The World Economic Forum named cognitive flexibility a top workplace skill. Then we started outsourcing our thinking to AI — and losing it.

Inside Learning welcomes Waqas Ahmed, author of The Polymath, to discuss why cognitive flexibility is a crucial workplace skill and how outsourcing thinking to AI can erode it. Ahmed defines cognitive flexibility as both the ability to shift between domains and a higher-order capacity to handle complex, ill-structured situations, emphasising versatility as sustained adaptability amid accelerating change.

The conversation critiques modern siloed education and work cultures that push specialisation, contrasting them with more holistic, transdisciplinary approaches. Ahmed outlines his work with organisations to build two polymath competencies — versatility (a portfolio of skills and meta-learning to reduce resistance to change) and integration (breaking silo culture through interdisciplinary collaboration and interactional expertise).

He argues current LLMs tend toward safe, convergent outputs and describes the Da Vinci AI project aimed at provoking divergent, human-led creativity.

In this conversation, Waqas reveals:

• The two-tier definition of cognitive flexibility — and why Rand Spiro's "ill-structured domains" version matters most at work
• Why versatility beats agility: adapting once is easy, adapting consistently is the skill
• How pre-Renaissance thinkers were transdisciplinary by default — and how we built the silos
• Multidisciplinary vs interdisciplinary vs transdisciplinary — and why most "multidisciplinary teams" are still guarding their turf
• Why transformation projects fail: resistance to change is a legacy of specialisation
• The 1800s factory manager test — why meditation went from "doing nothing" to a productivity tool
• The two polymath competencies Waqas builds in organisations: versatility and integration
• What "interactional expertise" is — knowing enough to ask an expert a meaningful question
• Why today's LLMs converge on the statistical mean — and what the Da Vinci AI project is doing differently
• Why radical innovation comes from synthesising diverse perspectives

Chapters:

00:00 Podcast Intro Learnovate

00:15 Why Cognitive Flexibility

02:01 Defining Flexibility and Versatility

05:06 Specialisation vs Polymath Mindset

06:40 From Renaissance to Transdisciplinary

10:11 Workplace Resistance and Side Projects

11:37 Culture Shift and Productivity Myths

16:38 AI Time and Polymath Skills

20:07 Integration Beats Silo Culture

23:43 Limits of LLMs and Divergent Thinking

26:15 Da Vinci AI and Human Creativity

28:07 Wrap Up Where to Find Waqas

29:04 Closing Credits Learnovate

Find Waqas:

The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility (Wiley) https://www.davinci-network.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/waqaspolymath

About Waqas Ahmed Waqas Ahmed is the author of The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility (Wiley) and founder of the DaVinci Network, a global movement dedicated to unlocking the many-sided potential of humans. A recognised authority on multidisciplinary thinking, his work spans art, neuroscience and international affairs. He works with organisations and their leadership teams to build the polymath competencies of versatility and integration.

About Inside Learning Inside Learning dives into learning science and the future of work, featuring learning experts from around the world each month. Topics span AI, neurodiversity, creativity, unlearning, leadership, ethics, VR, blended learning, performance, and skills. The podcast is designed to make you think, question and learn. Hosted by author, consultant and Keynote Speaker on Innovation Aidan McCullen, Inside Learning is produced by Learnovate, the future-of-work and learning research centre based at Trinity College Dublin and funded by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.

Subscribe to Inside Learning wherever you listen.

🌐 https://learnovatecentre.org 🎙️ https://learnovatecentre.org/insights/podcasts/

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/learnovate-centre

In this episode of the Inside Learning Podcast from the Learnovate Centre, Aidan McCullen speaks with Barry Winkless, Chief Strategy Officer at Cpl, Head of the Future of Work Institute, and author of Future Work World: How Leaders Can Create Destinations for Talent that Excite, Entice, and Engage.

Barry argues that future-of-work conversations must begin with mindset. Before leaders redesign work, talent, teams or technology, they need a new language and a new way of seeing. He introduces three leadership roles from the book: the Destination Designer, the Societal Whisperer, and the Systems Architect.

The conversation explores the structure of Future Work World, including Barry’s four-part journey through mindset, “meta waves”, the “mixing desk” of 16 areas for work innovation, and the use of immersive storytelling to move people emotionally. Barry also shares how music, science fiction, and fictional near-future stories shaped the book’s distinctive style.

Aidan and Barry discuss the idea of “work type salads”, where organisations blend permanent employees, contractors, consultants, gig workers, temporary talent, and specialist networks to create strategic advantage. They also explore the concept of organisational “wisdom worlds”, using AI inference, immersive learning, and tacit knowledge capture to build deeper capability over time.

The episode closes with a reflection on the shift from mono careers to poly careers, where individuals increasingly become the hero of their own working lives and organisations become part of their journey rather than the whole journey.

Episode Timeline

00:00 Podcast intro and guest 01:10 Why this book now 01:58 Music and storytelling 04:47 Mindset comes first 11:25 Mixing desk equalizers 14:46 Meta waves and work type salad 18:39 Building a wisdom world 22:37 The new hero journey at work 27:06 Where to find Barry 27:57 Closing credits

In a world where technology is accelerating faster than ever, how do leaders make the right decisions—without losing sight of what makes us human?

In this episode of Inside Learning, Aidan McCullen is joined by Kate O’Neill, tech humanist, author of What Matters Next, and advisor to organizations like Google, Netflix, and the United Nations.

Kate shares a powerful framework for navigating uncertainty, making smarter decisions, and shaping a better future—while keeping human experience at the center.

You’ll discover:

• Why not making a decision is still a decision
• The critical difference between harms of action vs. inaction
• How to move from questions → insights → “bankable foresight”
• Why the future isn’t singular—but made up of multiple “futures”
• How leaders can align purpose, values, and strategy in a fast-changing world
• The emerging skill of “prompting” as a leadership capability
• Why AI should support human meaning—not replace it

Kate also explores a crucial idea: 👉 We must not leave meaning-making to machines.

This episode is essential listening for leaders, educators, and anyone trying to stay relevant—and human—in the age of AI.

Inside Learning is brought to you by Learnovate, the global experts in the future of work and learning. Based at Trinity College Dublin and funded by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, Learnovate is a research centre with a mission to enhance the competitive advantage of the learning technology industry and help organisations maximise the impact of learning technology.

Learnovate’s vision is to play a significant role in transforming the lives of learners in the workplace, schools, universities, and the home. We are proud to be part of the Technology Centre programme funded by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, enabling Irish companies and multinationals to collaborate on market-focused strategic R&D with research institutions.

To find out more about Learnovate, visit the Learnovate Centre website.

https://learnovatecentre.org/

Find Kate here:

https://www.koinsights.com/

Kathryn Jablokow. Dean of Manhattan University’s School of Engineering, former NSF deputy division director, and co-author of the NSF Artificial Intelligence Roadmap joins Aidan McCullen to explore design cognition: how people think while solving design problems.

They unpack why high-performance teams don’t just match skills to problems, but also match thinking styles to the type of challenge, plus how great facilitators make space for different contributors (including introverts who need time to reflect).

The conversation then turns to AI as a teammate: how to avoid “sycophant” answers, how to prompt AI to generate genuinely different perspectives, and what it could look like to train LLMs to emulate cognitive diversity for better decisions and more creative outcomes.

Find Kathryn's papers:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marybethgasman/2025/12/30/what-ai-cant-replace-and-why-that-matters/

https://www.techradar.com/pro/how-applying-cognitive-diversity-to-llms-could-transform-the-user-experience

In this episode of The Inside Learning Podcast, hosted by the Learnovate Centre, Aidan McCullen speaks with world-renowned AI researcher and Creative Machines author Maya Ackerman about the rise of generative AI and its impact on human creativity.

The conversation explores the hidden history of AI-generated creativity, from early computational creativity pioneers to modern large language models. Maya explains how scientists define creativity — novelty, value, and surprise — and how machines are beginning to operate inside that same creative space.

The episode also examines the capabilities and limitations of generative AI, the ethical challenges of treating AI as an “all-knowing oracle,” and why the future of creativity lies in human-AI collaboration rather than replacement.

Listeners will gain practical insight into how tools like Lyric Studio enhance human expression, how AI reflects human culture and bias, and what leaders must understand as creative AI reshapes work, learning, and society.

In this episode of Inside Learning, brought to you by the Learnovate Centre, host Aidan McCullen is joined by Sean D'Arcy, Chief Solutions Officer at Kahoot!—Europe’s largest EdTech platform.

They explore the post-pandemic challenges in education, including dwindling student attention and motivation, and how tools like Kahoot! are helping teachers reimagine engagement through gamification, interactivity, and now AI.

Sean shares how Kahoot! supports both K-12 and higher education through AI-powered quiz creation, student-led learning, and real-time feedback. The conversation also dives into the role of AI in personalized education, how workplace learning is evolving with Gen Z, and how organizations can rebuild culture and performance post-layoffs.

Key Takeaways:

• How AI is enhancing teacher productivity and learner engagement

• Shifts in learner psychology and classroom expectations

• Practical strategies for using Kahoot in classrooms and corporate training

• Insights into upskilling, microlearning, and future-ready skills

• The role of gamified learning in improving retention and morale post-layoffs

Perfect for educators, L&D professionals, and anyone passionate about the future of learning.

Find the articles mentioned here:

https://kahoot.com/blog/2025/10/06/training-after-layoffs-3-strategies-to-rebuild-engagement-and-performance/