How do we turn AI ambition into a national advantage? With Sharon Hague and OIiver Seal
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
Release Date: 05/12/2026
Is the UK ready for AI? The series finale on transformation, trust and the infrastructure behind it all
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
Artificial intelligence is changing how we work, how businesses grow and how countries compete. When you look back at history, every generation has a technology that changes everything. Steam. Electricity. The Internet. So technology transformation isn’t new. But as we face the latest challenge, is the UK ready? In this series finale of The Green Room, we bring together experts from past episodes to explore what readiness really means. For people, for organisations and for the country as a whole. From skills and trust to energy, infrastructure and investment, this episode looks beyond the...
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Will energy decide the AI race? With Caroline Brown and Tom Cope
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
We use AI in a digital world - but its future may depend on the physical one. Behind every prompt, agent and model, sits a system that needs to be built, funded and powered. And as organisations and countries race to adopt AI, the demand for access is accelerating. So could a technology that’s built to allow limitless thinking, end up limited by a country’s network and ability to build? Because the future of AI depends on compute capacity. That depends on infrastructure. And that depends on energy. And it’s those elements which determine the price we all pay to use it. Tune in to find...
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Can we trust something we don’t fully understand? With Simon McDougall and Avtar Benning
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
The challenge is no longer just what AI can do, but whether people have enough confidence to use it. As AI adoption accelerates, trust is becoming one of the biggest barriers to scale – the difference between experimentation and widespread transformation. Because the companies that benefit most from the technology may not be the ones with the most advanced capabilities, but those that create enough trust for people to use it. So what does it take to create systems where decisions and risk can be understood, measured and trusted? Because trust isn’t something technology can ask for, it’s...
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Are we planning enough for AI? With Bruce Daisley and Kate Sweeney
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
Disruption isn’t new. But right now, it feels different. Technology, economic pressures, geopolitical shifts, changing workforce expectations – they're all colliding at speed. And at the centre of it all is AI. The challenge isn’t just how to respond - and in real time - but to rethink how businesses work. AI is central to this shift. It’s already changing how work gets done, how decisions are made, and how value is created. So, the question is no longer “how do we use AI?” but “are organisations designed to fully realise its potential?” Because many aren’t. But...
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What makes us feel confident in what we buy? With Julia Lo Bue-Said and Tom Astill
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
It’s no longer a question of whether AI will change how we buy, but by how much? We’re turning to AI for inspiration and advice - and soon, it may even guide or manage decisions for us. Not since the rise of e-commerce in the 1990s have we seen transformation at this scale – and how we discover, choose and engage with brands is being redefined. At the same time, the path to purchase has shifted from being one dimensional. We no longer access retailers solely in-store or via their websites. Instead, we’re relying on platforms such as social media to buy too – all with an...
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How do we turn AI ambition into a national advantage? With Sharon Hague and OIiver Seal
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
The AI race is on. But what does it take to not just keep up, but to win? Even though we’re using AI at work, at home and on-the-go, are we really ready to use it at scale as a country? Last year, the UK joined a growing list of countries setting out an ambitious vision for how AI could provide a better future. For those who succeed, the prize is significant. A future powered by AI could bring economic growth and increased productivity, improved public services, and new opportunities across society. But ambition alone isn’t enough. To reap the rewards, we need the right...
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Are people the superpower that drives transformation? With Kate O’Neill and Mike Manby
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
Companies are investing more than ever in technology to transform their businesses. But the full impact isn’t being felt. Most organisations believe they are missing out on up to 50% of the returns they expect from digital transformation. So, what’s the missing piece? Do firms need to invest more or does the answer lie in their leadership and culture? From AI to cloud platforms, organisations are undertaking digital transformation in the search for added efficiency, growth and competitive advantage. But change doesn’t just happen to systems, it affects people too. If technology is a tool...
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What will be the last job on earth? With Ben Legg and Anne-Marie Malley
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
Seven years ago, we were yet to experience a pandemic. Some of us were just discovering podcasts – and were yet to discover an air fryer. And Artificial Intelligence was, for many of us, something we only saw on the big screen. And in The Green Room’s very first episode, we were asking ‘What will be the last job on earth?’ It was a year before GPT-3 changed the GenAI landscape, nearly four years before ChatGPT hit the mainstream and five years before regulation caught up and the world’s first legal framework for AI would be passed. A lot has changed since...
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Bonus Episode: The First 100 – The ideas that shaped us
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
In The Green Room, we’ve always set out to answer the biggest questions that matter most in business. Now, as we approach our milestone 100th episode, we’re taking a moment to look back at some of the conversations and ideas that have stayed with us – and still influence how business operates today. We’ve explored everything from the future of work and leadership to AI, sustainability and the changing role of business in society. Along the way, we’ve been joined by a remarkable range of guests, including physicist Professor Brian Cox, retail expert Mary Portas,...
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How does supporting families support us all? With Anna Whitehouse and Jackie Henry MBE
The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business
Our careers don't happen in isolation. What we carry from our lives outside of work shapes how we show up inside of it. At certain points in life, work doesn’t just sit alongside family and caring responsibilities – it actively coincides with them. And how organisations respond in those moments underpins the kind of workplaces they really are. As the world of work continues to evolve, businesses are being challenged to do more than offer flexibility as a perk. Today’s workforce is navigating parenthood, caregiving, and complex family lives alongside their careers. And...
info_outlineThe AI race is on. But what does it take to not just keep up, but to win?
Even though we’re using AI at work, at home and on-the-go, are we really ready to use it at scale as a country?
Last year, the UK joined a growing list of countries setting out an ambitious vision for how AI could provide a better future. For those who succeed, the prize is significant. A future powered by AI could bring economic growth and increased productivity, improved public services, and new opportunities across society.
But ambition alone isn’t enough. To reap the rewards, we need the right foundations in place.
Delivering digital skills and education to an entire nation. Redefining regulation and securing sufficient and sustained financial investment. Rebuilding our national infrastructure and providing access to cheap energy that can power dramatically increased AI usage.
So, how do we turn an appealing vision of the future into reality? And what will it really take from individuals, businesses, governments and the public sector to bring a national AI strategy to life?
That’s what we’re exploring with Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK, and Oliver Seal, Partner and leader of the firm’s Education Practice at Deloitte UK, as we ask: How do we turn AI ambition into a national advantage.
Tune in to find out
- Why now is a critical juncture in the UK’s AI journey
- The foundations we need to ensure the UK is ready for an AI-driven future
- How we make sure everyone has the access and skills they need to benefit from AI
- The role business can play in bringing a national AI strategy to life
This episode is part of The Green Room’s series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?
Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts
Find out more about Scope, one of Deloitte's national charity partners: scope.org.uk
Guests:
Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK
Oliver Seal, Partner at Deloitte UK
Hosts:
Stephanie Dobbs
Oli Carpenter
Original music: Ali Barrett
Recording date and location: London, 30.04.26