The Pope's AI Warning, and Why Women Need to Reclaim Their Agency | Julianne Hickey

The Pope's AI Warning, and Why Women Need to Reclaim Their Agency | Julianne Hickey

The Pope just signed his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and it's about AI. His warning to the world: protect the human person before artificial intelligence erodes our work, our relationships, and our agency While tech companies race to build agents and automate everything, the Vatican did something unexpected. It created a commission on AI, not to celebrate the technology, but to protect human dignity. And when Pope Leo XIV presented the document, he did it standing beside a co-founder of the AI company Anthropic. What an unexpected twist. So what does this actually mean for women navigating AI at work right now? In this episode of AI Ready Women, Georgie and Lou sit down with Julianne Hickey, a social justice leader, AI governance expert, and former director of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. Julianne has met Pope Francis twice, worked in Gaza and Palestine responding to humanitarian disasters, and now leads AI strategy for a major government organisation in New Zealand. This is a conversation about what happens when we stop asking what AI can do, and start asking what it should do. And why the future of AI isn't just a technical question. It's a spiritual one. Recorded just before the encyclical's public release on 25 May 2026.) Connect with Georgie: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/] 🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard [http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard] ♦️ Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com [https://www.georgiehubbard.com] ____________ Connect with Lou Compagnone: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/] ____________ Connect with Julianne Hickey: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliannehickey/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliannehickey/] ____________ CHAPTERS 2:40 Julianne's journey: Zimbabwe, Ubuntu, and "I am who I am because of who we all are" 4:15 From London consulting to humanitarian work in Gaza and Palestine: power, dignity, and who gets left behind 7:00 Inside Empire of AI: the extraction problem and AI's concentration of power 10:30 The Pope's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and human dignity in the age of automation 14:30 The Rome Call and the Builders AI Forum: "What business does the Pope have in AI?" 18:00 What this means if you're not Catholic: agency, power, and why women get left out of the room 22:00 AI agents vs human agency: why the language we use matters more than we think 25:30 The Vatican's AI commission: seven departments, rotating terms, and a cross functional governance model 27:00 Why most organisations treat AI as a tech project when it's a strategic one 30:00 Burnout, fear, and feeling unsafe at work: what leaders get dangerously wrong about productivity and people 38:00 Final thoughts: making sure AI serves people, not the other way around ____________ If this episode resonated with you, reach out to Julianne, Lou, and Georgie on LinkedIn. Let us know your biggest takeaway. And if you know an incredible woman working in AI, ethics, governance, or social justice who should be on this podcast, send us her name. We want to amplify women's voices. We want representation. We want you in the room. The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you. Georgie and Lou 💜

The Pink-Collar AI Crisis: IBM's CTO Warns Women "Use AI Now or Get Leapfrogged"

Pink-collar jobs, admin, customer service, reception, teaching, and nursing are overwhelmingly held by women. They're also the roles most exposed to AI disruption right now. And the data shows women are using AI less than men. That's the leapfrog risk. And IBM's Chief Technology Officer for Australia and New Zealand wants every woman listening to understand it before the gap gets bigger. In this episode of AI Ready Women, Georgie Hubbard and Lou Compagnoni sit down with Angelica Veness, the CTO who openly says she can't code, and built her career through human-centred design instead. Angelica breaks down what's actually happening in the AI economy, where women are getting locked out, and the exact steps to move from AI-cautious to AI-curious to AI-queen… starting this week. ____________ 📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com [https://www.theboldmovebook.com] ____________ Connect with Georgie: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/] 🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard [http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard] ♦️Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com [https://www.georgiehubbard.com] ____________ Connect with Lou Compagnone: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/] ____________ Connect with Angelica Vaness: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelica-veness-9866519/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelica-veness-9866519/] 🟣 Free AI Learning: https://skillsbuild.org [https://skillsbuild.org] ____________ CHAPTERS [00:00] Open [01:50] From gym sales to IBM CTO: Angelica's non-linear path [06:00] Why design thinking is the AI superpower [09:30] The obligation to use AI, not just design it — and why LLMs are learning male questions [12:30] SIGNAL 1: Dr Tara Behan's warning — concentrating pain into the human part of the system [18:30] The moments-that-matter triangulation: executives, employees, customers [20:00] Lou's Uber nightmare: what bad AI design feels like as a customer [22:30] Expertise atrophy — what happens when humans stop using the muscle [25:30] SIGNAL 2: How IKEA reinvented its contact centre as interior designers [30:30] Pink-collar exposure: what women in task-based roles need to do right now [36:00] The hiring problem: rigid briefs are locking women out of the AI economy [42:30] SIGNAL 3: IBM × Food Ladder — AI for good in Australian schools ____________ If this episode helped you, the kindest thing you can do is share it with one woman who needs to hear it — and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's how more women find the show. Georgie and Lou 💜

What Microsoft's CEO and 7-Eleven's CEO Just Told Us About AI

AI is changing every career, and the CEO of Microsoft just told us something that should change how you think about yours. Plus what the CEO of 7-Eleven, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, and the Head of AI at EY are really saying about the future of work, AI for women, and staying relevant in the age of AI In this episode, Georgie and Lou debrief two major events: Lou's experience at the Microsoft AI Tour, where Satya Nadella delivered a keynote on the future of agentic AI, and Georgie's 10th Sisterhood Social featuring Fiona Hayes (CEO of 7-Eleven Australia), Julie Watkins (Chief People Officer at UniSuper), and Erin Ashton (Head of AI Enablement at EY). What they discovered was fascinating. And a little bit unsettling. Because while some women are confidently experimenting with AI and feeling ahead of the curve, others are quietly falling behind, confused about what tools to learn, overwhelmed by the pace of change, and wondering if they're about to become irrelevant. This episode is about understanding that gap. It's about knowing what's actually happening inside organisations right now. It's about where to focus your energy. And it's about making sure you don't burn out while trying to keep up. ____________ Timestamps 00:00 The CEOs you need to hear from right now 00:45 Inside Georgie's Sisterhood Social: Fiona Hayes, Julie Watkins & EY 03:37 The two types of women in every AI conversation 04:47 Adopting AI vs adapting because of it (Lou's framework) 07:13 Why most organisations are still scratching the surface 11:10 The cognitive load crisis: why AI is leaving women exhausted 15:59 What Georgie's wearable revealed about AI and sleep 18:21 Satya Nadella: AI is the new fax-to-email shift 19:57 The New Zealand Telehealth story: AI holding people while they wait 23:45 Why human skills now matter more than technical skills 25:59 The question that made the whole room go silent 31:15 Microsoft, neural implants, and resisting becoming machines 32:51 Why your zigzag career is your greatest asset 35:05 Why sticking with one AI tool is the smartest move ____________ 📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com [https://www.theboldmovebook.com] ____________ Connect with Me: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/] 🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard [http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard] ♦️Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com [https://www.georgiehubbard.com] ____________ Connect with Lou Compagnone: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/] ____________ Your Next Step: If this episode resonated with you, reach out to Lou and me on LinkedIn. Let us know your biggest takeaway. Share what you're learning. Tell us how you're positioning yourself for the future. And if you know an incredible woman working in AI, tech, or digital who should be on this podcast, send us her name. We want to amplify women's voices. We want representation. We want you in the room. The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you. Georgie and Lou 💜

Ex-Shopify Leader's Warning - AI Brain Fry: Why Women Are Burning Out Faster

The people struggling at Shopify weren't behind on the tools. They had lost the ability to think clearly. We're doing more than ever before. But there's a cost. And women are paying it first. Rachel Garrett spent seven years inside Shopify's AI transformation, leading 800 people across 12 countries through one of the most aggressive AI adoptions any company has ever run. What she found changed how she thinks about work entirely. In this episode, Rachel joins Georgie and Lou to talk about AI Brain Fry, the cognitive burnout that's quietly hitting the highest AI users hardest. Why the judgment layer is now the most valuable skill you have. And why the future belongs not to those with the best tools, but to those with the most humanity. This is the conversation your organisation isn't having. Yet. ____________ Connect with Georgie: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/] 🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard [http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard] ♦️Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com [https://www.georgiehubbard.com] 📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com [https://www.theboldmovebook.com] ____________ Connect with Lou Compagnone: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/] ____________ Connect with Rachel Garrett: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-garrett-38717522/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-garrett-38717522/] ♦️Website: https://herefortherightreasons.com/ [https://herefortherightreasons.com/] ⭕️ AI Level -Up Course - https://skillsbuild.org/ai-level-up [https://skillsbuild.org/ai-level-up] ____________ In Today's Episode: 🟣 Why Anthropic is now hiring people with humanities backgrounds over technical skills, and what that signals about the future of AI careers. 🟣 AI Brain Fry: the new term from BCG describing the mental fatigue, fog, and slower decision-making caused by cognitive overload from excessive AI use. 🟣 Why marketing, HR, IT, and finance professionals are experiencing the highest rates of AI Brain Fry, and what that means for women in those roles. 🟣 The paradox of AI: how it promises to ease our workload but is actually creating burnout at unprecedented rates. 🟣 Why the action layer has been replaced by AI, but the judgment layer must remain sharp, and how that's creating entirely new cognitive demands on senior leaders. 🟣 Why 95% of people think they're self-aware, but only 10–15% actually are, and why that gap is costing organisations billions. 🟣 The business case for humanity: 22% higher revenue and 34% higher profitability from leaders who are self-aware. 🟣 The concept of consciousness hygiene, why social media and AI are hijacking our inner world and what to do about it. 🟣 Rachel's story of how shortening her workdays actually led to promotion after promotion at Shopify, not career stagnation. 🟣 Why 70% of AI transformations fail because of people and process, not technology. ____________ Georgie and Lou 💜

AI Futurist: Why Smart Women Are Invisible to AI (And Don't Even Know It) - Melissa Clark-Reynolds

If you're not positioned correctly on LinkedIn, no good about section, no optimised title, you will not come up. And that means you do not exist in the job market. The way we're discovered has changed overnight. And most women haven't been told. In this episode, Georgie Hubbard and Lou Compagnone sit down with tech pioneer and futurist Melissa Clark-Reynolds, who's been working in AI since the 1980s, to discuss the invisible crisis unfolding right now for women in the workforce. AI is already deciding who gets seen, who gets hired, and who gets left behind. This conversation is about making sure it's not you. ____________ ✨Grab Georgie's Book 📚 The Bold Move: https://www.theboldmovebook.com [https://www.theboldmovebook.com] ____________ Connect with Me: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/] 🟪 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard [http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard] ♦️Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com [https://www.georgiehubbard.com] ____________ Connect with Lou Compagnone: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/] ____________ Connect with Melissa Clark-Reynolds: 🔵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaclarkr/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaclarkr/] ____________ In this episode, we cover: 🟣 Why Google is dying and what AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) means for your visibility right now 🟣 The exact sites AI searches first, and why most women aren't on them 🟣 The 3 things every woman should do THIS WEEK to show up in AI search results 🟣 Why LinkedIn is no longer optional, and what recruiters are actually looking for 🟣 The bias baked into AI image generation, recruitment tools, and language models 🟣 What it actually costs women to "armour up" in male-dominated environments, and when to walk away 🟣 The courses and certifications that will keep you relevant as AI reshapes every industry ____________ Your Next Step: If this episode resonated with you, reach out to Melissa, Lou, and Georgie on LinkedIn. Let us know your biggest takeaway. Share what you're learning. Tell us how you're positioning yourself for the future. And if you know an incredible woman working in AI, tech, or digital who should be on this podcast, send us her name. We want to amplify women's voices. We want representation. We want you in the room. The future belongs to the women who are ready for it. Let's make sure that's you. Georgie & Lou 💜