We use AI in a digital world - but its future may depend on the physical one.

Behind every prompt, agent and model, sits a system that needs to be built, funded and powered.

And as organisations and countries race to adopt AI, the demand for access is accelerating. So could a technology that's built to allow limitless thinking, end up limited by a country's network and ability to build?

Because the future of AI depends on compute capacity. That depends on infrastructure. And that depends on energy. And it's those elements which determine the price we all pay to use it.

Tune in to find out:

• Why AI is creating a new race for energy and infrastructure
• Why data centres could become a strategic resource
• How energy-intensive AI could also help solve sustainability challenges
• Why the future of AI depends on decisions being made today

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Secure your place at Deloitte's crucial national conference, UK Energy Transition: Building Resilience, Accelerating Delivery.

Find out more about AbilityNet, one of Deloitte's Social Impact partners: abilitynet.org.uk

Guests: Caroline Brown, Partner in AI for Infrastructure and Sustainability at Deloitte, and Tom Cope, Partner in Deloitte's Infrastructure and Capital Projects team

Hosts: Oli Carpenter and Hannah Gowen Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 01.07.26

The challenge is no longer just what AI can do, but whether people have enough confidence to use it.

As AI adoption accelerates, trust is becoming one of the biggest barriers to scale – the difference between experimentation and widespread transformation.

Because the companies that benefit most from the technology may not be the ones with the most advanced capabilities, but those that create enough trust for people to use it.

So what does it take to create systems where decisions and risk can be understood, measured and trusted? Because trust isn't something technology can ask for, it's built through experience, transparency, governance and fairness.

AI isn't just making us more productive. It's influencing decisions that impact people's lives and driving widespread change in how we work, think and choose. If the future is AI-led - understanding what's inside the "black box" matters more than ever.

Simon McDougall, Chief Strategist for Privacy and AI at ZoomInfo, and Avtar Benning, director in Deloitte's Trustworthy AI offering, join us in The Green Room as we ask: Can we trust something we don't fully understand?

Tune in to find out:

• How the pace of adoption is making trust harder
• What AI can learn from aeroplanes and food hygiene ratings
• The three foundations needed to build trust at scale
• Why AI and humans fail differently

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about Scope, one of Deloitte's national charity partners: scope.org.uk

Guests: Simon McDougall - Chief Strategist for Privacy & AI, ZoomInfo and Avtar Benning – Director in Trustworthy AI, Deloitte

Hosts: Steph Dobbs and Andrea Boxall Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 16.06.26

Disruption isn't new. But right now, it feels different.

Technology, economic pressures, geopolitical shifts, changing workforce expectations – they're all colliding at speed. And at the centre of it all is AI.

The challenge isn't just how to respond - and in real time - but to rethink how businesses work.

AI is central to this shift. It's already changing how work gets done, how decisions are made, and how value is created. So, the question is no longer "how do we use AI?" but "are organisations designed to fully realise its potential?" Because many aren't.

But reinvention isn't easy. It requires leaders to challenge long-held assumptions, rethink how value is created, and close the gap between technology investment and workforce readiness. Because as access to AI becomes more widespread, it won't be the technology that sets organisations apart – it will be how it's used.

So, how is AI reshaping work – and the way it gets done? What does good human and AI collaboration look like day to day? And if everyone has access to AI, what will truly differentiate businesses?

That's what we're exploring in this episode of The Green Room with Bruce Daisley, best-selling author and future of work expert and Kate Sweeney, Human Capital Consulting Leader at Deloitte UK, as we ask: Are we planning enough for AI?

Tune in to find out:

• Why we need to avoid worrying what others are doing
• The importance of experimentation in AI implementation
• How thinking differently and reinvention is vital for success
• Why 'agency' at work isn't just for AI agents

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about The Yard Scotland: theyardscotland.org.uk

Guests: Bruce Daisley, future of work expert, Sunday Times bestselling author and former YouTube and Twitter exec. Kate Sweeney, Deloitte UK's Human Capital Consulting lead.

Hosts: Oli Carpenter and Hannah Gowen Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 04.06.26

It's no longer a question of whether AI will change how we buy, but by how much?

We're turning to AI for inspiration and advice - and soon, it may even guide or manage decisions for us.

Not since the rise of e-commerce in the 1990s have we seen transformation at this scale – and how we discover, choose and engage with brands is being redefined.

At the same time, the path to purchase has shifted from being one dimensional. We no longer access retailers solely in-store or via their websites. Instead, we're relying on platforms such as social media to buy too – all with an added want for personalisation.

For brands, this creates opportunity, but also pressure. Showing up in the right places, with the right experience, requires new capabilities, new infrastructures and new ways of thinking. Because as technology becomes more accessible, it's no longer a differentiator in itself.

So, what does it take to set businesses apart? What will define the brands that people choose in the future? Will human connection be replaced or become more valuable as time goes on? And if every organisation has access to the same tools, why do some experiences resonate more than others?

In this episode of The Green Room, we ask: What makes us feel confident about what we buy? With Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of Advantage Travel Partnership, and Tom Astill, Director in Deloitte Digital.

Tune in to find out:

• How the consumer journey is changing and why
• What we can learn from past shifts such as ecommerce
• How to balance AI solutions with human experience
• What will define the brands that people choose in the future

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about Young Women's Trust one of Deloitte UK's charity partners.

Guests: Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of Advantage Travel Partnership, and Tom Astill, Director in Deloitte Digital

Hosts: Stephanie Dobbs and Oli Carpenter Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 18.05.26 - recorded in front of a live audience

The AI race is on. But what does it take to not just keep up, but to win?

Even though we're using AI at work, at home and on-the-go, are we really ready to use it at scale as a country?

Last year, the UK joined a growing list of countries setting out an ambitious vision for how AI could provide a better future. For those who succeed, the prize is significant. A future powered by AI could bring economic growth and increased productivity, improved public services, and new opportunities across society.

But ambition alone isn't enough. To reap the rewards, we need the right foundations in place.

Delivering digital skills and education to an entire nation. Redefining regulation and securing sufficient and sustained financial investment. Rebuilding our national infrastructure and providing access to cheap energy that can power dramatically increased AI usage.

So, how do we turn an appealing vision of the future into reality? And what will it really take from individuals, businesses, governments and the public sector to bring a national AI strategy to life?

That's what we're exploring with Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK, and Oliver Seal, Partner and leader of the firm's Education Practice at Deloitte UK, as we ask: How do we turn AI ambition into a national advantage.

Tune in to find out

• Why now is a critical juncture in the UK's AI journey
• The foundations we need to ensure the UK is ready for an AI-driven future
• How we make sure everyone has the access and skills they need to benefit from AI
• The role business can play in bringing a national AI strategy to life

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about Scope, one of Deloitte's national charity partners: scope.org.uk

Guests: Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK Oliver Seal, Partner at Deloitte UK

Hosts: Stephanie Dobbs Oli Carpenter

Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 30.04.26

Companies are investing more than ever in technology to transform their businesses.

But the full impact isn't being felt. Most organisations believe they are missing out on up to 50% of the returns they expect from digital transformation. So, what's the missing piece?

Do firms need to invest more or does the answer lie in their leadership and culture?

From AI to cloud platforms, organisations are undertaking digital transformation in the search for added efficiency, growth and competitive advantage. But change doesn't just happen to systems, it affects people too.

If technology is a tool for transformation, is it the people and culture who drive real change? Behind every platform rollout and process redesign are employees being asked to adapt to and buy into a new way of working. And without a culture enabling people to embrace this change, nearly half of leaders say their success will be hindered.

So, what role do people have in unlocking tech potential? What does a culture that can supercharge the impact of technology investments actually look like? What foundations need to be built when designing transformation plans? And how can organisations stay future-ready but people-centric?

That's what we're exploring in this episode of The Green Room with Kate O'Neill, author and Founder of KO Insights, and Mike Manby, Technology & Transformation Consumer Industry Lead at Deloitte, as we ask: Are people the superpower that drives transformation?

Tune in to find out:

• The role of leadership in driving transformational and culture change
• How the right culture can supercharge the impact of technology
• The foundations that need to be built when designing transformation plans
• How organisations can stay future-ready but people-centric

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about The Yard, one of Deloitte's charity partners here: The Yard Charity | Supporting disabled children and young people

Guests: Kate O'Neill, 'The Tech Humanist', author, and Founder of KO Insights, and Mike Manby, Technology & Transformation Consumer Industry Lead at Deloitte

Hosts: Annie Wong and Oli Carpenter

Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 25.02.26

Seven years ago, we were yet to experience a pandemic. Some of us were just discovering podcasts – and were yet to discover an air fryer. And Artificial Intelligence was, for many of us, something we only saw on the big screen.

And in The Green Room's very first episode, we were asking 'What will be the last job on earth?'

It was a year before GPT-3 changed the GenAI landscape, nearly four years before ChatGPT hit the mainstream and five years before regulation caught up and the world's first legal framework for AI would be passed.

A lot has changed since then. But that first big question matters more than ever.

AI has transformed our lives in ways that we couldn't have predicted. It's performing tasks, making decisions for us and helping us to create new things. And so, after years of experimenting with it, working with it, and investing in it, are we closer to understanding how AI will really impact the future of work? Some of us will go on to do jobs that don't yet exist, so how do we prepare for that? What skills do we need to learn now to prepare for the future – and what skills are essential to retain?

Beyond our own careers, what changes need to be made at a societal level to ensure everyone has the right knowledge, experience and access to prosper in the future? And what role do businesses have to play in leading these changes in a way that benefits everyone?

In our 100th episode of The Green Room podcast, we return to the question that started it all: What will be the last job on earth? With guests Ben Legg, CEO and co-founder of The Portfolio Collective, and Anne-Marie Malley, Vice Chair at Deloitte UK.

Tune in to find out:

1. What significant changes have impacted how we work over the past seven years
2. How the increased use of AI is affecting hiring and talent, and what new roles are emerging
3. The new skills we need to learn to be prepared for the future of work
4. The role of business in ensuring everyone has the right skills and access to prosper in the future

Enjoyed this episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about Deloitte's Five Million Futures: https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en/about/story/impact/social-impact.html

Guests: Ben Legg, CEO and co-founder of The Portfolio Collective Anne-Marie Malley, Vice Chair at Deloitte UK

Hosts: Stephanie Dobbs and Annie Wong Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 02.04.26

In The Green Room, we've always set out to answer the biggest questions that matter most in business.

Now, as we approach our milestone 100th episode, we're taking a moment to look back at some of the conversations and ideas that have stayed with us – and still influence how business operates today. We've explored everything from the future of work and leadership to AI, sustainability and the changing role of business in society. Along the way, we've been joined by a remarkable range of guests, including physicist Professor Brian Cox, retail expert Mary Portas, and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. Plus, many more. In this special bonus episode, we revisit our standout moments – the insights that have challenged our thinking, shaped our perspectives, and helped us explore where the future of business is heading next.

Featured Episodes (in order of appearance in the podcast):

#79 - Can we all win in the space race? #62 - Are leaders born or made? #55 - Should leaders think more like activists? #75 - Can we communicate better by saying less? #36 - How do you start a movement? #49 - Can one person change a big business? #5 - Will I ever feel good enough for my job? #92 - What if our next decision makers aren't human? #47 - Can AI help us be more human? #95 - How do we move AI from trialling to transforming? #67 - Are we asking the right questions about AI? #89 - Is it easier to start a sustainable business or become one? #58 - Who's responsible for being responsible? #84 - What does it take to turn things around? #33 - What's the secret to performing at your best? #61 - What comes first, vision or buy-in? #68 - What makes a champion? Bigger Questions series: What's the power of being first? #76 - How can we remodel role models?

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Find more information on all our episodes here: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Original music: Ali Barrett

Our careers don't happen in isolation. What we carry from our lives outside of work shapes how we show up inside of it. At certain points in life, work doesn't just sit alongside family and caring responsibilities – it actively coincides with them. And how organisations respond in those moments underpins the kind of workplaces they really are. As the world of work continues to evolve, businesses are being challenged to do more than offer flexibility as a perk. Today's workforce is navigating parenthood, caregiving, and complex family lives alongside their careers. And the question is firmly shifting from not just whether employees support families, but how they deliberately build systems, policies and cultures that reflect that. So, is looking after employees just a moral choice – or a strategic one? And when people feel understood and supported, do they stay longer, contribute more, and help build stronger organisations? Is what's good for families, good for business too? And when we design work in a way that allows people to sustain their careers, does this move businesses from just existing to thriving? How can creating these spaces for families and carers build stronger, more successful businesses? Can flexibility and trust translate into higher productivity and better performance, as well as improved retention and talent attraction? And what will it take to design workplaces where supporting people through real life isn't just a compromise, but an advantage for businesses as a whole? That's what we're exploring in this episode of The Green Room with Jackie Henry MBE, Managing Partner for People and Purpose at Deloitte UK, and Anna Whitehouse, journalist, author, broadcaster and founder of Mother Pukka and Flex Appeal, as we ask: How does supporting families support us all?

Tune in to find out:

• How conversations around work and flexibility have changed
• The role of leadership in creating work that's good for business and families
• Why 'trust' is a key ingredient in making flexible working work
• How businesses can adapt to build workplaces of the future

Enjoyed this episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about The Yard here: theyardscotland.org.uk

Guests: Jackie Henry MBE, Managing Partner for People and Purpose at Deloitte UK, and parenting influencer, Anna Whitehouse, also known as Mother Pukka

Hosts: Annie Wong and Oliver Carpenter

Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 19.02.26

Two years ago, in episode #64 of The Green Room, we asked the question 'How do we stay safe online?' Since then, progress has been made. Businesses, tech leaders, governments and wider society have taken the time to understand the 'how' and have moved on to the 'do'. Some countries have started taking steps to ban under-16s from all major social media platforms, while the UK has rolled our further developments in its Online Safety Act, bringing in new legislation that aims to protect both children and adults. But in digital spaces, progress rarely moves in a straight line, and it can feel like every meaningful step forward is matched with a new threat that pushes us backwards.

In just two short years, the use of generative AI has become widespread. And while the technology has the potential to make us more productive and creative, it's also armed bad actors with new ways to spread misinformation, share upsetting content, and develop nefarious scams – all of which pose serious risks, not just to children and young people but to adults and businesses too. So, how far have we really come in making the internet a secure and empowering space for everyone? Are things improving? Or just changing? How do we strike the right balance between protection and privacy? And what role can businesses and individuals play in keeping up with new technology to create an internet that is safe and valuable for everyone? That's what we're exploring with Cosima Wiltshire, Director at FlippGen, and James Smith, Head of Trust & Safety at Deloitte, as we ask: Is the internet getting safer?

Tune in to find out:

1. Why has the conversation around digital safety increased?
2. What significant developments in online protection have occurred in the last two years?
3. How do we measure the success of digital safety initiatives?
4. What's the role of business in creating a safer digital world for everyone?

Enjoyed this episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about The Yard here: theyardscotland.org.uk

Guests: Cosima Wiltshire, Strategy and Partnerships Consultant at FlippGen, and James Smith, Head of Trust & Safety at Deloitte

Hosts: Stephanie Dobbs and Oliver Carpenter Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 18.02.26

From the avocados on our toast to the niche blend of coffee that sits on the table next to them. From the medicine waiting to be collected at the pharmacy to the smartphone we used to renew the prescription.

Every product we pick up and service we use is a result of a complex, global web of ships, planes, warehouses, technology and people that keep our world moving. That is until something goes wrong – and that's been happening more often in recent years.

Whether it's the effects of geopolitical unrest, global trade policies, extreme weather or even cyber-attacks, supply chains that once seemed robust are now under an increasing amount of pressure. And that means businesses are too, because their challenge is no longer just to move products from A to B – it's to build a system that is lean enough to be competitive, but resilient enough to survive the next global shock.

So, what does a steadfast supply chain that can withstand an unreliable world look like? Do businesses need to completely rebuild their existing supply chains? Or can they simply be renovated? Could technology like AI and blockchain help bring more stability and security to fragile systems? And where does sustainability and responsibility fit in?

That's what we're exploring with Dr Alok Choudhary, Professor of Supply Chain Management and Head of the Supply Chain Research Group at the University of Warwick, and Sarah Noble, a partner in Supply Chain Transformation at Deloitte, as we ask: Is it time to reset supply chains?

Tune in to find out:

1. What are the biggest threats to supply chains today?
2. How are global trade policies impacting supply chains?
3. How can businesses stress-test their current supply processes?
4. When supply chains breakdown, what's the key to a successful recovery?

Enjoyed this episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Find out more about The Yard here: theyardscotland.org.uk

Guests: Dr Alok Choudhary, Professor of Supply Chain Management and Head of the Supply Chain Research Group at the University of Warwick, and Sarah Noble, a partner in Supply Chain Transformation at Deloitte

Hosts: Stephanie Dobbs and Oliver Carpenter Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 15.01.26