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Oliver Buchannon
Michael MacDonald

Helping agencies govern AI without slowing down. Founder, Brains Before Bots. Former Agency Partner.

The Structure That Was Already There

Feb 24, 2026

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6 min read

The Structure That Was Already There

Two agencies. One crisis. The difference wasn't what we built — it was what had already been built.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald
Your AI policy isn't working (here's why)

Feb 17, 2026

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6 min read

Your AI policy isn't working (here's why)

71% of UK agency staff use unauthorised AI tools weekly. Bans don't stop usage—they drive it underground.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald
When 'Ask Sarah' Becomes a Single Point of Failure

Feb 10, 2026

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6 min read

When 'Ask Sarah' Becomes a Single Point of Failure

How one person's holiday exposed a £180K dependency web most UK agencies have already built

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald
"AI Did It" Isn't a Defence

Feb 3, 2026

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6 min read

"AI Did It" Isn't a Defence

Why Air Canada's Legal Loss Matters for Your Agency

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald
The Secret Cyborg on Your Team

Jan 27, 2026

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6 min read

The Secret Cyborg on Your Team

Why 71% of your team is using unauthorised AI—and what to do about it before your next Enterprise pitch

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald
Why One of My Agencies Survived and the Other Collapsed (And What Shadow AI Has to Do With It)

Jan 20, 2026

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6 min read

Why One of My Agencies Survived and the Other Collapsed (And What Shadow AI Has to Do With It)

The multi-million rand lesson about building governance before you need it—and what it means for the 71% of UK agency staff using unauthorised AI tools

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald

UK Agencies

+2

What is Shadow AI?(And Why Your Agency Has It)

Jan 13, 2026

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4 min read

What is Shadow AI?(And Why Your Agency Has It)

How ungoverned AI tool usage creates cascade risk for UK agencies—and what governance actually means.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald

Governance

+3

GovernFirst, Not AI-First

Jan 6, 2026

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5 min read

GovernFirst, Not AI-First

Why UK agencies need governance infrastructure before AI acceleration—lessons from 15 years running agencies through crisis.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald

Governance

+3

The Three Simple Rules Framework

Dec 30, 2025

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4 min read

The Three Simple Rules Framework

Data Traffic Light, Human Wrapper, and Prompt Dividend—the governance framework that makes AI usage visible, accountable, and commercially advantageous.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald

UK Agencies

+2

Why I Built Brains Before Bots

Dec 23, 2025

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5 min read

Why I Built Brains Before Bots

One agency survived external crisis through formalised governance. The other closed when informal governance reached its limits. Here's what that taught me about Shadow AI.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald

UK Agencies

+1

What You'll Get From This Newsletter

Dec 16, 2025

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5 min read

What You'll Get From This Newsletter

One governance framework you can implement immediately. One operator story. Ready-to-use templates. Every Tuesday, 7am GMT.

Michael MacDonald
Michael MacDonald

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