E93 - Radical Change Empathy : AI and Ethics in Practice - Podcast With Rebecca Bultsma

Welcome to The Inner Game of Change, the podcast where we explore the unseen forces that shape how we lead, adapt, and thrive in the face of change and transformation. 

Each episode is a chance to learn from thinkers, doers, and everyday leaders about what really makes change work — and what keeps it human.

My guest is Rebecca Bultsma — an AI ethics researcher, power user, and someone who lives in that space between awe and dread of what AI can do. Rebecca has built her career helping leaders cut through the hype, face the risks, and still find practical, human-centred ways to use this technology without losing their soul or their job.

In this episode, we explore the hype and the harm, the messy middle of adoption, and the accountability gaps that every business and every leader needs to face. And at the heart of it all, we talk about what it means to stay radically human in a world that is increasingly shaped by algorithms.

I am grateful to have Rebecca chatting with me today.


About Rebecca (In her words)

The honest truth?

I'm an AI Ethics researcher who uses AI all day. Yes, I see the irony. Yes, I'm navigating this contradiction in public. Daily.

I help leaders who are somewhere between "AI will save us" and "AI will end us" find their actual footing. No BS, no fear-mongering, just practical strategies for using AI without losing your soul (or your job).

What I actually do:

Translate tech panic into action plans. I take 20 years of making complex things human-friendly (comms/PR veteran) and mix it with an MSc in AI Ethics from Edinburgh. The result? I can explain why AI is incredible AND terrifying in the same breath - and help you navigate both.

The work:
Keynotes that don't put you to sleep (50+ delivered, people actually stay awake)
Workshops where we actually DO things (not just talk about them)
Executive sessions for when you need to admit you don't get it (safe space, I promise)

Currently obsessing over: AI governance that doesn't kill innovation, helping teachers not fear GenAI, and explaining to boards why "AI strategy" isn't optional anymore.

Contacts

Rebecca’s Profile

linkedin.com/in/rebecca-bultsma

Website

rebeccabultsma.com/ (Company)

Send us a text

Ali Juma
@The Inner Game of Change podcast

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