Find Your People: Michelle Dickinson on How AI Will Change Workplaces Forever

The way we work is changing- and it’s changing fast.

That’s why we created the Find Your People Podcast - to explore the future of work, and where the human fits in all of it. At its core, finding your people is about understanding what really drives great teams - not just skills, but values, mindset, and how people work together.

Today, we sit down with Michelle Dickinson, Engineer & Tech Expert, PhD - a world-class materials engineer and one of New Zealand’s leading voices on technology and innovation.

In this conversation, Michelle shares how growing up in a low-income, constantly moving military family shaped the way she thinks about learning, curiosity, and problem solving. She breaks down what AI actually is, why it’s often misunderstood, and how people should be thinking about it in a practical way — as a tool, not a threat.

As technology continues to reshape the workplace, they explore how people can adapt, where the real risks are, and why human qualities will matter even more as things accelerate. For anyone leading a team or finding where they fit, this is a clear, grounded starting point for thinking more intentionally about people, technology, and the future of work.

A big thank you to Michelle for taking the time to share her perspective