Think AI is the solution to everything? Think again. In this episode of Leaders and Their Stories, host Richard Lowe sits down with Ben "The Automator" Christensen, who has automated over 300 full-time positions and saved companies $16 million—but warns against the blind rush to automate everything. Drawing on real-world disasters (like an AI agent that deleted an entire database) and years of hands-on experience, Ben reveals the dark side of AI adoption that nobody talks about.

You'll learn:

✅ Why AI assistants can be more defiant than human employees
✅ The critical importance of "human in the loop" systems
✅ Why context windows make AI terrible for long-form projects
✅ How AI lies constantly (and why lawyers are getting disbarred)
✅ The coming political and economic backlash against AI
✅ Why voice AI bots get into screaming matches with customers
✅ The Gartner Hype Cycle and where we are right now
✅ Why using ChatGPT to rewrite your resume could backfire spectacularly

Ben also shares his prediction about the coming AI winter, the physical limitations hitting data centers, and why treating AI "like a smart dog" is the best approach. Plus: Richard's hilarious experiment trying to write a novel with Claude (spoiler: it went horribly wrong).

Bonus: Ben's method for getting better AI results using "second and third order principles" and scratch pads, plus his technique for AI-generated social media content that fooled people for 6 weeks.

🎯 Ideal for: Business leaders, tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone considering AI implementation who wants to avoid costly mistakes and understand the real limitations of current technology.

📞 Connect with Ben "The Automator" Christensen for automation consulting and fractional CIO/AI officer services.