We’re living through the most profound technological shift in generations — and most of us are still figuring out what it means. While everyone’s scrambling to ‘implement AI’, we’re asking different questions: What happens to human purpose when machines do most of our work? How do we navigate a world where the old rules about productivity, career and success no longer apply? These aren’t just business questions — they’re philosophical ones. Which brings us to our name.
The Raisin Date story
Back in the early 2000s, our co-founder Gideon and a few mates ran a philosophy group that revolved around food, big questions and taking themselves a little too seriously. As you might expect, the French phrase raison d’être — “reason for being” — came up a lot.
Being Australian, they butchered the French, and raison d’être morphed into “raisin date.” It became a running joke — a phrase that stuck around long after the group had faded.
Years later, when Gideon and Rodrigo started their AI partnership, they needed a name — something that captured their ongoing conversations about what AI means for how we live and work.
Raisin date resurfaced — still quirky, but unexpectedly fitting. A phrase that spoke to their view of AI not just as a technical shift, but as a cultural and philosophical one — a force that invites us to rethink how we define meaning, work, and human value.
Rodrigo Rubio
Rodrigo is a leading business and technology consultant, software engineer and founder. He specialises in emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, product development and impactful innovation.
With extensive experience in startups and leading his own consultancy, Rodrigo spearheaded businesses through innovation and digital transformation. He has held consulting leadership roles, working with major national and global brands, often collaborating with top design consultancies.
Rodrigo now channels this expertise into Raisin Date, a new collaborative venture focused on human-centered, human-innovation-led AI adoption training. Its workshop-based programs help individuals and teams to thoughtfully integrate AI, ensuring technology fosters human potential and genuine innovation.
Passionate about technology solving real-world problems, Rodrigo champions diversity and inclusion in tech, frequently speaking at industry events and mentoring aspiring technologists.
Gideon Warhaft
Gideon is a digital strategist, product manager and creative producer, with a career spanning technology, media and the not-for-profit sector. He’s led the development of complex digital platforms across healthcare, harm reduction and social impact initiatives.
A former animation producer and co-founder of the expert video platform Sage.fm, Gideon brings a rare blend of systems thinking, storytelling and human-centred design to his work.
As co-founder of Raisin Date, he now helps individuals and organisations navigate the AI era with clarity and confidence. Through practical, insight-led workshops he focuses on making AI understandable, ethical and genuinely useful.
Gideon has deep roots in the NGO space. He’s a co-founder of Unharm.org, currently serves as a director of SteppingOut.org.au, and has held numerous governance roles in health and justice organisations over the past two decades.
Why philosophy matters in the age of AI
AI is more than just a tool. It augments our abilities, challenges our assumptions, and even forces us to rethink what intelligence is. It’s already helping us tackle problems too complex for any one person — or even group — to solve.
But here’s what keeps us up at night: What does it mean to live in a world where AI agents manage your inbox, your schedule, even your relationships? What happens when automation isn’t optional — when every role, in every organisation, is expected to become more “AI-enabled”? If productivity is no longer the limit — or the goal — then what do we optimise for? What kind of lives do we build when we’re no longer measured by output?
We believe this isn’t just a technological shift. It’s a cultural and philosophical one. A turning point that invites us to ask deeper questions — about purpose, connection, and the kind of future we want to build.
What we do
At Raisin Date, we help organisations and individuals navigate this shift with three guiding principles:
Treat AI not just as a tool, but as a cultural shift
We run workshops that go beyond just ‘how to use AI’ to ask what it truly means for your team. If automation changes what your people do — what does that make them? We help leaders explore questions like: “If AI can handle 60% of my marketing team’s workload, what does that team become?” and “How do we keep human connection alive when so much communication is AI-mediated?”
Make AI a teammate — not a black box
We translate hype into practical, values-aligned strategies. That means focusing less on “transformation” and more on integration that preserves what you value most about how your organisation works.
Use AI to move toward meaning — not just away from busywork
This is where the philosophy gets real. We help people reimagine their roles, companies and lives in a world where creativity connection and purpose matter more than ever.
10% better in days, not weeks!
Get practical, measurable gains in AI confidence and productivity — from a single workshop.