Episode 1
When AI saves you time, where does it go? (with Rachel Seftel)
When AI saves you time, where does that time actually go?
In this episode, Leah and Jenny talk to Rachel Seftel, Head of Research and Impact at the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. Rachel is the first to admit she's no tech enthusiast. She got into AI for one reason: she hates wasted time. That led to the RachelBot, her personal experiment in automating everything from scheduling appointments to checking her son's homework.
But this conversation goes far beyond personal productivity. Rachel shares findings from the Foundation's research with over 3,000 women entrepreneurs, almost all of whom were balancing their businesses with caregiving. The headline finding: when AI saves women time, that time doesn't automatically become free time or growth time. It gets reabsorbed into everything that was already waiting for them.
We also dig into why adoption numbers can be misleading. AI use among women entrepreneurs jumped from 38% to 82% in a year, but Rachel argues the more important question is whether that use is meaningful, sustained and actually changes the fundamentals of a business.
📚 Our book, AI for Equity (Emerald Publishing), is out on 27 October 2026. Pre-order your copy now:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/AI-Equity-Creating-Equitable-Society/dp/1837428573
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/ai-for-equity/jenny-garrett/leah-sunshine-garrett/9781837428571
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Get in touch: aiforequity@outlook.co.uk
