Best HCD Podcasts (2026)

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Why AI Scaffolding Matters More than Use Cases ft Erika Flowers | Invisible Machines S6E12 54:36

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5d ago54:36

54:36

We’re in a moment when organizations are approaching agentic AI backwards, chasing flashy use cases instead of building the scaffolding that makes AI agents actually work at scale. Erika Flowers, who led NASA’s AI Readiness Initiative and has advised Meta, Google, Netflix, and Intuit, joins Robb and Josh for a frank and funny conversation about wha…

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5 Predictions for Agentic AI in 2026 | Invisible Machines Podcast S6E11 53:04

20d ago53:04

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As 2025 draws to a close, Robb and Josh look back on some of the conversations they had this year both on the podcast and advising major enterprises and government leaders to offer their predictions for agentic AI in 2026. With major disruptive forces like outbound AI in the hands of consumers and agent runtime environments allowing organizations t…

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Marc Hijink, author of Focus: The ASML Way | Invisible Machines Podcast 1:06:18

1M ago1:06:18

1:06:18

How did a Dutch company most people haven’t heard of come to hold the fate of AI? Marc Hijink, author of Focus — The ASML Way joins Josh and Robb to explore the insatiably precise process of producing the chips that power GPUs, and with them the AI taking shape all around us. Marc is a financial reporter and technology columnist for the Dutch daily…

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Marc Stickdorn on Journey Management, AI & Leading Change in Chaotic Times 18:40

1M ago18:40

18:40

If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion is joined (again!) by service design pioneer Marc Stickdorn – recorded right afte…

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HCD News Roundup - AI Reshapes UX Careers plus Canva acquires Affinity and more 8:36

1M ago8:36

8:36

If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community [00:00] How AI is changing search behaviours - users still defaulting to Google [02:15] The return of the UX generalist - broad skills becoming more valuable [03:45] Ne…

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Public Design, Power & the Future of Services — with Lucy Kimbell 30:36

2M ago30:36

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. We’re on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh for a walking conversation with Lucy Kimbell — engineer-turned-artist-turned-academic, and …

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Siloed Security? Forget AI Adoption 55:54

2M ago55:54

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Omar Santos is a Distinguished Engineer directing AI Security at Cisco. He’s here for a frank conversation about the realities of security in the agentic era. As more software is created on-the-fly by AI agents at the request of humans, security has to become an ever-present layer. Security will be built into complete agent runtime environments and…

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Design Meets Democracy 🇺🇸 with Chelsea Mauldin 1:01:42

2M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. When Chelsea Mauldin began bringing design thinking into the U.S. government, she was met with scepticism — design was still see…

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Confronting Complexity with GraphQL ft Matt DeBergalis CEO/Co-founder, Apollo GraphQL | S6E8 52:39

2M ago52:39

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As the CEO and Co-founder of Apollo GraphQL, Matt DeBergalis has a lot to say about the ways that organizations can confront their inherent complexity and build reliable systems for AI to flourish. He joins Robb and Josh to talk about how GraphQL has made it easier for developers to build meaningful, AI-powered solutions. As an open-source language…

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Designing Safely: Safeguarding + Trauma-Informed Practice with Ali Fawkes (Humanly) 20:55

3M ago20:55

20:55

If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. Design isn’t just creativity — it’s care. In this episode, Gerry sits down with Ali Fawkes, Head of Social Innovation at Humanly…

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Controlling AI Chaos with Agent Runtimes 13:07

3M ago13:07

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Josh and Robb get together to share a short but deep dive into agent runtime environments. Agent runtimes are the missing piece in the many AI projects out in the world that never reach production. Robb explains how runtimes allow businesses to orchestrate AI agents so they can collaborate around business objectives and drive real ROI. Runtimes als…

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What Dying Teaches Us About Living — Lessons from a Hospice Nurse & Designer (with Johanna Lundqvist) 48:39

3M ago48:39

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community Gerry Scullion talks with Johanna Lundqvist, a former hospice nurse turned designer, about the wisdom gathered from years of palliative care. They discuss the Swedish m…

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AI Adoption is an Act of Self-Disruption ft Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow 51:41

3M ago51:41

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Brian Solis, is a digital anthropologist and futurist who serves as the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow and is the former Head of Global Innovation at Salesforce. Brian is a bestselling author of Lifescale, The End of Business as We Know It, and Mindshift, which helps leaders learn how to see emerging trends, harness disruptive forces, and …

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Everything is Everything: Imagination, Justice & Reimagining Government with Thea Snow 56:14

3M ago56:14

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion sits down with Thea Snow, Director at the Center for Public Impact, to explore the powerful intersection of systems, imag…

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Liminal Breaks with Mike Parker 'Riding the Storm – When the World Feels Like Too Much' 21:32

3M ago21:32

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. What do you do when the external noise is too loud, and your system wants to shut down? This episode helps you stay open without…

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From Hustle to Flow – Steven Puri on Real Productivity 58:34

3M ago58:34

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion talks with Steven Puri, who has lived in two extreme worlds: producing Oscar-winning visual effects for Hollywood blockbu…

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How Google & PayPal Could Rewrite Agentic Commerce | Invisible Machines S6E5 1:18:09

4M ago1:18:09

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As Global Head of AI at PayPal, Prakhar Mehrotra is looking deeply at the ways agentic AI is affecting commerce — particularly timely given PayPal and Google’s recent announcement of a multiyear strategic partnership to advance various commerce solutions. He joins Josh and Robb for a layered conversation that speculates on the shape of future marke…

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Scaling Design Talent with Sara Fortier 44:55

4M ago44:55

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community From solo consultant to scaling a design talent powerhouse—Sara Fortier (CEO of Outwitly) reveals what it really takes to grow, hire, and thrive in today’s design econo…

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Liminal Breaks by Mike Parker 'Drift to Peace' 19:34

4M ago19:34

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. Welcome, Mike! This is a short guest series from Mike Parker. I've received incredible benefits from learning about the techniqu…

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You Can’t Fake “AI-First" 1:07:47

4M ago1:07:47

1:07:47

Cassie Kozyrkov returns for a deep dive into the decision science behind a truly AI-first approach to technology adoption. Cassie was Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist and currently advises world leaders and executives on how to optimize their most critical decisions. In this episode she explains why AI is now our memory prosthesis and offers…

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A Senator, a Judge & Four Women in Recovery: Breaking Ireland’s Cycle of Addiction and Prison 1:04:58

4M ago1:04:58

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community What happens when women with lived experience of addiction, prison, and recovery sit down with a former judge and a senator? In this powerful episode, Gerry Scullion br…

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Why Success Feels Like Failure at NVIDIA 44:52

5M ago44:52

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Bryan Catanzaro was instrumental in the adoption of GPUs for powering machine learning, which has effectively turned NVIDIA from a graphics processing hardware company into a $4T AI powerhouse. Bryan joins Robb and Josh to talk about his journey in AI and how the unique psychology and power structures at NVIDIA enables the company to continually me…

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Carrying Stories: Researcher Well-being and the Cost of Caring with Rachel Knight 50:53

5M ago50:53

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community Episode overview In this deeply human episode, Gerry Scullion speaks with Wellington-based design researcher Rachel Knight about the emotional realities of working in s…

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Systems of Care – Allen Bobinac on Rethinking Homelessness and Addiction Support Services 1:07:28

5M ago1:07:28

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this powerful walking episode through Dublin, Gerry speaks with Allen Bobinac, manager of The Lighthouse Café and a man whose…

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Relaunching the Global Human Centered Design Directory 4:42

5M ago4:42

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this short update episode, Gerry Scullion shares an exciting behind-the-scenes change: the Global Human-Centered Design Direc…

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Why is OpenAI So Obsessed with AGI? Karen Hao (NYT bestselling author of "Empire of AI") 54:36

5M ago54:36

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In her instant New York Times bestseller, Empire of AI, journalist Karen Hao distills more than a decade of in-depth research into a detailed account of OpenAI’s rise to power and why leadership at the company abandoned their promise to keep their research open. Karen joins Robb and Josh for a deep dive into murkiness surrounding what artificial ge…

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Diarmuid Gavin 'Digging into the world of Garden Design and what Service Design can learn from it' 39:23

6M ago39:23

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this episode, I speak with Irish garden designer and tv personality - Diarmuid Gavin. He has presented gardens at the Chelsea…

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NVIDIA: What's next for the $4T AI powerhouse? 56:29

6M ago56:29

56:29

Award-winning journalist Stephen Witt sits down with Josh and Robb to share insights from his latest book, The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip. There’s a deep connection between Nvidia’s GPU chips and the neural networks powering the LLMs at the center of agentic AI. Witt’s book provides a captivating …

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Rooted in Innovation: The Future of Farming with Darragh McCullough from RTE's Ear to the Ground and Founder of Elmgrove Farm 1:06:21

6M ago1:06:21

1:06:21

If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Join our Community: https://circle.thisishcd.com/Join-Community What started as a flower farm has evolved into a thriving community experience with pizza, peonies, and pick-your-own eggs. Together, they explore the deep thinking, su…

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Facilitate Like a Pro: Why Designers Must Step Up with Adam B. Cochrane 48:03

6M ago48:03

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion speaks with Adam B. Cochrane, an experienced design leader currently at Staffbase…

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Shape of Play: Insights from Mattel's Global Research Study with MADO's Jaclyn Suzuki 45:53

7M ago45:53

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If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better. Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion is joined by Jaclyn Suzuki, co-founder of MADO and former creative director at Zi…