Communication

Twenty years after Twitter began, this is a personal reflection on how social networks have evolved – from open, human connection to more complex, AI-shaped environments – and why I’ve shifted toward more intentional, owned spaces.

AI agents can organise tasks, analyse information and navigate digital systems with impressive autonomy. But when they reach the limits of the digital world, they still need humans to observe reality. A reflection on the emerging role of people as sensors in an age of agentic AI.

US consulting growth is forecast to hit 7 per cent, driven by AI implementation. But this is “selective acceleration”, not a blanket boom. For independent advisers, the real opportunity lies less in tools and more in helping organisations interpret change and build trust.

The question “Was this written by AI?” misses the point. What matters is whether content is accurate, useful, ethical, and purposeful. This post explores why judgement, not detection, is the responsibility communicators can’t outsource.

When people say they’d rather work with AI than with colleagues, something deeper is broken. New research on generational conflict reveals how misaligned leadership and communication are eroding trust in the workplace.

When a university professor lost two years of academic work after a single change to ChatGPT's settings, the lesson was stark. If the work matters, backups are your responsibility. ChatGPT is not an archive – and convenience is no substitute for protection.

As geopolitical uncertainty grows, trust is retreating inward. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer shows how insularity is reshaping leadership, communication, and cooperation – and why leaders are now expected to broker trust, not force alignment.

On 3 January 2005, we published the first episode of the For Immediate Release podcast. Twenty-one years on, we’re still talking – not out of habit, but because the conversations still matter. A brief reflection as FIR begins its 22nd year.