While some might argue that Samuel was no expert on excitement, what I found in arguably one of the greatest cities of the world were insights about the future that business builders, investors and just normal people need to be aware of.

As the Latin saying goes: “forewarned is forearmed”. These were the words of that famous Londoner William Shakespeare, used in Henry IV Part 3. They’re the key messages from what I discovered and will share with you. Don’t forget, I am in the forewarning business!

The biggest takeout from my ‘Londonising’ was this new era of changes that we’re seeing in Australia and around the world, though I’d say we’re less cheesed-off compared to the French and English populations right now. Last week I wrote how the UK’s Trump impersonator is Nigel Farage, who leads the new UK Reform party that’s now more popular than the Labour Government party and the recently kicked out Conservatives!

Farage is promising illegal immigrant deportations and other policies that majorities around the world see as common-sense. This parallels with right wing politics on the rise in the US, France, Germany and the UK, to name more than a few. Even Scandinavian voters are swinging to the right, which was once thought unthinkable.

In London, nearly every local we met warned us about gangs stealing mobiles, especially from tourists walking the streets watching google maps and listening to the AI navigator I call Sheryl. This rise of young gangs raiding retail outlets and stealing products is something on the rise. It’s especially bad in Victoria, if the CEOs of our top retailers at Coles, Wesfarmers and the Super Retail Group can be believed.

This anti-social behaviour coincides with younger employees displaying unusual behaviour. And it’s not just an Aussie thing. Today, the SMH looks at recruiters and employers who are concerned that AI is being used to falsify talent. The likes of LendLease and Canva have highlighted too many cases of potential employees using AI generative responses in their videos made to secure a job. “The rise of AI interviewing tools has changed the landscape entirely,” Canva head of platform, Simon Newton, said in a post on the company’s website. “Candidates are increasingly using AI assistance during technical interviews, sometimes covertly through tools specifically designed to avoid detection.”

Recruiters aren’t sure if a potential candidate is answering questions or whether they’re being answered by an AI bot that has mastered the candidates’ voice! This comes as AI is not only making sound recruitment hard, but a Stanford University study has shown that workers in the 22 to 25 age bracket in AI-exposed jobs have seen a 13% reduction in employment.

While AI might be helping entry level workers look better than they really are, it’s also killing their job opportunities. One of my business meetings in London was with a CEO who two years ago had 300 workers. His business is on a roll and is now seen as the leader in the sector, but when I asked how many employees he had now, he surprised me when he said 240. When I asked if AI was the culprit for the job losses, his answer was “Not all, but most!” While it’s wrong to see AI as a complete bogeyman that will kill the job scene as we know it, it will be a source of anguish for employees and employers until both groups learn to use it productively and, importantly, honestly.

While the digital age enhances the toolkit of young employees, it breeds too much isolation and insufficient interaction with older employees, who’d be able to pass on skills that AI would never be able to match.

The fact that psychiatrists are pointing to young people who avoid talking on a phone because of anxiety, is undoubtedly a consequence of a lack of practice as texting is so emotionally easier.

Personally, I worry about younger generations being overinfluenced by AI, marketing manipulators on social media platforms and influencers, when they should be more inspired by great political leaders, inspirational employers and managers and parents, who have more appeal than the captivating world of the smartphone and the internet it lives on!

Regarding my fears about younger generations, last Friday I was in the famous sporting store at Piccadilly Circus called LillyWhites looking to buy a Rinaldo football shirt for my grandson, when I realised my mobile phone had fallen out of my bag!

Along with the loss of my phone were other important things such as my driver’s licence, credit cards, my pass to my office carpark and door! It was a disaster! In my panic I thought I should ring my number but simultaneously wondered if there was an honest person left in a very cranky UK.

However, as it was the only sensible thing to do at 6pm on a Friday night in one of the busiest cities on the planet, I rang my number. And yes, someone answered! Not only did he said he’d found my mobile but was happy to bring it to The Corinthia within 20 minutes!

True to his word, this wonderful Gen Y showed up with his girlfriend, Magdalena. Of course, we asked them to join us for a drink as a thank you, and they said yes.

To me, this guy was a hero because I really needed that phone. As it turned out, he was an ex-UK army officer now working in Ukraine as a bomb disposal expert helping to diffuse Russian placed bombs!

Did I say he was a hero? And his name was James Cook. When in the army, he held the rank of Captain so imagine my delight when I realised Captain James Cook had discovered my phone. James admitted that many of his fellow generation cohort are neither fans of his previous place of employment nor his namesake. But I’m sure the world generally, and my world in particular, is a better place for knowing the likes of this Captain Cook.

Our younger generations have so much potential. Let’s hope we get leaders who help them capitalise on their inherent, new age qualities.