“unhinged authenticity is the reality in 2026 of being human”
Elizabeth and I discuss how to maintain genuine human intuition and authentic leadership in an AI-driven world.
The modern workplace feels different. It is fast, clear, and increasingly competent thanks to the rise of large language models. While these tools offer undeniable efficiency for cognitive tasks, they carry a hidden cost. They pull our professional output toward a gray middle ground – a ‘sea of sameness’.
We are beginning to mimic the tools we use, losing the jagged, vulnerable edges that make human communication compelling. To stay relevant, leaders must distinguish between helpful automation and the erosion of their own voice.
Elizabeth challenges the idea that intuition is just a “gift.” Instead, she treats it as a skill—one that we can train just like any other. Even in high-pressure, left-brained office environments, your body often knows the answer before your brain does. The key is giving yourself permission to listen to that physical signal instead of immediately outsourcing your judgment to an algorithm.
In a world where AI provides data-driven answers at system-one speed, intuition acts as our system-two counterweight. It requires intentional practice. Many people were trained to silence their internal narratives early in their careers, but the next generation is arriving with those instincts intact. We are training ourselves out of it. We prioritize “system one” speed over the deep, reflective “system two” thinking required for innovation. If you outsource every cognitive task to a prompt, you eventually lose the ability to trust your own judgment. How do you keep your own voice when the algorithm pushes for perfection?
For leaders, the challenge is to turn their own intuition back on to meet this reality and cultivate what keeps them human in the AI world.
The insights you’ll get from this episode are :
- In a ‘sea of sameness’, ‘unhinged’ authenticity is the reality of being human in 2026, showing relatability and vulnerability.
- Personal brands will appear in the corporate world, e.g. people with social media side brands.
- Personal branding policies require guardrails and must align to the larger narrative of the employer.
- Authenticity will build social capital in an AI world – people want interesting content, i.e. personal stories, anecdotes, learnings, career paths.
- Intuition is doing what we enjoy and what comes naturally – it is a skill that needs to be trained as opposed to quietened.
- AI regulation is very important during education to ensure critical thinking and reading ability.
- Human thinking is still required for the human need to have purpose, impact and connection when surrounded by machines.
- Sceptical executives should sharpen their intuitive skills as a unique offering (for clients).
- Spiritual health or a creative outlet allows us to disconnect from work and connect with ourselves, a higher power, energy, community, etc.
- Leaders must demonstrate what they want for their teams, e.g. no-phone/-computer meetings to encourage thinking, communication and creativity.
- Humans are innately biased, therefore LLMs are systemically biased, yet we give inordinate trust to AI output (and influencers!).
- Big changes are not sustainable so systemic change must start small, e.g. not being available all the time for everyone (at work and at home).
- Many people have a spiritual health practice, and highlighting this helps others to follow suit by granting permission to do so.
- Resting is still productive time (restorative rest) and hopefully there will be more regenerative models in the corporate world.
- Leaders should listen to their people – if aligned with their values they will perform better – and have grace during these overwhelming times.
Find out more about Elizabeth and her work here
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethrosenberg
