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Knowledge Work

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Organisation designOrganisation design
+5+5
Your business needs a prediction capability
May 22, 2026

Your business needs a prediction capability

Cost-saving is the obvious AI play. Prediction is the bigger one - and the tools just arrived.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
ClaudeClaude
+8+8
working with AI beats letting AI work for you
May 15, 2026

working with AI beats letting AI work for you

the real skill isn't using AI, it's still understanding your own business

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
AI CodingAI Coding
+12+12
Two questions every CFO should ask before the next AI renewal
May 01, 2026

Two questions every CFO should ask before the next AI renewal

GPT-5.5 doubled in price. Claude is throttling on weekday afternoons. Two new frameworks (COMPASS and Tokenomics) now let UK SME leaders answer the question that's been a vibe for two years: what does our AI actually cost, and is it actually worth it?

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
ClaudeClaude
+12+12
Easy Magic: Why "AI" Is the Wrong Name for This Technology
Apr 24, 2026

Easy Magic: Why "AI" Is the Wrong Name for This Technology

Claude Design, Kimi K2.6 and GPT-5.5 all launched this week. But the biggest shift for UK SME leaders is a label change - from AI to easy magic.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
ClaudeClaude
+7+7
The AI capability gap just changed sides
Mar 27, 2026

The AI capability gap just changed sides

Sora shuts down, Claude controls your computer, and the talent gap flips.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
AI CodingAI Coding
+8+8
Microsoft just put Claude inside Copilot. Here's what that means for your team.
Mar 13, 2026

Microsoft just put Claude inside Copilot. Here's what that means for your team.

AI is no longer a separate tool. It's inside the apps your teams already use. Here's how to redesign your organisation before the gap widens.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
AI CodingAI Coding
+7+7
Claude Opus 4.6 and GPT-5.3 Codex Launched hours ago: Why the Craft of Directing AI Matters More Than Which Model You Use
Feb 06, 2026

Claude Opus 4.6 and GPT-5.3 Codex Launched hours ago: Why the Craft of Directing AI Matters More Than Which Model You Use

Anthropic and OpenAI both launched major models this week. But the real productivity evidence is in how people direct AI - not which model they choose.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
AI OptimismAI Optimism
+6+6
2026 is the year our comfort ends
Jan 23, 2026

2026 is the year our comfort ends

Alex Smith on ego death, my research on the 94 building blocks of knowledge work, and why 43% of what we do is irreducibly human.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
For leaders who want to respond to the AI opportunity rather than react to the AI hype - weekly AI news delivered with pragmatic optimism you can act on.

The AI Optimist

For leaders who want to respond to the AI opportunity rather than react to the AI hype - weekly AI news delivered with pragmatic optimism you can act on.

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