Shape of Tomorrow

Hosted by Michael Ianni-Palarchio

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Episodes

208

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

A personal podcast that focuses on innovation, education and the impact on the future of all of things. Technology is one of the driving forces that are creating a time of exponential change and opportunities, and these podcasts are my reflecting and sharing to raise awareness and spark conversation amongst a broad base of listeners. Thanks for joining in on these important and exciting conversations. All thoughts in this podcast are my own and are not directly affiliated with where I work.

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60 recent

October 23, 2026Episode 20831 min

Episode 208 - A Week Worth Reflecting On

This week on Shape of Tomorrow , we close Season 4 with a few reflections on innovation, intelligence, and the technologies shaping what comes next. I begin with some thoughts from the CAIS Heads and Chairs Conference in Toronto, where I had the privilege of speaking about Strategic Surface Area, and reflect on Professor Ajay Agrawal's fascinating keynote on the economics of artificial intelligence. Then we explore NVIDIA's emerging vision for AI-powered laptops and what it could mean for the future of personal computing. We also look at new quantum computing research from Google and why some of the most important technological advances happen quietly, long before they become part of everyday life. Three different stories, connected by a common theme: meaningful innovation often begins by challenging assumptions and removing the barriers to what's possible. Join me for Episode 208 as we bring four years and four seasons of conversations to a close, and prepare for the next chapter of Shape of Tomorrow .

October 16, 2026Episode 20729 min

Episode 207 - The Future Rarely Announces Itself

Some of the most consequential changes shaping our future are happening in places we rarely think to look. This week on Shape of Tomorrow , I explore two fascinating developments that challenge conventional assumptions about innovation, technology, and what's possible. Both remind us that the next great breakthrough might not come from inventing something new, but from reimagining something we've known for generations. I'm also looking ahead to speaking at the Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) Heads and Chairs Conference, where I'll be exploring leadership, institutional change, and the challenge of preparing organizations for futures we cannot yet fully imagine. As we approach the conclusion of Season 4, this episode is a reminder that the future rarely announces itself. The question is whether we're paying enough attention to recognize it when it begins to emerge.

October 9, 2026Episode 20632 min

Episode 206 - What If the Future Is Arriving Faster Than We Can Understand It?

Technology has always changed the world. But what happens when the pace of change begins to exceed our ability to understand what it actually means? In this week's episode of Shape of Tomorrow, I step away from the usual technology headlines to explore a question that's been on my mind lately. Are we entering a period where our ability to innovate is moving faster than our ability to adapt? From artificial intelligence and the future of work to education, organizational strategy and leadership, I reflect on what happens when the assumptions we've spent decades building our lives and institutions around begin to change. It's a more personal and reflective conversation this week, one that I hope challenges how you think about the future and perhaps even how you're preparing for it. Because the question may no longer be whether we can keep up with technological change, but whether we truly understand the world it's creating. Thanks for listening!

October 2, 2026Episode 20519 min

Episode 205 - The Future of Computing Is Becoming Invisible

The future of computing may be changing in ways that are easy to miss if we focus only on the latest product announcements. In this episode, I look at OpenAI’s new agentic direction and what it could mean for the future of apps, then turn to AMD’s acquisition of World Labs and why world models may become such an important part of AI’s next chapter. I also share a special personal announcement that I’ve been looking forward to making for quite some time. This is really an episode about signals, about noticing when something that looks incremental may actually be pointing to a much deeper shift. Listen in, and let me know what you think we may be underestimating.

September 25, 2026Episode 20435 min

Episode 204 - What Remains When the Old Value Proposition Breaks?

What would your school look like if the diploma were no longer the product? This week, I explore a question that I think leaders in independent education need to start asking. As AI tutors, micro-schools and new learning models emerge, the traditional bundle we call “school” is beginning to come apart. And that raises a much bigger question about what families will actually value in the future. Then I shift gears to Meta’s new AI agent, Muse, and why I think it represents another important marker in the evolution from AI that generates, to AI that reasons, to AI that acts. Two very different topics connected by one idea: what happens when something we assumed was fundamental turns out to simply be the way we used to do things? Welcome to Episode 204 of Shape of Tomorrow .

September 18, 2026Episode 20325 min

Episode 203 - From Organizational Change to Recursive Improvement

In this episode, I explore two questions I’ve been thinking about a lot this week. First, what should AI actually change inside an organization? I share a simple three-part framework I’ve been using in conversations with leaders to move the discussion beyond tools and use cases, and toward operating model, capability and transformation. Then I turn to something happening at the frontier of AI development: the growing role AI is playing in helping researchers build the next generation of AI itself. That second idea may prove especially important, because the real story may not just be how capable AI becomes, but how quickly it starts accelerating its own progress. Two different conversations, one common theme: the future may arrive through changes in capability and speed long before we fully recognize what has shifted.

September 11, 2026Episode 20221 min

Episode 202 - The Foldable Moment and the September Strategy Test

This week on Shape of Tomorrow , I’m looking at two very different questions. First, Apple has finally entered the foldable phone market. But I’m less interested in the fact that Apple made a folding iPhone than I am in the particular form factor it chose, and what that decision could mean for the entire category. There may be a bigger shift underway here than simply another new device. Then, with the school year now underway, I turn to school leaders. September arrives with energy, ambition and usually far too many priorities. The real strategic challenge is deciding what deserves the attention of the senior leadership team, and then creating enough discipline to make sure those priorities actually move before the operational machinery takes over. Two short conversations this week. One about where personal technology may be heading. The other about making strategy real inside a school. I hope you’ll join me for Episode 202 of Shape of Tomorrow .

September 4, 2026Episode 20130 min

Episode 201 - What If People Are Not Resisting Change?

In this episode, I explore why what we call “resistance to change” may actually be confusion, anxiety, frustration or a lack of direction. I also look at the rise of AI devices in our homes and workplaces, and the important questions that emerge when AI becomes part of the spaces around us.

August 28, 2026Episode 20028 min

Episode 200 - The Power of a Podcast

200 episodes. What began in October 2022 as a small podcast about innovation and education has evolved into something much broader: an ongoing exploration of technology, AI, organizations, change and, increasingly, what all of it means for us. For Episode 200, I’m taking a moment to look back at the journey, reflect on a few convictions that have emerged along the way, and think about the questions that might carry us toward Episode 300. Most importantly, thank you. Whether you’ve listened to one episode or all 200, I’m grateful you’re here. Stay curious, and here’s to the next 200.

August 21, 2026Episode 19942 min

Episode 199 - AI Is Becoming an Organizational Design Question

Artificial intelligence is entering a more consequential phase. The most important developments are no longer confined to models, benchmarks or chatbots. They are beginning to reshape how physical work gets done, how young people enter professions, and how organizations establish trust when the boundary between human and machine-generated work becomes increasingly difficult to see. In today’s episode of Shape of Tomorrow, I examine three signals: humanoid robots moving into commercial environments, evidence that AI may be disproportionately affecting entry-level employment, and the emerging battle over watermarking AI-generated text. Each raises a different concern, but together they suggest that the AI conversation may be shifting in a much bigger way. What connects robots in factories, shrinking opportunities for young workers and the difficulty of identifying AI-generated content? That is the question I explore in this week’s episode, and I believe the answer should matter to every leader thinking seriously about what comes next.