Are human-first teams possible in the age of AI? ft. Brandon Sammut of Zapier

Описание: Building deeply human teams in an increasingly automated world may sound like an oxymoron - but it isn’t. In fact, it should be #1 on your priority list. In this episode of The Future is Human, host Naomi Trickey welcomes Brandon Sammut, Chief People and AI Transformation Officer at Zapier, to explore why maintaining human connection is your competitive advantage, how to design AI adoption that enhances rather than replaces human creativity and the leadership behaviors that scale culture across 900+ distributed team members. From Zapier's three-pillar impact model (efficiency, quality, employee experience) to practical approaches for remote-first cultures that thrive, this episode unpacks it all.

YT Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to The Future is Human
01:38 What does a Chief People and AI Transformation Officer do?
06:45 The “Three-Part Impact Framework” for successful AI adoption
12:00 How recruiting ops and AI engineers co-build solutions
16:47 Building systems that enhance human creativity, not replace it
19:54 How to maintain human connection in remote-first environments
25:15 Why mission-driven teams outperform function-first teams
27:24 Hire people without degrees - prioritise skills
33:49 Performance management should apply to business outcomes, not AI adoption
39:05 Why liberal arts skills matter when it comes to AI fluency
42:33 Brandon’s rapid fire: myths about employee experience and culture
42:56 Remember - your core mission is non-negotiable
47:24 AI is the first technology where learning means doing
47:54 Key takeaways & closing thoughts