The Optimist – Conversations with the leaders and industries shaping Europe’s digital future

Cities generate more data than ever before. But can that data help us create better places to live?

In this episode of The Optimist, Dale Rickert speaks with Carlo Ratti, Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and CEO of Carlo Ratti Associati, about how data, AI, and human intelligence are transforming the future of urban life.

In this episode of The Optimist, Dale Rickert speaks with Jochen Ditsche, Global Head of Digital Team at Roland Berger, about how AI is reshaping expertise, work, and human value in an age of infinite information.
From automation and digital distraction to consulting, leadership, and education, Jochen argues that the future won’t belong to those with the most information, but to those who can apply judgment, create meaning, and build genuine human connections. As AI makes knowledge increasingly accessible, skills like focus, context, critical thinking, and relationship-building become more important than ever.

In this episode of The Optimist, Dale Rickard speaks with Jan Brorhilker, Managing Partner Assurance at EY Germany, about how AI is reshaping leadership, careers, and the role of human skills in the workplace.

In this episode of The Optimist, Dale Rickert speaks with Holger Schell, Head of Technology & Foundation, Schwarz Digits, about the infrastructure layer behind Europe’s digital future.

They explore why sovereignty is no longer just a political concept, but a technical and operational necessity. From cloud infrastructure and security to resilient architectures and trusted systems.

AI is everywhere — but most of it never scales.

In this episode of The Optimist, Dale Rickert speaks with Matthias Emler, Partner at Horváth, about why so many AI initiatives get stuck in pilots and what it really takes to turn them into scalable systems.