AI, Trust & The Future of Work | Silvia Leal on Innovation, Cybersecurity & What's Coming Next | Tomorrow Today

July 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Silvia Leal, a sociologist by training and a leading technology communicator in Spain, describes herself as "like Don Quixote" — someone who fights to make people feel the same passion for technology that she does. Her career path is unusual: she holds a PhD in sociology and three MBAs, but her entire professional life has been in tech, working for companies like SAP and Banco Santander, directing IT and innovation programs at IE Business School, hosting a television series about global tech leaders, and advising the European Commission and OECD. In this conversation, she argues that the human element — feelings, fear, trust — is the blind spot in most tech projects, and that 90% of project failures stem from that blind spot, not from technical shortcomings.

The Sociologist in the Engineering Room

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What you'll learn

1 AI, Trust & The Future of Work | Silvia Leal on Innovation, Cybersecurity & What's Coming Next
2 (01:39) **Introducing Silvia Leal** - Host welcomes Silvia, a futurist, tech communicator, and one of Spain's leading tech figures
3 (05:10) **Career Journey from Sociology to Tech Influence** - Silvia traces her path from working at British Telecom, SAP, Banco Santander, to IE Business School
4 (10:39) **The TV Experience That Made Her a Better Speaker** - Silvia moved from academia to hosting her own TV program on Spain's public television
5 (14:06) **EU Regulation: Innovation Killer or Necessary Protector?** - The host challenges Silvia on whether the EU's focus on risk and protection kills innovation
6 (22:47) **Obama's Private-Public Partnership Model** - Host shares a story about how Obama brought private and public parties together for disaster response tabletop exercises after Katrina
7 (26:17) **The Reskilling Urgency Nobody Is Acting On** - Silvia declares we have a reskilling urgency, but nothing is happening

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Show Notes

In this episode:

Why AI is changing faster than organizations can adapt.
The balance between innovation and regulation.
Europe's approach to technology and what the rest of the world can learn.
Cybersecurity in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
Why quantum computing will redefine digital security.
The future of work and why reskilling is no longer optional.
Will AI create more jobs than it replaces?
Why lifelong learning is becoming the most valuable professional skill.
The psychology behind embracing technological change.
Building trust in an AI-driven world.
How governments, businesses, and educators can prepare society for what's next.
The growing influence of social media in shaping public understanding of technology.
Silvia Leal's journey from sociology to becoming one of Europe's leading futurists.
Lessons on leadership, adaptability, curiosity, and continuous reinvention.

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