I’m Alastair McDermott, founder of HumanSpark. After two decades in the technology sector, I’ve witnessed firsthand how AI is transforming our world – sometimes in ways that lift us up, and sometimes in ways that challenge us. My journey from software development to strategic AI consulting has been driven by a simple question: How can we harness this extraordinary technology while keeping humans at the centre of the equation?
My BHAG
What’s a BHAG? It stands for Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal!
My BHAG is: enable 1 million experts and 1,000 expertise-based businesses to achieve Human-First super-productivity by integrating AI ethically and strategically, liberating them from tedious tasks, enhancing their capabilities, so they can focus on work that truly matters, and so that AI benefits humanity instead of dooming us all.
(Audacious, right?)
Mission
My mission is to guide business leaders in implementing Human-First AI strategies that amplify team effectiveness whilst preserving workforce stability and value.
I help expertise-based organisations create systems where AI handles repetitive tasks, allowing their expert teams to focus on higher-value, fulfilling work and reach unprecedented levels of super-productivity. By doing so, I aim to deliver remarkable efficiency gains – like the 92% processing time reduction and 12X capacity increase demonstrated in my client work – without eliminating valuable roles.
I am committed to contributing to a broader understanding and implementation of ethical and responsible AI, ensuring its development serves humanity’s best interests and moves us towards a future where technology and human expertise work in synergy.
I prepare leaders and their teams to use AI confidently, strategically, and responsibly, ensuring it becomes a force for good in their organisations and the wider world.
Vision
I envision a future where expertise-based organisations thrive in partnership with Artificial Intelligence, achieving unprecedented levels of productivity and innovation whilst simultaneously enhancing the value and fulfilment of their human teams.
This is a world where AI serves as a powerful tool for collective progress and human flourishing, not simply for cost reduction. In this Human-First AI future, organisations implement AI with both strategic intelligence and deep ethical responsibility.
We can leverage AI to unlock remarkable productivity gains and create new opportunities, all whilst maintaining robust career pathways and ensuring meaningful work for humans.
AI becomes instrumental in solving pressing societal challenges and driving innovation that benefits everyone, without creating new inequalities or diminishing human agency.
Ultimately, my vision is of a society where technology amplifies our unique human potential, creativity, and collaborative spirit, fostering a brighter, more equitable, and more fulfilling future for all.
Values
Human-First Approach
I strive to prioritise human wellbeing, dignity, and career development in all AI implementation strategies.
I aim to ensure technology serves people across all backgrounds and levels, treating everyone with equal respect regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or religion. I work toward creating AI systems that promote equality rather than reinforcing bias.
My goal is to focus on how AI can augment and enhance human capabilities, creating new opportunities and more fulfilling roles, rather than primarily focusing on cost reduction or workforce replacement.
Note: I am not for you if you want to use AI to fire 95% of your staff just to save costs. (Apart from being dumb, it’s short-sighted and you’re losing out on massive amounts of upside from AI and your team.)
Integrity
I want to balance operational efficiency with ethical responsibility, seeking to create sustainable competitive advantage through thoughtful Human-AI integration.
I commit to putting clients’ long-term interests before short-term gains or my own interests, particularly when advising on workforce-impacting technology.
I aspire for my decisions and recommendations to adhere to an ethical code that places human flourishing and long-term societal benefit above purely technological or financial metrics.
This includes providing honest assessments of AI capabilities and limitations, and ensuring clients understand both the potential benefits and potential risks of AI implementation.
Transparent Excellence
I measure success through concrete outcomes – processing speed, cost reduction, capacity increases, and, crucially, staff satisfaction and wellbeing – not just technological deployment metrics.
I strive to be open about both the capabilities and limitations of AI, willingly acknowledge when I am wrong, and speak up when something runs counter to my values or clients’ best interests.
I aim to share insights freely except when doing so could harm my competitiveness or another person.
My commitment to transparency extends to clear communication with client teams about how AI systems work, their intended purpose, and their impact on roles, creating trust and reducing anxiety.
Approachable Professionalism
I try to bring warmth, humanity and occasional humour to the complex world of AI implementation, whilst maintaining high professional standards.
I aspire to be friendly, not just polite, offering kindness and compassion alongside expertise.
I uphold a “no dickheads” rule that applies to my own behaviour, my expectations of clients, and my approach to AI ethics and implementation.
This approach helps ensure that even complex AI concepts are accessible and understandable to everyone, promoting inclusivity and collaboration.
A Personal Note
My work with AI isn’t just professional, it’s personal.
I’ve seen too many conversations about artificial intelligence focus exclusively on either utopian promises or dystopian warnings, with little practical guidance for those caught in between.
The “no dickheads” rule mentioned above isn’t just colourful language – it’s fundamental to how I operate. Whether in business or technology implementation, I believe that kindness and ethical consideration aren’t optional extras but essential foundations for meaningful progress.
I’m certainly not claiming to be perfect in living these values – ask anyone who’s met me before my morning coffee, but I’m committed to the journey.
My hope is that by working together, we can build AI systems that genuinely enhance what makes us human rather than diminishing it.
If you’re facing the challenge of implementing AI in your organisation and want to do it in a way that strengthens rather than weakens your team, I’d welcome a conversation.
And thanks for reading a page that starts with “Mission” and “Vision” 🙂
