Whilst people see the curated version of our persona, the internet sees our unresolved psychological patterns. The majority of people navigate online with unhealed trauma, drawn to the safety of the familiar even when it ultimately harms them. Platforms exploit this vulnerability, recreating cycles of suffering for profit. De-escalation begins with rebuilding human educational foundations, not better algorithms.

◴ Reading time: 5 minutes

Culture is meant to be a bridge between matter and meaning, yet the powers-that-be are reducing it to metrics, novelty and popularity. AI is an unprecedented tool for cultural research. yet the task has become easier not because it’s more profound, but because culture has become so edible. This piece examines if culture is in decline and whether it can be regenerated through enthusiasm.

◴ Reading time: 12 minutes

When a life‑lie hardens into a worldview, it becomes a tribe that defends belief over truth. Belonging replaces understanding; dissent feels like betrayal. In a complex world, this emotional tribalism is shrinking our collective capacity to think together, trading curiosity for comfort and dialogue for identity.

◴ Reading time: 5 minutes

The one‑person unicorn is being promoted as empowerment, but it’s really a retreat — a fantasy of self‑sufficiency in a culture that’s forgotten how to hold people together. AI may level the playing field, but it can’t replace the relational fabric that makes meaningful work possible.

◴ Reading time: 5 minutes

Brand safety isn’t a shield to cower behind. It is a governance framework for consequence and investment. When brands act like investors, not traders, they stop chasing volatility and start allocating risk intentionally. They can exert pressure on wrongdoing. The result is safety that protects human wellbeing, sustains creative ambition, and builds growth with accountability.

◴ Reading time: 6 minutes

Economics often conflate efficiency with progress. Data is telling us otherwise: human development is stalling, productivity is slowing, and innovation is becoming harder. What we need isn’t more abundance but more agency — the capacity to act with consequence and resourcefulness. Agency expands capability and creates a felt sense of wealth, without much waste.

◴ Reading time: 10 minutes

2026 marks a turning point for Humans In The Machine and its emerging philosophy. After decades of accumulated experience—across human systems and cultural behaviour. The Fourth Way of Futurism represents an idea no longer in development, but embodiment. A hopeful future that begins with the human interior, not the machine exterior.

◴ Reading time: 15 minutes

It's that time of the year when the topic of trends rises up from underneath someone's desk - here's our offering to you. A different kind of trend report inspired by five amazing films that revolve around protagonists' feeling like passengers in progress during pivotal eras. How that affects human action and perspective of time. 2026 will be another pivotal year, establishing how sticky the LLM phase of AI is going to be.

◴ Reading time: 15 minutes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.