In this episode of Futurise, Rob Price is joined by Steve Bustin, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Hardy Plant Society, for a conversation that begins in the garden — and ends in the boardroom.

“Over the garden fence” is how knowledge used to be shared: informally, experientially, and across generations. Gardening expertise — like much business expertise — is rarely written as technical documentation. It is contextual, tacit, and learned through experience.

As organisations adopt AI and agentic systems, a similar challenge emerges: how do we translate deep domain knowledge into language that AI systems can understand — without losing meaning in the process?

This episode explores:

• How expert knowledge is traditionally passed down between generations

• Why tacit expertise is difficult to encode into AI systems

• The language gap between business specialists and AI technologists

• What agentic AI might mean for capturing and applying domain expertise

• Why successful AI adoption depends as much on terminology as technology

By deliberately using language that would resonate with gardeners rather than AI engineers, this conversation highlights a wider leadership lesson: AI systems only become valuable when they can engage meaningfully with real-world expertise.

If you’re a founder, investor, or executive navigating AI adoption, this episode offers a fresh perspective on knowledge transfer, AI leadership, and the future of artificial intelligence in practice.

Comments are open — where do you see gaps between business expertise and AI terminology in your organisation?

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This episode is dedicated to Jeune Price (1941-2023), passionate gardener and long time member of the Hardy Plant Society.