Creativity is the key to staying competitive, so why do so many organizations struggle to innovate?

Today on Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney.

Duncan and his team helped Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney Parks to innovate, creating magical new storylines and experiences. Now a global keynote speaker and innovation advisor, he shares his unique Design Thinking approach to help organizations spark creativity, unlock fresh thinking, and embed innovation into their culture. A TED speaker and contributor to Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review, Duncan also teaches innovation Master Classes at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Edinburgh.

Duncan sits down with Geoff to explore how businesses can break down the barriers to innovation by tapping into their most powerful resource: human imagination. Duncan gives a look into the magic of Disney’s approach to creativity and explains how companies can design cultures that foster curiosity, risk-taking, and collaboration. From solving complex problems with simple questions to creating space for disruptive thinking, Duncan shares practical, transformative advice for leaders ready to think boldly and challenge the current workplace roles.

In this episode:

0:00 Intro

2:00 Time at Disney

5:40 Creativity is now the most in-demand skill

8:15 Barriers to innovation

11:30 Tools for creative thinking

14:45 Reframing problems as innovation

18:10 The power of naïve experts

21:00 Innovation at Disney

25:50 Tips for embedding in any organization

29:00 How leaders can foster innovation

32:00 Tools to think differently

33:21 Overhyped tools

34:01 What’s different about Gen Z

36:03 Duncan’s mission to unlock creativity

39:03 Changing culture

Connect with Duncan:

Website: https://duncanwardle.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/duncanjwardle

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duncanjwardle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanwardle/

Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

With all the AI hype, is there still a place for humans in organizations?

Today on Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Jonathan Brill, the world’s top-ranked futurist by Forbes, advisor to Amazon, HP, Samsung, and an author.

Jonathan helps executives and audiences spot, prioritize, and act on the forces shaping the next five years — from AI to geopolitical disruption. As the former Global Futurist at HP and a board member of one of the world’s largest private intelligence agencies, he brings unique insights from decades of work in innovation, strategy, and emerging tech. His invention firms have developed over 325 products, generating more than $27 billion in revenue for clients like HP, Samsung, and Verizon. Jonathan is the author of Rogue Waves, praised by The Economist and Adam Grant, offering a practical framework for thriving through disruption. He shares his insights globally on stages like TED, at institutions like Harvard and CERN, and with media outlets including ABC, CNBC, and HBR.

Jonathan sits down with Geoff Nielson to explore what leaders need to do to survive and thrive through the next decade of accelerating technological disruption. They discuss why the traditional organizational model introduced in the railroad era is no longer equipped to handle the complexity of AI-powered transformation. Jonathan speaks on the concept of the "octopus organization," where intelligence, decision-making, and adaptability are distributed rather than centralized. He breaks down AI’s biggest shift not just in task automation, but in decision-making and organizational design and emphasizes the importance of psychological safety in successful AI adoption.

In this episode

0:00 Intro

1:14 Enterprise AI

2:47 Code and complexity

6:07 From Railroad Model to Octopus Organization

9:35 AI isn’t just automating work

12:03 Why CIOs must lead cultural change

18:28 Human intuition is still important

20:16 Four leadership traits for the AI era

25:32 Executional vs. strategic thinking in IT

29:39 The real value of coding in the future

35:16 AI’s superpowers

38:57 Human vs. machine

41:21 Specialists vs. generalists in an AI world

47:02 Optimism despite disruption

49:48 Governments will shape the pace of change

53:04 What’s the hype and what’s real?

58:19 Tech adoption is inevitable

Connect with Jonathan:

Website: https://www.jonathanbrill.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbrill1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brill_jonathan

Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

If you're not ready for the speed of change — you're already behind.

Today on Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Steve Brown, a leading voice in the field of artificial intelligence and a former executive at Google DeepMind and Intel.

Steve has delivered hundreds of engaging keynotes and AI innovation workshops across five continents. With over 25 years of experience in AI and emerging technologies, Steve helps organizations build winning strategies that drive innovation, boost productivity, and fuel growth. He has advised leading brands including Nike, JP Morgan, Samsung, Comcast, Audi, Bank of America, PepsiCo, and Disney. Steve is the co-founder of The Provenance Chain Network, a BCG Luminary, and an advisor to multiple AI startups. He has been featured on CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. His book, The Innovation Ultimatum, explores how six strategic technologies will reshape every business in the 2020s. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Micro-Electronic Systems Engineering from Manchester University and lives in Portland, Oregon.

Steve sits down with Geoff Nielson to explore how AI, robotics, and automation are reshaping business, education, and the future of work. Steve reflects on the six emerging technologies he forecasted in The Innovation Ultimatum, where he got it right, and what surprised him — from the power of process orchestration and the quiet rise of blockchain, to the next potential “ChatGPT moment.” Steve also shares a preview of his upcoming book, The AI Ultimatum, and what business leaders need to know now to stay relevant and human in an AI-powered economy.

In this episode:

0:00 Intro

0:42 Revisiting 2019's predictions

2:04 The Rise of process orchestration

3:11 Process orchestration

5:12 AI and sales enablement

6:33 Blockchain’s future

11:14 The mixed reality opportunity

13:49 What’s the next “ChatGPT moment”?

15:12 Robotics, Quantum & what's next

18:40 The real AI transformation opportunity

20:10 Top 3 areas where AI is impacting businesses

21:37 AI-enabled employee experiences

22:54 From lockdown to enablement

24:36 Getting started with AI transformation

28:01 Unexpected use cases

31:29 The education disruption is coming

36:20 Learn to get the most out of AI

37:48 How to become robot-proof

40:39 What gives life meaning

43:20 Creativity in the age of AI

45:42 The rise of one-person enterprise

49:19 Do we need AGI

50:50 Hype vs. reality

52:10 The AI Ultimatum

53:36 Speed of change

Connect with Steve:

Website: https://www.stevebrown.ai/about

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/futuresteve/

Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG