"There Is Shadow AI in Your Organisation": AI & Future of Work - with Dr Peta Chirgwin | WPC Podcast

Everyone is talking about AI. But most organisations are implementing it without asking the most important questions first. In this episode of Workplace Conversations, AIMWA host Sandra Holloway sits down with Dr Peta Chirgwin, CEO of Chameleon Metal Group and one of Australia's leading voices on responsible AI, automation and the future of work. Peta unpacks why AI projects fail, what human-led AI actually looks like in practice, and what leaders need to understand before they hit go on their next AI implementation. This is one of the most important workplace conversations happening right now. ABOUT YOUR GUEST AND HOST Dr Peta Chirgwin is CEO of Chameleon Metal Group and a specialist in automation, responsible AI and future of work transitions. She holds a PhD in human factors in mining automation and remote operations, and has spent over 25 years working across mining and technology, including consulting to organisations across Australia and the United States on AI implementation and work design. Sandra Holloway is Chief Customer Officer at AIMWA, Western Australia's leading workplace development institute. TIMESTAMPS • [00:00] Welcome to Workplace Conversations • [00:36] Meet our guest: Dr Peta Chirgwin • [01:44] Peta's background: 25 years in mining and technology • [03:25] The Choice Before Us: what does that actually mean? • [05:08] Where Australia sits in the global AI race • [07:49] The panic and anxiety around AI implementation • [09:38] Who should hold the power when humans and tech collide? • [11:02] The Human Authority Index explained • [12:10] Why organisations implement AI without a strategy • [15:59] When IT drives AI decisions and the rest of the organisation plays catch up • [17:45] What happens when leaders do not communicate openly about AI • [19:20] How to bring your workforce along on the AI journey • [20:12] Work design: why it has to come before AI implementation • [24:04] The invisible work people do when systems do not talk to each other • [27:14] What people are most anxious about when it comes to AI • [30:04] Upskilling yourself for an AI-driven future • [34:20] Reasonable concerns about AI in the workplace • [36:09] What sociotechnical safety actually means • [38:42] What human in the loop really means and what it does not • [40:52] AI stewardship and what it looks like in practice • [41:46] Executive AI literacy: what leaders actually need to know • [44:39] The questions every CEO should be asking about AI right now • [48:19] Shadow AI: what it is and why you need an AI amnesty • [50:39] Will AI replace jobs? Dystopia or utopia? • [57:15] Ethics, values and choosing which AI tools you support • [58:09] One thing to leave leaders with as they navigate AI CONNECT WITH WORKPLACE CONVERSATIONS • Instagram:   / workplaceconversationspodcast   • Facebook:   / 61591403565312   • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... • YouTube:    / @aimwestaus   CONNECT WITH AIMWA • Website: aimwa.com • LinkedIn:   / aimwa   • Instagram:   / aim_westernaustralia   • YouTube:    / @aimwestaus   • Facebook:   / aimwesternaustralia   CONNECT WITH DR PETA CHIRGWIN • LinkedIn:   / peta-chirgwin   ABOUT AIMWA AND WORKPLACE CONVERSATIONS AIMWA is Western Australia's leading workplace development institute and a not-for-profit registered charity. We deliver practical learning that builds real capability across leadership, management and business. Workplace Conversations is a podcast presented by AIMWA. Real people, real stories, real workplaces. We bring together sharp minds from across Australian business to talk about the issues that matter most at work. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.