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 ac

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 a doctor and a scientist, but I’m a parent first. If you’re reading this because your kid can’t filter a noisy room, can’t tolerate a clothing tag, or can’t hold onto a teacher’s words when the world gets loud, I want you to know something up front: I’ve been on this road too, not as a researcher looking in, but as a dad living it. My wife of 31 years (Suzy Girard at https://tenderwildfires.substack.com/ ) and our daughter, Phoebe, have shaped everything I know about this

Wearables are everywhere. They count steps, score sleep, flag stress, promise peace. But I’m going to lead with the part that matters most to me: I’m a parent first. Our daughter, Phoebe (23), is autistic, has ADHD, and lives with epilepsy. I’ve been in the ER with her after seizures. I’ve watched her do the long, exhausting work of recovering from two craniotomies. In those moments, you don’t want tech that simply tracks; you want tech that helps. Not a dashboard that dazzle

I want to start somewhere personal: I am a parent first. Our daughter Phoebe is 23. She is autistic, has ADHD, and epilepsy. I have lost count of the ER visits, the hospital corridors, the waiting-room minutes that feel like hours. And I have watched her fight through more than anyone should have to, including two craniotomies. That reality rewires your priorities. It also rewires your lens on something as “normal” as an office. Now, zoom out with me for a second. Think of yo

I’m a doctor and a scientist, but I’m a parent first. Here’s the question that keeps me up at night: Are we building AI systems that serve people, or are we reshaping people to serve AI systems? For me, that isn’t an abstract debate. It’s personal. Our daughter Phoebe is 23. She’s autistic, has ADHD, and lives with epilepsy. I’ve watched her endure every therapy imaginable, countless ER visits for seizures, and two craniotomies. When your family has lived inside hospital corr

I’m a parent first. Before the publications, before the prototypes, before the pitches. My wife of 31 years (Suzy Girard at https://tenderwildfires.substack.com/ ) and my daughter Phoebe have walked this road with me for 23 years. Our daughter is autistic, ADHD, and she lives with epilepsy. We’ve done the therapies, the appointments, the endless forms, the “try this next” plans. We’ve also done the parts nobody ever puts in a glossy brochure: ER stays, long nights in hospital

I’m going to start somewhere more human than a checklist: with our daughter, Phoebe. She’s 23, autistic, ADHD, and epileptic, and our family’s learned the hard way what “risk” feels like when it’s real, immediate, and personal: diagnoses that took years to untangle, therapies that helped (and some that didn’t), too many ER visits, and two craniotomies that changed the shape of our lives overnight.  That’s why I’m allergic to performative safety. Because when the stakes are h

Figure 1. The neuroscience of focus: why your team is fatigued (and how AI can help). Before I say a word about meetings, AI, or productivity, I want to start where I always start: at home. Our daughter, Phoebe, is 23. She’s autistic, has ADHD, and lives with epilepsy. We’ve done the full circuit: evaluations, therapies, long nights, ER visits that turn into hospital stays, and two craniotomies that rewire your definition of “tired” forever. So when I say “fatigue,” I don’t m

A Parent-Scientist’s Journey into Sensory Processing I can still smell it if I try: antiseptic, warmed plastic, that oddly sweet hospital air that clings to your clothes after midnight. The waiting room is always the same: fluorescent lights, vending-machine hum, the little beep-beep-beep that makes your chest tighten even when it’s not your kid on the monitor. If you’re reading this as a parent, here’s the honest version: I didn’t learn “sensory processing” from a textbook

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.

Your office is burning people out: and you might not even know it. The fluorescent lights hum at 60 Hz. The air conditioning blasts cold air while the sun heats the window seats to 80 degrees. Open-plan acoustics mean every keyboard click, phone call, and coffee machine grind competes for attention. And everyone's expected to perform at their peak in this sensory chaos. One-size-fits-all office design doesn't fit anyone. It's time to stop treating your team like interchangeab

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