What if our desperate need for certainty, predictability, and control is not making us safer but actually making us psychologically ill? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the hidden pathology of modern life with João Sevilhano, a psychologist, business consultant, and philosopher whose work challenges the fundamental assumptions of how we organize society, education, and business. From his home in Lisbon during his summer break, João brings two decades of experience working at the intersection of psychology and corporate culture to reveal the deep contradictions in our pursuit of certainty.

João takes us on a journey from ancient Greek concepts of human development to the modern “bullshit economy” that rewards empty performance over substance. Drawing from his background as both a clinical psychologist who worked in psychiatric hospitals and a business consultant who helps organizations navigate change, he reveals how our educational systems, corporate structures, and even personal relationships have become organized around the illusion of control rather than the cultivation of wisdom. Through the lens of psychoanalysis and contemporary philosophy, João demonstrates how our inability to tolerate uncertainty is creating a society-wide pathology that distances us from our humanity.

In our conversation, João challenges us to reconsider everything from how we raise children to how we structure organizations, arguing that our obsession with metrics, productivity, and predictable outcomes is creating “emotional bureaucrats” who have internalized corporate logic into their most intimate experiences. His vision for healing this syndrome involves embracing what he calls “useful uselessness” and rediscovering the ancient balance between suffering and growth that makes us fully human.

In this thought-provoking discussion, we explore:

• Why psychopathology is proportional to our need for certainty and control
• How modern education systems prepare us for performance rather than wisdom
• The shift from ancient Greek paideia to modern workforce preparation
• Why we’ve created a “bullshit economy” where empty words have market value
• How technology externalizes internal conflicts and stunts psychological development
• The concept of "emotional bureaucrats" and the bureaucratization of intimacy
• Why AI could either liberate us or deepen our disconnection from ourselves

This episode is an invitation to examine the hidden costs of our certainty-obsessed culture and to consider what it might mean to build organizations and societies that honor the full complexity of human experience.

Resources Mentioned

The Certainty Syndrome essay by João Sevilhano

The Bullshit Economy essay by João Sevilhano

Post Depth essay by João Sevilhano

Byung-Chul Han’s philosophical works on modern burnout culture

The Permanent Crisis book on the decline of humanities education

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What if the race toward “superintelligence” is misguided and what does a more humanistic vision for AI adoption actually look like? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we dive deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence, culture, and human agency with Prof. Arvind Narayanan, a computer science professor at Princeton University whose work has fundamentally challenged how we think about AI’s role in society. Named on TIME’s inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI, Arvind brings decades of research experience studying the gap between tech industry promises and real-world impacts.

Arvind takes us beyond the hype and fear that dominates AI discourse, as we dive into his book “AI Snake Oil” (co-authored with Sayash Kapoor) and their latest essay titled “AI as Normal Technology” that draws powerful parallels to past general-purpose technologies like electricity and automobiles.

He reveals why the term “artificial intelligence” itself creates dangerous confusion, masking critical differences between predictive AI systems that are already affecting the lives of millions of people – determining who gets bail, healthcare coverage, and job opportunities – and generative AI tools like ChatGPT that capture public attention.

Through rigorous analysis of adoption patterns, organizational barriers, and historical societal precedent, Arvind demonstrates why superintelligence predictions fundamentally misunderstand both the nature of human intelligence and the complex realities of technological diffusion.

In our conversation, Arvind challenges leaders to move beyond automation fantasies toward human-AI augmentation, explains why current AI benchmarks fail catastrophically at predicting real-world performance, and makes the case for why flexible, bottom-up innovation will determine which organizations thrive in the AI era. His perspective bridges computer science rigor with deep humanistic values, showing how thoughtful design and governance frameworks can help us navigate this transformation while keeping human agency at the center.

This episode is a provocation to think more precisely about AI’s actual impacts, move beyond techno-optimism and techno-pessimism toward nuanced understanding, and focus on the practical frameworks needed to ensure this technology serves human flourishing.

Resources Mentioned

“AI Snake Oil” book by by Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor

“AI is Normal Technology” essay by Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor

Air Canada chatbot legal case as reported by The Guardian

Everett Rogers’ work on technology adoption

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Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

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What if the biggest regret we’ll have in 10 years isn’t over-regulating AI, but failing to educate people about it? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the intersection of AI policy, national sovereignty, and digital literacy with Jaxson Khan, a unique cross-sector leader who transitioned from startup founder to senior policy advisor for Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. From his home in Toronto, Jaxson shares hard-won insights from the frontlines of AI policy development, where he helped craft Canada’s approach to artificial intelligence across multiple critical areas.

Jaxson takes us behind the scenes of government AI strategy, revealing why less than 25% of Canadians have any formal AI education despite the country being home to some of the technology’s foundational researchers. He explains Canada’s Sovereign AI Compute Strategy – a response to the brain drain that sees Canadian talent and capital flow south to Silicon Valley – and makes the case for treating AI infrastructure like a public utility. Through his current work helping nonprofits and corporations adopt AI, Jaxson demonstrates how the same technology reshaping global geopolitics can be leveraged for social good.

Throughout our conversation, Jaxson challenges the notion that we need to choose between innovation and regulation, instead advocating for what he calls “meaningful consent” in privacy frameworks and emphasizing the critical importance of cultural sovereignty in AI development. His perspective bridges the technical, political, and deeply human aspects of our AI-powered future, showing how policy decisions made today will determine whether societies remain intact through this transformation.

In this discussion, we explore:

• Why AI literacy should be treated as urgently as national defense in the modern era
• How Canada is building sovereign AI infrastructure without trying to replace Big Tech
• The three pillars of AI sovereignty: technology IP, data and compute, and cultural preservation
• Why privacy laws that predate iPhones are a “travesty” in the AI age
• How the imagination gap is holding back traditional companies from AI adoption
• Why NGOs and government agencies must accelerate AI adoption to stay relevant

This episode is an invitation to think beyond the hype and fear surrounding AI, focusing instead on the practical policy frameworks and educational foundations needed to ensure this powerful technology serves humanity’s highest aspirations.

Resources Mentioned

Canada’s Sovereign AI Compute Strategy

“Bridging the Imagination Gap” Royal Bank of Canada white paper

OECD data on international AI adoption patterns

“AI is Normal Technology” by Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor

“Genesis” by Kissing

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Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

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Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484

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