Use AI, Stay Human with Alastair McDermott (The Price and Value Journey, Episode 148)
AI is changing how expert-service professionals work, but it does not change what clients ultimately value. In this episode of The Price and Value Journey, host John Ray welcomes consultant, strategist, and author Alastair McDermott to discuss his book Use A.I. Stay Human: The Survival Guide for Experts Who Want to Stay Relevant, Authentic, and Indispensable in the Age of AI.
Alastair explains why AI should be considered a force multiplier rather than a threat, and why doubling down on human judgment, relationships, and trust is the key to staying indispensable. He shares practical ways experts can use AI for productivity, smarter decision-making, and accelerated learning while avoiding the trap of overestimating its capabilities.
John and Alastair also dig into the implications for pricing and value: how AI compresses tasks but not the client’s perception of value, why hourly billing is especially vulnerable, and how service providers can reframe their offers to emphasize the outcomes and confidence clients are truly buying.
If you have wondered how to balance productivity with authenticity in the age of AI and how to protect your pricing integrity, this conversation will give you both perspective and actionable ideas.
The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of the Business RadioX® podcast network.
Key Takeaways You Can Use from This Episode
- Why “staying human” is not just a slogan but a competitive necessity in the AI era.
- How to use AI to expand capabilities and speed learning without diluting expertise.
- A practical way to codify your unique knowledge so AI reflects your voice and frameworks.
- The role of judgment in separating useful AI outputs from flawed or misleading ones.
- How client trust and perceived value anchor your pricing integrity when technology changes fast.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to The Price and Value Journey
01:19 Alastair McDermott’s Background
02:47 Transition to AI and Rebranding
04:57 Impact of AI on Professional Services
07:31 Leveraging AI for Value-Based Pricing
08:40 AI’s Role in Enhancing Human Skills
11:56 AI’s Limitations and Ethical Considerations
13:32 Practical Applications and Tools
24:51 Privacy and Security in AI Usage
27:58 Human-Centric Approach to AI
31:08 The Value of Wellbeing and Less Stress at Work
32:13 Leveraging AI in Writing and Editing
33:31 Four Core Opportunities for Experts
36:44 AI as a Strategic Advisor
38:51 The Importance of Context in AI
40:40 Pricing in the World of AI
43:53 Adoption of AI Among Authority-Based Businesses
45:55 Using AI for Content Creation and Feedback
50:49 Building AI Tools for Business Efficiency
53:51 Final Thoughts and Resources
Alastair McDermott, HumanSpark.ai
Alastair McDermott is the author of the recently released book Use A.I. Stay Human.: The Survival Guide for Experts Who Want to Stay Relevant, Authentic, and Indispensable in the Age of AI. He is known for helping business leaders and subject-matter experts implement effective, human-centered AI strategies that increase efficiency while preserving the value of people.
As founder of HumanSpark.ai, McDermott draws on more than 18 years of experience in technology and consulting, guiding organizations to use artificial intelligence responsibly and successfully. He leads AI transformations that streamline operations, improve productivity, and deliver measurable ROI without compromising workforce stability or creativity.
Through his work as a consultant, author, and host of several podcasts such as The Recognized Authority, McDermott provides actionable guidance for independent consultants and firms in building real authority, growing their audience, and attracting high-value clients. He is committed to demystifying AI and ensuring its adoption augments human potential rather than replacing it.
John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey
John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.
John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include business coaching and advisory work, as well as advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, coaches, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is a podcast show host and the owner of North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®. John and his team work with B2B professionals to create and conduct their podcast using The Generosity Mindset® Method: building and deepening relationships in a non-salesy way that translates into revenue for their business.
John is also the host of North Fulton Business Radio. With over 900 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in its region like no one else.
John’s book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices
John Ray is the author of the five-star rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
If you are a professional services provider, your goal is to do transformative work for clients you love working with and get paid commensurate with the value you deliver to them. While negative mindsets can inhibit your growth, adopting a different mindset, The Generosity Mindset®, can replace those self-limiting beliefs. The Generosity Mindset enables you to diagnose and communicate the value you deliver to clients and, in turn, more effectively price to receive a portion of that value.
Whether you’re a consultant, coach, marketing or branding professional, business advisor, attorney, CPA, or work in virtually any other professional services discipline, your content and technical expertise are not proprietary. What’s unique, though, is your experience and how you synthesize and deliver your knowledge. What’s special is your demeanor or the way you deal with your best-fit clients. What’s invaluable is how you deliver outstanding value by guiding people through massive changes in their personal lives and in their businesses that bring them to a place they never thought possible.
Your combination of these elements is unique in your industry. There lies your value, but it’s not the value you see. It’s the value your best-fit customers see in you.
If pricing your value feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar to you, this book will teach you why putting a price on the value your clients perceive and identify serves both them and you, and you’ll learn the factors involved in getting your price right.
The book is available at all major physical and online book retailers worldwide. Follow this link for further details.
