269. The HR Words Quietly Building a Dehumanized Future feat. Joshua Berry

This episode is about how the language we use to describe people at work is quietly shaping both workplace culture and the future of AI. Joshua Berry, author, speaker, and Director of Iconic, brought this conversation to the podcast last year and it has only gotten more relevant since.The business terms you&#39;ve been using on autopilot (headcount, right-size, prospects) aren&#39;t neutral. They&#39;re belief systems, and they&#39;re being baked into the AI your organization will rely on tomorrow.What We Cover:Words are a symptom of your unconscious beliefs about people&quot;Headcount&quot; isn&#39;t neutral, and neither is &quot;right-size&quot;Your internal messages are actively training the next generation of AIWe&#39;re at an inflection point where conscious language can reshape what AI believes about human valueWhat HR professionals actually need to hear about AI and their jobsThe custom ChatGPT setting that flags dehumanizing language before you hit sendConnect with Joshua Berry: LinkedIn | Iconic Website | JoshuaBerry.comConnect with Traci here: <a href=" HRTraci / Traci Chernoff (00:00.622) Hello everyone, welcome back to the podcast. Thank you so much for being here for another week. I am so excited because Josh Berry has returned to the podcast. If you remember him, he was on the podcast episode 183. Thankfully I was able to find it. Thank you, Google. He pasted these are the shownotesw dfor this week's episode which is one of our greatest hits replay series. please refer to our shownote gudie and create shownotes for this peidos with the following changes from teh style guide. teh first sentence of the first paragraph needs to tell the reader what the episode is about. the bulleted chapters shoudl be one sentence hooky title.s 12:24 PM Synthesized transcript details and structured Greatest Hits show notes Synthesized transcript details and structured Greatest Hits show notes Here are the show notes: Ep [#]. [Title] feat. Joshua Berry Some conversations are too good to hear only once. Joshua Berry, author, speaker, and Director of Iconic, returns to discuss why the words we use to describe people at work are quietly shaping both workplace culture and the future of artificial intelligence. Spoiler alert: The business terms you've been using on autopilot — headcount, right-size, prospects — aren't neutral. They're belief systems, and they're being baked into the AI your organization will rely on tomorrow. Joshua traces the line between unconscious word choice and workplace dehumanization, then connects it directly to what generative AI is learning about the value of people. He tackles the job displacement question head-on, unpacks why the "infinite interns" mindset shift changes everything, and walks through a ChatGPT setting most people don't know exists that will call you out when your language starts to dehumanize. What We Cover: Words are a symptom of your unconscious beliefs about people "Headcount" isn't neutral, and neither is "right-size" The first step toward dehumanization is already in your email drafts Your internal messages are actively training the next generation of AI We're at an inflection point where conscious language can reshape what AI believes about human value What HR professionals actually need to hear about AI and their jobs The "infinite interns" thought experiment that reframes how you think about AI's role Why digging your heels in on AI resistance is the wrong move Using AI as a coaching partner, not just a research assistant The custom ChatGPT setting that flags dehumanizing language before you hit send Key Quote: "We're at a very interesting inflection point where we can start to shift the narrative of what generative AI thinks about people and their value, based upon the conscious word choices that we have." — Joshua Berry Connect with Joshua Berry: [LinkedIn/Website — add from episode links] Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode. Flagging a couple of things: I need the current episode number to fill in the title, and you'll want to drop in Joshua's contact links. Also left the title blank since you may already have one — happy to pull tog