Join John as he talks with Corinne Thomas, founder of Ethical Sales, about what responsible AI adoption actually looks like inside real organisations, and how to implement it without creating confusion, risk, or resistance.

They discuss how AI adoption is usually driven by leadership, and why pressure to “move fast” often clashes with reality. Corinne shares what she sees when individuals respond very differently to AI, from enthusiasm to scepticism to outright fear, and why those reactions need to be handled deliberately rather than smoothed over.

The conversation explores why the biggest risks often come from overconfidence rather than caution, and why slowing down can actually accelerate progress.

They also dig into what helps people learn AI properly, and the continued importance of face-to-face learning, even when the tools themselves are digital.

The discussion also explores where AI is genuinely making a difference. Much of the value comes from unglamorous work, admin, proposals, funding applications, and internal processes, rather than the headline use cases people often fixate on. The episode returns repeatedly to the idea that AI works best when it supports structure, not when it replaces thinking.

The episode closes with a listener question on using AI for prospecting, and why expecting it to act as a data source often leads to unreliable results. Corinne explains where AI fits in sales research, and where human judgement and proper data still matter.

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• The different ways individuals react to AI, and why that matters
• Why moving too fast often creates more risk than value
• The problem of shadow AI and uncontrolled experimentation
• What effective AI learning actually looks like in practice
• Why face-to-face still plays a role in building capability
• Where AI is quietly making the biggest difference
• Keeping human judgement in charge as AI becomes more powerful
• What AI can and can’t do in prospecting

00:00 Introduction to Corinne Thomas

05:40 Who drives the decision to use AI?

09:01 The three approaches to AI

17:05 Why face-to-face still matters

20:24 The risk of going too fast

25:17 The beauty and challenge of AI progress

30:02 Building AI capability

35:42 Where AI is actually making a difference

45:35 "I'm the human here"

51:50 What AI can and can’t do in prospecting