Breffni Greene spent 10 years as a practicing architect at Henry J Lyons before spotting ChatGPT on screens across the studio—line managers had no idea their teams were using it. Shadow AI was rampant. Rather than crack down, he convinced leadership to create a new role: Head of AI and Design Innovation. The taboo was real—colleagues worried AI would erase their writing skills and creative thinking. But once people found their hook, everything changed. The managing director discovered new prompting techniques. Junior staff transformed messy interview transcripts into publishable narratives using 11 Labs. Report writing shifted from painful compliance to creative storytelling. Since December, they’ve processed 500 million tokens at 0.17 cents per message using OmniChat’s multi-model platform.

Breffni’s 2035 vision? Sitting with his moleskin and pen, drawing architecture, knowing the mundane work is handled—proof humans didn’t lose to machines.

Show Notes

Guest: Breffni Greene, Head of AI and Design Innovation, Henry J Lyons Architects

Key Topics:

[03:09] Shadow AI discovery – ChatGPT on screens across the studio, line managers unaware, the catalyst for Breffni’s role.

[04:28] Breaking the taboo – AI was genuinely taboo in architecture. Concerns about losing writing skills and creative language.

[04:55] Individual wins matter – Even the managing director discovers new techniques. People must find how AI fits their own work.

[06:22] The book project – 11 Labs identified voices in messy transcripts, enabling authentic conversational narratives with proper citations.

[09:13] Transcription workflows – Talking through building concepts naturally, then structuring compliance documentation while preserving creative passion.

[24:18] 500 million tokens at 0.17 cents – Massive volume, minimal cost using multi-model strategy via OmniChat platform.

[24:41] Meet Henry – Firm-specific AI persona. GPT-4o for strategy, Claude Sonnet for analysis, Gemini Flash for documents.

[26:27] 2035 vision – Moleskin and pen in beautiful urban space, knowing mundane work is handled. Humans still create value.

Key Takeaways:

• Shadow AI signals appetite, not a problem to eliminate
• Cultural change requires individual wins, not platform rollouts
• Multi-model strategies improve cost efficiency dramatically
• Authentic voice matters more when AI generates generic content

Connect: LinkedIn – Breffni Greene

Replay from 2025.. Breffni’s cultural transformation blueprint remains essential.

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