About this episode

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky discusses the psychological barriers to AI adoption in the workplace and how to overcome them.

AI adoption in the workplace is failing at an alarming rate—95% of AI pilots never scale, according to an MIT study. The problem isn’t the technology; it’s the psychology behind how employees and leaders respond to AI. In this episode, behavioral scientist Dr. Gleb Tsipursky reveals why most companies get AI adoption wrong and how to fix it. Dr. Tsipursky, author of The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results , breaks down the three types of resistance holding back AI adoption: AI Alarmists (fear of job loss) Pragmatic Resistors (identity threats to professional roles) Reluctant Adopters (shame and stigma around AI use) You’ll learn why traditional change management strategies don’t work for AI and what leaders can do to overcome these barriers. From focusing on growth (not job cuts) to turning "shadow AI" users into AI champions, this episode provides the evidence-based playbook for scaling AI successfully. Why the Topic Matters AI isn’t just another tool—it’s a fundamental shift in how work gets done. Companies that fail to adopt AI effectively risk losing market share, productivity, and talent. Meanwhile, those that get it right grow revenue 9% faster and…

People in this episode

Host: Dietmar Fischer

Guest: Dr. Gleb Tsipursky

Topics covered

• AI adoption
• employee resistance
• behavioral science
• change management
• workplace psychology

Keywords

• AI adoption
• employee types
• psychological barriers
• change management
• workplace AI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MIT, Stanford

Books & works: The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results

More episodes of A Beginner's Guide to AI

• AI Drew Ketchup. It Kept Drawing Heinz. · September 10, 2026 · 31 min
• Forget Skynet. The Real AI Threat May Look More Like Khan Noonien Singh // DIETMARS OPINION · September 8, 2026 · 11 min
• 560,000 Words to Trick AI Search Engines? Jason T. Wade · September 6, 2026 · 57 min
• The AI Centaur: Why Humans and Machines Work Better Together · September 4, 2026 · 23 min
• The Real Reason Nvidia Paid 12,9 Billion For Hugging Face? Dietmar's Opinion 💡 · September 2, 2026 · 10 min
• Why “AI Strategy” Doesn’t Exist: Dr. Rebecca Homkes on Value Creation and Growth // REPOST · August 29, 2026 · 50 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the A Beginner's Guide to AI podcast page.