Jimmy's Jobs of the Future

How to Talk to AI: Prompting, Bias, Creativity, and the Hidden Risks of Chatbots

In this episode of Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future, Jamie Bartlett returns to discuss his book How to Talk to AI and why the real challenge is not just prompt engineering techniques but learning to ask good questions, spot loaded premises, and stay a critical thinker when faced with fluent machine answers.

We explore how small changes in framing can radically change outputs, how language mastery can become a key career advantage, and how models can mirror biases and create personalised echo chambers. While warning about delusions, manipulation, jailbreaks, and over-reliance (like summarising instead of learning), Jamie highlights strong use cases in creativity, writing support, and potential low-cost therapy via specialised small models.

We also cover workplace “AI slop,” the productivity paradox, and rising fraud risks from voice cloning and persuasive scams.

00:00 Intro
00:54 Prompt Engineering Debate
03:57 Linguistic Mastery
05:20 Genie Prompts Gone Wrong
07:43 Crypto Question Example
09:40 Inside The Semantic Universe
11:35 Echo Chambers And Bias
13:41 Creative Superpowers
16:12 Therapy And Coaching Potential
19:08 Rising Expectations And Risks
20:03 Sponsor Break
20:42 Overreliance And Outsourcing Thinking
22:31 Summaries Versus Learning
23:13 AI Everywhere In Life
23:43 Perfect Partner Prompt
25:19 When Chatbots Feel Shallow
26:27 Bureaucracy And AI Slop
27:52 Productivity Paradox Explained
29:55 Using AI For Writing
31:39 Language As Superpower
33:41 Leveling Up Communication
35:28 Trust Collapse And Analog
37:23 Voice Clones And Fraud

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Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/

Want to come on the show?
[email protected]

Sponsor the show or Partner with us:
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https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips

Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Sunny Winter https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnywinter/
Junior Producer: Thuy Dong
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Q1 Wrap-Up: 100K Subscribers, Awards, New Show Launch, and What’s Next

Jimmy and producer Sunny Winter record a Q1 roundup for “Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future,” reflecting on recent milestones and upcoming plans.

Highlights include surpassing 100,000 YouTube subscribers and receiving the silver plaque, winning “Interview of the Year” at the Political Podcast Awards for the Tony Blair episode, securing a partnership with one of the UK’s biggest airports at the awards, and meeting Anthony Scaramucci.

We discuss notable recent guests such as Steve Rigby, Will Storr, Matthew Flamini, and Diego (who catches pickpockets), plus the experience of hosting senior politicians like Pat McFadden and Peter Kyle.

We also announce the new leadership-focused sister show, “What We Don’t Know,” hosted by Dr Hayaatun Sillem and Matt Brittin, and mention Anthropy at the Eden Project, experimenting with AI tools, and potential media partnership with a British Craft Prize.

00:00 Q1 Catch Up Begins
00:53 Recent Guest Steve Rigby
01:22 Hitting 100K Subscribers
02:34 Winning Interview Award
03:45 Supporting Smaller Podcasts
05:21 Partnerships And The Mooch
06:24 Secretaries Of State Visit
09:31 Big Somerset Filming Day
11:38 Adrenaline And Upcoming Guests
13:38 Prep Pressure And Cancellations
17:31 Diego The Pickpocket Hunter
22:16 Launching What We Don't Know
25:24 Building Shows And Experimenting
27:28 Planning as a Feature
28:12 ChatGPT and Identity
29:15 Anthropy Highlights
32:43 Podcast Listener Encounters
34:38 Audience Growth Patterns
35:30 Next Quarter Plans
35:41 British Craft Prize
37:41 Craft and Meaningful Work
40:52 Vibe Coding and AI Tools
43:57 City AM Awards Buzz
46:43 Innovation After Crises
48:16 Award Speeches Debate
50:08 Wrap Up and Feedback
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Jamie Bartlett| Internet Subcultures and the Social Media Rage Machine

Jimmy interviews writer and podcaster Jamie Bartlett about his hard-to-define career researching internet culture, subcultures, and online-driven movements, shaped by early work at Demos and a fascination with being an early “expert” on emerging online worlds like the darknet.

Bartlett explains how he gains access to difficult contributors through detective-like research and by maintaining fairness and integrity, avoiding overt political positioning to reach audiences across outlets including the BBC, Telegraph, Guardian, Spectator, and varied podcasts.

They discuss how algorithms reward emotion, distort perceptions of public opinion, and turn politics into clip-farming, while long-form podcasts can restore deeper listening. Bartlett outlines ingredients of successful narrative podcasts and recounts key series: The Missing Cryptoqueen, Believe in Magic, and A Very British Cult, emphasizing relatable victims, twists, and translating complex tech risks for mainstream audiences, plus the importance of timing for story impact.

00:00 Intro
00:52 Defining Jamie’s Work
01:54 Origins in Internet Subcultures
03:22 From Darknet to Explainers
05:36 Early Jobs and Demos
06:58 EDL Facebook Research Hack
08:13 Getting Access and Trust
10:20 Journalism Labels and Integrity
11:41 Algorithms Reward Emotion
13:12 Staying Politically Neutral
17:06 Politics as Clip Culture
18:38 Echo Chambers and Crisis Addiction
21:25 Why Longform Podcasts Win
22:12 Studio Set Complaints
22:40 Producer Ad Break
23:16 Hit Podcasts Breakdown
25:03 Ingredients of Great Storytelling
28:18 OneCoin Origin Story
29:44 Career Defining Burden
31:41 Inside a British Cult
33:36 Status and Belonging
39:47 Timing Beats Being First
43:00 AI and Jobs Next Wave

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Thank you to McDonald's UK for sponsoring this episode.

To check out our episode with Amazon, click here: https://youtu.be/nIXLXoF33dY

Pat McFadden on Youth Unemployment, Apprenticeships, and How AI Will Change Work | Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future

Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, joins Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future to discuss the UK’s youth jobs crisis, with nearly a million young people not in education, employment or training and over half never having had a job, despite 50,000 manufacturing vacancies. He reflects on his first jobs (paper round, supermarket night shifts, dishwasher at Edinburgh’s Viva Mexico, Fringe work), his path into politics, and how social media and 24-hour news have changed government and debate. McFadden outlines new incentives for employers: £3,000 to hire a young person on Universal Credit for six months and £2,000 for small firms taking on young apprentices, which can total £5,000. He addresses youth sickness and mental health, arguing support should focus on improving life outcomes and work opportunities, and shares a cautiously optimistic view of AI as both job-destroying and job-creating.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:27 First Job Paper Round

03:04 Family Roots and Siblings

05:06 Path Into Politics

06:11 Student Jobs and Fringe

08:04 Where Saturday Jobs Went

09:27 NEETs and Youth Inactivity

13:30 Making It a National Cause

14:26 Hiring Bonuses Explained

18:17 What Makes a Good Job

21:06 AI and the Future of Work

25:29 If Graduating Today

25:49 Career Paths And Optimism

26:34 Studying Politics At Edinburgh

27:40 Finding Confidence And Belonging

29:19 Leaving Home For University

31:12 How Politics Has Changed

34:01 Parliament As Clip Culture

35:12 Advice For New MPs

36:37 Governing In A Faster World

38:06 Risk Aversion And Getting Things Done

39:45 Mental Health And Welfare Reform

42:51 Influencers And The Arc Of Work

45:00 Quickfire Questions And Wrap

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Follow us on socials!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture
Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/

Want to come on the show?
[email protected]

Sponsor the show or Partner with us:
[email protected]

Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips

Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Sunny Winter https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnywinter/
Junior Producer: Thuy
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Tony Blair on AI, Work, and What Governments Get Wrong (Award-Winning Interview)

This episode of Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future - featuring former Prime Minister Tony Blair - was recently named Best Interview at the Political Podcast Awards, so we’re revisiting the conversation with a fresh edit.

Jimmy and Tony discuss how artificial intelligence could reshape government and the economy, why the UK now has significantly more people out of work than before the pandemic, and how leaders can keep up with rapid technological change.

Tony also reflects on life after Downing Street, building his global institute, and the challenges of turning big decisions into real change inside government.

A wide-ranging conversation about leadership, technology, and the future of work.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

00:40 What does a former Prime Minister actually do?

03:00 Why getting things done in government is harder than it looks

05:00 AI and the biggest technological revolution of the century

11:00 Will AI replace jobs?

14:00 Why more people in the UK aren’t working

17:00 Technology, government and innovation

20:00 Why business leaders should go into government

28:00 Building organisations after politics

34:00 Ambition, leadership and career advice

37:00 Quickfire questions

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Follow us on socials!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture
Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/

Want to come on the show?
[email protected]

Sponsor the show or Partner with us:
[email protected]

Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips

Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Sunny Winter https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnywinter/
Junior Producer: Thuy
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