Is AI Really Conscious? A Philosopher's Honest Answer | Prof. Sven Nyholm

Is AI Really Conscious? A Philosopher's Honest Answer | Prof. Sven Nyholm

Joining us today is Dr. Sven Nyholm, Professor of the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Munich and Principal Investigator for AI Ethics at the Munich Center for Machine Learning, who takes us on a fascinating journey deep into the heart of his compelling book, The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction. In this thought-provoking episode of Business Talk, Professor Sven Nyholm takes us far beyond the boundaries of conventional AI discourse, inviting us to wrestle with some of the most profound philosophical questions of our time. From challenging the age-old notion of what makes humans special, a question that stretches from Aristotle to the age of chatbots, to unpacking the dual nature of responsibility in AI systems, where blame and credit must both be examined, Professor Nyholm reveals that the ethical landscape of artificial intelligence is far richer and more complex than any binary of "permitted" or "banned" can capture. Drawing on philosopher Susan Wolfe's three foundational questions, Does AI make us happier? Does it make us morally better? Does it make our lives more or less meaningful?, he charts a compelling philosophical framework for evaluating AI's true impact on human life. Whether it's the thorny question of authorship in the age of generative AI, the ethics of romantic relationships with chatbots, the illusion of AI consciousness, or the sobering concept of the "AI wager", a gamble with humanity's future, this conversation is a masterclass in thinking carefully, critically, and courageously about the technology reshaping our world. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Sven Nyholm shared key insights from his book, “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

How a Company's Purpose Turns Every Employee into a Sustainability Champion

In this compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. C.B. Bhattacharya, H.J. Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business and recipient of the American Marketing Association's Lifetime Achievement Award (2026), draws on his landmark research across 1,600+ employees to reveal how a company's sense of purpose directly shapes employee sustainability behaviors. He introduces the concept of "sustainability ownership", a psychological state where employees feel a personal sense of responsibility over environmental initiatives, rooted in three core human needs: the need for control, the need for meaning, and the need for belonging. His research found a striking implementation gap: while many companies claim sustainability credentials, the message rarely cascades from the CEO to the factory floor, with as many as 47% of employees in one study reporting zero sustainability behavior at work. The solution, Dr. Bhattacharya argues, lies not in top-down mandates but in empowering employees with autonomy, the freedom to act on sustainability challenges without waiting for permission, backed by visible leadership and a culture where every person, at every level, becomes a sustainability champion. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. CB Bhattacharya shared key insights from his research, “Corporate Purpose and Employee Sustainability Behaviors”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

The Truth About AI in Education: What the Research Actually Says | Dr. Ismael Sanz

Dr. Ismael Sanz, Full Professor in the Department of Applied Economics I at Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, Visiting Senior Fellow in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE), and Research Associate at FUNCAS, shares his insights on Artificial Intelligence in Education: Computer-Assisted Learning and AI-Guided Tutors. Artificial intelligence holds remarkable promise for transforming education, but its impact depends entirely on how it is implemented. Research by Dr. Ismael Sanz and his collaborators reveals that AI-powered tools like the "Detective" platform in Spain can meaningfully accelerate student learning, particularly in mathematics, where adaptive algorithms deliver personalized feedback equivalent to five months of additional learning. However, a landmark randomized control trial in Turkey by Vastani et al. sounded a clear warning: students given unrestricted access to ChatGPT to complete their homework suffered a 17% decline in performance, roughly four months of learning loss, once that access was removed, a phenomenon researchers call "cognitive offloading". By contrast, students who used AI only for guidance and questioning continued to improve. The evidence is unambiguous, AI succeeds when it acts as a thinking partner, not a thinking replacement, and when it is backed by trained, willing teachers and integrated thoughtfully into the curriculum from the ground up. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Ismael Sanz shared key insights from his research, “Artificial intelligence in education: computer-assisted learning and AI-guided tutors”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

Does Migration Really Erase Inequality? Dr. Manashi Ray's Bold Answer

In this episode of Business Talk, Dr. Manashi Ray, Professor of Sociology at West Virginia State University, unpacks the bold ideas at the heart of her recent book, Becoming Boundless: Indian Transnational Entrepreneurs in the Global Economy, published by Stanford University Press. Drawing on a decade-long ethnographic study conducted between 2007 and 2018, Dr. Ray explores the journeys of 60 Indian transnational entrepreneurs operating across India, North America, and Europe, revealing how these individuals were not simply adapting to a global economy, but actively constructing new transnational spaces of exchange. Her research challenges the popular myth that migration is a great equalizer, showing instead how pre-existing inequalities rooted in caste, class, and gender travel across borders, often reproducing themselves in new and less visible forms. She also shines a spotlight on women transnational entrepreneurs, arguably the most underrepresented yet strategically resilient actors in the global economy, who constantly navigate gendered expectations while mobilizing identity, networks, and cultural capital to build businesses across cultures. Ultimately, Dr. Ray invites us to see globalization not as an abstract economic process, but as something deeply lived, contested, and experienced in the everyday lives of people who dare to become boundless. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Manashi Ray shared key insights from her fascinating book, “Becoming Boundless: Indian Transnational Entrepreneurs in the Global Economy”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

What Newton & Einstein Knew That ChatGPT Doesn't | Dr. Francis de Véricourt explains

In an age where algorithms and big data dominate decision-making, what truly sets humans apart is not the volume of data we can process, but the mental models, or frames, we use to make sense of the world. In this episode of Business Talk, Dr. Francis de Véricourt, Professor of Management Science at ESMT Berlin and co-author of Framers: Make Better Decisions in the Age of Big Data (Penguin Random House, named among the Financial Times' best books of the year), unpacks why human framing remains an irreplaceable cognitive superpower. While AI excels at identifying correlations, it cannot reason about cause and effect, imagine counterfactuals, or innovate beyond its training data, limitations that Newton and Einstein never had when predicting the moon's motion or the existence of black holes, long before a single data point confirmed their theories. Dr. de Véricourt argues that the art of good decision-making lies in choosing the right frame for the right context, much like knowing when to use a street map versus a subway map, and that constraints, far from limiting our thinking, are what make truly creative and actionable ideas possible. As leaders and organizations navigate complexity, the most urgent imperative is this: protect and strengthen your framing ability, rather than surrendering it to algorithms. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Francis de Véricourt shared key insights from his book, “Framers: Make Better Decisions in the Age of Big Data”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.