Workshop - Second Nature: What Ecosystems Can Teach Us About Leading Through AI
No one has the AI playbook yet, and most leaders are still running habits built for a stable, predictable world.
In this hands-on workshop designed for organizational leaders, Modus Digital’s Jay Erickson and Emily Kagan take their cue from nature. A starling murmuration has no choreographer, and a beehive has no CEO, yet both adapt and coordinate by following a handful of simple local rules.
Over two hours, participants will name the patterns that wear teams down during AI adoption: performing certainty, falling back on familiar thinking under pressure, and burning out the people who translate AI for everyone else. Then they’ll practice a better set of simple rules for leading through change.
In the spirit of “less decks, more doing,” you’ll work through it in the room with peers who are willing to admit what they don’t know yet, and you’ll leave with new mental models and language you can bring back to your team.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS:
Jay Erickson
Jay is Partner and Chief Innovation Officer at Modus Digital, a leading digital consulting firm. He is also, along with Emily Kagan, co-host of the Wild Talk podcast as well as a poet and musician. A lifelong convener and creator, he blends digital innovation with soulful leadership. From Fortune 500 companies to startups, he builds tools and communities that help people collaborate and thrive. Jay has led dozens of immersive experiences and design thinking workshops that invite participants to show up fully, imagine boldly, and lead with clarity from the inside out. He is a frequent speaker at conferences such as HIMSS, NextMed, Digital Medicine Conference, and IoT Solutions World Congress, and his retreat design and facilitation has been featured in The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared in Healthcare Business Today, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, and Vogue.
Emily Kagan
Emily is a spoken-word-poet-turned-healthcare-executive on a mission to remix the human in healthcare, challenging entrenched assumptions about what it means to give and receive care in the digital age. She most recently served as SVP, Chief of Consumer Digital Solutions for New York state’s largest health system, Northwell Health, and is currently a senior advisor to new and established digital health organizations. The Wall Street Journal, TechRepublic, and CMS Wire turn to her for a fresh perspective on the future of technology, work, and healthcare. Emily is a nationally recognized poet, essayist, and speaker, and is co-host of the Wild Talk podcast. She is the founder of the Choosing Futures advisory practice, dedicated to putting people before pixels.
SPACE IS LIMITED. Please note that space is limited and attendance is by invitation only. Registrations are pending until approved. Modus Digital events are curated for strategic and decision-making leaders. If accepted, please commit to the duration of the workshop.
HOW TO GET HERE:
South Station Train Terminal (2 min walk)
South Station Subway (2 min walk)
Boston-South Station Bus (1 min walk)
Boylston Light Rail (11 min walk)
Easy access to I-90 and I-93; paid parking available at: 125 Summer Street
This event is part of Boston Human Week
Human Week (Nov 9–13) is a week of conversations across Boston about how we build a future that puts people first: AI, education, work, care, cities, and everything in between. Hosted by all kinds of humans, in all kinds of rooms.
Follow the Human Week calendar to see the full lineup and find us on Instagram.