Human In The Loop
Human in the Loop explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. The podcast covers emerging technologies, ethical AI development, and how human oversight enhances automated systems. It is aimed at tech professionals, business owners, and anyone curious about AI's role in society. Each episode provides weekly insights on AI, automation, and the human element that makes technology effective.
Episodes
Why AI Can't Do Customer Obsession with Perrin Rowland
Perrin Rowland is Chief Product & Experience Officer at academyEX. Before that she built and matured the design function at Westpac New Zealand — including their Customer Care Lab — and led user experience and CX maturity at Spark through a full agile transformation. She's taught information architecture and UX at New York University, worked with the Nielsen Norman Group, and describes herself
Where AI Helps Climate Science and Where It Doesn't with Dr Neelesh Rampal
Dr Neelesh Rampal is a climate data scientist at Earth Sciences New Zealand who uses generative AI to understand how record-shattering events like the Auckland Anniversary floods will change as the planet warms. He also co-leads a global task force setting responsible standards for AI in regional climate modelling, as many of the tech giants race into the field.Neelesh taught himself machine learn
What Made a Tech-Hater Join NZ's Biggest Agritech Company with Malindi Maclean
Malindi MacLean is VP of Customer at Halter, the New Zealand-founded agritech company transforming farming through solar-powered smart collars for cattle. She leads Halter's Global Customer Team across Auckland, Colorado, Australia, and Argentina.Malindi began her career as a professional cyclist representing New Zealand, before moving into senior commercial roles at Coca-Cola Amatil, IAG, and Hub
Everyone's Asking the Wrong Question About Data Centres with Ollie Hill
Ollie Hill is the Country Manager for global energy technology leader Schneider Electric, where he spearheads operations in New Zealand, working across the systems that keep Aotearoa running. His work covers energy management, automation and digital infrastructure, as well as PDL, the electrical brand found in homes and buildings across the country.With more than two decades in technology and busi
How to Turn Law into Code with Tom Barraclough
Tom Barraclough brings a decade’s experience working inside, alongside and across from governments in law, public policy and technology. Tom is a founder and director of a tech policy think tank (the Brainbox Institute, since 2018), as well as a start-up tech company (Syncopate, since 2023), which turns regulatory documents into digital infrastructure for implementation in computers. Tom has led p
Five Eyes Issue Cyber Threat Warning | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to discuss the loss of Fable and today's news where The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned organisations must prepare now for a significant increase in vulnerabilities from AI. It joined agencies in Five Eyes partners - Australia, the US, Canada and the UK - in warning government and corporate leaders that the risk posed by artificial intelligence demanded urg
What Happens When AI Moves Faster Than the Institution with Simon Cope
Simon Cope is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Massey University's Auckland campus and a digital marketer with over 30 years of industry experience. He's a serial entrepreneur who has built and exited multiple businesses and has consulted to clients across more than 115 industries.At Massey, Simon teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes — including the MBA — in digital, social, a
Pt2 Answering M2 AI Summit Questions | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to answer the outstanding questions from our recent live podcast at the M2 AI Summit. There were so many questions that we're splitting them into two episodes and this is part two.You can hear the recording of the live episode from the M2 AI Summit: https://open.spotify.com/episode/589T0EwobxP7qjpSBDfaZN?si=420fca5c444b4d43Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind
Backing NZ's Space Advantages with Sheridan Broadbent
Sheridan Broadbent has spent her career moving between the boardroom, the racetrack, and now the final frontier. With a background in C-Suite and governance roles on some of New Zealand's most significant organisations and boards, she's built a reputation for bringing sharp thinking, genuine passion, and a refreshingly direct leadership style to complex industries.Sheridan recently returned from t
Pt1 Answering M2 AI Summit Questions | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to answer the outstanding questions from our recent live podcast at the M2 AI Summit. There were so many questions that we're splitting them into two episodes and this is part one.You can hear the recording of the live episode from the M2 AI Summit: https://open.spotify.com/episode/589T0EwobxP7qjpSBDfaZN?si=420fca5c444b4d43Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind
How to Build Cultural Relevance in the Age of AI with Shaun Singh
Shaun Singh is the founder and CEO of Death to Stock (DTS), a visual production and licensing platform. DTS operates as a continuous production engine, releasing 400–500 new images each month, informed by an in-house cultural research team.Each image is produced as a cultural signal, something brands can license and deploy immediately to stay current, rather than relying on static libraries or del
A Year In The Loop | The Loop Back
This week on the Loop Back, we celebrate one year of Human in the Loop... and what a year it's been.Alaina revisits a few favourite moments from the past months of conversations with the people shaping how AI and humans work together.Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlande
Is Your Business Invisible to AI? with Derrick Edward
This week we welcome back Derrick Edward who is a technical founder with deep software engineering & Al experience. He co-founded Harnex AI, an Al-native agency helping businesses adopt Al across ANZ, and now he’s building a global B2B Al platform called AuraScope so brands stay visible in the Al search era.We discuss:· Why AEO is the new frontier of digital visibility and why the brands
A Bunch of AI News | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.· SpaceX secures option to buy Cursor: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/21/spacex-cursor-ai-startup· Vibe Code Cleaner blog: https://www.goudeketting.nl/posts/2026/03/10/vibe-code-cleanup-specialist· Allbirds goes AI: https:
A Positive & Practical Take on AI with James Bergin from Xero
James Bergin is EGM Technology Research & Advocacy at Xero, leading the company’s exploration of emerging technologies and their impact on small business. He has a background in technology strategy, enterprise architecture, and digital innovation leadership. James is an active member of Aotearoa’s technology community, and is a regular voice on how AI and other disruptive technologies can be a
Daft Punk, Vibe UI/Design & 3D Printing | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.· Dissect Podcast season on Daft Punk: https://open.spotify.com/show/2b025hq3gJ17tQdxS3aV43· Google Stitch: https://stitch.withgoogle.com/· Are dogs bad for the environment? https://connectsci.au/pc/article/31/3/PC24071/200023/Bad-dog-The-environmenta
Automating Lending Advice Without Losing the Human Touch with Geoff Christopher
Geoff Christopher is a financial advisor and co-founder of Afterburner, a rapidly growing AI platform that automates the admin-heavy parts of mortgage and lending advice so advisers can focus on real client conversations and outcomes.He brings a wealth of cross-industry experience spanning banking, regulatory consulting, luxury retail, and financial advisory which has cultivated a drive to innovat
Embracing the Potential of Youth with the Graeme Dingle Foundation | Podcasthon 2026
Sir Graeme Dingle KNZM, MBE and Jo-anne Wilkinson, Lady Dingle CNZM, LLB, are adventurers, leaders and passionate champions for young people in Aotearoa.Sir Graeme is one of New Zealand’s most recognised explorers and mountaineers, known for decades of challenging expeditions and first ascents around the world. Beyond adventure, he’s also an author and lifelong advocate for resilience, teamwork an
Prioritizing Innovation in Enterprise with Scott Bishop
Scott Bishop is Chief Commercial Officer at Awanui Group, New Zealand's largest diagnostic testing provider, where he drives growth strategy, data innovation, and new service development. Originally from the United States, Scott has been in Aotearoa since 2015 and has built a reputation for strategic, hands-on leadership across some of the country's most recognisable brands.Before joining Awanui,
International Women's Day | The Loop Back
This Loop Back is a special episode where we touch on the challenges and opportunities for women in tech, in advance of this month's International Women's Day. RUSH Head of People & Performance, Heather Polaschek, shares some recent stats and observations about what's working and what needs more work.For more info and resources check out:IWD United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/observances/wo
A New Approach to Career Guidance with Craig Boxall
Craig Boxall is Chief Product Officer & Founder of Nexties, an education technology venture focused on helping learners and organisations build future-ready skills. Alongside this, he is involved with Liven Labs, where he brings together his experience in AI-driven product innovation, venture building, and digital strategy. His work at Nexties and Liven Labs builds on nearly two decades of fou
Plaud, Resist & Unsubscribe, Personal vs Business Logins | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.· Plaud Notetaker (not sponsored) https://www.plaud.ai/· Resist & Unsubscribe https://www.resistandunsubscribe.com/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish:
Beyond the Hype: AI, Robotics, and Infrastructure Reality Check
In this episode, Alaina, Danu, and Hamish trade their usual guest format for a freewheeling conversation about what actually mattered in AI and tech over the past year, and what was just noise.From infrastructure realities like RAM shortages and power grid constraints to the hype around solid-state batteries at CES, we try to separate genuine breakthroughs from marketing spin including:· the
The Ever-Evolving Gaming Industry with Sam Ramlu & Euge Eastlake
Sam Ramlu and Euge Eastlake are creative technology entrepreneurs and leaders, with more than two decades creating digital, AR, VR and immersive experiences. Starting with creative technology studio Method in 2003, their portfolio of businesses now includes AR/VR game studio M Theory and game development studios Might Eyes and Mad Carnival.Mighty Eyes’ award-winning, story-driven VR game 'Wandere
Tech You Should Care About with Lucy Blakiston
In May 2022 we hosted our first ever "live podcast" during Techweek before we officially had a podcast... And we were so lucky to have the incredible Lucy Blakiston from SYSCA as our guest, in conversation with Danu.Back then events were being paused due to COVID (as we found out first hand), AI was a much smaller part of the conversation, and Luce was still in her anonymous phase!Fast forward to
How to Un-Suck New Zealand's Productivity with Holly Knill
Holly Knill is a product development, commercial and customer value specialist with a recently completed Master's in AI for productivity improvement from academy EX.She’s worked with corporates and start-ups seeking growth and sits at the intersection of finance, strategy, product, policy, sales and technology.Specifically, she’s been Chief Consumer Officer at 2Degrees, Group Director of IP &
Masterchef, Mental Health Apps & Prions | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.· Fäviken Sweden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A4viken· Deborah Ann Woll Teaches Jon Bernthal Dungeons and Dragons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpVJZrabMQE· About prion diseases https://www.cdc.gov/prions/about/index.html ·&nb
Building Resilience in High-Pressure Teams with Tim Read | Episode 28 | Human In The Loop
This episode includes discussion of mental health struggles, depression and suicide. Please take care while listening.Tim Read works at the intersection of hospitality, mental health and operational excellence. He’s been a physiotherapist, a Masterchef New Zealand winner, a book writer, a head chef, tech entrepreneur and a mental health advocate… all different facets of nurturing humanness and con
Flocks, Paradoxes & Proximal Development | Episode 27 | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.ChatGPT has become Nickelback: https://scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com/2024/11/05/chatgpt-has-become-nickelback/Spurious Correlations: https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlationsFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:A
Copywriter Versus AI with Mark Easterbrook
Mark Easterbrook is an independent Creative Director and Copywriter who works on brand and marketing projects for creative agencies and direct clients. He also dabbles in education, running occasional writing workshops and teaching part time at AUT; and volunteers with a couple of arts and social charities.He's also a lifelong tech dabbler, teaching himself to use a range of different software too
Elon on Rogan, Shameless Self Promotion | Episode 25 | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.3blue1brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZofJX0v4MPlease Subscribe! We would love that very much.Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/i
Digital Transformation Lessons with Andrea Scown
Andrea Scown is the Chief Executive Officer of Mitre 10, recognised as the first female and first internal appointment to lead the iconic Kiwi home improvement retailer. With decades of experience across retail, private equity, and customer experience, Andrea has guided Mitre 10 through an ambitious transformation focused on digital innovation, operational excellence, and empowering its people.An
Engineering Leadership in the AI Era with Vindhya Joseph
Vindhya Joseph specialises in developing scalable technology solutions for large organisations, drawing on her academic foundation in information systems and technology management from Oregon State University.Currently an enterprise architect at Foodstuffs, she brings a wealth of experience to engineering leadership drawing from time at JumpCloud, Unibuddy and Microsoft.We discuss:- architecting f
ADHD, Neurospicy Workplaces & Diagnosis Chat | Episode 22 | The Loop Back
This Loop Back is a special episode where we focus (lol) on neurodivergence, in particular ADHD as October is ADHD Awareness month.Fellow RUSH teamies Tej, Patricia and Sam share their experiences living with - or working alongside - ADHD brains.For more info and resources check out:ADHD NZ: https://www.adhd.org.nz/Access Advisors: https://accessadvisors.nz/Neurofusion: https://www.neurofusion.co.
Defining Values in the AI Age with Camelia Petrus
Camelia Petrus is an Organisational Psychologist and Ethical Workplace specialist, known for delivering science-backed keynotes on ethical leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and human behaviour. With a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology and certifications in coaching, Emotional Intelligence, Nonviolent Communication, and Positive Psychology, she equips executives and professionals with practical
AI Content vs Trends, How to Signal Trust & Productivity Problems | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Hidden AI Text: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/14/scientists-reportedly-hiding-ai-text-prompts-in-academic-papers-to-receive-positive-peer-reviewsOura Ring CEO addresses backlash: https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/09/smart-ring-maker-ouras-
The Future of Patient Care with Bindi Norwell
Bindi Norwell is a highly accomplished New Zealand business leader, currently serving as the Group Chief Executive of ProCare, a major healthcare provider in New Zealand, and JV Health Accelerator co-chair. With over 25 years of experience across sectors such as health, property, professional services, and telecommunications, she is known for her commitment to health equity, technology-driven tran
NPM Compromise, Cyber Crime & Image Cataloguing | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.NPM compromise: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/advocatemack_npm-supplychain-infosec-activity-7370963757939855360-mlirFei Fei Li: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fei-Fei_LiFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www
Extracting Meaningful Value from Data & AI with Ben Liebert
Ben Liebert is the founder and "Data Guy" behind SyncHub, a data-extraction tool which automates the process of pulling data from popular SaaS platforms like HubSpot, Pipedrive, Xero, and others into a relational database for easy query and reporting.We discuss:- why your AI output is only as good as the quality of the data you put in- the dream state of being able to "talk to your data"- the tens
MITs new AI Report, Cold LLMs, Boat drama & Halter for bees?
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.MIT latest study: https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/mit-report-95-percent-generative-ai-pilots-at-companies-failing-cfo/RLHF: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement_learning_from_human_feedbackWhy so cold Chatgpt? https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/bus
Architecting Networks Where Failure Isn’t an Option with Brad Terpstra
Brad Terpstra is a backend systems and communications engineering leader with roots in high-performance sport and large-scale IoT. As an avid sailor, Brad architected resilient networks & systems for American Magic’s America’s Cup campaign, and is now scaling Halter’s on-farm communications systems as part of the senior leadership team. He blends deep technical expertise with critical thinking
Post-Grad Degrees, Privilege & Hiring | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepu
How to Navigate the Next 5 Years with Danu Abeysuriya
Hamish is away, so Alaina puts Danu on the spot with a thought experiment; how would you plan for the next 5 years if you were...- a high schooler- an undergrad- employee 8 at a tech start up- a hiring manager- board member / in governance- a person who doesn't use AI regularlyFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hami
Population Decline, Wealth & AI Bias | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Article about global declining birth rates: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clynq459wxgBlog about the Great Wealth Transfer: https://www.alvarium.co.nz/ideas-insights/the-great-wealth-transferFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on Lin
The AI Imperative with Frances Valintine
Frances Valintine CNZM is a prominent futurist, technologist, author and entrepreneur, known for her contributions to education and technology in Aotearoa and beyond. She is best known as the founder and chair of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab (now consolidated under academyEX), organisations dedicated to preparing students and professionals for the digital age by providing contemporary knowled
Roy Kent, AI Art & Patronage | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Facts and Stats on AI Photography: https://aestheticsofphotography.com/facts-and-stats-on-ai-photography-how-ai-is-reshaping-visual-creation/French multi-media artist ORLAN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OrlanFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcas
Embracing Creative Disruption with Heath Waugh
Heath Waugh is a creative producer and entrepreneur based in New Zealand, with over 20 years of experience in production, photography, and post-production. As GenAi started to disrupt the visual landscape, Heath was one of the first to embrace the change, pivoting from high-end photography studio Shadowlands into co-founding Matter Studio, a pioneering creative content studio that specialises in c
AI Schooling, Cognitive Debt & Aphantasia | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Time article about the MIT Study: https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafried
Education in a Tech-first World with Melissa Chan-Green
Melissa Chan-Green is an awarded broadcast journalist, TV presenter, writer, podcaster - and passionate public advocate. Her newest endeavour is School Shorts, a podcast which centres around global research and both experts' and parents’ approach to learning and children’s literacy.We discuss:- The Role of AI in Personalising Learning for Children- The Changing Role of Teachers and Parents- Prepar
Shapeshift Chicago, Probablism & Democracy | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Anthropic Paper on mapping the mind of an LLM: https://www.anthropic.com/research/mapping-mind-language-modelFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedi
Unmasking LLMs & Agentic AI with Derrick Edward
Derrick Edward is a software-engineer-turned-tech-entrepreneur and co-founder of Harnex AI, bridging the gap between advanced artificial intelligence technologies and practical business transformation. Through his work with Harnex AI he focuses on making AI accessible and actionable for businesses through bespoke education, strategic guidance, and tailored services such as AI workshops and mentori
Zoidberg, Dunbar's Number & Claude 4 | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepu
Digital Boundaries for Youth with Malindi MacLean
Malindi Maclean is the CEO of Outward Bound and one of the founding members of advocacy group B416. She has a true passion and commitment for supporting young people to grow up resilient, confident and present in the real world.We discuss:What is the definition of social media?Age-appropriate risks and the importance of letting children develop problem-solving and decision-making skillsThe damning
Well actually, I think you'll find... | The Loop Back
Join us as we Loop Back to clarify comments and claims from last week's episode, as well as chat about any new news from the world of tech and AI.Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepu
Where's the Humanity in Digital Innovation?
In this inaugural episode of "Human in the Loop," we dive into the transformative potential of AI through the expert perspectives of RUSH's technology leaders, Danu and Hamish, moderated by brand and marketing leader Alaina. The episode cuts through tech buzzwords and media hype to deliver an honest, accessible conversation about what AI realistically means for New Zealand businesses today and in
Welcome to Human In The Loop
Human in the Loop. The no-nonsense podcast cutting through AI hype to deliver practical insights for business leaders. Join RUSH experts as they translate digital innovation into real business value. Straight talk, practical guidance, and proven strategies to help your organisation make better happen. Listen monthly wherever you get your podcasts!Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind
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صداستان: ساعتی با موسیقی
Becoming: HER with Nikki Spoelstra
