The design goal for tech shouldn’t be invisibility
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

The design goal for tech shouldn’t be invisibility

Jony Ive joined OpenAI in May 2025 to mastermind an iPhone-killer AI device. His mission has always been to create products that "disappear" in terms of complexity, while still being advanced technologically. In the pursuit of the first era-defining AI device, I discuss that the ultimate goal for technology should not be invisibility with innovation consultant Amer Iqbal, the brains behind The 5 Ways To Innovate.

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Regain your composure
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Regain your composure

Humans In The Machine got back into the swing of things with a long overdue trip to Singapore in July and the pleasure of attending the Martech World Forum run by The Martech Weekly. In my keynote, I lobbied the audience that we need a new way for Marketing technology; a new mindset, a new method and a new target state, because the data tells us that what we are doing isn’t working.

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Death to fatalism
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Death to fatalism

Modern media has skewed toward more dystopian visions of the future in the 21st century and there’s a growing body of evidence to back that up. What used to be a way of reflecting on concerns about societal change through fiction, has become another way of sensationalising doom and supercharging fear about the future. The real task is to make possibility feel as compelling, accessible, and culturally sticky as collapse.

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The power of sameness
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

The power of sameness

Rugged individualism is the brand of America and arguably the ideological engine behind global capitalism. From algorithmic feeds to bespoke products, the promise is clear: you are unique, and we will cater to your uniqueness. Contrary to popular belief, humans are wired for cooperation, not tribalism. Businesses can leverage sameness to build resilient, human-centric systems.

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Spaldo’s Hierarchy of deeds
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Spaldo’s Hierarchy of deeds

What if someone were to simplify the main branches of philosophy into one framework, that could act as a little reminder of how philosophy can help us feel more enthusiastic every day, in work, rest and play? Humans In The Machine takes inspiration from pioneers, artists and institutions that have made the world better.

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Super intelligence vs. super organism
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Super intelligence vs. super organism

Science-fiction offers thought-provoking insight on the potential role of Artificial Intelligence in humanity’s future, but should not be taken literally or treated as prescient. Two stories sprang to mind - the original Dune Series by Frank Herbert and You Like It Darker by Stephen King. They offer two different perspectives on intelligence that are powerful when considered together.

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The resourceful revolution - part two
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

The resourceful revolution - part two

How to distinguish a future with Artificial Intelligence that works better for us. Learning from the industrial revolution to forge a different path for the 21st century. Time for a new revolution. A smarter, more imaginative society. Empowering people together with AI, to cultivate six behavioral traits.

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My best  albums of 2024
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

My best albums of 2024

Humans In the Machine isn’t just about business, seeking inspiration from pioneers, artists and institutions that have made the world better. In this case through the form of music, using my trusty pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX8 and Flare Audio's latest auditory experiment, the Immerse.

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The resourceful revolution - part one
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

The resourceful revolution - part one

Adoption of AI is advancing, exponentially faster than any recent technology, positioning it as the next great revolution, but what could that revolution entail? To imagine a new future we need to look into the past, to discern what to do differently and why it’s important.

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How to find your focus - part three
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

How to find your focus - part three

Are you suffering from a crisis of meaning? You are actually one of the lucky ones. It might not feel like it, but it’s a sign that you have more resources to make lasting change. Introducing Meaningful Transformational Focus: how concentrating energy into a few meaningful issues can ignite action and keeps a little fire burning.

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The robots eating our energy
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

The robots eating our energy

The "Dead Internet" conspiracy theory is the idea that bots are now so pervasive online you could be the only human in online exchanges, without realising. The truth is darker and hungrier than that. Few are talking about it. 270 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy are potentially being wasted each year by malicious technologies.

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How to find your focus - part two
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

How to find your focus - part two

Are you suffering from a crisis of meaning? You are actually one of the lucky ones. It might not feel like it, but it’s a sign that you have more resources to make lasting change. Introducing Meaningful Transformational Focus: how empathy opens our eyes to defining meaningful problems where we can actively participate.

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Can the UK escape its own mind trap?
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Can the UK escape its own mind trap?

I returned to the UK last August. In the five months I've been based here, I would describe the mood as bleak. Entering into 2025, I set about trying to understand why. Is the economy really as bad as what I see, read and hear? What promise do the years ahead hold? The article is based on an analysis of the UK using ten macro-economic data points versus the world's top 30 economies.

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How to find focus - part one
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

How to find focus - part one

Are you suffering from a crisis of meaning? You are actually one of the lucky ones. It might not feel like it, but it’s a sign that you have more resources to make lasting change. Introducing Meaningful Transformational Focus: how to keep your eyes on the prize in a world that incentivizes divisive posts and viral negativity.

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Digital agency extinctions
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Digital agency extinctions

In the last 25 years, USD $10-15 billion was pumped into acquiring the gold standard of digital, experience and design businesses ($13-25bn adjusted for inflation). Yet more billions into undisclosed deals. If they weren’t already part of a brave new future for clients and reshaping the industry for agency groups, then what happened?

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How to respond to difficult situations.
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

How to respond to difficult situations.

In the era of the unfixable problem, what if we consider difficult scenarios in a more human, relatable way? Can this help us to resolve the least bad outcome, survive, reconnect and recover? - cons versus cons is one such technique. It is simple, universal. It doesn’t require training, only courage.

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Banning social media for young people
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

Banning social media for young people

On November 28 2025 under 16s will be banned from social media in Australia. As a short-term measure that makes Big Tech gatekeepers sit up and take notice, it could make a difference, if other countries follow suit. That would allow time to develop a more coordinated, evidence-based and systemic solution.

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An appeal to the media
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

An appeal to the media

It must be so tempting to simplify human mindsets down to binary thinking, where a person sees issues in one of two opposite and mutually exclusive ways, also known as the 'either-or fallacy' or the false dichotomy. This has been accelerated by progressive cognitive overload, thanks in no small part to the content supply chain and success of clickbait. If you can’t beat them join them, right?

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How to make your own luck with persistence.
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

How to make your own luck with persistence.

How many times have you seen people give up just as they were about to make a breakthrough? Persistence means pushing through challenges, setbacks, and failures, even when it feels impossible. In those Sisyphean-feeling moments when we might consider giving up, what could be a simple reminder about the opportunity of persistence?

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How to start your team’s creative journey
Oliver Spalding Oliver Spalding

How to start your team’s creative journey

What is the role of divergent thinking in creativity. Where does it comes from and how to encourage it? Building high performing creatively skillful teams has to mean more than just combining skills and specialisms. It requires understanding how different people respond to problems on a personal level.

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