The AI Why with Liam Lawson

AI isn't replacing jobs. It's changing the way work gets done.

Scott Likens, Global Chief AI Engineer at PwC, spends his days helping organizations navigate one of the biggest technological shifts in history. In this conversation with Arturo Ferreira, Scott shares what he's seeing inside some of the world's largest companies as they race to adopt AI, transform workflows, and prepare for a future that's arriving faster than most people expect.

They discuss why many AI projects fail, the "frozen middle" preventing organizations from scaling AI, how education needs to evolve, and why the biggest challenge isn't the technology itself; it's helping people adapt to it.

Key Topics Covered:

Why most organizations are approaching AI the wrong way

The "frozen middle" slowing down enterprise AI adoption

How PwC is scaling AI across a global workforce

Why AI is different from every technology wave before it

The future of software engineering in the age of AI

Which industries are moving fastest with AI adoption

Why AI won't just replace jobs, it will reshape them

The role education must play in an AI-powered future

China's AI strategy versus the United States

Why curiosity may become the most important skill of the next decade

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and the story behind Scott's LinkedIn profile

03:20 What a Chief AI Engineer actually does

06:15 Why AI is different from previous technology revolutions

10:00 The "frozen middle" problem inside organizations

15:25 Why AI adoption is more about people than technology

18:45 PwC's partnership with Anthropic and enterprise AI

22:00 Which industries are moving fastest with AI

27:00 AI, jobs, and workforce transformation

33:00 Why education needs to change

35:30 China, the U.S., and the global AI race

40:00 The questions CEOs are asking about AI today

44:00 Why most AI projects fail

47:30 Advice for leaders trying to scale AI

50:00 Books, learning, and final thoughts

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottlikens/

Connect with Arturo on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arturoferreira/

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Most people don't think about their browser. Ajit Varma thinks they should.

As Head of Firefox, Ajit sits at the intersection of AI, privacy, open-source software and the future of the internet. In this conversation with Liam Lawson, he explains why browser competition matters more than ever, how AI is changing the way we interact with the web, and why user choice could become one of the most important issues of the next decade.

Key Topics Covered:

- Why Firefox believes the future of AI should be built on open standards

- How AI is changing browsers and the way people access information online

- Why browser competition matters more than most people realize

- The hidden risks of relying on a single AI model or platform

- How Firefox approaches privacy differently from Chrome and Safari

- Why most users choose convenience over customization

- The role open source software plays in preserving an open internet

- Why AI could create more builders, creators and entrepreneurs

- Ajit's vision for a future where AI works for humanity, not just corporations

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and the mission behind Firefox

02:09 Browser engines and why they matter

04:48 AI, browsers and the future of the web

05:58 Why Firefox takes a different approach to AI

11:15 User choice, AI models and customization

16:40 Why Ajit joined Mozilla

21:13 AI competition, consolidation and the future of tech

25:07 Does open source have a branding problem?

28:07 Privacy, customization and Firefox users

34:26 Product design, simplicity and consumer behavior

39:40 How Ajit uses AI personally

41:53 AI, entrepreneurship and the future of work

53:07 Why do you do what you do?

Connect with Ajit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajitvarma/

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Most people don't think of themselves as creative. Ian Wang thinks that's about to change.

As VP & Head of Product for Adobe Express, Ian sits at the intersection of creativity, business strategy, product development, and AI. In this conversation with Liam Lawson, he explains why everyone is creative, how AI can help people communicate ideas more effectively, and why the future of creative work will be more conversational, accessible, and collaborative than ever before.

Ian also shares Adobe's vision for a fully conversational creation experience, why enterprise AI requires more than just powerful models, and how Adobe is building tools that help millions of people move from idea to execution faster.

Key Topics Covered:

Why Adobe believes everyone is creative

The mission behind Adobe Express and "Creativity for All"

How AI is helping people communicate ideas more effectively

Why most people still use AI in fragmented workflows

The "aha moment" Adobe hopes users experience with AI

What makes Adobe Express different from other creation tools

Why enterprise AI needs context, governance, and brand knowledge

Adobe's vision for a fully conversational creative workflow

How AI can eliminate the blank canvas problem

Why the future of work will combine human creativity with AI assistance

The importance of balancing conversation, editing, and human control

How Ian combines design, technology, and business thinking

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Ian's journey from designer to Adobe executive

02:00 Combining creativity, business, and technology

05:45 What "Creativity for All" actually means

07:44 What Adobe Express is and who it's for

10:00 The AI "aha moment" Adobe is building toward

12:15 Why context matters more than models

14:00 Serving everyone from consumers to Fortune 500 companies

16:05 Adobe's upcoming conversational AI experience

18:00 Why the future isn't prompt-only workflows

19:40 The skills that matter most in an AI-powered world

22:10 Why Ian loves building creative products

Connect with Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianwang/

Partner Links:

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Anthropic just released its newest model, Fable 5.* OpenAI has officially taken another step toward public markets. And some of the biggest competitors in AI are now relying on the same infrastructure behind the scenes.

This week, Anthropic launches Fable 5 and introduces built-in safeguards for advanced use cases*, OpenAI confidentially files paperwork for a future IPO, Apple unveils its biggest Siri upgrade in years at WWDC, Google signs a massive compute agreement with SpaceX to support Gemini, and Meta expands its AI infrastructure footprint through a new partnership in India.

If you are a founder, operator or executive trying to keep up with AI, this is your weekly five minute briefing every Tuesday.

Stories Covered This Week:

Anthropic releases Fable 5, its first Mythos-class model for general use, with built-in safeguards for advanced cybersecurity and AI development tasks*

OpenAI confidentially files paperwork for a future IPO as investors increasingly scrutinize AI economics and growth

Apple announces its largest Siri update in years, bringing conversational AI, workflow automation and writing assistance to its ecosystem

Google signs a major compute agreement with SpaceX, highlighting how access to infrastructure is becoming a key battleground in AI

Meta partners with Reliance Industries to expand AI infrastructure and data center capacity across India

*Update: Since recording, Anthropic has paused broader public access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5. Stay tuned for next week's episode for the full update.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:16 Anthropic launches Fable 5

01:49 OpenAI moves toward public markets

02:43 Apple's biggest Siri update in years

04:00 Google signs major AI infrastructure deal

05:01 Meta expands AI infrastructure in India

05:59 Outro

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Everyone thinks the future of work means spending more time interacting with AI. Aaron Mitchell Finegold believes the opposite.

As Head of Product Marketing at Adobe, Aaron sits at the intersection of enterprise AI, agentic workflows, brand intelligence and the future of how work gets done. In this conversation with Liam Lawson, he explains why most companies are approaching AI adoption incorrectly, what an agentic content supply chain actually looks like, and why trust, judgment and human relationships may become even more valuable in an AI-first world.

Stories Covered This Week:

Why most companies are deploying AI agents the wrong way

What an agentic content supply chain actually looks like inside the enterprise

How Adobe is building systems that combine humans and AI agents

Why generative AI without guardrails can damage brand integrity

The difference between work that should be done by humans versus agents

How enterprises are turning brand knowledge into AI-readable intelligence

Why trust matters for both humans and AI systems

The personality traits that will thrive in an AI-driven workplace

Aaron's vision for the future of work and why it may involve less interaction with machines than people expect

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and Aaron's background

03:01 Hands-on experience building with AI

04:41 The biggest misconception about generative AI

05:38 What an agentic content supply chain looks like

07:30 When should AI agents replace humans?

08:40 How Adobe's Brand Intelligence works

10:44 Where AI starts and human creativity ends

12:09 Aaron's vision for the future of work

13:41 What trust means for humans and AI agents

16:34 Reliability, AI systems and enterprise adoption

19:34 The personality traits that will thrive in the AI era

21:38 Why do you do what you do?

Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finegold/

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