Is AI the silver bullet for safety, or a double-edged sword we need to handle with care? In this wide-ranging conversation, I’m joined by Martin Maran, a veteran safety professional turned AI practitioner, who offers a grounded, practical update on how AI is reshaping our world of safety and risk management. We dig into what’s working, what’s worrying, and where opportunity lies for those willing to engage with technology with intention, humility, and clarity.

This isn’t just a theoretical debate, it’s a toolkit of insights for anyone looking to make smarter, more human decisions in an increasingly digital world.

🎯 Highlights

• Keep humans in the loop: Why accountability and oversight can’t be outsourced to algorithms
• Trust vs transparency: How to avoid the “black box” trap and build systems people believe in
• Culture amplifies tech: AI won’t fix poor safety culture—it will multiply what already exists
• Pain over pitch: Focus your tech investment on solving real problems, not chasing shiny tools
• Pilots with purpose: Why meaningful trials beat big promises when implementing new systems
• From data to decisions: Using AI to turn years of incident reports into actionable insight
• Tech can cause risk too: Overreliance, false positives, and when automation gets it wrong
• The SME advantage: Why small organisations don’t need big budgets to benefit from AI

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmaran/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/