Latest episode

  • 31. Tech You Should Care About with Lucy Blakiston

    47:19||Season 1, Ep. 31
    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 2026: it's been a long time since we had to cancel an event due to COVID, AI is almost all the conversation, and Lucy dropped the anonymity - which has given us the reason to finally release this conversation.Ā If you don't know who Lucy Blakiston is, she's the CEO and editorial director of SYSCA, a media brand that helps mainly young people make sense of global news and online culture in an accessible, informal way. She's also the co-author of ā€œMake It Make Senseā€, a bestselling collection of personal and cultural essays written with her friend and collaborator Bel Hawkins. She's also a semi-finalist for the 2026 Young New Zealander of the Year.SYSCA website: https://www.shityoushouldcareabout.com/SYSCA substack: https://shityoushouldcareabout.substack.com/Lucy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyblakiston/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://eepurl.com/hmARzL

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 30. How to Un-Suck New Zealand's Productivity with Holly Knill

    01:06:18||Season 1, Ep. 30
    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 & Content Products at Foxtel, Director of Product, Audience & Tech at Seven West Media, and Product Development Director at Sky UK.Holly also has a postgraduate degree in multimedia, animation and UX, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors, is currently Facilitator for Springboard Trust and a local school Board member.We discuss:Ā·Ā The appalling statistics about productivity in New ZealandĀ·Ā The barriers to AI adoption in New Zealand and opportunities for growthĀ·Ā Strategies to lift performance and identifying solutions to reverse NZ’s declining productivityHolly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyknill/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://eepurl.com/hmARzL
  • 29. Masterchef, Mental Health Apps & Prions | The Loop Back

    28:00||Season 1, Ep. 29
    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 · Mental Health apps in NZ https://healthify.nz/apps/m/mental-health-and-wellbeing-appsFollow 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://eepurl.com/hmARzL
  • 28. Building Resilience in High-Pressure Teams with Tim Read | Episode 28 | Human In The Loop

    59:39||Season 1, Ep. 28
    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 connection.After leading kitchens around the world, he now focuses on improving and enhancing processes - with technology and AI where necessary - to not only ensure world class delivery of service but also to protect the development of kitchen staff resilience and psychological safety.Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-read-8bba79121/If you are struggling with depressive or suicidal thoughts, help is available. In Aotearoa New Zealand, here is where to go:Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)Youth services: (06) 3555 906Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service): Call 0800 000 053If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111
  • 27. Flocks, Paradoxes & Proximal Development | Episode 27 | The Loop Back

    19:15||Season 1, Ep. 27
    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: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://eepurl.com/hmARzL
  • 26. Copywriter Versus AI with Mark Easterbrook

    01:01:03||Season 1, Ep. 26
    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 tools since his teens. Over the last couple of years, he's been exploring the ways automation and generative AI can help—or hinder—a creative in their work.Due to his broad client base and multiple hats, Mark has an eye on many different sectors and industries at any one time. And across all of them, he's seen that evolving technologies are throwing up new challenges, opportunities and questions at a dizzyingly fast pace.We discuss:Ā·Ā How copywriting has been affected (positively and negatively) by GenAIĀ·Ā The tools, automations and AI workflows which make freelance life so much easierĀ·Ā What the future might look like for assessing creative studentsWebsite:Ā https://www.easterbrook.co.nz/Mark on LinkedIn:Ā https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-easterbrook-89212691/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://eepurl.com/hmARzL
  • 25. Elon on Rogan, Shameless Self Promotion | Episode 25 | The Loop Back

    26:23||Season 1, Ep. 25
    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/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzL