Humanizing AI Transformation with Michelle Caryn Paul
Tue Jan 20 2026
In this episode of Humain Org, organizational psychologist Michelle Caryn Paul joins the show to discuss why the leap to Artificial Intelligence is less about software installation and more about human mindset readiness. Drawing from her roots as the daughter of a labor attorney and her career in Silicon Valley, Michelle explains why traditional, top-down digital transformation models are failing in the age of AI—where 95% of company pilots are currently struggling to see a return.
Key Conversations in this Episode:
Mindset as Infrastructure: Why we must shift from "technology readiness" to "mindset readiness," focusing on trust, credibility, and the micro-decisions employees make every day.The New Leadership Playbook: Moving beyond prescriptive rollouts to creating a "self-reinforcing system" where teams use weekly showcases to share both AI wins and lessons learned.Ethical AI & Decision Rights: How to democratize the intake process for new tools and ensure that "escalating a problem" is celebrated as a positive organizational value.Women as Architects of AI: A look at the three patterns of female leadership—human outcomes, systems thinking, and coalition building—and why these are vital for successful AI adoption.AI as a Team Member: Exploring the "chair in the room" concept, where AI acts as a proxy for diverse customer voices and helps automate monotonous tasks to unlock human potential."We’re not installing software... we have to check whether humans are ready to adopt AI. Where is trust solid, and where is it wiggly?" — Michelle Caryn Paul
https://equifinalitysolutions.com/
https://www.womenshapingai.org/
https://www.humain.org/
Send us a text
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2390159
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In this episode of Humain Org, organizational psychologist Michelle Caryn Paul joins the show to discuss why the leap to Artificial Intelligence is less about software installation and more about human mindset readiness. Drawing from her roots as the daughter of a labor attorney and her career in Silicon Valley, Michelle explains why traditional, top-down digital transformation models are failing in the age of AI—where 95% of company pilots are currently struggling to see a return. Key Conversations in this Episode: Mindset as Infrastructure: Why we must shift from "technology readiness" to "mindset readiness," focusing on trust, credibility, and the micro-decisions employees make every day.The New Leadership Playbook: Moving beyond prescriptive rollouts to creating a "self-reinforcing system" where teams use weekly showcases to share both AI wins and lessons learned.Ethical AI & Decision Rights: How to democratize the intake process for new tools and ensure that "escalating a problem" is celebrated as a positive organizational value.Women as Architects of AI: A look at the three patterns of female leadership—human outcomes, systems thinking, and coalition building—and why these are vital for successful AI adoption.AI as a Team Member: Exploring the "chair in the room" concept, where AI acts as a proxy for diverse customer voices and helps automate monotonous tasks to unlock human potential."We’re not installing software... we have to check whether humans are ready to adopt AI. Where is trust solid, and where is it wiggly?" — Michelle Caryn Paul https://equifinalitysolutions.com/ https://www.womenshapingai.org/ https://www.humain.org/ Send us a text https://www.buzzsprout.com/2390159