Whether you use AI every day, refuse to touch it, or fall somewhere in the middle, chances are you’re still finding your line, and we need to talk about that.
This is the first episode in a three-part Creative Futures Lab series on Be the Change Podcast. Lily Mott talks with Conor Warren, founder and CEO of Spark UK, and Paddy Crump, Campaigns and Content Lead at FlippGen, about why they partnered with Be the Change Media Network and Studio Self-Made to launch the Creative Futures Lab.
On 2 September 2026, around 40 young creators, founders, AI professionals, funders, and organizations came together at Canva’s London HQ for an honest conversation about AI, one that wasn’t about deciding whether it’s good or bad.
Conor and Paddy open up about their own, very different relationships with AI. Conor shares how it has helped a small charity team stretch further and build a platform for a fraction of the usual cost, while also worrying about the young people turning to chatbots for mental health support. Paddy reflects on the moment when polishing every email with AI became a habit and how that led him to rethink how and why to use it. Together with Lily, they unpack the growing divide between how charities and corporate teams use AI, why we need to have these conversations, and what’s still giving them hope: young people who care about getting it right and a renewed appreciation for work made by humans.
Whether you use AI constantly, avoid it completely, or sit somewhere in the messy middle, this conversation isn’t about changing your mind. As Conor, Paddy, and Lily discuss in the episode, there’s no guidebook for any of this, so be kind to yourself.
To get connected with Conor, find him on LinkedIn and Instagram.
To get connected with Paddy, find him on LinkedIn and Instagram.
To more about:
Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.
Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.
If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.
Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.
