Subscribe for more: https://thinkfuture.comConnect with Peter: https://peterashbysmith.substack.com---What if the best way to survive technological chaos… is a 2,000-year-old philosophy?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Peter Ashby-Smith, Australian academic and author of The Stoic Futurist, about how Stoicism and futurism combine into a practical framework for navigating the AI era.Peter argues that most people are overwhelmed because they’re trying to control th...
May 13, 2026•39 min
subscribe here: https://thinkfuture.comconnect with mango aggro: https://techtensions.substack.com---In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Mango Aggro (TechTensions Substack) about one of the most overlooked consequences of AI: the collapse of entry-level roles and the emergence of what he calls the “messy middle.”As AI automates junior-level tasks—like building presentations in minutes instead of days—companies are hiring fewer entry-level workers. That might look ef...
May 06, 2026•38 min
Read more: https://thinkfuture.comConnect with Ashley: https://notsorryashley.substack.comWhat if the life you built… isn’t actually yours?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Ashley Butler, entrepreneur, former physician, and founder of MySherry, about walking away from success—and what comes after.Ashley’s journey is anything but conventional. From growing up in poverty to building a career in medicine, then launching a fast-growing startup, she did everything “rig...
Apr 01, 2026•56 min
Every new technology disrupts business. From the fax machine to email to Slack, each wave of innovation has changed how organizations communicate, collaborate, and build relationships. Now AI is the next major shift. In this episode of thinkfuture , host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Gal Borenstein about how artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing, sales, and leadership — and why the real challenge isn’t technology. It’s trust. Gal explains how digital communication has gradually replaced ...
Mar 18, 2026•34 min
Read more: https://thinkfuture.comConnect with Lee: https://substack.com/@winterouroborosWhat happens when you can’t tell what’s real anymore?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with writer Lee Winter (creator of Winter Ouroboros) about the erosion of trust online, the rise of AI-generated content, and whether “truth” will even matter in the next decade.Lee shares why he moved from X to Substack, citing the toxicity of algorithm-driven feeds and the decline of meaningful...
Mar 04, 2026•35 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.comConnect with Orel: https://writestack.io---What does it really take to build a product as a solo founder?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Orel, software developer and founder of WriteStack, a tool designed specifically for Substack creators to manage notes, content, and publishing workflows.Orel’s story isn’t overnight success. Before WriteStack, he built and shut down 12 failed startups. Instead of quitting, he used each failure ...
Feb 25, 2026•31 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.comConnect with Nick: https://www.trustmadegrowth.com---What if the open internet is already dead—and trust is the real battleground?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Nick Richtsmeier, founder of Trust Made Growth, about the collapse of digital trust and the rise of what he calls a techno-feudalist society.Nick argues that today’s digital world is dominated by rent-seeking platforms that neurologically overrun users with anxiety, exha...
Feb 18, 2026•36 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.comConnect with Gaurab: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurab-bansal/---What happens when technology moves faster than trust, regulation, and social systems?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Gaurab Bansal, founder of Responsible Innovation Labs, about why startups—especially those building AI and emerging technologies—can no longer afford to ignore responsibility, culture, and long-term impact.Gaurab explains that responsible innovation ...
Feb 11, 2026•36 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Taylin: https://taylinsimmonds.substack.com---Why is creative work so emotionally powerful—and yet so hard to monetize?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Taylin John Simmonds, musician, educator, and online creator, about the real challenges creatives face when trying to turn passion into sustainable income.Taylin shares his personal journey—from struggling as a musician to building a more stable life through t...
Feb 04, 2026•59 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Jordan: https://www.jpprince.com---AI is everywhere—but not everyone wants it. What happens when tech hype collides with creative backlash?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Jonathan Smith (JP Prince), a technologist working inside VC-backed startups and the author of the upcoming cyberpunk novel The Mess. Living in both worlds has given JP a rare vantage point on one of the biggest cultural fractures of our ti...
Jan 28, 2026•48 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordon-millward-13115600---Our education system was built for the industrial age—so why are we still using it in the age of AI?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Jordon, a PhD student at Imperial College London and founder of Ask Jordon Ltd, an education consultancy focused on making learning more accessible, engaging, and future-ready.Jordon argues that modern education is s...
Jan 21, 2026•35 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Steve: https://stevebrown.ai---What happens when technology moves faster than our ability to forecast it?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Steve Brown, veteran technologist, former Intel futurist, and former member of Google DeepMind’s AI research lab. With over 35 years of experience across high-tech, digital transformation, and AI, Steve offers a rare long-view perspective on where we are—and why predicting ...
Jan 14, 2026•39 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Zoher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zzkaru/---Everyone talks about AI—but it’s data that still decides what works and what fails.In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Zoher Karu, data and analytics leader with a PhD in engineering and experience at McKinsey, eBay, Citibank, Sears, and Blue Shield of California. Zoher now works with Taelor, a men’s clothing rental subscription service using data and AI to personaliz...
Jan 07, 2026•32 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Ari: https://thetrustbook.com---What if the reason people hate selling… is because selling doesn’t work anymore?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis sits down with Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game and pioneer of trust-based selling, to challenge everything we think we know about sales.After 25 years in the field, Ari realized the problem wasn’t technique, persuasion, or closing tactics—it was mindset. Traditional sales...
Dec 31, 2025•30 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Jared: https://cryptoconfidence.substack.comIs crypto misunderstood—or deliberately misrepresented?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Jared Busby, writer of the Crypto Confidence Substack, about the real differences between crypto and blockchain, why scams dominate the headlines, and what the long-term future of money may actually look like.Jared breaks down why many companies avoid the word “crypto” while stil...
Dec 17, 2025•48 min
Connect with the future: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Kevin: https://www.kevinsurace.com---AI isn’t just changing business—it’s changing everything.In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis talks with Kevin Surace, a technologist and AI advocate, about how artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming industries, creativity, and human life itself.Kevin shares how he uses AI to generate product designs, market analyses, and business insights in hours—work that used t...
Dec 10, 2025•31 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Bojan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bojansimic---Passwords were supposed to die 20 years ago—so why are we still using them?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis talks with Bojan Simic, co-founder and CEO of HYPR, a cybersecurity company on a mission to finally eliminate passwords for good.Bojan shares how a personal hacking experience early in his career sparked his obsession with fixing identity security. That moment eventua...
Dec 03, 2025•32 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Greg: https://gregwolford.substack.com---Can AI make you a better writer—or does it risk flattening creativity?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis sits down with Greg Wolford, a writer who uses AI tools like ChatGPT to supercharge his creative process—without losing his human voice. Greg shares how he uses AI to generate plot ideas, refine language, and get feedback while keeping the soul of storytelling intact.Together, th...
Nov 05, 2025•36 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Olga: https://olia.art---If “success” is just a story we’ve been sold—what does it mean to live on your own terms?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Olga Zalite, illustrator and creative thinker, about how our understanding of success has been hijacked by external forces—and what it means to reclaim it in an AI-driven world.They question whether “success” even exists as a meaningful concept or if it’s just a so...
Oct 29, 2025•37 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Ibby: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibby/---Can AI actually be trusted to make decisions? In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis sits down with Ibby, founder of Cotera, a platform making it easier for non-technical people to build powerful AI agents that solve real-world problems—without the hallucinations.Cotera acts as a translation layer between business needs and technical AI capabilities, empowering teams to automate comple...
Oct 22, 2025•36 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Luke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukearrigoni/---In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis talks with Luke Arrigoni, founder and CEO of Loti, a company on a mission to protect your digital identity. Loti scans the internet to find where your face or voice is being used without consent—in scams, deepfakes, or explicit content—and gets it taken down, often within minutes.What started as a side project after Luke’s AI consulting wo...
Oct 15, 2025•31 min
See more: thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Shahzeb: https://shahzebali.com/---Meet the world’s youngest certified Python developer—and the founder of an AI startup.In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis talks with Shahzeb Ali, a 17-year-old entrepreneur from Pakistan who’s already the youngest certified Python developer recognized by the Python Institute and IBM. He’s also the author of Data Science for Teens and the founder of DevelMo, an AI startup helping businesses scale w...
Oct 08, 2025•33 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.com Connect with Maya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackerma/ --- Is AI here to replace creativity—or to unlock more of it? In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Maya Ackerman, generative AI pioneer and founder of WaveAI, one of the earliest startups in the space. Maya has been exploring the frontier of human–AI collaboration in creativity for over a decade, and she shares her perspective on how we should really think about these ...
Oct 01, 2025•43 min
Google Ads is getting more complex, more automated—and harder for small businesses to control. Can AI level the playing field? In this episode of thinkfuture , host Chris Kalaboukis sits down with David , founder and CEO of Groas , to talk about how AI is reshaping advertising and why his company is tackling one of the biggest challenges in digital marketing: optimizing Google Ads for real profitability. David shares how Groas began as a landing-page optimization tool for advertisers and has sin...
Sep 24, 2025•35 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Loreta: https://www.loreta.today---As AI-generated content floods the workplace, how do companies keep communication authentic and human?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis sits down with Loreta, founder of Loreta Today, to explore the future of corporate communication, leadership alignment, and the role of authenticity in an AI-driven world.With a background in journalism, corporate video, and now advising executives, Lore...
Sep 17, 2025•33 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.com Connect with Phillip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-swan/--- Every week, it seems, a new AI demo makes headlines. But as Phillip Swan , co-founder of Iridius , points out—most of these flashy prototypes never make it into production. Why? Because enterprises can’t afford to gamble with compliance, security, and governance. That’s the problem Iridius was built to solve. In our thinkfuture conversation, Phillip explains how their platform provides a...
Sep 10, 2025•41 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Bruce: https://bruceclay.com---AI is changing search forever—and the old rules of SEO may no longer apply.In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Bruce Clay, an early pioneer of search engine optimization who literally coined the term “SEO” back in the 1990s. Bruce has been on the front lines of search since AltaVista and InfoSeek—and now, he’s sounding the alarm about how AI assistants like ChatGPT are rewriting th...
Sep 02, 2025•1 hr 8 min
See More: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect With Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-bigdeli-5310b923/---Why the next wave of AI won’t just answer questions—it will explore, sense, and predict.In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis talks with Sam Bigdeli, co-founder and CEO of KavAI, about his vision for Curious AI—a new approach that moves beyond language models to create AI that actively engages with the physical world.Sam explains why today’s AI systems are like “savants...
Aug 27, 2025•40 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Jillian: https://tenpermissions.com---Learning how to embrace change, reclaim agency, and build a future on your own terms.In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis talks with Jillian Reilly, founder of Antacara, about how to navigate profound change in uncertain times and why reclaiming your personal agency is the most important skill of the 21st century.Jillian believes that fear of change keeps most of us trapped in outdated r...
Aug 20, 2025•34 min
See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcasella/---How hospitality automation is evolving to work with humans, not replace them.When you think of robots in hospitality, you might picture cold, impersonal service. But Matt, co-founder of RichTech Robotics, has a completely different vision—one where automation enhances human connection instead of erasing it.In this week’s episode of thinkfuture, we talked about how RichTech is building AI-po...
Aug 13, 2025•35 min
