Sophia Omarji

Talk

Improvisation Isn’t Chaos: What Jazz Teaches Us About Thriving in an AI-Driven Workplace

AI can now write a discussion guide, synthesise forty transcripts and draft a report in minutes — which changes what makes a designer or researcher good at their job. As a music psychologist and UX researcher, Sophia argues the answer lies in a skill musicians have trained for centuries: improvisation. Drawing on research into AI self-efficacy, anxiety and psychological safety, she reframes our roles as less step-by-step methodology and more jazz musician reading the room — knowing which “wrong note” is actually the most interesting finding.