Keynote presentations (45–60 min), executive strategy sessions, leadership workshops, and panel discussions
Corporate executives, digital leaders, innovation teams, and organizations preparing for AI transformation
The AI Puzzle: Why Most Fail and How You Can Succeed
Every day, business leaders rush to seize the opportunity presented by the most significant advancement in business since the electric lightbulb!
Many desire to leverage AI, but the majority will ultimately fail.
Why?
I have conversations with CEOs daily who are enthusiastic about harnessing the power of AI, and my straightforward response is: You Can’t.
I break down the critical obstacles and how the Philosophy of Flow can help fix these!
Unlocking AI’s Potential: The Philosophy of Flow
It’s not just about what AI does; it’s about what AI means. To maximise your benefit from AI, embrace The Philosophy of Flow.
This involves reshaping your organisation, culture, and processes in line with AI’s core principles.
The Philosophy of Flow isn’t just a theory; it’s a practical approach to harness the essence of AI to transform your business fundamentally.
Assemble to Amplify: The Buzz of Team Synergy
Let’s talk about the people who make AI work: your teams. AI needs flow, and so do humans.
At Teraflow.ai, we’ve adopted a Swarm business model that comprises stronger, more flexible, self-managed teams. By embracing the power of small, breaking tasks into manageable chunks, we deliver unparalleled value at remarkable speed.
This isn’t just a business model; it’s a value-creation engine that scales.
Unlock Your Team’s Potential: The Amplify Effect
AI isn’t valuable unless it’s operational. The same principle applies to your staff.
If you’re not maximising their potential, you’re not getting the full value out of them. The secret lies in creating an ecosystem that enables positive behaviour and amplifies natural skills. This is not just theory; it’s practice.
From MACHINE to SYSTEM
Until now, our business models have followed, machines-like in their approach, binary in their output, adapting at a binary rate of change. Our technology has been built to support machines and people are seen as cogs in the machine.
AI gives you the power of real-time response. It brings unpredictability where cogs in the machine are slow to respond, limited by bureaucracy and inefficiencies.
To respond in real-time, you need to remove the limitations of machine thinking to system approach.
The Flow That Leverages Exponential
Systems with flow have the potential to leverage change, adapting at a pace faster than ever before. The Philosophy of Flow is built around three core leverage points. By shaping these leverage points you will lay the foundation to take advantage of the benefits of AI:
Get the system right.
The system, or environment, defines our behaviour, which is defined by your business structure and strategy. At teraflow we have adopted a Swarm model that governs how we work, while subconsciously nudging our way of work. By consciously defining the system around the philosophy of AI, you are being conscious of how you work, the value you create and the way that you deliver.
Encode the culture
A culture that is built on individual accountability, and governed through self leadership shapes your ability to respond in real time. But as we know, the culture is needs to be a conscious process of defining the beliefs, values and behaviours that the group finds acceptable. This forms the subconscious emotional agreements – the unspoken agreement of how we get along and what defines the right and wrong of the group.
Put problems at the centre.
Businesses exist to solve problems and create value for their customers. Problems are best solved when they are put at the centre of a dedicated team. This is why teams are so crucial to driving solutions, growing the business, and developing a real learning organisation that adapts to what’s happening in the market.
Michael Cowen is a digital innovation strategist, keynote speaker, and co-founder of Teraflow.ai. With a career spanning leadership roles at Deloitte Digital and Mindshare, as well as founding multiple startups, Michael has positioned himself as a thought leader in artificial intelligence and exponential business growth.
He champions the Philosophy of Flow, a framework that helps leaders align their organizations with the principles of AI, decentralization, and agility. His talks challenge traditional machine-era business models, urging companies to adopt swarm-based, system-oriented structures that amplify both technology and human potential. Michael’s keynotes are known for blending big-picture vision with actionable strategies, empowering businesses to not just adapt to AI but to lead the revolution.
Michael Cowen distinguishes himself as not just a player but a game-changer in AI.
AI is much more than a technological advancement; it’s a paradigm shift that’s reshaping the very fabric of business. Leading in this transformative era requires a rethinking of not just technologies but also philosophies and business models.
“To truly harness AI’s potential underlying essence” Michael Cowen
With a background in leadership roles at respected institutions like Deloitte Digital and Mindshare, Michael now helms Global AI Business Teraflow.ai. He’s not just riding the AI wave; he’s directing its course through his pioneering ‘Philosophy of Flow’ approach.
At the core of Michael’s leadership is the belief that AI’s transformative power is not just in its capabilities but in its very philosophy. Traditional business models, he argues, simply can’t house AI’s revolutionary potential. Instead, businesses must adopt the decentralised, swarm-based, and fluid philosophies that drive AI.
These form the three key pillars of Michael’s leadership:
Since its inception in late 2019, Teraflow.ai has navigated the turbulent waters of the pandemic to emerge stronger, scaling up to 50 employees by the end of 2021. This is no accident but a direct result of applying AI principles to every facet of the business, from structure and culture to problem-solving and innovation.
Michael’s wisdom is not theoretical but hard-won through founding 5 startups and applying these AI-centric principles. His leadership approach empowers businesses to not just adapt to the AI revolution but to lead it.
As the AI landscape evolves at breakneck speed, Michael offers more than just a roadmap; he offers a complete navigation system. Adapt, disrupt, and dare to ‘Lead Differently’—your transformation into an AI visionary is just a mindset shift away.
The “Philosophy of Flow” keynote by Michael Cowen is a game-changing discourse that goes beyond AI’s capabilities to explore its foundational principles.
It guides business leaders in aligning their organisational structures, cultures, and philosophies with AI’s core tenets.
This isn’t just a call for tech adoption but a roadmap for a fundamental business transformation.
Michael Cowen argues that to truly harness AI’s potential, one must first ‘flow’ with its underlying essence.
The talk is a catalyst for not just adapting to the AI revolution, but leading it.
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In this 2-minute video, Michael Cowen outlines the urgent need for organizations to move away from bureaucratic, command-and-control structures and embrace exponential culture. He describes how exponential culture empowers individuals to take responsibility, remain accountable, and work in dynamic squads that can scale solutions at speed.
Unlike traditional models where information flows upward for centralized decision-making, exponential culture pushes information across the organization, enabling teams to solve problems proactively. Cowen emphasizes decentralization as the future of work, noting that bureaucracy stifles agility and threatens the survival of businesses unable to adapt. By contrast, exponential culture creates a framework where people express their full potential and deliver meaningful outcomes faster.
00:20 Traditional bureaucracy vs exponential culture
00:45 Key traits: accountability, responsibility, squad-based work
01:05 Information flow: centralized vs decentralized decision-making
01:30 Impact of decentralization on speed, delivery, and adaptability
01:50 Closing: Bureaucracy as the death of business; exponential culture as the way forward
A system-based approach that aligns organizational structures, culture, and processes with AI principles for sustainable innovation.
While AI is central, he also covers leadership, organizational design, and cultural transformation in the digital age.
Carol Tshabalala is one of Africa’s most iconic sports broadcasters and an inspiring pioneer in her field. Dubbed South Africa’s “First Lady of Sport,” Carol has broken barriers in a male-dominated industry, building a career that has spanned over 20 years. Her journey has seen her rise to global recognition, with work that includes covering […]
Dawie Roodt, leading economist speaker has over three decades of experience in the fields of macroeconomics and financial policy, Dawie has built an impressive career that includes both private and public sector contributions. As a sought-after keynote speaker, his unique insights into the South African and global economy resonate deeply with corporate and public audiences, […]
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