Thank you for being part of my session at CPHR Alberta

The After Show

In the latest episode of The After Show, hosts dive into Shawn Kanungo's thought-provoking session at CPHR Alberta

KEY TAKEAWAYS (an AI-Output with Hallucinations)

AI AGENTS & AGentic workflows

  • n8n - Workflow automation

  • Cursor - Coding agent

  • Comet by Perplexity - Best Agentic Browser - browse the internet with AI and get stuff done

  • Lindy - Build an AI agent - great for AI automation

LLM

Text-to-App

  • Lovable - Build any app with agentic reasoning (best at front-end)

  • v0 by Vercel - Text-to-Webpage (really good front-end)

  • Replit - Idea-to-App (best for full app)

Text-to-IMAGE/VIDEO

Research & other

  • NotebookLM - Research and the two AI podcast hosts that you see above :)

  • Google AI Studio - Real-time AI co-presence

  • Clay - AI Outbound Sales | Generating lists of emails and sending cold outreach

  • Figjam - Whiteboarding Ideas | Brainstorming | Organizing

Briefing: Innovation, AI, and the Agentic Era

Executive Summary

The current AI revolution marks a pivotal shift from content generation to autonomous action. This new "agentic" era, where AI systems can independently execute tasks, is poised to unlock extraordinary value—potentially 1,000 times that of the generative AI wave. To capitalize on this, organizations must adopt a human-centric approach that strategically pairs AI with human strengths. This involves designing systems that add intentional "friction" to build trust and create memorable experiences, while deploying agentic workflows to eliminate administrative drudgery. The ultimate goal is to move away from the assembly-line model and amplify individuals, enabling them to focus on uniquely human, high-value work. Success requires embracing a mindset of continuous disruption, starting with the challenge to "automate 100% of your job," and establishing new guardrails to combat the erosion of digital trust in an age of sophisticated deepfakes.

The Dawn of the Agentic Revolution

The era of generative AI, dominated by tools like ChatGPT for content creation from late 2022 to 2024, is evolving into a more powerful phase focused on autonomous action. This next wave is defined by "agenticness"—the ability of software to have agency and actively accomplish tasks. While the innovations in content creation were significant, the move towards autonomous agents represents a paradigm shift that will unlock immense organizational value.

From Workflows to True Agents

Agentic AI exists on a spectrum, from simple workflows to fully autonomous systems:

• Large Language Model (LLM) Workflows: These are step-by-step, recipe-like processes. An example is an AI that summarizes a meeting conversation and automatically sends a follow-up email. These are often referred to as "workflow agents."

• True Agents: These are AI systems that are "autonomously on, that's 24/7 that can get stuff done." They are persistent, event-driven, and operate with minimal human initiation. While true agents are still emerging, they represent the ultimate goal of this revolution.

The core insight is that as we move along this spectrum, the leverage provided to individuals and organizations increases exponentially.

Practical Demonstrations of Agentic AI

The potential of agentic AI can be demonstrated through practical, rapidly developed applications:

1. Employee Onboarding: A Netflix-style onboarding platform for the Edmonton Oilers was conceptualized and designed using AI tools. By providing a prompt to an AI, a complete design and codebase for an interactive platform—featuring modules on company history, roles, and even learning profiles with day streaks—was generated. The speaker noted, "in 2025, the most dangerous skill in the world is just coming up with an idea."

2. 24/7 HR Assistance: An AI agent was created for CPABC to act as a multilingual, always-on resource for prospective members. The agent could answer specific questions about public practice requirements and even translate its responses into other languages, such as Japanese, on command.

3. Workforce Management: A Malaysian shop owner with no technical skills created an agentic workflow using a tool called Lindy to manage her employees. The system uses WhatsApp to prompt employees when they arrive and leave work, sends them their schedules, and automates data entry, solving persistent issues with tardiness and miscommunication.

The Paradox of Friction in a Seamless World

As technology strives to make every interaction frictionless and efficient, a critical human element is being lost. The constant drive for optimization has created a "frictionless world" where human interaction is minimized, leading to rising expectations and eroding trust.

"We've turned everything into its most efficient form. We've turned everything into its most efficient dopamine hit."

The Black Hole of Mediocrity

In this environment, two types of organizations will succeed:

1. Frictionless Giants: Companies like Amazon and McDonald's that double down on making services fast, efficient, and consistent.

2. High-Friction Artisans: Businesses like Four Seasons or Hermès that deliberately slow things down to create exceptional, high-touch experiences centered on craftsmanship and human moments.

The danger lies in the middle, a space described as the "Black Hole of mediocrity." HR processes, from onboarding to recruitment, should be intentionally designed to be either incredibly fast and efficient or deliberately slowed down to be meaningful, magical, and memorable.

Designing for Humanity with Intentional Friction

Intentional friction is about re-introducing human touches to build trust and create lasting value. An anecdote about a stay at a hotel in Dubai illustrates this principle perfectly. The speaker's greatest fear is oversleeping and missing a presentation. Beyond setting multiple iPhone alarms, he always requests a wake-up call. At this particular hotel, the receptionist asked a question he had never heard before: "Would you like us to gently knock on your door if you don't wake up?"

This small, thoughtful gesture, a moment of designed friction, signaled a deep level of care. It demonstrated that the hotel staff were "deeply cared for" and committed to their guests, creating a powerful sense of trust that a purely automated system could not replicate.

Human-Centric AI: Amplifying Individuals Over Assembly Lines

For a century, organizations have been built around the assembly line model introduced by Henry Ford, which turned humans into "productive cogs." We have created assembly lines of accountants, engineers, and HR professionals, building our organizations around processes and systems rather than people and their unique strengths.

AI presents a historic opportunity to reverse this trend. The core premise of human-centric AI is to build organizations around the individual, using AI agents to automate the tasks that drain energy and talent, thereby amplifying each person's unique abilities.

The "Above the Line vs. Below the Line" Framework

A compelling philosophy for re-imagining work is to divide tasks into two categories:

• Above the Line: Strategic, innovative, and creative work. This includes dreaming, exploring new ideas, and optimizing the business.

• Below the Line: The administrative and repetitive tasks that consume time, energy, and talent, ultimately stealing joy from work.

The "line" itself represents the habits and routines that need to be in place to create space for "above the line" activities. AI is the most powerful tool in history to automate the "below the line" work, freeing up human potential for what truly matters.

"The paradox is that actually by including AI and giving people AI agents, now we can actually make work more human."

The Ultimate Challenge: Automate 100% of Your Job

To fully embrace this new paradigm, every individual should be challenged to figure out how to automate 100% of their current job. This exercise forces a fundamental re-evaluation of one's role and value.

• It reveals which tasks are automatable and which require irreplaceable human skill.

• It unlocks the ability to focus on work that is passionate and creates true value.

• The individual who develops the skills to automate their job becomes the most valuable person in any organization.

As Albert Hubbard's quote suggests, while a machine can do the work of many ordinary people, it cannot do the work of one extraordinary person who has mastered leverage.

Navigating the AI Revolution

Successfully integrating AI requires both a tactical approach to using the tools and a strategic understanding of the risks, particularly the erosion of digital trust.

Overcoming Fear Through Action

Fear of AI is a common reaction, often stemming from a lack of hands-on experience. The advice given is direct: "Work scared until you become scary. Work scared until you become dangerous." Individuals who immerse themselves in the technology, experimenting and building proficiency, consistently move from fear to empowerment. They stop asking "Will this take my job?" and start asking "What can I build? What can I create?"

In this new world, the old adage "knowledge is power" is obsolete. Superintelligence is already here; AI tools can produce deep research reports on any topic instantly. The limiting factor is not knowledge, but boldness.

"The question that I think that is most important is not do I know enough, but am I bold enough to act on what I already know?"

The End of Digital Trust

The most profound negative implication of AI is that it "marks the end of digital trust." The ability to create sophisticated audio and video deepfakes will become increasingly seamless, making it impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is fake online. This will lead to an age of "infinite hell," characterized by hyper-targeted blackmail, scams, and synthetic relationships.

This reality requires a new set of personal and organizational protocols. For example, families and businesses may need to establish "safe words" to verify identities during phone or video calls, as anyone's voice and likeness can be replicated. Trust must be re-engineered, moving away from blind faith in digital information and towards deliberate verification.

AI as a Compassionate Onboarding Tool

Paradoxically, AI can be more compassionate than humans in certain contexts, particularly learning and development. A key impediment to learning is pride—the fear of looking foolish by asking a "dumb question." An AI, however, is a non-judgmental teacher. It will be on 24/7, answer questions infinitely, and never judge the user. This makes it an incredible accelerant for onboarding and training, as it allows employees to learn without fear.

The AI Revolution:

  • Generative AI's Potential: Shawn highlights how AI, especially generative AI, is transforming work by democratizing it. He draws parallels with the internet's impact on knowledge, emphasizing that AI will revolutionize how tasks are performed.

  • Generative AI Era (2023-2024)

    • Shawn recaps how ChatGPT launched in late 2022 and captured the world’s attention.

    • 2023 and 2024 became the era of “generative AI,” with widespread use of tools like ChatGPT for writing, image generation, deep fakes, etc.

    Transition to 2025: The Agentic Era

    • The speaker asserts that the “generative AI revolution” is now “over.”

    • We’re entering a new wave in 2025, referred to as the “agentic” revolution, or the agentic era.

    • Key premise: AI agents will be the next huge disruptor, providing 10x to 1000x the value of generative AI alone.

    Why Agents?

    • An agent is software that can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of humans—mimicking what human employees might do but never sleeping or stopping.

    • Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang repeatedly referenced “agents” in his CES talk, highlighting their importance.

    Agents as the New Conversational Layer

    • In the ’90s, businesses needed websites.

    • In the 2000s-2010s, businesses needed apps and social media channels.

    • In 2025 and beyond, agents will become a critical “conversational layer” for organizations (internally and externally).

    • Companies will race to build their own brand-specific AI agents, and the challenge will be how to differentiate those agents.

  • AI marks "the end of trust" as it becomes harder to distinguish between AI-generated and human-created content. Shawn warns about the erosion of trust due to AI's ability to create indistinguishable deep fakes and simulations.

  • Shift from Knowledge Workers to Value Creators: As AI becomes more embedded in businesses, the most valuable jobs will no longer be knowledge-based but will center around creating value in new and innovative ways. Leaders must focus on being innovators, not just managing efficiencies​

  • We live in an age of "infinite leverage" where individuals can do more with less using various tools and resources.

  • AI as a Starting Point: The concept "the end is now the beginning" highlights a shift in how we approach creative and development processes. Rather than seeing AI-generated outputs as final products, they are considered starting points that inspire and guide further human creativity.

  • AI is the next communication layer: Just like the internet, websites, and apps, AI agents will become ubiquitous, transforming how we interact with clients and information. Kanungo predicts, "By the end of next year, every company in this room will have one AI agent or multiple or hundreds."

  • Iterative Creation: By generating numerous initial ideas or drafts using AI, the creative process becomes iterative. This allows for a broad exploration of possibilities before honing in on the final deliverable through human refinement and creativity.

  • Rapid Prototyping: The example of generating a hundred websites, apps, or analyses with the help of AI emphasizes the efficiency and speed with which initial concepts can be developed. This rapid prototyping accelerates the innovation cycle.

  • Creative Catalyst: AI serves as a catalyst for innovation by providing a multitude of starting points. It breaks the traditional linear progression of project development and encourages a more dynamic and flexible approach

  • AI-Driven Efficiency: Tools like Midjourney can generate multiple creative options for advertisements in seconds, providing companies with the flexibility to test and optimize their campaigns efficiently

The Concept of DEEPLY CARING:

  • Reliability and genuine care are foundational to building trust, both in technology and human interactions.

  • Exceptional service goes beyond basic expectations, creating memorable experiences that differentiate a business.

  • Personalized attention and proactive problem-solving significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

  • Investing in employee well-being and growth fosters a positive work culture, leading to increased job satisfaction and performance.

  • Recognizing and valuing employees' contributions, even extending to their families, can create strong emotional connections to the workplace.

  • Empowerment is a two-pronged approach: providing cutting-edge tools (like AI) and demonstrating deep care for individuals.

  • Genuine care is a strategic business advantage, driving both customer retention and employee innovation.

  • Creating a culture of care can transform service delivery, employee engagement, and ultimately, business outcomes.

  • The ripple effect of care extends beyond immediate interactions, influencing long-term relationships with both customers and employees.

  • Innovation thrives in environments where individuals feel valued, supported, and equipped with the right tools.

  • Care for Employees = Care for Customers: Organizations that deeply care for their employees tend to deliver superior customer service, as employee satisfaction directly translates to customer trust and satisfaction

    The Importance of Human-Centered Leadership

    • People Over Projects: A leadership philosophy that prioritizes people, such as letting employees take vacations despite client demands, fosters loyalty and long-term value for the business​.

    • High-Agency Cultures: Empowering people by combining technological tools with people-centric care creates "high-agency" employees who are proactive, innovative, and committed to the company’s mission​.

The Concept of Friction:

He advocates for maintaining trust through human-centric, meaningful, and memorable experiences.

  • Bringing Back Friction: In an increasingly frictionless world, Shawn argues for the value of friction in creating deeper, more authentic connections. He stresses that community management companies, unlike tech companies, thrive on trust and relationships, not just efficiency.

  • In a frictionless world, we need more friction.

  • Companies will win by being either extremely frictionless or extremely human - the middle ground is "the black hole of mediocrity."

Are you willing to look like a joke?

Shawn suggests that true innovation requires embracing uncertainty and discomfort - what he calls "the darkness." This idea challenges the common view that innovation is solely about achieving specific outcomes or results.

By focusing on identity rather than outcomes, Kanungo seems to be advocating for a mindset shift. He's suggesting that being an innovator is more about who you are and how you approach challenges, rather than just what you produce. This approach emphasizes qualities like curiosity, resilience, and willingness to take risks.

The question "Are you willing to be the innovator?" is provocative. It asks whether one is ready to:

  1. Embrace uncertainty and potential failure

  2. Challenge established norms and ways of thinking

  3. Cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation

  4. Persist in the face of setbacks and criticism

This perspective on innovation as an identity rather than just a process or outcome can be empowering. It suggests that anyone can be an innovator if they're willing to adopt certain attitudes and behaviors, regardless of their specific role or industry.

Disruption and Self-Disruption:

  • Leaders need to be willing to disrupt themselves.

  • Innovation isn't about thinking, it's about acting. It involves deliberately exposing yourself to challenges and suffering.

  • Small experiments and actions are key to starting the disruption process.

Embracing Innovation's Challenges

The Willingness to Look Foolish

  • True innovation requires embracing uncertainty and discomfort ("the darkness")

  • Focuses on identity rather than just outcomes

  • Requires qualities like curiosity, resilience, and risk-taking

Innovation as Universal Responsibility

  • Not a separate department but a mindset for everyone

  • Continuously asking how to improve

The Most Valuable Question

  • "What will you start today that scares you?"

  • Begins changing your story and challenging limits

Self-Disruption

  • The greatest challenge isn't scaling up (0 to 100)

  • It's having the courage to disrupt yourself and what's working (100 to 0)

Beyond Mountains

  • Success shouldn't breed complacency

  • There are always new heights after reaching what seemed like the summit

To Reach 5×, You Can’t Think 5 % Bigger—You Have to Go to Zero

Take any core process—finance approvals, R&D cycles, vessel maintenance—and ask: If we rebuilt this from scratch with today’s tech, what vanishes? What automates? What now demands more human warmth? Going “to zero” prevents incrementalism from smothering breakthroughs.

The Most Dangerous Person in the Room

It’s not the algorithm or the credentialed expert—it’s the individual who feels the fear, yet moves anyway. Bold + scared beats brilliant + stuck. Be that person, hire that person, partner with that person, and the future tips in your favor.

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