietly grind them down? We’ve spent this series talking about sensory sensitivity, a

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about AI governance: most organizations are getting it wrong. They’re getting it wrong in ways that cost money. They’re getting it wrong in ways that create legal exposure. And they’re getting it wrong in ways that undermine the very innovation they’re trying to achieve. The numbers don’t lie. Despite massive investments in artificial intelligence, only 5% of companies successfully scale their AI projects (Fountaine et al., 2019). That’s a stagg

Here’s a question that keeps executives up at night: Why do most AI projects fail?   It’s not because the technology doesn’t work. It’s because the people don’t use it.   But here’s my ‘why’ behind human-centered AI: it’s not just a business decision. For me, it’s a personal mission. I am a parent first.   Our daughter Phoebe is 23. She’s autistic, has ADHD, and lives with epilepsy. She’s also brilliant. And the difference between ‘traditional’ and ‘human-centered’ tech isn’t

As a parent first, this stuff doesn't feel abstract to me. Our daughter, Phoebe, is 23. She's autistic, has ADHD, and lives with epilepsy. We've done the diagnoses, the therapies, the ER visits, the long nights, the two craniotomies. So when I say “AI policy,” I’m not thinking about headlines. I’m thinking about real systems that make real decisions about real lives (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2023). Let me be blunt with you. If you're still asking whethe

I’m writing this first as a parent. Our daughter, Phoebe (23), lives with autism, ADHD, and epilepsy—and our family’s “wellness journey” has included diagnoses, ER visits, and two craniotomies. So when a workplace pitches “wellness” through a wrist-worn device, I don’t hear a product demo. I hear a promise: Will this actually help real people live and work better—or will it simply measure them more efficiently? Wearable technology is everywhere. From Fitbits counting steps to

Let me be honest: watching organizations deploy AI systems without proper risk management is like watching someone hand car keys to a teenager without teaching them to drive. It is terrifying, preventable, and almost guaranteed to end badly. As someone who has spent decades working at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and ethical AI deployment, I have seen brilliant organizations make the same seven mistakes repeatedly. The good news? Every single one is fixable.

Read a portion of the prologue and learn more about the upcoming book here

As AI systems increasingly impact healthcare, hiring, and public safety, hidden risks and biases continue to arise. This article reveals why autistic and neurodivergent professionals bring unmatched skills in pattern recognition, data validation, and ethical oversight that are essential for responsible AI.