The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce

While the US put its car in reverse (at speed!) and European automakers chased their own tails about whether or not to abandon ICEs, the Chinese put the pedal to the metal in their high-tourque EVs, leaving everyone one else in the dust. A once-in-a-lifetime platform transition - without any international competitors! Co-host Sally Dominguez, Special Correspondent Drew Smith and host Mark Pesce discuss a world that already looks radically different from the beginning of the year, then make some predictions for 2026.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a difference a year makes. A transition to EVs that once seemed utterly inevitable has been thoroughly disrupted by a change of regime in the United States. Using every tool in its arsenal to bribe, cajole and even threaten its allies into dropping any support or incentives for electrification, the USA seems intent upon reviving a past where the internal combustion engine ruled unchallenged. Will it work? Co-host Sally Dominguez, Special Correspondent Drew Smith and host Mark Pesce go looking for answers on this special two part episodes of THE NEXT BILLION CARS. Co-host Sally Dominguez and Mark Pesce reflect on something that should be easy, yet proves to be surprisingly difficult. Hosted by award-winning podcast creator, journalist & futurist Mark Pesce, The Next Billion Cars is everything you need to know about the future of cars. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is Executive Produced by Josh Butt at Ampel - https://ampel.com.au and produced with James Brettell. Produced at Myrtle & Pine Studios in Sydney, Australia https://myrtleandpine.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this engaging talk, Alex Davison, CEO of L'Oreal Groupe ANZ and a leader in business innovation, shares insights on L'Oreal's transformative journey with AI. Discover how the beauty giant balances its rich heritage with a startup spirit to foster agility. Alex highlights practical applications of AI in R&D, marketing, and employee reskilling. Learn about intentional governance in AI deployment and their early prevention measures against bias and privacy issues, revealing a roadmap for others in the industry to follow.

There's an elephant in the room along with artificial intelligence - its impact on the climate. Demand for electricity has skyrocketed as Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and Microsoft build vast new data centres to handle the anticipated global demand for AI products and services. Is that wise? In conversation with legendary entrepreneur and ClimateSalad CEO Mick Liubinskas, we explore whether we're approaching the age of AI with enough prudence. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel and Myrtle and Pine   Listen on Spotify, Apple  Sign up for 'The Practical Futurist' newsletter here. https://nextbillionseconds.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Pesce, a technology commentator and futurist, joins host Kathryn Ryan to explore the ironic pitfalls of AI in the quest for super-productivity. They discuss a South Korean cloud data center fire that highlights the fallibility of the cloud. Pesce introduces 'work slop'—the organizational cleanup caused by low-quality AI outputs—and examines its impact on productivity. The duo also tackles the sycophancy problem in AI, advising on practical ways to prompt more critical responses from these systems. A thought-provoking dive into AI's complexities!

What would you do if you lost your job to an AI? Would you even know? It happened to me - and I didn't learn the truth for six months. In the aftermath I recognised how my work needed to change. That became the core of 'Building Resistance', a set of practices that help us focus on the most human elements of our work. Leaning into those - in this episode, you'll learn how - makes it harder to get automated into oblivion. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is Executive produced by Josh Butt Ampel and James Brettell at Myrtle and Pine studios in Sydney, Australia.  Listen on Spotify, Apple  Sign up for 'The Practical Futurist' newsletter here. https://nextbillionseconds.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the US focuses on putting the brakes on 'woke AI' (whatever that is) the rest of the world's nations confront thorny questions about how to regulate a technology that's both moving very quickly and lacks any clear definitions. Could regulators strangle AI in the process of regulating it? Or will innovators it outpace all efforts to contain it?  At the intersection of commerce and geopolitics, we speak with researcher Kate Carruthers, who puts these questions into a global context. Anthropic vs USA The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel and Myrtle and Pine   Listen on Spotify, Apple  Sign up for 'The Practical Futurist' newsletter here. https://nextbillionseconds.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ALWAYS IMPERFECT Episode 3: A BETTER WAYUsed well, artificial intelligence can automate labor-intensive and rote processes, freeing people for the work they want to do. That's the theory, anyway - but what about the practice? SUPAHMAN founder and CEO Dave Howden shares his experiences helping businesses adopt AI within their workflows - and admits, in order for that to work, he needs to be the 'dumbest person in the room'. Humility and artificial intelligence - is that the foundation of 'a better way'? For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is Executive produced by Josh Butt Ampel and James Brettell at Myrtle and Pine studios in Sydney, Australia.  Listen on Spotify, Apple  Sign up for 'The Practical Futurist' newsletter here. https://nextbillionseconds.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Allsopp, an experienced web and software practitioner and conference organizer, joins to explore the transformative impact of AI on software development. He discusses whether programmers might become obsolete or merely act as cleanup crews for messy AI-generated code. The conversation dives into the intricate balance between AI’s efficiency in tool creation and the complexity it introduces. John also shares insights about non-technical users leveraging AI to build applications, raising questions about the expectations versus realities in engineering.

Always Imperfect - Episode 1 - NO MAGIC WANDS Artificial intelligence may be amazing but it’s always imperfect. Anyone trying to use AI professionally lands on the horns of a dilemma: will a productivity increase gained through automation represent any savings, after factoring in the extra supervision needed to use these amazing (but unreliable) new tools? In this mini series, we chat with Drew Smith, co-founder of Wisely AI, a firm dedicated to helping businesses use AI safely and wisely. (I was the other co-founder!) What did we learn from clients trying to put AI to work – but only rarely finding the tools on offer fit for purpose? The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is Executive produced by Josh Butt Ampel and James Brettell at Myrtle and Pine studios in Sydney, Australia.  Listen on Spotify, Apple  Sign up for 'The Practical Futurist' newsletter here. https://nextbillionseconds.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.