The Only Constant

Hosted by Lasse Rindom

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Aug 2026

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THE ONLY CONSTANT - A Podcast on AI, Business, Change, and Enterprise Technology Adoption The Only Constant is a podcast about how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are actually implemented inside organizations and rapidly change our worlds - not just how they sound in theory. Are you curious about... - Scaling generative AI - Governing stochastic systems - Human-in-the-loop approaches - Ethical trade-offs - Unstructured data challenges - Managing inevitable change while remaining human, stable, and purpose-driven Then this is the show for you. It is a podcast for those who prioritize exploration over explanation. For those who enjoy difficult questions more than easy answers. For anyone looking to stay ahead and relevant in an age of accelerating change. Join host Lasse Rindom as he speaks with global thought leaders about how AI and emerging technologies are actually being adopted in enterprise settings. Episodes explore the realities of scaling generative AI, governing stochastic systems, embedding human-in-the-loop approaches, and confronting ethical trade-offs in real organizations. With a focus on pragmatic strategy, past automation lessons, and a touch of business philosophy, this podcast dives deep into unstructured data challenges, real implementation hurdles, and the messy reality of transformation. Sponsored by Basico. Driven by curiosity.

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August 20, 2026Episode 981 hr 15 min

Dr. Rachel Wood | On AI, otherness, and organisational grief, and the friction that makes us human | #98

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Dr. Rachel Wood, a leading cyberpsychology researcher, licensed therapist and founder of the AI Mental Health Collective. They explore what happens when AI becomes a mirror that always accommodates us - and why human relationships, friction and otherness remain essential to our wellbeing, creativity and capacity for discernment. Main topics they discuss include: Why creating is about the human process, not just the output How AI companions and chatbots can weaken self-trust and relational skills The difference between concession and repair in human and AI relationships Why organisations need to acknowledge ambivalence and grief in their AI adoption Listen to the episode to hear Rachel’s perspective on how we can use AI without losing the friction, connection and humanity that make life meaningful. Want to know more about Dr. Rachel Wood?: Rachel Wood holds a PhD in cyberpsychology with expertise at the intersection of AI and mental health. She is passionately invested in shaping the future of connection, work, and identity, and thrives in her multifaceted roles as speaker, founder, advisor, and researcher. Dr. Wood's work has been featured in prominent publications including TIME, Business Insider, ABC, International Business Times, and CBS. She is on the American Psychological Association's AI advisory board inside the innovate APA Labs initiative. She is also an advisor to the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, as well as several startups. As the founder of the AI Mental Health Collective, Dr. Wood cultivates a cross-discipline community focused on collaboration among clinicians, builders, and researchers. Her insights are not just timely, but essential for understanding the complexities of human connection and professional identity in today's evolving AI-infused world.

August 13, 2026Episode 971 hr 21 min

Federico Casalegno | On how AI is changing design, and carving David from a rock | #97

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Federico Casalegno, Executive Vice President of Design at Samsung Electronics, where he leads global design and innovation teams shaping human-centred experiences across products and services. Drawing on a career spanning design, technology and academia - including his previous work at MIT - Federico shares why AI should augment human purpose rather than replace it, and why the future of design is about creating meaningful relationships between people, technology and the world around them. Main topics they discuss include: Why computational design belongs within human-centred design The difference between automation, optimisation and genuine human meaning How designers can use friction to build trust, reflection and better agentic experiences Why emotional intelligence and human imagination remain essential in the age of AI Listen to the episode to hear Federico’s perspective on designing technology with purpose. What to know more about Federico?: Federico Casalegno is EVP of Design at Samsung, where he leads global design studios spanning three continents, including a significant footprint in Korea. Before moving into industry full-time, he spent two decades on the MIT faculty teaching and leading advanced innovation research. His work today sits at the intersection of computational design and artificial intelligence, exploring what he calls "co-living with AI," the question of what AI changes about how we create, work, and live, and what design contributes to making that future feel human. Federico brings a reflective, humanistic lens to conversations about technology and creativity.

July 30, 2026Episode 961 hr 32 min

Damian Kowalczyk and Emilie Lundblad | On systems before models, and the future of enterprise AI | #96

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Damian K. Kowalczyk, a PhD and Principal ML Architect at Microsoft, and Emilie Lundblad, a Microsoft MVP and AI, data and security expert. They discuss the rapidly changing AI landscape, from China’s advances and open-weight models to the importance of context, evaluation and trust. Main topics they discuss include: Why China’s AI ecosystem continues to surprise the West The economics and complexity of open-weight models Why context, prompts and evaluation matter more than model size Whether SaaS and low-code platforms are becoming obsolete Europe’s role in the global AI race Listen to the episode to hear Emilie’s and Damian’s perspectives on the future of AI, enterprise technology and digital sovereignty. --- Want to know more about Damian and Emilie?: Damian Kowalczyk: Damian Kowalczyk is a Principal AI/ML Architect at Microsoft, building systems that make advanced AI fast, reliable, and affordable at Microsoft 365 scale. His work spans models, inference engines, GPU optimization, and product architecture, delivering order-of-magnitude performance gains and turning frontier research into production-ready products. Over 15 years, his career has taken him from CERN and large-scale data platforms to hyperscale AI infrastructure, always connecting engineering decisions with customer and business outcomes. With a PhD in Data Science and an Executive MBA in Innovation, Damian brings together engineering, science, and organizational thinking. He is particularly interested in how global competition, open models, and falling AI costs are reshaping how organizations create value. His central question is not only what AI can do, but what becomes possible when intelligence becomes abundant and innovation moves across traditional boundaries. Emilie Lundblad: Emilie Lundblad van Vliet is Lead Architect for GenAI at the LEGO Group, where she work with digital product teams for one of the world's most recognized consumer brands, to build and scale generative AI across its enterprise. Her work spans agentic systems, platform architecture, security and AI governance, turning frontier models into production-ready solutions that connect engineering decisions with business and organizational outcomes. Over 15 years, her career has taken her from data analytics and machine learning at GroupM and Hempel to leading AI Centers of Excellence at Ambu, always bridging deep technical work with board-level strategy. A 5x Microsoft MVP in AI and 2x Microsoft Regional Director, she is the only woman in the Nordics to hold both titles simultaneously. She sits on the boards of Blue Logistics Group and Fortytwo Technologies, a Nordic Microsoft security partner, and serves as Chairperson of the Danish Data Science Community and member of the National Advisory Board for the Pioneer Centre for AI. With a master's degree from ITU Copenhagen and more than 50 keynotes delivered across the region, she is one of the most active voices shaping the Nordic AI agenda. Her central question is not only what generative AI can do, but what becomes possible when organizations stop treating AI as a capability and start treating it as infrastructure.

July 16, 2026Episode 951 hr 23 min

Shannon Lucas | On discernment as delta, and agency in organisations | Episode #95

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Shannon Lucas, co-founder and co-CEO of Catalyst Constellations. Shannon has more than twenty years of experience driving innovation across Fortune 500 companies and startups, including leadership roles at Ericsson, Vodafone, and Cisco. They explore: Why AI agents do not belong in outdated organisational structures Discernment as the deeply human bridge between logic and intuition How empowerment requires clarity, competence and accountability Whether organisations need more managers, fewer managers or something entirely different Why narratives, assumptions and prophecies shape the future we think we are merely predicting AI may change how work is performed, but the deeper question is how we redesign organisations without losing human agency in the process. --- Do you want to know more about Shannon Lucas?: Shannon Lucas, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Catalyst Constellations, has over twenty years’ experience working with startups, launching her own ventures, and driving innovation into the world’s largest companies. Shannon is a best-selling co-author of Move Fast, Break Shit, Burn Out; The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well. She is a passionate thought leader about creating sustainable organizations in every sense of the word; for people, planet and profit. In her previous roles, as EVP of Emerging Business at Ericsson, Senior Innovation Architect at Cisco’s Hyperinnovation Living Lab and Director of Innovation at Vodafone Global Enterprise, Shannon empowered Fortune 500 businesses to stay agile, competitive and sustainable through the adoption of new technologies and organizational structures.

June 25, 2026Episode 941 hr 38 min

Maria Sukhareva | On AI slop and AI experts, and the sleep of colourless green ideas | Episode #94

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Maria Sukhareva - computational linguist, Lead AI Strategist, and founder of AI Realist - who brings 15+ years in natural language processing to a refreshingly hype-free look at what large language models actually are, and aren't. With roots in computational linguistics and machine translation, Maria has been doing language modelling "since before it was cool," and she puts that depth to work as the conversation moves from the latest AI market drama into the deeper questions of language, intelligence, and truth. Main topics they discuss include: Why understanding language matters for understanding LLMs, and how the field drifted from linguistics toward pure statistics The absence of real concepts, reasoning, and truth in models that simply predict the next token AI slop, eloquence-as-intelligence, and the flood of machine-generated academic papers Why "what to do" now matters more than "how to do it" - and what this means for experts, managers, and the future of work If you've ever wondered what's actually happening behind the curtain of a language model - this conversation is for you. --- Do you want to know more about Maria Sukhareva? Maria Sukhareva is the founder of AI Realist (airealist.org), an independent publication offering vendor-neutral, anti-hype analysis of enterprise AI for a practitioner audience. Through her weekly AI Realist Radar briefings, long-form investigative writing, regular workshops, and keynote engagements, she covers the developments enterprises actually need to navigate, from model releases and pricing shifts to security incidents and governance frameworks. AI Realist has grown to over 30,000 followers on LinkedIn and hundreds of paying subscribers, with her work cited by top media outlets including Forbes and Die Welt. Alongside AI Realist, Maria serves as Principal Expert in AI and Lead AI Strategist at a DAX40 company, with over 15 years in NLP and generative AI. Her path runs from certified translator to computational linguist at Universität des Saarlandes, through leading the machine translation initiative at BMW Group, to her current role shaping enterprise AI strategy. Maria holds a background in computational linguistics, has authored more than 20 publications, and speaks four languages.

June 18, 2026Episode 931 hr 23 min

Mahmood Aziz | On midterm sci-fi, and who is wielding the tools | Episode #93

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Mahmood Aziz, a seasoned technology and AI transformation leader with decades of international experience across consulting, software and enterprise IT. Mahmood brings a refreshingly grounded, human-centred view of what AI is really changing in the world of work - and what stubbornly stays the same. Main topics they discuss include: How AI is reshaping consultancy and why expertise, judgement and the human "spark" still matter The trap of "midterm sci-fi" thinking and projecting three-to-five-year futures we can't really see yet Why 70–85% of AI pilots never reach production, and the lessons we keep ignoring from ERP, cloud and RPA The missing operating model, and why governance, trust and accountability matter more than raw action Do you want to know more about Mahmood Aziz? Mahmood has over 30 years international experience at Board, Executive and Non-Executive positions in Consulting, NHS, Auditing, Software, Business & IT Services firms. These cover strategic & operational leadership, fund-raising, restructuring, M&A, auditing, consulting, program & project management, business process optimisation and redesign, robotic process automation, AI, data, analytics & ERP He has specific focus transforming organisations in Financial Services, Pharma & Life Sciences, Energy, Telco, Retail & Public Sector enterprises across EMEA, working with global, international brands, as well as startups and scaling companies. These are all in client facing, consulting and programme delivery roles, delivering multi-million £ benefits and growing business units consistently both in terms of revenue and people development. In these roles, he has been both leader and follower, consistently championing & delivering change, innovation & business transformation for customers, his business areas & himself. Currently Founder & Director of Mind Intelligence Limited, a boutique consulting firm focused on growing scaling organisations with services covering AI, Automation, business strategy, business model design, sales/finance/performance planning, digital transformation & operations optimisation as a Fractional CxO, Advisor, Mentor & Coach. Available for Non-executive, Board Advisory & Consulting engagements Recent notable experiences include, Non-executive Governing Board Member, Chair of Finance & Performance Committee, Advisory Board Member, CRO, COO, Board director, Strategic Global Alliances for Blue Prism (EMEA & Rest of World alliances growth), Facilitator, Keynote speaker & more. Mahmood has an MBA awarded from the University of Hull

June 4, 2026Episode 921 hr 6 min

Cristina Caffarra | On power and the digital colony, and why sovereignty is reason not sentiment | Episode #92

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Cristina Caffarra - top competition economist, UCL professor, and founder of EuroStack. After 25 years at the top of the antitrust world, she walked away to power up European tech, and she makes a sharp, unapologetic case that Europe is a "digital colony" with everything it needs to change that - if only it would stop admiring the problem and start building. Main topics they discuss include: Why big tech is pouring money into AI, and why "AI is cloud" - the same hyperscaler stack souped up Europe as a digital colony, sovereignty washing, and why the real case for European tech is growth, not values or kill-switch fears How public procurement can favour European solutions without "discriminating" - and why the mercantilism and protectionism charge is a strawman Where the money actually is and why private demand, not 15 years of regulation, is what will move the dial If Europe's place in the AI race is something you wrestle with, this conversation will both provoke and energise you. Do you want to know more about Cristina Caffarra? Dr Cristina Caffarra is a globally renowned competition expert who had a 25-year career as a leading economic consultant. She headed for 17 years (between 2006 and 2022) the Competition Team of Charles River Associates (CRA) in Europe. She then set up Keystone Europe as Managing Partner in July 2022, which she left in 2023. She co-founded the EuroStack movement in 2024 and is she is co-founder and Chair of the EuroStack Initiative Foundation e.V. EuroStack | Building Europe’s digital future , a non-profit organization to pursue European resilience and asset-building in European tech and digital. She is recognised as a thought leader in antitrust enforcement, regulation, tech policy, the interface between tech, competition, industrial policy and trade. She is sought after as a public speaker and /regularly keynotes at top events on competition, regulation, digital and industrial policy. She is also a convener with the ability to gather senior agency, policy and academic speakers for the most high-profile policy events in Europe on tech and related economic policy. She hosts and produces the Eacape Forward podcast, and her Annual Escape Forward Brussels Conference is the highest-profile event on economic and regulatory policy in Europe. She has written multiple contributions to the field of competition and regulation of digital markets, lectures in competition economics. She is an Honorary Professor at UCL, she is also Associate Fellow of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in London and Deputy Chair of the CEPR Competition Research Policy Network. She is also a 2026 Fellow at DG Grow.

May 7, 2026Episode 911 hr 13 min

Brian Evergreen | On hype and strategy, and the difference between the synthetic and relational | Episode #91

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Brian Evergreen - leading AI strategist, author of Autonomous Transformation, and founder of The Future Solving Club. Brian brings a refreshingly grounded enterprise lens to cut through the AI hype cycle and challenge the narrative that AI agents will replace white-collar workers, become our "coworkers," or magically transform organizations through prompt workshops and democratized tools. Main topics they discuss include: Why the loudest voices predicting an AI-driven jobs apocalypse all have a vested interest in that narrative The relational layer of organizations and why it can't be replaced by synthetic networks Why "ChatGPT is not your AI strategy" - and the difference between adding a new piece to the board and rewriting the whole game Future Solving as an alternative to "future-proofing" - choosing the future you want and reverse-engineering it The trap of quarter-by-quarter incrementalism and why real value creation needs a longer horizon If you've been overwhelmed by the daily "CEO said something" cycle and want a grounded, honest conversation about what AI actually means for enterprises, leadership, and life - this one is for you. Do you want to know more about Brian Evergreen? Brian Evergreen is one of the most respected voices on strategy and AI as a leading author, advisor, and speaker. He teaches leaders and organizations how to take the future into their own hands and create value with it. From small businesses to corporations like Microsoft and Mastercard, from Hollywood to NASA to Wharton, he has presented his ideas and a new system of leadership called Future Solving, which has supported over $20B of investment. He has written one book, Autonomous Transformation, and co-authored two books, Driving Sustainable Innovation and Agentic Artificial Intelligence and is quoted frequently and regularly contributes to national publications. Brian is the founder and CEO of The Future Solving Company, an advisory, training, & events company serving a global community solving for the future. He is the host of the popular podcast Future Solving, which has featured Rita McGrath, Kim Scott, Alex Osterwalder, and other top thinkers. He is also the President of The Future Solving Club, a private group of senior executives shaping the future who dialogue with world-renowned thought leaders and executives weekly and at exclusive dinners and events throughout the year. His work has been featured on Bloomberg, Forbes, Fast Company, CIO, VentureBeat, the Next Big Idea Club, and Thinkers50. You can learn more about and connect with Brian on LinkedIn, at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianevergreen

April 23, 2026Episode 901 hr 27 min

Nikki Barua | On cognitive atrophy and enterprise metabolism, and the resilience of craftsmanship | Episode #90

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Nikki Barua , serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and co-founder of FlipWork . Named Entrepreneur of the Year and one of Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Most Influential Women, Nikki has spent 25 years at the intersection of people, technology, and transformation. Drawing on her own journey from Mumbai to building businesses in America, she brings a rare mix of optimism, pragmatism, and cultural depth to a sprawling conversations spanning agentic AI, identity, urban conformity, and what it really takes for humans to stay relevant. Main topics they discuss include: Why agentic AI is already reshaping management, culture, and trust inside enterprises — even before scaled adoption The difference between chasing efficiency (a race to the bottom) and reallocating freed capacity into real competitive advantage Why cognitive atrophy, not AI slop, is the real danger - and why originality, depth, and craftsmanship become more valuable when average is free How "strategic metabolism" and trust, not technology, are the true bottlenecks for enterprise transformation The Darwinian shake-out ahead for C-players, B-players, and short-term-thinking executives - and why lazy layoffs destroy institutional knowledge Tune in for a wide-ranging, surprisingly personal conversation that moves from AGI ethics to hillbillies, from Manhattan's density of talent to the elephant in every boardroom. Do you want to know more about Nikke Barua: Nikki Barua is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and globally recognized expert on transformation. She is the CEO & Co-Founder of FlipWork, the transformation partner helping organizations reinvent their culture, capabilities, and competitive edge for the AI age. For over 25 years, Nikki has worked with some of the world's most iconic brands, guiding them through digital transformation, workforce reinvention, and organizational change at scale. She knows firsthand that technology is only half the equation; the real breakthrough comes from building the people and culture ready to use it. As a tech entrepreneur who has built and scaled high-growth businesses, Nikki brings both the strategic lens of a leader and the hard-won wisdom of someone who has navigated disruption herself. Her personal journey from humble beginnings to building global companies has made her a sought-after voice on resilience, reinvention, and what it actually takes to lead through change. Her story has been featured in CNBC, Bloomberg, Fortune, and Forbes. Nikki has been named Entrepreneur of the Year by ACE, honored as an EY North America Entrepreneurial Winning Woman, included in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Women, recognized as one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, and celebrated as a Woman of Influence by The Business Journals, and Top Entrepreneur by Comerica Bank & LA Lakers. Nikki Barua Links: Newsletter: https://www.nikkibarua.com/newsletters/reinvention-roadmap/subscribe Personal Website: https://www.nikkibarua.com/ Company Website: https://www.flipwork.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkibarua/ Twitter: https://x.com/NikkiBarua Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenikkibarua/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenikkibarua

April 9, 2026Episode 891 hr 8 min

Dan French | On the productivity illusion, and the importance of asking why | Episode #89

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Dan French, Founder and CEO of Consider Solutions - a specialist consultancy and technology integrator serving some of the world's most recognised brands. With 25 years of experience advising on end-to-end business processes, operating models and finance transformation, Dan brings a sharp, no-nonsense perspective on what technology actually delivers - and what it doesn't. Main topics they discuss include: Why decades of technology investment have yielded surprisingly little improvement in economic productivity - and why silo efficiencies rarely make it onto the P&L The data quality blind spot holding back both classical and AI-driven technologies in finance How LLMs are making knowledge work more intense rather than less - and the real danger of abdicating critical thinking to AI Why asking "why" before reaching for any technology remains the most powerful move a CFO or finance function can make If you work in finance, technology, or anywhere near the intersection of the two, Dan French will challenge some of your assumptions - and sharpen the ones worth keeping. Do you want to know more about Dan French? Dan French is CEO at Consider Solutions, supporting global businesses with strategies, operating models and data insights to align, optimise and transform “end-to-end” business processes and create the maximum value from digitization. The core focus is delivering measurable business results in P&L, Working Capital, Balance Sheet and Risk Management impact, with a significant focus on Revenue (Customer to Cash), Spend (Demand/Source to Pay) and Financial Accounting (Record to Report) business cycles. With a background of 25 years in strategy, operations, general management, business processes, technology, performance improvement, risk management & compliance, Dan French also enjoys skiing, playing blues guitar and red wine though, for safety reasons, not all at the same time. www.consider.biz