What does real sustainability look like when AI enters the room—loud, power-hungry, and ethically ambiguous?

In this episode of the UKAI Women in AI Podcast, we’re joined by Alex Smith, CEO of Future Plus, to talk candidly about non-linear careers, leadership under pressure, and why sustainability must move from glossy reports into everyday business decisions.

Alex shares her journey—from hospitality and professional sailing to building a guided SaaS platform that helps businesses embed sustainability across climate, social impact, governance, and economic resilience. Along the way, we explore:

Why sustainability and AI are fundamentally governance problems

The myth of “perfect” sustainability (and why progress matters more)

AI’s impact on net-zero pledges, workforce trust, and bias

Lessons from working parents, single motherhood, and executive leadership

How AI is being used to reduce food waste through projects like Bridge AI, in collaboration with Innovate UK, Google, and Nestlé

This is not sustainability as virtue-signalling. It’s sustainability as discipline: measured, managed, and embedded—especially as AI accelerates faster than our moral reflexes.

📌 Key theme: Just because we can, should we?

🔗 Learn more about Alex’s work: https://www.futureplus.co.uk

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