The Irish Tech News Podcast

Accelerating Uncertainty What happens when society is subject to accelerated change? Now we know: uncertainty and widespread panic. March 2023 was the month when the old systems began to collapse and entirely new systems were launched. In one month we experienced a viral run on banks, the launch of AI superpowers, and the exposure of systematic deceit at a major news publisher. In this special edition of The Futurists, co-hosts Brett King and Robert Tercek review current events through the lens of the future. Who profits from uncertainty and confusion? How do the merchants of doubt leverage social and traditional media to undermine faith in conventional norms and governance?  Can the trustworthiness of machine learning systems be certified?  By whom?  Discussion topics include: democracy versus autocracy in a time of rapid change; the business of social inequality; the failure of Silicon Valley Bank; lies and manipulation at Fox News; the false dichotomy of political parties;  the inaccuracy of ChatGPT; the advent of robotic corporations in the clouds; why it’s more profitable to break consensus than to build it; and the greater chaos is yet to come.  Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year. Robert Tercek is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and educator focused on the process of dematerialization and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic.

Bridget Greenwood, founder of the Bigger Pie and Co-founder of the 200bn.Club talks about the issues facing female founders raising money. Pre Covid in the UK only 3% of VC money went to female only founders and post pandemic that has fallen to 1.5%. Bridget talks about changing that up - for the betterment of all. Your host is Jillian Godsil

In an era of digital finance, what’s old is new again and tricks as old as check fraud have been on the rise in the last few years. What is behind the surge and what should we be on the lookout for? In this week’s One Vision podcast, Theo chats with Diana Rothfuss, Global Product Marketing and Strategy Manager — Fraud & Financial Crimes at SAS, on fraud trends, convergence of data, ethical AI, and the people factor. Diana also recounted her own journey from banking to technology and analytics, and the importance of using your voice for good. Her advice: Give each other some grace. 

The recent 10th World Ocean Summit, a leading annual global event on the marine economy took place in Lisbon, focusing on the theme, "inspiring ocean solutions".  I was lucky enough to interview two of the speakers at this years World Ocean Summit and in my first interview I talk to Professor Steve Widdicombe.  Professor Widdicombe talks about his background, technology advancements, having information much more quickly, earthquakes, plankton, new species, making a difference and more.  More about Professor Steve Widdicombe: Professor Stephen Widdicombe is a marine ecologist who has studied the impacts of humans and climate on marine ecosystems and biodiversity for more than 30 years. His work has substantially increased understanding of the effects of ocean acidification on the marine environment. Professor Widdicombe contributed to the founding of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), becoming co-chair of its executive council in 2019. In 2021 he co-led the development and endorsement of the UN Ocean Decade Programme OARS (Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability), which aims to provide society with the observational and scientific evidence needed to sustainably identify, monitor, mitigate and adapt to ocean acidification.

We chat with Oisin De Conduin, from Xtremepush about AI and how it can help businesses. Topics we look at include: - Is it all hype or is there real business value in AI? - What is it good at, where are the benefits? - What are the pitfalls or things to watch out for?- How can a business start to take advantage of it? More about Oisin De Conduin -  Oisin De Conduin is the Director of Engineering at Xtremepush. He has 10+ years of experience in application modernisation, digital transformation, and cloud adoption. He is responsible for bringing innovation, security best practices, and ensuring a high quality of engineering across the platform, which is purpose-built for hyper-personalised omnichannel marketing. A key part of his role is looking at new and emerging technologies (like AI), and seeing how they can help unlock value for Xtremepush's customers. More about - Xtremepush.com Xtremepush is an Omnichannel Customer Engagement Platform powered by a built-in CDP. It enables high-velocity companies to build, grow, and retain strong customer relationships through personalised, relevant, and timely communication.

A fluid discussion with a payments veteran around payments. Panagiotis Kriaris shares his takeaways from the World Banking Forum. We talk about top concerns in payments, push & pull payments, and digital wallets. Enjoy the global perspective Panagiotis Kriaris https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkriaris/ is the Commercial Director and Head of Business Development at Unzer. Panagiotis has spent his career in the borderline between business and technology with a leadership background at an international level. Panagiotis brings senior expertise across Financial Services, Banking, Payments, FinTech, Retail and E-Commerce. Innovation, strategy, business development, strategic partnerships and building businesses and products from scratch have been at the center of his work and attention throughout his career. Being a recognized voice in the financial services industry, Panagiotis has contributed to various publications and podcasts and is often invited as a public speaker at events around the globe. Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter.  Join her on the social platforms https://linktr.ee/Efiglobal

India’s Big AmbitionsIn this weeks episode of The Futurists we talk to author Gunjan Bagla, a leading figure in India-US trade relationships and commerce. Bagla argues that while China is seen as a massive threat to the US, India is a natural ally of the west having supported outsourcing over the last 4 decades, and being more aligned on policy. But like China, India has big ambitions and will overtake China as the most populous nation this decade. Will that translate into economic growth or does India need infrastructure investment to level up as a global economic powerhouse? Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year. Robert Tercek is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and educator focused on the process of dematerialization and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic.

Ayelen hails from a strong corporate background working for companies such as Bain and Revolut - and is now working in a startup which last year raised $3.5 million. She speaks about the challenges of being a female founder looking to raise money in Web3. Your host is Jillian Godsil

Le Random, a pioneering digital generative art institution, announces its $8 million seed to establish a permanent collection that celebrates the movement’s heritage, tells its story and anticipates its future. Co Founders Zack Taylor and the Funny Guys talk about generative art (how is exists for more than 60 years) as they define generative art as an artist setting up rules from which art is then executed. Your host is Jillian Godsil

What is the future of wallet and how do banks prepare for the digital space race? Join us as we travel back in time with Ronit Ghose from the golden era of London — through Stockholm and Hong Kong to Dubai, crisscrossing stories between traditional finance, decentralization, consumer fintech, and digital assets. What is Ronit’s prediction for the future of the internet and the future of wallet? Will CBDC happen in Europe and the U.S.? Tune in to find out!