Ethics at Scale: Navigating AI Risk | Reid Blackman | 648

What happens when a philosopher, a pyrotechnics entrepreneur, and a tech ethicist walk into a boardroom? You get Reid Blackman—author of "Ethical Machines", host of a podcast by the same name, and founder of Virtue, a consultancy helping Fortune 500 companies navigate the ethical risks of AI. In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, we explore the collision of ethics, emerging tech, and organizational complexity. Reid shares his unorthodox journey from selling fireworks out of a Honda to advising top executives on responsible AI. He discusses how AI creeps into organizations like a Trojan horse—through HR, marketing, and internal development—bringing serious ethical challenges with it. Reid explains why frameworks are often oversimplified tools, why every client engagement must be bespoke, and why most companies still don’t know who should own AI risk. We dive into the business realities of AI risk management, the importance of moving fast in low-risk sectors like CPG, and the surprising reluctance of high-risk industries like healthcare to embrace AI. Reid also outlines how startups and tech-native firms often underestimate the need for ethical oversight, and why that’s a gamble few can afford. If you want to understand how to future-proof your brand’s reputation in an AI-driven world—or just love a good story about risk-taking, philosophy, and Led Zeppelin-fueled entrepreneurship—this is the episode for you. Three Key Takeaways: • AI Risk Is Organizational, Not Just Technical Ethical AI risk isn’t the sole responsibility of the CIO or tech team—it's a company-wide issue. AI often enters through non-technical departments like HR or marketing, creating reputational and legal risks that leadership must manage proactively. • Frameworks Are Overrated—Bespoke Solutions Win Reid challenges the reliance on generic frameworks in thought leadership. Instead, he emphasizes the need for bespoke, agile solutions that are deeply informed by organizational structure, goals, and readiness. • Reputation Drives Readiness for Ethical AI Large brands in low-risk sectors (like CPG) are often quicker to adopt ethical AI practices because the reputational stakes are high. In contrast, high-risk sectors (like healthcare) are slower due to the complexity and fear surrounding AI implementation. If the episode with Reid Blackman sparked your interest in the ethical implications of thought leadership in rapidly evolving fields like AI, then you’ll find a compelling parallel in our conversation with Linda Fisher Thornton. Linda dives into the broader responsibilities of thought leaders to ensure their content is not just smart, but also ethical, inclusive, and meaningful. While Reid examines AI as a fast-moving ethical challenge that demands bespoke, responsible oversight, Linda zooms out to highlight how thought leadership, in any domain, must be built on a foundation of trust, transparency, and long-term value creation. Both episodes challenge leaders to do more than inform—they must lead with conscience and intention. Listen to Linda’s episode to explore how ethics can—and must—be the throughline of every thought leadership strategy.

Om Podcasten

Welcome to the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast, a beacon illuminating the paths and possibilities of thought leadership. With your guides, Peter Winick and Bill Sherman, we will embark on a journey into a captivating world where ideas converge with strategy and insight. Where will thought leadership take you? In each episode, we engage with thought leaders from diverse backgrounds. Whether it’s professional keynote speaking, writing your own thought leadership book, investigating the niche expertise of specialized consultants, or crossing mental swords with distinguished academics, our guests collectively paint a vivid mosaic of thought leadership's multifaceted potential. Through nuanced perspectives and rich experience, our talented co-hosts aim to offer you views of the ways independent thought leaders navigate success, elevate talent, and change company culture – while simultaneously examining how organizations harness the power of thought leadership to catalyze innovation and nurture sustainable growth. Peter Winick is your guide through the realm of independent thought leadership. For the past two decades, he has helped individuals and organizations build and grow revenue streams through designing and growing their thought leadership platforms as well as acting as a guide and advisor for increasing business to business sales of thought leadership products. Peter is the Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage. His clients come from a diverse set of backgrounds and specialties. They include New York Times bestselling business book authors, members of the Speakers’ Hall of Fame, recipients of the Thinkers50 award, CEOs of public and privately held companies, and academics at prestigious institutions such as Yale, Wharton, Dartmouth, and London School of Business. With a keen eye for detail, he delves into the intricacies of crafting personal brands, fostering genuine engagement with audiences, and expertly monetizing one's expertise. From the artistry of crafting keynote speeches that resonate with audiences to the strategic deployment of bestselling books as conduits for inspiration and insight, Peter's guests offer a treasure trove of strategies for creating value and impact and driving revenue through thought leadership. Bill Sherman specializes in the exploration of organizational thought leadership. He examines how companies conceive, curate, and deploy thought leadership initiatives, and how those initiatives benefit the orgs and the people who work within them. Bill listens to the stories and advice of industry leaders and their triumphs within the competitive business landscape. Whether through the dissemination of white papers that shape industry discourse, webinars that educate and engage, or insightful executive blogs that offer thought leadership at the highest echelons of corporate governance, Bill's guests provide illuminating perspectives on the evolution of organizational thought leadership and its pivotal role in shaping industry paradigms and perceptions. Bill concentrates on organizational consulting and business expertise, investigating organizational thought leadership and its effects, from instructional design and learning product development to marketing strategy and execution, to organizational development and transformational consulting. He enjoys working with business leaders, speakers, authors, academics, and other consultants, connecting their ideas organizational platforms and enterprise-ready product development. As the series unfolds, Peter and Bill will lead us through a nuanced exploration of the latest trends and advancements in thought leadership. From the transformative impact of technology on communication and collaboration to the evolving preferences of consumers in an increasingly digital marketplace, they will dissect the shifting landscape with precision and insight. Moreover, they will shine a spotlight on emerging modalities that are reshaping the contours of thought leadership, from the ascendance of virtual events as a cornerstone of engagement to the growing influence of social media platforms as conduits for thought dissemination and audience interaction. Through their discerning analysis, they will reveal how thought leaders can adeptly harness these trends to amplify their reach, captivate new audiences, and maximize their influence in an ever-evolving business environment. Whether you find yourself at the height of your career as a seasoned thought leader, or whether you stand at the threshold of possibility as an aspiring entrepreneur, the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast offers an enriching voyage of discovery. Join us as we unravel the enigmatic secrets to success in the vibrant realm of thought leadership, where ideas have the power to shape perceptions, drive change, and inspire action. Together, let us explore how you, too, can engineer value, evoke impact, and cultivate revenue through the sheer power of your ideas and expertise. Welcome aboard.