Gen AI models are making it easier to synthesise information and produce copy. They are also changing reader behaviours. There's no better example of this than Andrew Grill, a former IBM global managing partner, a top keynote speaker and an expert in artificial intelligence, futurism, and digital transformation, with more than 30 years in the technology sector.

Last year, he turned his podcast into a book, Digitally Curious, as a straightforward guide to new technologies for business leaders, with an AI co-pilot for readers to search for the answers they need. AI helped him with the task of turning 60 podcast episodes into a 70,000-word book.

We spoke to him about his AI workflow, shifting reader habits and the tech warnings that newsrooms need to hear right now.

On 26 November, Andrew Grill will be delivering an "ask me anything" session at Newsrewired in London, providing lessons in AI from sectors beyond journalism, like healthcare or courier services. Book your ticket now to catch this unmissable talk.

Q: Your book is built from 60 podcast interviews and features an AI-powered co-pilot. How did you approach constructing it, and what do you hope this model unlocks for readers?

Andrew Grill: I came to authorship from a different angle. Most authors become speakers, but I was a speaker who needed to become an author. Writing 60,000–70,000 words from scratch was daunting, so I started a podcast, which over nearly six years produced more than 100 episodes. 60 of those interviews made it into the book. I used Otter, my favourite transcription tool, to transcribe and interrogate the interviews, which gave me about 200,000 words to work with. AI helped me organise and search the material, but........

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