Harald’s Curious Corner

AI should not make “people teams” less human. Used well, it should help them become more intentional about the work only humans can do.
In this episode, I speak with Erica Farmer, CEO of Quantum Rise and author of AI for People Professionals. Erica brings a deeply practical view of AI adoption, shaped by years in L&D and people transformation. Her point is simple, but important. HR and L&D do not need to become technologists. They need to become clearer.

We talk about what it means to build a deliberate relationship with AI, why “people teams” should stop chasing shiny tools, and how AI can help us spend more time on trust, judgement, behaviour change, and real business problems. Erica’s phrase stays with me: AI drafts, human crafts.

Some curious takeaways:
  • Start with the workforce problem before choosing the AI tool
  • Build governance that includes HR, L&D, legal, data, operations, and the people affected by AI
  • Use AI as a thought partner, not just a faster way to rewrite emails

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(00:36) Why AI should start with the human relationship
(01:39) Writing about AI without chasing expiry dates
(04:20) Why HR does not need to become technical
(05:56) Start with the problem, not the shiny tool
(08:20) What human and AI collaboration really asks of us
(13:10) Building trust through better AI governance
(18:49) Using AI to prove learning transfer and ROI
(20:11) Prompting as a strategic thinking skill
(24:21) How L&D becomes a capability architect
(28:35) Why L&D needs to fall in love with problems
(31:45) A practical guide for moving from as-is to should-be
(33:49) Automating admin to make more room for people
(38:42) Why AI is reshaping HR roles, not just replacing them
(41:20) Staying relevant through learning agility

Connect with the guest:
Erica Farmer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericafarmer/ 
Explore Quantum Rise Talent Group Ltd: https://quantumrise.co.uk/ 
Explore EricaFarmer.AI Ltd (Erica’s professional speaking consultancy) www.Ericafarmer.ai
Explore Erica’s book, AI For People Professionals: https://www.koganpage.com/hr-learning-development/ai-for-people-professionals-9781398625990 

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/ 
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/

What is Harald’s Curious Corner?

Harald’s Curious Corner is where curiosity meets connection.

Harald chases that question with a guest, gathers perspectives from voices across the industry, and then steps back to reflect on what it all means. The show unfolds like a story arc, part exploration, part roundtable, part reflection, blending imagination with analysis.

The result: trusted insights, meaningful conversations, and forward-looking takeaways that shine a light on where learning is headed next.