The Times Tech Podcast Is AI growing too fast for humanity?
11 snips
Jan 30, 2026 
Barney Hussey-Yeo, founder and CEO of Cleo, a UK fintech building AI-powered finance tools. He discusses building with large language models and how they sped Cleo's growth. He talks timelines for AI impact, domain-specific personal agents, developer productivity gains, and the challenges of scaling tech companies in the UK.
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AI's 'Adolescence' As A Pivotal Moment
- Dario Amodei argues AI is entering an 'adolescence' that could test humanity and demand urgent safeguards.
- He warns rapidly improving systems could produce massive societal risks if unchecked.
Cognitive Breadth Threatens Many Jobs
- Amodei highlights cognitive breadth: models doing many tasks could outcompete humans across domains.
- If exponential gains continue, models could become superior at essentially everything within a few years according to him.
Poker-Funded Machine Learning Path
- Barney Hussey-Yeo funded his master's degree with poker winnings and later used a ML degree to found Clio.
- That journey framed his practical view of building AI businesses over time.
