Bukola Osuntuyi

The Side of AI That's Often Overlooked

My conversation with Tim on Episode #2 of the Business Backstage Podcast challenged me in the best way. As someone who isn’t from a highly technical background, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this conversation.

I’ll be honest, I was a bit nervous. You know, when you’re bracing yourself for a tech deep-dive, you might not be able to swim through? That was me. But I also knew I was in great company.

I invited Tim D Clarke onto the Business Backstage podcast for one key reason: I had previously observed how passionate he is about educating people on the complexities of artificial intelligence without making them feel like outsiders. He has this brilliant way of simplifying things, and that’s exactly what he did.

We sat down to talk about the hidden risks of AI behind all of the current excitement and amusement, and what followed was a conversation that made me pause and reflect on something deeper, which is the humans behind the systems.

And to be honest, it’s changed how I use AI.

AI bias doesn’t come from nowhere; it comes from us.

One powerful section of our conversation was unpacking the issue of bias in AI. Not the theoretical kind, but the real, everyday kind that shows up when tools are built without questioning the data or the people behind them.

Tim explained that AI doesn’t generate bias on its own. It inherits it from us, from the data we feed it and from the patterns we’ve now normalised.

That landed differently.

Because it reminded me that, as professionals and not just the tech bros, but anyone using AI, we are responsible for how it appears in our work.

3 key lessons Tim highlighted that I’m still thinking about:

1. AI ethics starts with us, not the system. It is easy to point fingers at “bad AI,” but most times, the issue isn’t the tool but the lack of thought put into how it was designed and deployed. Tim shared how the culture of a team (how they think, who they include, and what they value) directly shapes the outcomes of the models they build.

2. You don’t need to be technical to lead responsibly. One of my favourite parts of this conversation was when Tim emphasised that business leaders don’t need to understand machine learning to make ethical decisions. What they need is awareness, curiosity, and the courage to ask the hard questions, like:

  • Who is this tool serving?
  • Who might it exclude or harm?
  • How are we holding ourselves accountable?

3. How we use AI tools matters more than ever. Since this episode, I’ve started catching myself when using AI tools. What I might have previously accepted at face value, I now pause to question, even if it’s just a prompt or a piece of data. It’s made me more intentional. More aware. And frankly, more responsible.

We also weighed in on some of the big myths and facts we hear about AI, especially around the future of work and creativity. I appreciated how honest and grounded his responses were, particularly because AI and machine learning are still very much in their early days.

We also explored some of the risks that aren’t receiving enough attention, such as how deepfakes and hyper-realistic AI videos could blur the line between truth and fiction, or how the misuse of an AI tool by just one employee could harm a company’s reputation in a short period.

These things are not just “tech problems”; they are ”workplace problems”. And if you’re using AI in any way at work (or planning to), then they’re your problems too.

So, if you’ve been wondering how to keep up with AI without getting swept up in the hype, this episode is a great place to start. If you’re a business owner, a team lead, or just someone curious about where work is headed, the insights shared here will help you think more clearly and act more responsibly.

We keep hearing that AI is the future. And if that’s true, then it’s on us to shape that future with intention, empathy, and accountability.

Missed the episode? Watch it now: The hidden risks of AI that no one’s talking about 🔗 Watch the podcast on YouTube and subscribe for more insightful content.

Next week on Business Backstage, we’re digging into Sales, AI and Marketing in the age of intelligent execution. My guest and I discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the marketing toolkit, from content and campaign execution to deep customer insights, and what business leaders need to adopt now. It’s one not to miss!

Got a topic you’d love to learn about, or know someone doing amazing work behind the scenes? 👉🏽 Submit your suggestions or recommend a guest.

Until next time,

Bukola (Bukie) Osuntuyi

——————————————————————————————–

#ArtificialIntelligence #AI #RiskManagement #FutureOfWork #BusinessBackstagePodcast #BukolaOsuntuyi #Technology #Innovation #ResponsibleAI #Ethics #Leadership