Speaking

I’m a writer first. I studied English and human-centered design, and I spend my working days helping leaders with strategy and AI. My talks sit where those meet: how people and organizations thrive through change, what it takes to make good things, and how new technology can serve people well.

I give keynotes, guest lectures, and workshops, and I join podcasts, for audiences from boards to classrooms. The right conversation depends on the people in the room, so I’m glad to shape something new. To start one, email me.

Conversations I often lead

How people and organizations thrive through change

Most leaders got where they are by pathfinding: a known destination and a known route. Periods of intense change call for wayfinding, where neither is clear. This talk draws on Wayfinding: A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI and on my client work to show what good leadership looks like then: admitting what you don’t know, building teams that can experiment and fail in the open, and treating waiting as a decision with its own cost. AI is the change most leaders face right now, so it’s the main example.

Writing, creativity, and making things

I trained as a writer before I worked in AI. This talk is about what it takes to make good work, and what AI does and doesn’t change for people who make things: where it helps, where it flattens, and how to keep taste and judgment in the loop. Built for writers, students, and creative teams.

Who benefits when work changes

AI is saving people real time at home and much less at work, and nearly nine in ten firms report no productivity impact from it over the past three years (NBER, 2026). This talk argues that the missing piece is the deal: workers have little reason to bring their best ideas to their employers when the gains don’t come back to them. It covers what gainsharing plans got right in the last century and what a fairer deal could look like now.

What organizations creating value with AI do differently

A small handful of organizations are creating measurable value with AI. They do two things: they create the conditions for their people to create value with it, and they take a big swing, aiming AI, their own data, and that motivated workforce at a problem only they can solve. I wrote about it on Substack.

Recent talks

  • “What Organizations Creating Value With AI Do Differently,” guest lecture for ENGG 119 “AI in the Real World” at Dartmouth (Oct 2026)
  • “Wayfinding Live: Leading When Nobody Has the Map,” KUNGFU.AI webinar series (Oct 2026)
  • Visibility with Lauren Cobello, podcast (Oct 2026)
  • “AI and Labor,” Data Salon, Brooklyn (Sep 2026)

Bios and a headshot

For organizers and hosts: two bios you can copy and use, plus a photo.

Short bio

Ben Szuhaj is an AI strategist passionate about helping organizations navigate AI transformation. At KUNGFU.AI, Ben works with leaders to develop and implement practical AI strategies that deliver tangible business value. Ben holds a BA in English and human-centered design from Dartmouth College, where he won the Mecklin Prize for creative nonfiction, and is a competitive long-distance runner.

Long bio

Ben Szuhaj is a Senior AI Strategist at KUNGFU.AI, where he partners with executives to change the basis of competition in their industries, identifying high-impact AI use cases, redesigning organizations, and translating complex technological capabilities into clear business value.

A student of history and the societal consequences of technology, Ben brings a foresight lens to his work, helping leaders think critically about where AI is heading and what it demands of them. He's particularly drawn to how people and machines can work together to be greater than the sum of their parts, and how individuals and communities can gain new skills to thrive during periods of intense change. As co-author of Wayfinding: A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI, he brings that perspective to the page, turning the fears, missteps, and breakthroughs he sees in his work into actionable narrative.

Previously, Ben led strategic initiatives at Doblin, Deloitte Consulting's innovation practice, focusing on AI strategy and sustainability. Earlier, he worked as a business researcher at Gartner. He holds a BA in English with a minor in human-centered design from Dartmouth College, where he won the Mecklin Prize for creative nonfiction. He lives in Cambridge, MA, and is a competitive distance runner.

Headshot of Ben Szuhaj

Download my full-size headshot.

Press

For press and interviews, email me.

Back to the home page, or find me on Substack and LinkedIn.