Pattie Maes brings a unique perspective to the quest to build better machines: she pioneered the concept of the software agent in the 1990s. Ever since - as an entrepreneur and leading MIT academic - she has focused on the mission to help make humans smarter. To augment humanity, not robots.

She takes us on her professional journey - from her first company (Agents Inc) to her latest research at MIT. Pattie is focused on how computer systems and digital devices might augment people and assist them with issues such as memory, learning, decision making, health and wellbeing. In 2025 she was recognized with the "Lifetime Achievement Award in Human Computer Interaction" by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

She talked us through her concerns about AI - the sheer power of a technoklogy that is increasingly intermediating between us and the world around us. But it is riddled with bias and prone to hijacking for often nefarious ends. And, as her research shows, humans are very open to simply falling in with this powerful persuasive force.

Pattie's words will be important for anyone wondering how to engage with this technology - wise warnings combined with a clear sense of all that should be possible if only we aimed for better. This raises the stakes for Europe - she argues that for reasons both selfish (national security) and idealistic (building a better world) Europe must aspire to take control of its "new utility".

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What does it take to deliver AI at scale in a traditional industry? Morgan Stanley, where Jeff McMillan is the Chief AI Officer, was a launch customer for GPT 4 and continues to innovate and invest in the space. His lessons on how to engage, how to start and how to scale AI - with tips on data, on leadership, on investment - will be of use to any corporate leader deploying AI at scale.

Jeff also gives us his unique perspective on the state of play on AI around the world based on the hundreds of meetings he has held at the most senior levels with business and governments. He has a front seat for the great industrial and geo-political race of our time and speaks luciidly on the opportunties and challenges facing global decision-makers in the Age of Intelligence.

Counter-intuitively he believes that industries which are already heavily regulated have an AI advantage. He argues that large global companies will have scale advantage from deploying AI. But capturing these opportunties requires action and Jeff is generous with his practical, hard-earned advice to leaders on how to get going and how to scale.

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If you can work out where the world's leading AI researchers are choosing to work then you will have a looking glass in to the future of both the technology and the balance of power. This was the thesis that led Tom Hurd—former UK Homeland Security Advisor - to found Zeki, which tracks the world's top AI talent. He tells us about his pivot from tracking terrorists and COVID outbreaks to tracking the world’s top AI minds.

Tom explains why talent is the ultimate disruptor in the AI race, and that where talent moves today, and which talent, can be a predictor of things to come.

He charts seismic shifts as the U.S. becomes a net exporter of AI talent, the potential impact of India retaining its brightest graduates, and how nations are aggressively competing for brainpower. We dive into Google DeepMind's dominance of elite LLM talent - whilst Nvidia and Anthropic are playing a different game. He explains why Europe needs product-savvy talent to fuel its AI research labs and startups, and how Zeki uses “Moneyball for deep tech” to uncover hidden innovators.

Tune in to the debut episode of The Age of Intelligence, with hosts Theos and Tim, to discover how mastering talent strategy is the secret weapon in investing in and building tomorrow’s AI.

For further reading: Zeki’s 2025 State of AI Talent Report at zekidata.com.

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