Will AI help us escape the algorithm echo-chamber and become a force for social good?
In this episode of the Flow State podcast mini series on AI, host Stuart P Turner sits down with Terry, Head of Product, Data and Technology at GroupM, to talk through the real world impact of AI on jobs, workflows and the algorithms that shape our online lives. The conversation moves from job security fears to the mundane automation already happening inside large media businesses, before landing on a sharper question: are algorithms pulling us deeper into echo chambers, and can AI help pull us back out?
Key takeaways
- Job disruption is already real for some industries. Terry points to friends in TV and film affected by the writers' strike, and raises concerns for copywriters, taxi and bus drivers, and other roles that could be displaced as AI tools mature.
- Most "AI" in use today is actually automation and machine learning. At GroupM, tools like the Zaxis co-pilot optimise campaigns and budgets, while much of the broader work involves automating HR and finance processes, such as onboarding and end of month reporting, rather than deploying advanced artificial intelligence.
- Removing mundane tasks frees people up to upskill. Terry sees the biggest value in automation as giving teams time back to focus on more interesting, higher value work rather than repetitive admin.
- Algorithms are reinforcing echo chambers, sometimes with real consequences. Terry shares a personal story about a family member being drawn into extreme content online, illustrating how quickly algorithmic feeds can shape views without people realising it.
- There is hope that AI could redistribute value toward essential, undervalued professions. Both speakers express a wish that automation reduces demand for purely digital roles and increases recognition (and pay) for nurses, teachers and carers.
Notable quotes
"I do hope, my whole hope is that when they do take over, that the likes of nurses and teachers, and people who really should be paid a lot of money, will get paid what they're meant to get paid."
"I think it takes the mundane away from people's roles. Gives them more time to upskill, learn, do things that they're more interested in."
"I cannot let my 19-year-old niece listen to this... all the things he was talking about, I was thinking, I cannot let my 19-year-old niece listen to this."
"The biggest issue is probably my husband losing his job... it's quite a concern, to be fair, for me personally."
Summary
The discussion paints a grounded picture of where AI actually sits inside a large media organisation today: less science fiction, more practical automation of dashboards, reporting and back office processes, alongside targeted tools like GroupM's co-pilot for campaign optimisation. Terry is candid about the human cost this shift could bring, from friends in the writers' strike to her own household, while also holding onto hope that it could ultimately push value and pay toward the caring and educating professions that deserve it.
The conversation's sharpest turn comes when it moves from job displacement to algorithmic echo chambers. Terry's story about a family member being drawn toward extreme online content highlights how personalised feeds can quietly narrow what people see and believe, even among those not actively seeking it out. Both speakers agree this is one of the more pressing, unresolved challenges: whether smarter, more personal AI assistants can help people rediscover genuine choice online, or whether current incentives will keep pushing us further into isolated bubbles.
Listen to the full episode above.