We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the ...
Making money from AI: Searching for a ‘killer app’
Is generative AI over-valued? At the heart of the generative AI boom has been the premise that a ‘killer app’ for AI will make investors a return on their capital. But it’s unclear how those use cases will actually make money for businesses that deploy them. Plus - is the problem a lack of AI take-up among employees? We hear from Joe Richardson, head of operations at Octopus Energy, Jim Covello, head of global equity research at Goldman Sachs and George Lee, co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute for a debate about the investment case for AI; Victor Riparbelli, chief executive of AI video start-up Synthesia, Amjad Masad, chief executive of coding start-up Replit, and Claudia Harris, chief executive at tech training company Makers.Free to read:UK artificial intelligence start-up Synthesia hits $2bn valuationAI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ statusThis season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Coming soon: Will AI ever make any money?
Generative AI is impressive, but can it be profitable? Since the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022, Silicon Valley investors and tech giants have poured billions into developing generative AI models and tools. But when will it start generating returns? The FT’s artificial intelligence editor Madhumita Murgia investigates efforts to develop a ‘killer app’ for AI, the use of AI in the workplace, and asks if some of the most highly valued AI companies in Silicon Valley are getting it all wrong.Free to read:OpenAI targets 1bn users in next phase of growthAI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ statusMeta sticks with big bet on AI even after DeepSeek shook marketsThis season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tech in 2025: The EU vs Big Tech
The past two years have seen the EU bring in landmark legislation to curb the power of big tech companies such as Apple, Google and Meta, threatening to break up the companies that do not play by its rules on privacy and competition. But not everyone agrees with its approach. Murad Ahmed speaks to Aura Salla, former lobbyist for Meta and now an MEP in Brussels, who says EU rules will work to rein in Big Tech, and may even harm the development of Europe’s own tech industry.Free to read:EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and MetaEurope’s rushed attempt to set the rules for AIWhat impact is the Digital Markets Act having?This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tech in 2025: China’s AI ‘Sputnik moment’
The Chinese company DeepSeek has shocked the world with an AI model that could rival those built by the biggest artificial intelligence companies in Silicon Valley. For years it has been assumed that China’s AI companies were trailing in the wake of US rivals such as OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT. Murad Ahmed, the FT’s technology news editor, is joined by the FT’s China technology correspondent Eleanor Olcott to discuss whether DeepSeek’s model shows that China is catching up in the AI race, with expert analysis from Tiezhen Wang from AI open-source community platform Hugging Face.Free to read:How small Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek shocked Silicon ValleyWhy Nvidia investors are spooked by Chinese AI upstart DeepSeekOpenAI’s Sam Altman vows ‘better models’ as China’s DeepSeek disrupts global raceThis season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tech in 2025: All hail the AI revolution
Murad Ahmed interviews Reid Hoffman - billionaire founder of LinkedIn, venture capitalist, self-proclaimed AI optimist and generally speaking a big name in Silicon Valley. Hoffman discusses the enthusiasm for artificial intelligence sweeping the Valley among both start-ups and Big Tech companies, as well as the investors like him pumping billions of dollars into them.He also talks about the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House, and the potential effects - good and bad - on the US tech industry from lighter regulation to the threat of tariffs and the influence of Elon Musk.Free to read:What Trump means for Silicon ValleyJoe Biden says ‘oligarchy’ emerging in US in final White House addressSam Altman reckons with growing threat to OpenAI: Elon MuskThis season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the promises and perils of this new technological age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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