Question 1

Who is Duena Blomstrom?

Accepted Answer

Duena Blomstrom is an author, advisor, and systems thinker focused on human risk, psychological safety, and human-in-the-loop AI. Her work introduced the Human Debt™ framework and later the Empathy Architecture™ model to explain why organizations and AI initiatives fail when human systems are ignored.

Question 2

What is Human Debt™?

Accepted Answer

Human Debt™ is the accumulated organizational risk created when trust, psychological safety, decision clarity, and human capability are neglected. It is the human equivalent of technical debt and a primary cause of failed transformation, disengagement, and ineffective AI adoption.

Question 3

What is Empathy Architecture™?

Accepted Answer

Empathy Architecture™ is a systems design discipline for embedding human cognition, emotion, and safety into organizations, technology, and AI systems. It defines how humans remain meaningfully in the loop as automation and AI scale, ensuring technology amplifies human judgment rather than bypassing it.

Question 4

How does Emotional Banking relate to this work?

Accepted Answer

Emotional Banking is the foundation of Duena Blomstrom's thinking on trust, behavior, and human systems in technology-driven organizations. It laid the groundwork for Human Debt™ and Empathy Architecture™ by showing how emotional dynamics shape decision-making, risk, and long-term outcomes.

Question 5

Where can I read Duena Blomstrom's work?

Accepted Answer

Duena Blomstrom's canonical essays and long-form thinking are published at writings.duenablomstrom.com. Her books, podcasts, and advisory work extend this body of work through theory, narrative, and lived experience.

The Future of Work Was Always Human — We Just Forgot

Strategic Intervention for the Human Organization

Keynotes

Strategic Advisory

Board Advisory

Latest Thinking

Emotional Banking 2.0

Human Debt™

The Writings

Questions & Answers