Andrew Foster and his company – Tougher Minds – aim to solve the AI adoption paradox by using the “Human-AI Performance Psychology” that they’ve developed over the last 25 years to teach people to recognise their cognitive brain states and optimise them for AI collaboration.
LINKS
https://www.tougherminds.co.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-foster-tougher-minds
WARM UP
De facto 3rd team captain/manager, though had to step back because of Rycroft’s illness. Now back in and looking to help the club build for the future and keep the spirit of 3rd team rugby alive.
THE GAME
What’s your business?
- We solve the “AI adoption paradox” – while companies invest heavily in AI, 77% of employees report it’s actually decreasing their productivity
- But here’s the urgent reality: The Guardian reported just this week that UK entry-level jobs have plunged 32% since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy has told employees that generative AI “will reduce our total corporate workforce” as they deploy over 1,000 AI applications. Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei warns that up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs could disappear within five years, potentially pushing unemployment up 10-20%
- Meanwhile, workers with AI skills earned 56% more last year – so there’s a clear divide emerging between those who can work effectively with AI and those who can’t
- We’ve developed “Human-AI Performance Psychology” over 25 years – teaching people to recognize their cognitive brain states and optimize them for AI collaboration
- It’s the difference between just “using AI as another tool” versus creating genuine Human-AI partnerships that make you indispensable
Who do you help?
- Organizations that have invested in AI but aren’t seeing transformational results
- Companies rolling out new LLMs – that’s Large Language Models, sophisticated AI systems like ChatGPT or custom-built models. For example, we’re working with a global organization that’s developed their own LLM costing hundreds of millions. It can do work in 15-30 minutes that normally takes human teams a week, but they know that without helping their people work effectively with this LLM, it won’t deliver the ROI they expect
- Leadership teams who recognize their people are the bottleneck to AI ROI
- High-performing professionals who understand that the UK government is investing £187 million in AI skills training because they project 10 million workers will perform AI-related tasks by 2035 – and want to be ahead of that curve, not scrambling to catch up
Who could help/partner with you?
- Any company or individual who realises this challenge and sees both the threat and the opportunity
HALF TIME
Can you tell us a favourite moment from your Old Colfeian Rugby days?
- Vigo away – tonnes of snow and mud, I got over for a try somehow, Seb Williams at second row kicked a penalty from way out with a bizarre bend it like Beckham action to win it with a minute to go.
- Rycroft Rumbles – support from the club has been fantastic
2nd HALF – Case Studies
Success Stories:
The Executive Story: One client—already a senior executive—doubled their income and became a thought leader in AI. He went from “Sunday night dread” to “energized and skipping into work.” More importantly, he’s now positioned as an AI expert in his industry, ready for whatever technological shifts come next.
The Healthcare Professional: A surgical doctor working brutal hospital shifts initially worried he wouldn’t have time for optimization. He soon realized he didn’t have time NOT to do it. Not only did his performance improve, but he’s now adaptable enough to handle any changes—whether that’s new AI diagnostic tools or another pandemic.
The Legal Professional (Eva’s story): A US attorney juggling complex litigation, four children, and building a practice in a field threatened by AI. She was working until 10-11pm every night, struggling to balance everything. Now she leaves the office before 5pm almost every day, saves 2-4 hours daily through focused execution, and has successfully pivoted her practice to embrace AI rather than fear it. As she puts it: “It’s very life-changing for real.”
The Entrepreneur: Running a £20m business said: “This helped me balance startup demands and family—I signed up for 12 more months.” His business is now AI-integrated and pandemic-resilient.
These aren’t people who were failing—they were exceptionally smart, accomplished individuals operating below their cognitive potential when they needed to be at their absolute peak. Now they’re not just performing better—they’re antifragile, ready for whatever AI or unforeseen disruption might come next.
TO THE BAR
People you’re looking for:
- Organizations struggling with AI adoption despite major investments
- High-performing professionals who feel overwhelmed by technological change
- Companies about to roll out AI systems that want to avoid typical adoption challenges
- Leaders who understand that the bottleneck isn’t the technology—it’s helping people work effectively with it
- Anyone who recognizes they need to be cognitively antifragile for an uncertain future
