Human In The Loop

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 bus...

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...

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...

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,...

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=420fca5c444b4d43 Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcast Fi...

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...

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=420fca5c444b4d43 Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcast Fi...

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 de...

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: @humaninthelooppodcast Find us on LinkedIn: Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/ Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafried...

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 brand...

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: htt...

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...

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...

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 innova...

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 a...

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,...

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/...

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...

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: @humaninthelooppodcast Find us on LinkedIn: Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/ H...

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: · th...

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 'Wander...

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 t...

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 &amp...

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 ...

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 co...