The Human Protocol

Christopher Benek asks what it is doing to us. By the time you walk into a room, an algorithm has already shaped what you trust, what you fear, and who you think you are. It is not informing you. It is forming you.Host Mykel Salomon and Christopher Benek go a long way into that question. Why wisdom is almost never found in solitude, and what that says about a handful of companiesChapters:00:00   Not informing you. Forming you02:20   Why a pastor ended up in the AI conversation05:55   Christian transhumanism, and the version he argues against09:41   “Don't trust pastors”13:55   Intelligence is cheap. Wisdom takes time16:23   Separation of powers, and the ability to harm at scale17:24   Being first, or being first doing it well18:18   Why wisdom is never found in solitude21:42   You cannot opt out of this26:28   Every model carries its makers' fingerprints29:27   The marathon he ran at 49, and what AI could not do32:49   Is the game still fun when every stat line is 10036:15   The man who found his church inside VR38:23   Older people want the upgrade. Younger people don't39:07   “We're God's AI”43:20   What does soul even mean45:19   The humility of not knowing51:14   Pricing tiers, and who gets left behind01:06:45   Maybe toil was never the point01:16:23   The garbage in Brickell01:18:57   UBI, and the trust problem underneath01:23:33   The Gilded Age became the robber barons01:27:17   Do the workAbout the guestRev. Dr. Christopher Benek is a pastor in Miami and one of the world's foremost clergy voices on artificial intelligence. He is the author of The Church Leader's Guide to Artificial Intelligence and the first ordained Christian transhumanist in the world.Connect with Rev. Dr. Christopher BenekLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherbenek/Website: https://www.christopherbenek.com/ Thinking about implementing AI in your business? Download Mykel Salomon's free 10-Step AI Strategy & Execution Roadmap to clarify the business problem, identify the right opportunities, decide what should remain human, and move from idea to execution. Clarity first. Tools second. Humans always: https://dub.sh/thp-roadmap-ytTechnology is changing quickly. The human questions matter just as much. Subscribe to The Human Protocol newsletter for weekly perspectives on AI, leadership, work, and what it means to stay human while building the future: https://act-3-agency.link/thp-news-ytABOUT THE HOSTMykel Salomon is the founder of The Human Protocol Group, creator of The Human Protocol Framework, and host of The Human Protocol Podcast. He explores how technological change affects human beings, and what it takes to stay human while building the future.CONNECT WITH MYKELWebsite: https://thehumanprotocolgroup.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mykelsalomon

In this episode of The Human Protocol, host Mykel Salomon sits down with Isabelle C. Hau, Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and author of Love to Learn, to explore how AI is reshaping human relationships, education, and our ability to connect.Isabelle shares concerning findings from Stanford research suggesting that AI's tendency to agree with, praise, and validate users could make real human relationships feel less appealing. After all, why deal with disagreement, discomfort, and emotional complexity when an AI chatbot offers endless affirmation?But the conversation goes beyond the risks.Together, they explore why relational intelligence could become one of our most important human strengths, how AI is changing the way children learn, why technology isn't necessarily making us less busy, and what parents, educators, and individuals can do to protect genuine human connection.In this episode, you'll discover:Why Relational Intelligence (RQ) could matter more than IQ and EQ in an AI-driven world.What Stanford research reveals about AI sycophancy and our declining preference for human interaction.Why frictionless AI conversations may make real relationships harder to navigate.How AI is changing education, cognitive development, and the way students learn.Why greater AI productivity doesn't necessarily translate into more free time.The growing loneliness crisis, particularly among younger generations.How parents and educators can help children build stronger relationship skills.Simple everyday habits that can strengthen human connection in a technology-driven world.About Isabelle C. HauIsabelle C. Hau is the Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, where she brings together learning and brain science, technology, and innovation to advance effective, inclusive, and human-centered approaches to learning.Previously an impact investor, Isabelle led the U.S. education practice at Omidyar Network and Imaginable Futures, investing in mission-driven organizations that have reached millions of learners.She is the author of Love to Learn and a pioneer of Relational Intelligence (RQ), a framework for understanding and strengthening the human capacities needed to flourish in an age of AI.Isabelle serves on the boards of Design Tech High School and EDC, as well as the EdSAFE AI Alliance steering committee, the Brookings Institution Global AI Taskforce, and the World Economic Forum's Education 4.0 Alliance.Her honors include recognition by Harvard Business School as one of its 100 most inspiring women, being named a 2026 World Education Medal finalist, and receiving the 2026 ASU+GSV Power of Women Award and the 2026 ISTE/ASCD Impact Award.She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated from ESSEC and Sciences Po Paris. Her lifelong mission is to bring the love of learning to every child.And a fun fact: She once co-starred with Grover from Sesame Street!

AI promises to make work faster, easier, and more efficient. But what happens when we stop doing the thinking that builds judgment in the first place?In this episode of The Human Protocol, Mykel Salomon sits down with Will Leach to explore the difference between using AI to augment our thinking and letting it think for us.Will explains why people naturally take the path of least resistance, how AI-generated consumer research can miss the gap between what people say and what they actually do, and why plausible AI answers can become dangerous when people lack the experience to challenge them.They also explore the growing influence of AI-generated content, the risk of generic marketing, behavioral AI, ethical persuasion, and why curiosity, empathy, and a deeper understanding of people may become some of the most valuable competitive advantages in an AI-driven world.IN THIS EPISODE:How AI can augment thinking or contribute to cognitive atrophyWhy humans naturally choose the easiest pathThe "say-do gap" in consumer behaviorWhy AI-generated customer personas can be misleadingHow AI can make content faster but less distinctiveWhy human judgment is still essentialWhat behavioral AI does differentlyHow psychology and social science help explain customer decisionsWhy understanding people may become a competitive advantageThe importance of curiosity, empathy, and real-world experienceCHAPTERS00:00 - The Danger of Letting AI Do Our Thinking01:31 - What Drives Our Everyday Decisions?05:25 - Why Humans Take the Path of Least Resistance09:21 - Is Mental Efficiency the Same as Laziness?12:35 - Why Rest Affects Decision-Making15:30 - When Your Identity Makes Rest Feel Wrong17:43 - AI Research and the Consumer Insight Problem19:10 - The Say-Do Gap: What People Say vs. Do22:43 - Will the Next Generation Lose Judgment?26:29 - Why We Trust AI Even When It Gets Things Wrong28:24 - Is AI-Generated Content Becoming Generic?32:16 - How AI Can Make Your Thinking Better35:59 - What Makes Behavioral AI Different?39:49 - The Ethics of Using Psychology to Persuade46:21 - The New Competitive Moat: Understanding People49:17 - The Skills Leaders and Marketers Will Need51:24 - How AI Could Slow the Development of Experience54:28 - Why People Abandon Their Own Goals56:07 - Where to Follow Will LeachAbout Will LeachWill Leach works at the intersection of behavioral science, marketing, and behavioral AI. In this episode, he discusses his career studying why people make the decisions they do, his experience leading insights at PepsiCo, his teaching work, and his work helping organizations apply behavioral science to business decisions.Connect with Will Leach:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-leach/Thinking about implementing AI in your business? Download Mykel Salomon's free 10-Step AI Strategy & Execution Roadmap to clarify the business problem, identify the right opportunities, decide what should remain human, and move from idea to execution. Clarity first. Tools second. Humans always: https://dub.sh/thp-roadmap-riversideTechnology is changing quickly. The human questions matter just as much. Subscribe to The Human Protocol newsletter for weekly perspectives on AI, leadership, work, and what it means to stay human while building the future: https://dub.sh/thp-newsletter-riverside

AI failures are no longer hypothetical. They are already affecting careers, finances, families, safety, trust, and the decisions people make every day. In this episode of The Human Protocol, Mykel Salomon sits down with Latha Karthigaa, PhD, Director and Head of AI Governance at the Global AI Certification Council, to examine the growing record of real-world AI incidents. Latha breaks down what AI incident databases reveal, why failures can happen even when systems appear useful, and what organizations need to understand before giving AI more authority. The conversation covers algorithmic bias, the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, a student falsely accused of cheating, prompt injection, a chatbot that agreed to sell a car for $1, a $25M deepfake fraud, agentic AI, model drift, regulation, and the continuing need for human oversight.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction01:12 Why AI incidents matter02:38 The 1,588 AI incident database04:10 AI failures before ChatGPT05:35 The hidden cost of AI mistakes07:05 AI and the future of jobs08:30 When AI gets people wrong10:05 The student accused of cheating12:00 Why AI output is not evidence13:42 AI governance vs. AI hype15:20 The Dutch childcare benefits scandal18:05 How algorithmic bias becomes real harm20:10 What happens when models drift22:05 AI systems and accountability24:00 Agentic AI changes the risk26:10 When AI can take actions28:15 Prompt injection explained30:00 The $1 Chevy Tahoe incident32:05 How attackers manipulate AI34:10 Deepfakes and trust36:00 The $25M deepfake fraud38:20 Why humans still get fooled40:10 AI regulation and governance42:00 What organizations should document44:05 Human oversight in high-stakes systems46:00 The problem with unknown unknowns48:05 We do not know what we do not know49:30 How businesses should approach AI51:05 Where AI should not replace humans52:50 Building better governance54:10 Advice for AI leaders55:25 What responsible AI looks like56:40 The human role in an AI future58:05 Final thoughts59:15 Closing59:56 EndABOUT THE GUESTLatha Karthigaa, PhD is Director and Head of AI Governance at the Global AI Certification Council (GAICC). GAICC focuses on AI governance, certification, training, and professional development, including work aligned with ISO/IEC 42001. Latha holds a PhD in Software Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, awarded in 2017. Guest social links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/global.aicertification.council YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Latha-ai-governanceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lathakarthigaa/GAICC: https://gaicc.org/Thinking about implementing AI in your business? Download Mykel Salomon's free 10-Step AI Strategy & Execution Roadmap to clarify the business problem, identify the right opportunities, decide what should remain human, and move from idea to execution. Clarity first. Tools second. Humans always. Download the free roadmap: https://dub.sh/thp-roadmap-riverside Technology is changing quickly. The human questions matter just as much. Subscribe to The Human Protocol newsletter for weekly perspectives on AI, leadership, work, and what it means to stay human while building the future. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://dub.sh/thp-newsletter-riverside

The real cost of AI is far higher than most companies expected, and Mala Kumar, Executive Director of Humane Intelligence, explains why on The Human Protocol with Mykel Salomon.From data centers and subsidized tokens to data annotation and AI evaluations that can run to $5 million, Mala breaks down the hidden cost of AI adoption and the trade-off business leaders face between training the machine and training their people. We also get into what an AI evaluator does, how AI red teaming works, why human in the loop AI has to be designed in from day one, AI bias, and the new AI jobs being created.In this episode:- The $5 million question: evaluate the machine or train the human?- Why AI is costing companies far more than they planned- Why human judgment is AI infrastructure, not overhead- What an AI evaluator actually does, and the skills that make a good one- Where AI should go first, from Mala's UNICEF work in Burundi- How one missing data category creates AI bias- Mala's career advice for anyone worried about AI and jobsChapters:00:00 Is a $5M AI evaluation worth it?02:32 What the AI jobs debate is missing08:34 Why "AI kills jobs" is half the story11:32 Brand new careers or old skills reused?14:39 What an AI evaluator actually does16:42 What makes a great AI red teamer19:10 What humans see that AI can't21:42 Human judgment is AI infrastructure27:53 Where AI should go first: Burundi32:33 AI for good: the COVID question35:42 Can we ever remove bias from AI?39:04 Human in the loop, done right42:55 Will our job be checking machines?46:02 Why a tech leader writes novels48:34 Mala's advice for the AI job shiftABOUT THE GUESTMala Kumar is Executive Director of Humane Intelligence, a nonprofit that helps organizations evaluate AI systems for bias, hallucination, and harm. She previously led AI safety program management at MLCommons, served as Director of Tech for Social Good at GitHub, and spent the first decade of her career building technology for international development with the UN, including maternal health work with UNICEF in Burundi and advising the World Health Organization. She is also a published novelist based in New York City.Connect with Mala Kumar:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malakumar/Website: https://malakumar.comHumane Intelligence: https://humane-intelligence.orgThinking about implementing AI in your business? Download Mykel Salomon's free 10-Step AI Strategy & Execution Roadmap to clarify the business problem, identify the right opportunities, decide what should remain human, and move from idea to execution. Clarity first. Tools second. Humans always: https://dub.sh/thp-roadmap-riversideTechnology is changing quickly. The human questions matter just as much. Subscribe to The Human Protocol newsletter for weekly perspectives on AI, leadership, work, and what it means to stay human while building the future: https://dub.sh/thp-newsletter-riverside