The judgment AI does not replace
Know when to use an AI answer, when to question it and who remains responsible.
Keynote, executive briefing, half-day workshopRead the outlineFounding Director, AIR APAC
AI can draft the plan. It cannot decide whether the plan is right.
I help leaders make better decisions with AI. The answer is not the decision. When an answer looks convincing, how do you know whether to act on it?
Most recently, I spoke at the 10th TPO Forum in Taichung on 17 September 2026, with around 500 delegates from Asia Pacific city tourism organisations.
I help leaders question an AI answer without dismissing it.
I help leadership teams work out when to use an AI answer and when to question it. My keynotes and workshops focus on decisions people recognise from their own work. I bring 25 years of advisory and leadership experience, including service transformation at HSBC Global Resourcing for 33,000 front-line employees and 10 million customers. I also write about judgment in The Human Layer.
- 25years in advisory and leadership across Asia Pacific, the UK, the US and Australia
- 33,000front-line employees in the HSBC Global Resourcing service programme, 2005 to 2008
- 10million customers served by that programme
- 2,000delegates at SEOCON Jakarta, March 2023
What I argue
A convincing AI answer can still be the wrong answer to use.
Judgment is deciding whether to use an AI answer, what to check first and what you are prepared to stand behind.
I don’t argue that people should always overrule AI. Following it without question can be a mistake. Rejecting it without reason can be one too. I’m interested in how people decide between those two responses.
Keynotes
I speak about judgment when leaders work with AI.
I offer three talks, alongside executive briefings, workshops and panels. Choose the topic closest to the questions your audience is facing.
What AI systems say about your destination
Decide how to respond when AI describes your destination inaccurately.
Keynote, panel, executive briefingRead the outlineGoverning what you cannot see
Make responsibility for AI descriptions clear, rather than leaving it to the marketing team.
Keynote, panel, half-day workshopRead the outline
Choose the format
Choose the time and the size of the group.
- Keynote45 minutes.
- Executive briefing90 minutes, up to 25 people.
- Half-day workshopCapped at 30 people.
- Panel or moderationBy arrangement.
Tell me about the event.
Fees on request. Reduced or waived for member-city convenings, associations and non-profit programmes. I travel from Singapore.
Contact meRecord
I’ve spoken to rooms of 20 and audiences of around 2,000.
My speaking record includes leadership groups, technology audiences and public officials.
| When | Event | Audience | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 2026 | 10th TPO Forum, Taichung, Taiwan | Around 500 delegates from Asia Pacific city tourism organisations | Delivered |
| May 2026 | Tourism Promotion Organization, Session 2, Asia Pacific | Around 20 officials from 11 member cities | Delivered |
| Mar 2023 | SEOCON, Jakarta, Indonesia | Around 2,000 delegates | Delivered |
| Earlier | Google Campus South Korea, Seoul | Founder and startup community | Delivered |
| Earlier | PIKOM GBS Summit, Malaysia | National technology industry association | Delivered |
| Earlier | INSEAD Malaysia MBA, GenAI leadership sessions | MBA cohort | Delivered |
Other experience
I’ve also facilitated at The CEO Institute Australia. I was selected for the Korean government startup accelerator with WeWork and Harvard Business School.
Archive recording
My full SEOCON Jakarta keynote is available as a 28-minute archive recording. It covers generative AI and prompt engineering in March 2023, not my current keynote topics. View the recording
The book
The Human Layer
What the 5% of AI winners build that everyone else skips
At twenty-nine, I delivered 241 per cent sales growth at Electrolux and was dismissed within the year. The result had broken the team that produced it. I wrote The Human Layer about why getting the technology right is not enough, and what leaders need to do about the people doing the work.
The book is written, at 416 pages. Publication to be announced.
Read about the bookWhere this sits
My speaking and writing sit alongside AIR APAC.
I’m the Founding Director of AIR APAC. Here, I write and speak in my own name. Exeter Labs builds and operates the software.
For an introduction to working with AI, AIR APAC offers a free level-one programme. Explore the free programme AIR APAC also publishes articles and a field guide for managers.
Insights
My latest writing on judgment and AI
I write about using AI at work, including the arguments I think deserve more attention and the mistakes worth discussing.
What should a board ask about AI-supported decisions?
Management says AI now supports its decisions. These are the questions a board can put to management to know whether those decisions are sound. None of them is technical.
Read the pieceWhen is it right to automate a decision?
A senior leader is asked to let an AI decide a whole group of decisions alone. Here is the test I'd use on that proposal, and one made-up decision that shows why it matters.
Read the pieceWhy do reports on AI use hide how people decide?
A report on AI use counts how much AI is used. It doesn't show how anyone decided with what the AI gave them. Here's what that leaves out, and what a leader can ask for beside it.
Read the pieceSounding right is a style, not a signal
An AI answer now arrives finished. In my experience it sounds just as sure when it is wrong. That changes what a leader has to do before the answer becomes a decision.
Read the piece