The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business

Artificial intelligence is changing how we work, how businesses grow and how countries compete.
When you look back at history, every generation has a technology that changes everything. Steam. Electricity. The Internet.
So technology transformation isn't new. But as we face the latest challenge, is the UK ready?
In this series finale of The Green Room, we bring together experts from past episodes to explore what readiness really means. For people, for organisations and for the country as a whole.
From skills and trust to energy, infrastructure and investment, this episode looks beyond the hype to the choices that will shape the UK's AI future.
Tune in to find out:
Why AI readiness is about more than technology
How businesses can move from experimentation to adoption at scale
Why trust, leadership and skills could decide how much value AI creates
Why compute, energy and infrastructure are central to the UK's AI ambitions
What it will take for people, businesses and regions across the UK to benefit

This episode is the finale of The Green Room's series exploring the AI opportunity for the UK. Listen back to the full series wherever you get your podcasts, 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
Featuring guests: Anne-Marie Malley, Ben Legg, Bruce Daisley, Kate Sweeney, Sharon Hague, Oliver Seal, Mike Manby, Kate O'Neill, Julia Lo Bue-Said, Tom Astill, Simon McDougall, Avtar Benning, Caroline Brown, Tom Cope, Carol Yan and Tom Harris.
Host: Jenny Haskel
Original music: Ali Barrett
This episode was recorded in London on 13 July 2026.
Featuring clips from episode 94 (recorded November 2025) and episodes 100 to 106 (recorded between February and July 2026) – all recorded in London.

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