In a thought-provoking conversation with host Charlie Martin, Neil pulls back the curtain on the AI revolution—not with doom and gloom, but with pragmatic optimism.

“People always ask, will AI take our jobs? The real concern is whether we evolve fast enough to create the new ones.”

AI: Not Just for Coders

Neil’s background spans IBM’s Watson project to UN policy advising, but what sets him apart is his ability to cut through the tech jargon. AI isn’t just for Silicon Valley or data scientists—it’s rapidly becoming embedded in how businesses, governments, and individuals operate.

“AI is already shaping everything from healthcare to legal contracts. But without responsible leadership, it can easily exacerbate inequality or misinformation,” Neil warns.

For businesses, that means AI literacy is no longer optional. It’s a boardroom imperative.

🚀 The Leadership Test of Our Time

AI isn’t just about efficiency—it raises profound governance and ethical questions. Neil highlights three areas where business leaders must step up:

✅ AI Ethics by Design: From bias in algorithms to accountability for machine-led decisions.
✅ Reskilling at Scale: Preparing people for jobs that don’t yet exist.
✅ Policy & Collaboration: Ensuring AI development aligns with human values globally.

“AI will challenge the very definition of what it means to be human in the workforce. That’s why leadership, not just engineering, matters most.”

🌍 The Global Perspective

Drawing on his work with the UN, Neil points to AI’s potential to tackle global challenges—from climate modelling to food security. But without collaboration across sectors and borders, these opportunities could be lost to short-termism or technological monopolies.

And while AI hype dominates headlines, Neil is refreshingly candid:

“The most dangerous myth is that AI is inevitable. Its impact depends entirely on human choices—what we prioritise, how we govern, and whether we include everyone.”

🎧 Listen to the Full Conversation

This episode of The Responsible Edge goes beyond the AI headlines. It’s a call to action for leaders, policymakers, and anyone curious about how we build a future where AI empowers rather than replaces us.

🎙️ “We need to give women the power back over their own data,” Amber explained, detailing a blueprint for business that challenges the profit-first model dominating today’s tech landscape.

The Problem with Current Women’s Health Apps

While millions of women globally rely on period tracking apps, Amber highlighted a worrying reality:

• Most are VC-backed and male-owned, with data practices that often prioritise profit over privacy.

• Some leading apps have faced lawsuits for mishandling sensitive user information, eroding trust.

• Subscription models and employer-based access schemes often exclude the 80% of women who cannot afford expensive plans.

“These models are outdated,” Amber said. “They’re designed for the privileged few, not the many.”

28X: A Radically Different Approach 🚀

Rather than replicating the flawed systems already in place, Amber is building 28X around three radical principles:

• No data collection by default: Users’ information stays on their device unless they choose otherwise.

• Completely free access: No paywalls, no barriers.

• Ethical funding model: Self-funded with selective, mission-aligned investors, avoiding the pressures that can lead to unethical compromises.

🦋 The name 28X reflects the 28-day cycle and the X chromosome, with a butterfly symbol representing transformation—a fitting metaphor for Amber’s ambitions.

A New Blueprint for Business 📈

Amber’s vision for 28X isn’t just about creating a better health app. It’s about showing the world that responsible, ethical businesses can still scale, still succeed—and still make a real difference.

Key features of her approach:

• Circular impact: Future profits will be partially reinvested in supporting female founders and climate-focused businesses.

• Longevity over exit: Rather than building for a quick sale, 28X is designed for long-term ownership, offering dividends rather than structuring for acquisition.

• Open invitation for collaboration: Amber is actively calling for support from professionals who want to help build an ethical giant in women’s health tech.

“We have enough companies focused purely on extraction. Let’s build something different—something that gives back.”

Lessons from an Entrepreneurial Journey

Amber’s own story—rooted in resilience, creativity, and hard-earned lessons—shapes everything she is building today.

Key takeaways she shared:

• Build around paradox: Entrepreneurship is the constant balancing of highs and lows.

• Own your resilience: Setbacks are inevitable; persistence is essential.

• Work when others watch TV: Amber attributes much of her early success to sacrificing downtime to build her ventures in the evenings.

• Ethics must be baked in early: Retrofitting ethics doesn’t work; they must be foundational.

A Call to Action 📣

Amber’s goal is bold: reach 100 million women a month within five years, making 28X the world’s largest, most trusted period tracking platform.

“If we want to change the status quo, we need to think big—and do it ethically,” she said.

💬 Interested in helping? Amber is inviting skilled volunteers, collaborators, and mission-driven supporters to join the movement. “We can build this together,” she urged.

PowerVault is pioneering affordable residential battery storage, helping consumers harness solar energy and store it for use when the grid is under pressure. But behind that simple idea lies something much bigger: a model for reducing grid strain, supporting renewable adoption, and giving consumers more agency without demanding lifestyle sacrifice.

🛠️ The Case for a Smarter Grid Starts at Home

“You can start with a simple algorithm. Then, once people are in, you can gamify the system and drive behavioural change.”

PowerVault’s batteries aren’t just about shaving a few quid off your electricity bill. They’re part of a broader ecosystem designed to balance national demand, support heat pump adoption, and help reduce the staggering infrastructure investment needed to hit net zero.

Some key stats Robin referenced:

• The UK may need to invest £540 billion in grid infrastructure over the next 25 years to meet peak winter demand.

• Yet every £1 spent on solar and batteries can potentially save £4 in future infrastructure costs.

• A typical PowerVault user could halve their electricity costs, particularly when paired with solar and a time-of-use tariff.

But it’s not just about the money. This is about redesigning energy systems to fit how people actually live. It’s about nudging, not nagging.

💡 Behavioural Economics Meets Renewable Tech

In discussing recent government efforts to promote air source heat pump adoption through “nudge theory,” Robin reflects on the challenges of changing public perception—and why a more interconnected approach might be necessary.

“Telling people to change doesn’t work. If we want better outcomes, the sustainable choice has to become the easier one.”

He explains that while heat pumps represent a key part of the decarbonisation puzzle, they are often misunderstood. Many households still see them as expensive, noisy, or unfamiliar. Meanwhile, installers—long accustomed to gas boilers—can be reluctant to change their ways. The answer? Broader systems thinking and easier decision-making pathways for consumers.

By integrating solar, batteries, insulation, and smarter tariffs, Robin argues we can:

• Reduce upfront financial risk for households

• Create better comfort without complexity

• Drive adoption without reliance on ideology or sacrifice

🧠 Engineering a Culture of Curiosity

Despite being a startup, PowerVault actively encourages experimentation across the business. Whether it’s product development, messaging, or user interface design, Robin stresses the importance of learning loops.

“Companies need to experiment to learn. And being small, we get immediate feedback.”

This includes listening to highly engaged customers—often engineers and technologists—who are testing boundaries and pushing the tech to new use cases. PowerVault has begun integrating insights from these ‘power users’ into product evolution, and even exploring ways to create “made-in-Britain” bundles in collaboration with other clean tech innovators.

🔍 Fighting Misinformation in the Home Energy Market

One of the subtler but recurring themes in Robin’s conversation was how misinformation—or lack of clear, accessible education—can stifle adoption.

“People read about lithium scooters catching fire and assume it’s the same risk in our managed battery systems. It’s not.”

PowerVault is working hard to simplify its messaging and make the technology feel approachable, safe, and beneficial. The long-term goal? A user experience that feels as natural and invisible as a boiler—except cleaner, cheaper, and smarter.

🪄 Magic Wand: Longer-Term Thinking, Please

If Robin could change one thing about the commercial world?

“I’d imbue investors with a 10- or 20-year horizon. Right now, shareholder short-termism is stalling the energy transition.”

He points out that while major oil companies pull back from renewables, some of the world’s largest petrostates are doubling down on clean energy. India’s Adani Group, for instance, is building some of the world’s largest solar farms—despite being one of the biggest coal producers.

The contradiction is clear. The question now is: which model will dominate?

🧭 Final Thought

Robin’s story isn’t just about PowerVault. It’s about redesigning systems—financial, technical, behavioural—so that doing the right thing becomes the logical thing. It’s a blend of old-school engineering discipline and 21st-century agility, applied to the challenge of making sustainable living simple.

This episode offers real insight into the granular side of the energy transition. Not the macro targets or the hype—but the reality of what’s happening on British rooftops, behind the meter, and inside the minds of households choosing to step into a smarter energy future.

✈️ SAF: Big Potential, Bigger Obstacles

At the heart of Sophia’s message is a paradox: the demand for SAF is growing (helped by new UK and EU mandates), but supply—and crucially, domestic production capacity—lags far behind. Without targeted incentives and better policy alignment, she warns, we risk missing the industrial and environmental opportunity of the decade.

“We’ve made some really good headway with creating demand… But there’s quite a few hurdles that we need to overcome in that space to really bring quite large investments at scale to the UK and Europe.”

One of LanzaJet’s solutions? Alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) technology, converting waste-based ethanol into jet fuel—offering a scalable, lower-carbon alternative that’s already been demonstrated in the US and is now being prepared for rollout in the UK (with a flagship facility in Teesside).

🔑 Sophia’s 3 Keys to Unlocking SAF Growth

1. Mandates with More Muscle

• The UK has introduced a SAF mandate: 2% of jet fuel must be sustainable by 2025, rising to ~20% by 2040.

• Sounds solid, but Sophia argues it’s not ambitious enough:

  “I’d give it somewhere between a seven and eight out of ten.”

Compared to the EU’s more aggressive trajectory, the UK risks being seen as a laggard—particularly as aviation’s share of emissions is set to soar to 27% by 2040, even if other sectors decarbonise.

2. Incentives that De-Risk First Movers

Sophia points out the financial risk of investing in first-of-a-kind SAF facilities is still too high for many players.

• SAF plants aren’t cheap and traditional investors aren’t keen on the unknown.
• She calls for:
  • Policy initiatives to support SAF commercialisation, such as ETS Allowances
  • Use of the National Wealth Fund to back domestic SAF production
  • Continued grant funding targeted at scalable technologies
  • Greater simplicity and clarity in policy and permitting

“You’ve got great technology, great feedstock, growing demand—but finance sits behind all of it.”

3. A Clear, Coherent Policy Landscape

Current regulation is, in a word, chaotic.

• SAF definitions and frameworks vary across the EU

• Permitting processes are slow, contradictory, and difficult to navigate

“None of it is intentionally complex—but it is, by default, incredibly complicated.”

Sophia calls for simplification, greater alignment across UK and EU policy, and a renewed industrial strategy that puts sustainability front and centre.

🚨 Why the Clock’s Ticking

Sophia offers a stark but empowering message: SAF is coming, but if the UK and Europe don’t move faster, they’ll lose out to other global players—especially the US, where IRA tax credits and aggressive funding are helping fuel SAF’s rise.

“If we want to attract all these net zero industries that will provide jobs and growth, we have to act now.”

💡 Sophia’s Magic Wand Moment

If given the power to change one thing about the commercial world?

“I’d love to see us just go all-in on SAF.”

That means:

• Ambitious, long-term mandates

• Financial tools to de-risk early investments

• A joined-up industrial vision that frames SAF not as a niche innovation, but as central to the UK and Europe’s net zero future.

Final Thoughts 🧭

Sophia’s insight cuts through political noise and technical jargon with clarity and urgency. Her call to action? Invest. Simplify. Lead.

Because this isn’t just about carbon. It’s about jobs, resilience, global competitiveness—and building a future-ready economy.

“Without sustainability, you have no business model.”

Well said.

AI’s Role in Simplifying ESG Complexity

As the leader of Seneca ESG, a company providing AI-powered sustainability software, Jonathan highlighted the rising complexity of ESG reporting. He noted;

“A lot of these ESG-related tasks are repetitive in nature… Sustainability teams are often just two or three people, and they don’t have the capacity to manage the volume of inquiries coming their way.”

Generative AI, according to Jonathan, has the potential to automate these repetitive processes, freeing up resources and enabling teams to focus on strategic innovation.

Seneca ESG’s software already leverages AI for tasks like emission tracking and reporting compliance. “We’ve identified thousands of hours wasted on manual data management,” he explained. “Our tools reduce that burden, enabling organisations to focus on continuous improvement, not just compliance.”

The Greenwashing Dilemma

However, Jonathan also expressed caution about the risks of generative AI. He warned;

“If not used properly, generative AI could exacerbate greenwashing rather than fix it. For companies unsure of how to characterise their sustainability practices, relying on AI to ‘write something for them’ could lead to misleading claims.”

This challenge, he argued, underscores the need for robust guardrails. Seneca ESG’s AI solutions, for instance, incorporate user feedback to refine how they assist organisations, ensuring that outputs remain accurate and responsible.

Jonathan’s stance aligned closely with the values of The Anti-Greenwash Charter, whose signatories must adhere to strict standards around the use of generative AI in content production.

Balancing Compliance with Creativity

Jonathan emphasised that the true potential of generative AI lies in its ability to shift the balance within sustainability teams. “With the compliance and reporting side becoming so large, sustainability teams have less time to focus on innovation and problem-solving,” he said.

“Generative AI, when used responsibly, can free up time for these creative pursuits.”

This dual focus on compliance and creativity is central to Seneca ESG’s mission. The company doesn’t just help organisations meet regulatory requirements but also identifies opportunities for long-term improvement. “It’s not just about ticking boxes—it’s about becoming better,” Jonathan stressed.

A Vision for the Future

When asked about the broader implications of AI for corporate behaviour, Jonathan shared a visionary perspective. “If I had a magic wand,” he mused;

“I’d create a direct connection between corporate behaviour and societal happiness. Sustainability, security, and freedom are key components of this happiness.”

Jonathan’s ambition for Seneca ESG mirrors this vision. By providing tools that enable both compliance and innovation, he aims to help organisations not only meet today’s challenges but also position themselves as leaders in building a sustainable future.

The Takeaway

Jonathan’s insights remind us that while generative AI offers tremendous potential for ESG, its implementation must be approached with caution and responsibility. For organisations looking to harness its power, the focus must remain on fostering transparency, enhancing sustainability practices, and avoiding the pitfalls of greenwashing. As Jonathan concluded;

“The ultimate goal is not just compliance—it’s continuous improvement. That’s where the real impact lies.”

His approach offers a roadmap for businesses seeking to navigate the evolving intersection of technology and sustainability.

Sustainability has become a key focus across industries, and the construction sector is no exception. As the world grapples with the effects of climate change, businesses must reconsider their environmental impact. This is where corporate responsibility becomes crucial, particularly in industries like construction that have historically contributed heavily to environmental degradation. In a recent episode of the podcast, Chris Brookman, founder of Back to Earth, shared his thoughts on how open-source education can drive sustainable construction practices and why sharing knowledge is essential to fostering change.

Chris, who has been working with sustainable building materials for over 28 years, provides insights into his journey and the challenges and opportunities in promoting sustainability within the construction sector. His experience demonstrates that sustainability goes beyond using eco-friendly products—it’s about creating a culture of openness, collaboration, and education to support environmentally responsible practices.

From Chemistry to Sustainable Construction

Chris’s path into the construction industry was anything but conventional. Having studied chemistry at university, his career began with an unexpected project—rebuilding his father’s cob barn, a structure made from a traditional building material composed of earth, clay, straw, and water. What started as a summer job turned into a lifelong passion for natural building materials.

“I mean, I’ve always had an interest in the environment, even as a kid,” Chris explains. “But finishing university, I did a fairly tangential step and went from a chemistry degree straight into cob building…and absolutely loved it.”

This hands-on experience not only ignited his love for traditional construction methods but also led him to explore the potential of modern sustainable building materials. Chris’s chemistry background provided a unique perspective, allowing him to understand the properties of these materials in greater depth. “That got me into building,” he says, “and I kind of worked through it and picked up all the information that everyone else was talking about.”

The Role of Natural Materials in Sustainable Construction

As founder of Back to Earth, Chris has spent decades promoting the use of natural building materials sourced from across Europe. His company focuses on providing low-impact, high-performance materials that are not only better for the environment but also offer superior long-term performance. Over time, Back to Earth has become known for its expertise in sustainable construction, with Chris leading the way in educating builders, architects, and homeowners about the benefits of natural materials.

“We guide our clients through the process of understanding, specifying, and sourcing low-impact, high-performance materials for their sustainable building projects,”

Chris explains in the podcast. This emphasis on education is crucial because many builders and architects are unfamiliar with these materials, having relied for so long on conventional products.

One of the most significant challenges Chris highlights is the disconnect between traditional and sustainable building practices. “You know, I built my skills and experience of construction generally, but towards the end of that period, I began to want to use my degree a bit more… delving into the nitty-gritty of building materials, finding out how they really work, not how people think they work,” he says. His curiosity and commitment to better understanding the materials have helped Back to Earth offer innovative solutions that challenge conventional approaches to construction.

Open-Source Education: Breaking Down Barriers

A key theme throughout the conversation is the importance of open-source education in the construction industry. Chris believes that making information widely available is essential for encouraging the use of sustainable materials and practices. He draws parallels between the construction sector and the open-source movement in software, where shared knowledge fosters innovation and collaboration.

“I encourage anyone to make information freely available because it opens up the whole market to everybody,”

Chris says. He explains how manufacturers in the building industry are often reluctant to share information, fearing that doing so will give away competitive advantages. However, Chris argues that this secrecy hinders progress and ultimately limits the industry’s ability to innovate.

“It’s a kind of win-win thing to go open-source,” he continues. “Having all of that information aggregated across the whole market grows the market, and your share of that market will only become bigger, the same as everyone else’s.”

At Back to Earth, Chris has been practising this philosophy for years, making detailed blogs and guides available to help others understand the complexities of sustainable construction. More recently, he launched Fibres Academy, an open-source platform designed to educate people about the benefits and uses of wood-fibre insulation. The platform aims to make technical knowledge accessible to a wider audience, helping builders, architects, and homeowners make informed choices.

“Fibres Academy was about regurgitating as much as possible out of my mind onto a platform that other people could access,”

he explains. This project embodies Chris’s commitment to sharing knowledge freely to support a broader movement towards sustainable construction.

Corporate Responsibility in Action

Chris is also a firm believer in the role of corporate responsibility in driving change. He argues that businesses, particularly in the construction industry, have a responsibility to adopt sustainable practices and advocate for higher standards across the sector. For Chris, corporate responsibility goes hand in hand with open-source education—companies need to be transparent about their impact and share the knowledge and tools necessary to foster widespread change.

“The more we can show people how to use materials and how best to use them, the more we can help them achieve their goals while reducing their environmental impact,” he says. By educating their clients and sharing their expertise, Back to Earth helps people make better choices that benefit both the planet and the bottom line.

The Future of Sustainable Construction

Looking to the future, Chris remains optimistic. He sees a growing interest in sustainable construction, particularly among younger generations. “In the last 10 years, the interest in natural materials has grown enormously,” he says. “We no longer have to root out projects and try to encourage people to use them. People are coming to us with the idea that they want to save energy and reduce their impact on the environment.”

Chris believes that this shift in public consciousness, combined with the open-source sharing of knowledge, will help drive the construction industry towards more sustainable practices. However, he acknowledges that there is still much work to be done, particularly in overcoming resistance from older generations and larger corporations that are more focused on profit than sustainability.

“My generation has been pretty pants on it,” Chris admits. “We’ve been talking about climate change for 30 years, and yes, stuff is happening, but in the general public, it’s still all about, ‘Oh, it’s going to be too expensive.’”

He is hopeful, however, that younger generations will push for change. “You can really see in younger people the seriousness that they take it and the actual desire to do something about it.”

Conclusion

Chris’s insights highlight the importance of knowledge-sharing and corporate responsibility in promoting sustainability within the construction industry. By embracing open-source education and making sustainable practices more accessible, companies can drive meaningful change and help reduce the environmental impact of construction.

As the conversation with Chris demonstrates, building a sustainable future requires collaboration, transparency, and a commitment to continuous learning. Whether through platforms like Fibres Academy or through corporate advocacy, the construction industry has an opportunity to play a significant role in combating climate change. By making information freely available and encouraging responsible practices, businesses can help create a more sustainable, resilient built environment for generations to come.