Episode 12: The Psychology of AI Resistance

Why do smart people still hesitate to adopt AI?

In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden explore the hidden forces driving AI resistance in the workplace, drawing on new research from Confronting and Alleviating AI Resistance in the Workplace: An Integrative Review.

They unpack why AI resistance runs far deeper than fear of automation, touching identity, trust, control, and psychological safety. For trainers, coaches, and learning leaders, understanding these dynamics is critical not just for adoption but for delivering truly effective AI-powered learning.

You’ll hear how thoughtful design, transparency, and co-creation can turn resistance into confidence, and why Smart-Training AI is built with these human-first principles at its core, empowering trainers to amplify, not replace, the human connection at the center of learning.

If you’re leading change, training, or talent development, this is essential listening.

Key Talking Points:

• Why AI resistance is often identity-based, not purely technical
• The 3 core drivers of AI resistance: fear, inefficacy, and antipathy
• How trainers and L&D leaders can build psychological readiness for AI
• The risk of “silent disengagement” when resistance isn’t addressed
• Designing AI-powered learning with trust, agency, and inclusion at the core

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI. All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools.

STAI Tuned Episode 12, The Psychology of AI Resistance, was first published on June 19, 2025.

Episode 11: From Bacteria to AI, Rethinking Cognition, Learning & Human Potential

What if intelligence isn’t just human, and learning isn’t just for brains?

In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden explore Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts by renowned theorist N. Katherine Hayles. From microbial memory to GPT-4, Hayles argues that cognition is everywhere, and that we’re entering a new era of “technosymbiosis” where learning is distributed across networks of humans, machines, and even biology.

But this isn’t science fiction. It’s a wake-up call for anyone designing learning today. We unpack what this radical shift means for training, coaching, corporate learning, and workplace development, and how Smart-Training AI brings these ideas to life through adaptive, brain-aware, and deeply personal learning systems.

If you’re ready to move beyond outdated models and start designing for real intelligence, human and beyond, this one’s for you.

Key Talking Points:

• What Katherine Hayles means by “integrated cognition” and why it redefines how we teach and learn
• Why AI tools need human context to deliver real learning, not just content
• How Smart-Training AI supports trainer-learner-AI collaboration at scale
• From learning styles to technosymbiosis: designing smarter training for a distributed future
• What this means for the future of HR, coaching, and education

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI. All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools.

STAI Tuned Episode 11, From Bacteria to AI, Rethinking Cognition, Learning & Human Potential, was first published on June 12, 2025.

Episode 10: Metacognition and the Future of Learning

What if the most powerful learning upgrade isn’t content or AI, but teaching people how to think about their own thinking?

In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden explore metacognition: the science of self-awareness in learning. They unpack the research behind how learners monitor, regulate, and adapt their own strategies, and why this is one of the most overlooked drivers of long-term success in both corporate training and coaching.

Drawing on the latest studies and real learner insights, the episode shows how Smart-Training AI brings metacognitive principles to life with adaptive tools, personalised support, and learning journeys that train the brain as well as the behaviour.

Whether you’re a coach, trainer, or learning leader, this episode will reshape how you design for agency, reflection, and real-world impact.

Key Talking Points:

• What metacognition is and why it matters now more than ever
• How self-awareness, reflection, and learner strategy affect retention and performance
• Why metacognition boosts confidence, problem-solving, and ownership
• How Smart-Training AI supports metacognitive growth through real-time feedback and adaptive design
• What this means for future-ready training in business, coaching, and workforce development

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI (STAI). All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools. AI-generated content can make mistakes.

STAI Tuned Episode 10, Metacognition and the Future of Learning, was first published on June 05, 2025.

Episode 9: From AI Tools to Smarter Learning

AI is entering course design, but not always with a human touch. In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden explore a recent white paper from Quality Matters on how AI can enhance, not replace, educators, instructional designers, and corporate trainers.

They unpack what thoughtful, human-led course design looks like when paired with AI tools that actually respect pedagogy, context, and learner differences. And they explore how Smart-Training AI builds on these principles to help L&D teams personalise, scale, and deliver smarter, brain-friendly learning without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Whether you're in HR, L&D, corporate training, or educational design, this episode will help you reframe AI as an instructional amplifier, not a shortcut.

Key Talking Points:

• Why human-led, AI-supported course design is gaining ground
• The limits of generic AI tools, and how to avoid “template teaching”
• How Smart-Training AI supports real-time personalisation and brain-aligned delivery
• The role of AI in reducing trainer burnout while improving learning outcomes
• Practical moves for corporate L&D teams designing smarter, faster, better

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI (STAI). All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools. AI-generated content can make mistakes.

STAI Tuned Episode 9, From AI Tools to Smarter Learning, was first published on May 28, 2025.

Episode 8: Mind Mapping and the Science of Smarter Learning

How Visual Thinking Supports Memory, Engagement, and Retention

Mind mapping isn’t just a study technique, it’s a neuroscience-backed way to reduce cognitive load, externalise thought, and help the brain retain more of what it learns.

In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden explore the science behind visual-spatial processing and how mind mapping improves memory consolidation and learning outcomes.

You’ll hear how Smart-Training AI supports trainers and educators in applying these insights through personalised learning tools like Adapt Your Training and Learner Styles Assessment, designed to match how each brain learns best.

If you're serious about helping learners think better, remember more, and engage deeper, this episode is for you.

Key Talking Points:

• Why mind mapping supports memory and cognitive processing
• The neuroscience behind visual learning and retention
• How externalising thought helps reduce overload and increase clarity
• The role of Smart-Training AI in delivering personalised, visual-friendly learning
• How trainers can use mind mapping to improve engagement and performance

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI (STAI). All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools. AI-generated content can make mistakes.

STAI Tuned Episode 8, Mind Mapping and the Science of Smarter Learning, was first published on May 22, 2025.

How to Layer Precision AI into Your HR Tech Stack, Without Starting Over

Chief Human Resource Officers are being asked to upskill faster, prove ROI, and deliver results, all while using tools that weren’t built for how people actually learn.

In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden break down the CHRO’s roadmap for transforming training from a cost center to a strategic growth engine, powered by insight, not guesswork.

You’ll hear why most “AI-powered” training is just content sequencing, and what real learning intelligence looks like in practice. From cognitive personalisation to group mapping and real-time delivery support, this is how forward-thinking HR leaders are modernising training, without ripping out their LMS.

If you're ready to move beyond completion rates to real impact, this one’s for you.

Key Talking Points:

• Why most training tech stacks still rely on outdated models
• The difference between content automation and cognitive personalization
• How to integrate Smart-Training AI in 3 phases: plan, prove, and scale
• What training intelligence looks like in real sessions
• Why the CHRO is the best-positioned leader to drive this shift

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI (STAI). All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools. AI-generated content can make mistakes.

STAI Tuned Episode 7, The CHRO’s Roadmap to Smarter Training, was first published on May 14, 2025.

Why Context, Data, and Design Still Matter in Personalized Learning

AI might feel personal, but is it really? In this episode of STAI Tuned, we unpack why most public AI models fall short of delivering true learner-centered education.

Drawing on insights from education leaders, AI researchers, and current reports, Stella and Aiden explore how public AI tools like ChatGPT offer generic outputs by default because they don’t know your students, your pedagogy, or your context. The episode challenges the myth that AI equals automatic personalization and reveals the hidden human work required to bridge the data and context gap.

They also highlight how Smart-Training AI is built specifically to overcome these limitations, using learner profiling, adaptive design, and cognitive science to deliver smarter, more targeted training.

If you’re using AI in education, or planning to, this one’s essential listening.

Key Talking Points:

• Why public AI is knowledge-rich but context-blind

• The real burden of personalization: who carries it?

• Why effective AI-enhanced training starts with the educator, not the model

• How Smart-Training AI uses learner data and adaptive tools to do what public AI can’t

• The science behind real-time personalization and cognitive load reduction

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI (STAI). All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools. AI-generated content can make mistakes.

STAI Tuned Episode 6, Your AI Doesn’t Know Your Learner, was first published on May 6, 2025.

Episode 5: How the Brain Turns Learning into Lasting Knowledge

Learning doesn’t end when a session finishes. The real work, consolidating memories, strengthening skills, and preparing for future learning, happens while we sleep.

In this episode of STAI Tuned, Stella and Aiden unpack the neuroscience of sleep and memory consolidation. We explore how the brain actively processes new knowledge overnight, why memory retention depends on sleep quality, and what trainers, educators, and learners must understand to build learning that truly sticks.

If you want to design training that works with the brain, not against it, this is essential listening.

Key Talking Points:

• Why sleep is critical for memory formation, not just recovery
• How the brain reinforces and reorganises knowledge during deep sleep
• The role of “engram-to-be” cells in preparing the brain for future learning
• How cognitive load, timing, and reinforcement shape retention outcomes
• Why smarter training design must align with the brain’s natural rhythms

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smart-Training AI⁠⁠⁠⁠ for updates, insights, and more strategies to help your team thrive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/smart-trainingai.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is narrated by Stella and Aiden, AI-generated voices created by Smart-Training AI (STAI). All content is developed by our human team with the help of real-world neuroscience, training insight, and AI-powered tools. AI-generated content can make mistakes.

STAI Tuned Episode 5, Sleep and Memory: The Science Behind Smarter Learning, was first published on April 28, 2025.