To Build Is Human is a podcast from TonicDM where co-founders Reg Prentice and Deb Johnston talk with architects, engineers, and technologists about how work actually gets built—through data, process, communication, and people.

Each episode is grounded in real practice: messy handoffs, disconnected systems, outdated documentation, and the cultural friction of change. You’ll hear practical playbooks for making project information trustworthy, reducing duplicate effort, deploying AI responsibly, and preserving institutional knowledge—without interrupting creativity.

Season 1 highlights AI readiness in the real world—not hype. It’s a tour of the foundations that make modern AEC work: clean data, reliable processes, and human-centered change management. Across six conversations, you’ll hear how leaders are replacing brittle spreadsheets, modernizing document and knowledge systems, connecting design data to business systems, and setting governance so AI and automation can actually deliver value.

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Nora Swanson, Director of Innovation & Knowledge Management at JB&B, shares how a six-person innovation team partners with—but operates parallel to—IT to protect security while moving faster.

She distinguishes “little-I” innovations (workflow improvements) from “big-I” disruptions (changing how work is delivered) and explains their vision of AI moving from assistant to collaborator—eventually becoming a teammate in organizational charts. We cover practical enablement: upgrading the intranet to quietly prepare for AI, letting staff spin up bots on vetted content, and defining strict boundaries around client and NDA-protected data.

Nora also details JB&B's plan to capture senior expertise through knowledge interviews and why change management starts early and never really ends. If you need a model for structured innovation, safer AI pilots, and culture-forward change, this episode gives you a blueprint you can adapt to your firm.

In this episode:

• How an internal innovation team functions like an “internal vendor”
• Workplace efficiency vs. tech transformation
• AI enablement through intranet and knowledge structure
• Guardrails for sensitive project/client data
• Knowledge capture interviews and the shelf-life of expertise

Visit TonicDm to learn more.