In this episode, Dan and Lee are joined by a new team member, who is it? Listen and find out.
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TRANSCRIPT For this episode of The AI in Education Podcast Series: 4 Episode: 15
This transcript was auto-generated. If you spot any important errors, do feel free to email the podcast hosts for corrections.
Hi, welcome to the AI podcast. How are you, Lee? I am Dan. I am good, good, good. We're nearly at the end of the year and not to say that I'm not enjoying doing the podcast, but I'm also looking forward to Christmas and a bit of a break. I know. I know. It's nice that it's coming up to holidays, isn't it? And it's been a heck of a heck of a year already, hasn't it? And it's coming up to that time of the year. where everybody gets together with their relatives and argues about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, which it is, by the way. Let's let's be very clear on this. It is a it is. And I'm at that difficult age because it's a is a fantastic movie. I think we all can agree it's great, but my son is 15 and I'm like, okay, is it a movie that's suitable for him now? Because of course it is, you know, it's not really kid-friendly, but it's a Christmas tradition. You know, we watch we watch, you know, that every year. I don't know. You have to watch them. Yeah, I I agree. I think it is. too. Every movie is a Christmas movie to me. Always makes me warm inside. I watched that black and white one last year which I've never seen before which always comes up with the number one Christmas movie of all time. It's a wonderful life. A wonderful life. Oh wow. What an amazing movie that is and everybody talks about it and I've never seen it. So I watched it with the kids last year. It's a good movie. And the other one Miracle on 34th Street is also a bit of a favorite of mine. I've always enjoyed that one. But here's a tricky one for you then. Is it here? Here's one of separate the wheat from the chaff. Love actually. Is it a good Christmas movie or is it an abomination of of deceit and you couples breaking up and stealing each other? I don't know. Yes, that's that's really tricky one, isn't it? I think Oh god. Like it always it always depresses me because the there's the scene with Heathrow at the beginning when they're all coming in. It reminds me of going home and stuff and that always makes me sad. So this that is a very interesting one. That movie I think lots of people love it and lots of people hate it. It's like Marmite. Did they have Marmite in Australia? We do. Vegemite. Vegemite. How long have you been here? Sorry, Vegemite. Oh gosh, I'm a Bal man myself. Anyway, so the season has been amazing so far and we're bringing it to a close now. Uh and we've got a surprise ahead, which I'm really excited for. Is like Christmas. We got a present to share with all our listeners. And um uh but we've had a heck of a season. We we started with Michaela. We had Emma. We had Tom from AI in his SharePoint um uh engineering role. We had goods, El Graham talking about music. We had orally going totally in depth about policy which is fantastic. We looked at the history of coding gans games. It's there's a lot there's been a lot hasn't it? What's been your favorite part of the season so far? It has been a lot and it's it's a horrible question. That's like asking which is your favorite child. You can't ask answer that question, can you? Because they've all been good and we've had some amazing people as you mentioned and even when I look back now at a couple of seasons because now I've think I've been doing this now for nearly two and a half seasons with you. you must be getting sick of my voice. Um, but you know what I what the highlight for me was not necessarily the content, but that moment and you remember this when I think we put the podcast out around AI. I think it was called an AI stitching time one and we've been talking about AI and a few products internally and Tom who was works inside Microsoft reached out to us externally to say hey you know I saw you talking about my product and I remember saying to him well hey if you've got something to say about it you should come on the podcast and onie came and I just love the serendipity of that and the fact that Tom led us to Woods and El Graham and we got that story out there and I just, you know, they were both amazing people to speak to. So for me it was that serendipity that was that was my highlight. That's that's a good point because that also happened with Michaela, didn't it? Because we spoke to Michaela Jade at the beginning and then she introduced us to Sly um who talked about the kind of AI technology where the VR and AR sort of feeling technology with it with his tool probably released now. So, um, that's right. Yeah, the serendipity has really happened this episode uh and this season. So, it's been a great one. So, but today's one um just before uh with the surprise is revealed. Do you know what Hansen Primary Colors the Bronty sisters have got in common? I do, but I don't think our audience does. So, why don't you think Well, there's three people in Hansen. There's the three degrees, the as they were the three stooges. There are three primary colors and there were three Bronty sisters which I won't quiz you about on this program because it's not a literature podcast but um I know this Bronty Beach in Sydney which is great. Um so so yeah this things there's a rule of three Lee and the rule suggests that when things come in threes they're funnier, more satisfying, more effective than a number of other things you want to introduce to the uh podcast. So Lee today we can introduce a new member to the team. Yay. Yes, we are. Finally, somebody else to talk about things with other than you, D. No, no offense, D. I love I love talking to you. No, absolutely. We do. It's fantastic. Things are better in threes. And we do have a new presenter today. So, I I will allow her her to introduce herself shortly. Um, but our new presenter has the title of, and I'm sure she'll be able to explain it for you. She's social value program director here at Microsoft in public sector. Uh, works in the same team as myself. And I've had the great pleasure learning from her and working with her for a period of time. So, with great pleasure, welcome Beth Warl to the team. Hello. Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be here to be the the third third person and perhaps the person that does all the real work, shall I just say. Oh, she's she's seen through the plan. Dan, thank you so much. I'm really excited to to be here um and joining two of my favorite people of Microsoft a possibility. and sat here. Oh, well, obviously, absolutely. No, honestly, it's our real pleasure to have you here, Beth, and it and and it's really great to have you because I know having worked with you for the last few well, I guess couple of years now, probably. Um, you just have a wealth of experience and a wealth of um knowledge and and information to bring to the table as well as all the many people you know. But we want to get to know you a bit today, Beth. We want to learn a bit about you. We're going to get into some more questions later on, but why don't you just take a bit of time, talk to the audience a bit about, well, who are you? What do you do here? And, you know, What how did you get to where you are in this job at Microsoft? Let's start there. Oh yeah. Okay. So, um I am uh first of all, let's get the the elephant out of the room question. I I'm not related to Steven Warl, so this isn't a dodgy sort of nepotistic uh appointment. Good point. Good point. Yep. Um I'm based here in Adelaide actually. So, um I have been working in and around corporate social responsibility for about 20 years. is which is a very sobering thought. Um I started my professional career at Microsoft in Adelaide nearly 20 years ago as an intern and um I started out actually doing an in innovation project with the state government of South Australia and um we set up the innovation center and I did that for a few years had an opportunity to to come across to Sydney to support Julie Inman Grant who's now the e um safety commissioner. Yeah. So I worked with her for um several years supporting her in the community investment work um and then had an opportunity to go across to the UK and work in the UK subsidiary um where I set up a podcast with um a colleague of mine. We were before our time. I think I was uh perhaps the only the only person that listened to that particular podcast. Um but uh and and kind of working in the CSR space. I went on to work for Bank of America setting up their European foundation. Uh I worked for BER in a global sustainability role which was really interesting. If if if the uh topic of diabetes ever comes up, um I am somewhat of an expert having worked well. Now it's in next season's categories. Yes. I've got to say it's a real uh dinner party conversation killer when you start especially over dessert. So Um, it's it's hard to to weave that in. Um, and especially over Christmas, um, shall I just say, as a quick segue, the conversations and debates I have with my family over Christmas is whether or not gravy is a hot sauce or a hot beverage, which Oh, so I wasn't expecting that one. No, that that's that's because of course it it's wonderful. I love gravy. Yes. But are you saying that so are you saying that your family drinks gravy in a mug? That is the that is the suggestion by the by posing that question. So it is it almost like a bobber roll thing you know it is it's a disturbing it's a it is disturbing I agree with that part but as you could as you could already tell I'm adding a lot of quality um to the podcast already. Um yeah getting back to the task at hand um in a Amongst the corporate social responsibility, I've worked in government. I helped to set up the school for social entrepreneurs here in Australia. So I have a a real passion for social entrepreneurship. Um I worked uh with a old Microsoft colleague um uh on his tech startup in the IoT and smart city space. And then I had an opportunity to come back to Microsoft um nearly four years ago and and um saw this job uh advertised and and took as a a sign to to come back and it's it's just been brilliant to get back to to Microsoft. It's really transformed in the period of time that I was away and um and it's under Satia's leadership. I think it's it's the company I always imagined it could be when I was a lot more um idealistic and naive, but it's you know, it's great to to come back and and to be part of the technology industry again. Awesome. And it's great to have you back obviously and and I know Beth, having seen the work you've done around, you know, working with our tapes and with our with the education sector on just building that skilling pathways for for people in ROS and people coming into the work into the workforce and just the care that you you put into that. It's it's um it's inspiring to watch. But I am I'm kind of intrigued by something that I discovered only very recently about you. And I think we should get it out early on because it'll only just serve to haunt you through the season next season. Meabth. Oh yes. Yes. Where did Meabth come from? So um when I get into roller derby roller skating, Meabth is going to be my stage name for um my skating career. Now as a u mid40s um somewhat unfit person, I think it's highly unlikely that I will ever embark upon a roller derby career. I uh I went to roller derby when I lived in Melbourne and they had the best names, these people. So I I I kind of thought, well, I want to be prepared for um my inevitable debut on on the skate park. And so Meab Beth was born from that point in time. So um I I do I do like that nickname. And you know, I've lived in a I I've lived my life with such a short name, I can't shorten it anymore. I've never had a nickname. So you know, Canon lead. You couldn't get any shorter than that. I know. You know my pain. You know my pain. So, Mega Beth, I I just think, you know, it it kind of speaks to the glam rock era of um you know, of my childhood. So, it's it's an awesome awesome story. I It's just really funny. And I I'm going to use my serendipity story earlier, Dan, because as it happens, for some reason, I happen to know a randomly bit of trivia. There is a a really um an one of our computational sciences scientists who works here at Microsoft in research uh in in the in the US but she's a she's origin from the UK a lady by the name of Hannah Wallak Wallace or Wallik I think I'm not sure how it's pronounced apologies Hannah if you are listening um the serendipity is if I talk about it then she'll be on the show next season on the plan she is also uh a roller derby person she she does roller derby and I found this out and I found it out but not only that her roller derby name and is quite a thing obviously about having a name her name She's a scientist, remember? Computational scientist is logistical aggression, which is a play on logistical regression, but that's you. So, logistic aggression I thought was not as good as mega, but there you go. So, there there is something to aspire to now. And yeah, it's possible. Your dream is the dream is possible. I um I used to live in London actually, and so one of my favorite things to do was um actually go to the roller disco, another one in Brixton. Wow. Or the one in B Oh. Um, there was no reason because you did almost feel like you were going to die on the way. That's right. And the way out. So there was a clap as well, didn't he? Yeah. Yeah. Clap them. All of Yeah. I um Clappam also had the church which which Yeah. Don't mention that. Yeah. Yeah. That was that was brilliant though. Yeah. Well, that's I wasn't I wasn't that down. I don't know about you, but No, not not at all. I'm still I'm still confused about the gravy thing. I'm like that that's going to really that's going to consume my entire um uh Christmas now. I'm going to think about that as well. The the interesting thing as well was around uh uh you mentioned the Adelaide side to it, Beth, because you know we've we've talked to lots of people from different countries on this podcast and and around Australia as well and and like in certain areas recently through your work and through other people's work, you know, Adelaide has really started to innovate and you know there was a big issue with the Holden factory and I know you were involved in that to try to reskill people around our area. Um and you and I remember at the innovation center there as well. So Adelaide's a really interesting place to kind of think about some of that innovation. It's it's one of those places that's probably further enough away that it's the that people can do experimental and innovative things and and they don't get the spotlight of like under the radar. Yeah. Yeah. Under the radar. We see some amazing stuff coming. out of Adelaide. Yeah. And you know, I think there's a real energy around um some of the initiatives that we have happening in the state. One of the well actually there are two amazing physical locations which seem to be good um as catalysts and draw cards for um innovators and entrepreneurs. So in particular we have the Tonsley facility which is um an amazing place to visit if you if you can get there. It used to be a car manufacturing facility for for Mitsubishi which they and they've retained a lot of the original features but opened it all up and it's um a Flenders University based out there and they have a lot of really amazing um you um physical kind of construction facilities and then we've got lot 14 now which is um where we have the space um work happening and I've I've been um you know perhaps one of the highlights of my year this year is is working with our Azure space lead um and in their plans to develop a um more diverse workforce for Adelaide. And so all of these amazing projects happening in the city and uh you know I think it's an opportunity for us to shed this kind of city of churches um persona which by the way was never about religion. It was more about Adelaide being a broad church apparently. Yeah. You know where lots of perspectives and ideas were open to be shared. Um but yeah it's it's an opportunity to reinvent our ourselves and um I guess what's interesting is how we've all come full circle in regard to manufacturing and and and I think that push for local manufacturing and and value added manufacturing um and facilities will be interesting and Adelaide again is well positioned for that as well. Yeah. And and you know that that's an interesting one because I think I remember when I first came here I was working in the the defense force in the in the UK at one particular point and we I was doing stuff for the submarines and the Adelaide was like worldrenowned for the place where you know there was Scotland and Adelaide were like the big places on the map you know uh you know in in at that particular point and it was a bit uh not shocking but it was a bit of a uh odd decision when when uh all the submarine stuff has fallen through recently but I won't go into politics on the podcast now but um there seems to be a lot of skilled labor and and quite a agile type of economy going on in Adelaide which is which is and South Australia which is really interesting for for the entire country, I think. Yeah, it's it's really exciting. And I think um what I always really valued here is that it's big enough to get things done, but small enough to know enough people to get things done as well. And so people um you know, you're always um it's you probably one degree of separation in terms of the people you need to go and speak to. And um you know, I think the the state government is really throwing their weight behind the innovation agenda. But what's going to be a real challenge for South Australia, but really Australia in general is just scaling up the local workforce for the jobs that they're creating. So, um, and that's part of my role. Um, and where I have a lot of passion is how do you make sure that people are skilled and ready to take the jobs that are being created here and that people aren't being left behind by this progress. Awesome. It's a really important topic and I think Beth one of the reasons why you're on the podcast is there's so much stuff that I think you're going to expose us to and be able to bring into the audience. So hopefully you know it's a good precursor for next season that we can really start to look into some of those those societal challenges and where technology and where people intersect and how we can start to um you know explore those opportunities and explore what's possible and and what and some of the work that's going on. So very excited. However, today is all about you Yes. And we what I think we want to do is learn a bit more about you. So, if you don't mind, uh, Dan and I, a little bit of rapid fire questions back and forth at you. On the spot stuff. Uh, no time to think about it. When you're ready, Dan, we'll just take it in turn, shall we? Yep. What was your first job, Beth? Oh, Wworth's checkout person um where I was promoted to the hot chickens person um at some point after a couple of years. That's a promotion. It's not easy to get your chickens. I know. That's your family there. Yeah. Yeah. But it's um it's actually it was it gave me a sense of responsibility and customer service and um you communication I think that I've been able to take through um my whole life. And I'm you know I was only 16 when I got that job. In fact I think I was even 15. And it was great to be out there working and earning a bit of money. So yeah love Good stuff. Love it. Good stuff. Okay. What is your favorite movie and your favorite lolly? Oh, okay. I'm going to be a little bit controversial, guys, and say Love Actually would have to be one of my favorite movies. Known God before we made all those comments about it. I know. I do love a bit of Edward Scissor Hands, Princess Bride, you I' I've got heaps of movies that I love. Favorite Lolly. Um, is chocolate a lolly or is this a whole gravy hot sauce? No. No. I think I think you got to give us a specific item. A lolly. Don't buy it. All right. All right. Those fake bananas. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I quite like those bananas. Yeah. Yeah. But I'm a I'm a 50 cent mixed bag kind of girl. Like you get a bit of variety in a mixed bag. You're not committing to any one thing. You like surprises, do you? Most of the time. What's your favorite decade, Beth? Oh. 80s for sure. Yes. Why? Yes. Oh, it's the music, the makeup, the hair, you know, the teasing. Um, uh, yeah. I I just love I love all everything about that era makes me laugh. And, um, I think it was a time where people were pretty positive and, you know, looking forward perhaps we hadn't been ground down by you, climate change and, you know, economic disasters and things and Um, you know, the the music the music was just hilarious. So, yeah, I would say the 80s. I'm with I'm with you on that one, Beth. In fact, it's funny. My daughter who's she's 12 and she's doing dancing. And I've noticed that all the little girls in the dancing class are kind of they're rebirthing some of those 80s fashion styles. The t-shirt tied up, you know, the old band t-shirts and stuff like that. It's all coming back. It's all coming back. We will be back in fashion just short soon. Be back. That's right. To be honest, I don't think I've ever even remove myself from fashion. So my style just wait long enough again. All right then. Okay, next question for you. What's the most useful app on your phone? What do you use the most? Oh, real estate.com. I've got to say I am just a little bit obsessed with real estate. So I built my own house a couple of years ago and um uh and I just I love the idea of selling it now. take advantage of that of that rising market. Daydreaming and you know real estate it's it's an obsession. So you just like looking at houses and looking I do. I do. Yeah. It gives you ideas about what you might like to do in your own house and then um you know I guess it's it starts you thinking about where you might where you might aspire to next. It and it's um I sort of live in a makebelieve world sometimes when I when I uh imagine what I'll buy when I win the lottery. You know, I like to be prepared. That's got to be better than just like Mega Bear. Really better than Facebook and Tik Tok as as I find that that real estate stuff is fascinating, isn't it? Because you can you can see the different areas like I I'm sure the three of us on the call. You know, Australia is a beautiful country and you know, it's a shame in COVID we couldn't travel more internally. You know, even if they shut the international borders, it would have been really good to get out and about because um you know, sometimes I'm on the app or the real estate app and you know you're looking for different places and where you could possibly buy or or rent or whatever it might be and you know you you see some places and they fantastic and when you go to places as well it's interesting to see house prices and things like that gives you a good indicator of what the areas are like. Yeah, absolutely. And it yeah I think for me it's it's it's been interesting actually Adelaide has gone up so much in the last year or so. Um I guess we've started to catch up to to cities. So, um I've been watching in slow motion as my budget has given me less and less option on the real estate.com app such that um now when I filter it against my budget, I I've got um select choices from, you know, 250 kilometers away or this box in a park is pretty much all I can seem to afford now. The price I think we're all in the same boat. So, what was your last book you read? Um, oh um I've got a confession actually. I've been reading I've been trying to read uh it's it's um how Stalin it oh what is it called? It's a book about how Hitler lost the war and Stalin's war written by Jonathan Dimble and it is so complicated that I'm not quite sure if I read it or sort of had lapsed into a coma came through the other end. And so I have this um really weird obsession with history and so uh I listen to a lot of historical podcasts and I heard um Jonathan Dimbleby talk about uh World War II and um and it was just and and looking at it through the lens of Stalin and Russia was just a totally different perspective of what actually happened. And I read the book to um remind myself of the importance of perspective when you look at situations and especially history and you know what we are told historically perhaps isn't always accurate and is always through a particular lens. So I I found it really interesting. It was deeply harrowing in terms of you know what what people went through but it's it's also not not particularly relaxing either. So, I do have a holiday reading list which is a lot more um love actually inspired. It's interesting because we've I I think you know I feel really passionate about when we talking about AI and technology and things and this stuff that's on the on the cutting edge of some of the technologies. You know, it's really important that we learn from history and things we've done right and wrong. Um and and being able to like think about those things is so important when you, you know, when you're talking about cutting edge technologies, you know, and the way they're used and the impacts on things. I know we've talked about it previously in these podcasts around, you know, war and the bad things that can happen as well as the good. Um, so it's it's it's great that you're reading things like that. It's fantastic. Yeah. And, you know, it's got me thinking a lot about um, you know, where we perceive ourselves to be right now. And there's no question that the technologies that we are developing are by far and away you know, going to to impact the world much more quickly and perhaps more significantly. But it does make you think about the people who have come before us and how they dealt with techn technological advancements because they were very often just as significant. Um, and you know, the other thing that it's made me think a lot about is uh just how awful people's lives were in general. Um, and also pe how awful women's lives were and really any minority group. And uh it for me it's I find it quite a grounding thing to to listen to um because it's it just makes me feel really incredibly lucky and grateful to be working in this industry in this country at this time. Um if I had uh been alive 200 years ago, I'd have been some kind of um ski in a uh a facial home if I'm lucky. So, you know, I think uh I think it it's helps to kind of ground you in what to be grateful for now. Yeah. Wow. Well, we are we are bouncing all over the emotions today, aren't we? Be love actually to that. Um anyway, let's try and get the gravy as well. And the gravy and the gravy question. I'm trying I'm trying to forget the gravy thing to be honest with you. That's the problem. All right. So, that was your book. Um what was the last movie you watched? And when I say watched, I mean watched. I don't mean sat had it in the background whilst I looked at my phone. Oh yeah. Oh, that's a good question. Um, do you know it was Nomad Land? Yeah, I I found that really an amazing film and yeah, it it really kind of sat with you for a long time afterwards that that Did you did you go in knowing what it was about or did you Oh, yeah, I did. And I'm a big fan of um Francis McDorman as well, you know. I think it was and incredible uh performance with with her. Um I yeah, that said, I do have a six-year-old daughter and often the only films I get time to watch are the ones that I have to go and watch with her. Um but it's not really watching. It's like silently screaming in the chair for two hours. Um as the as the uh plotline slowly kind of destroys my soul. Very good. Very good. All right, Dan, over to you. Last nearly last one. So, if you weren't doing what you're doing now, um, what would your job be? What would you be doing? Yeah, I love this question. This is going to surprise you. I, if I could do any job at all, I'd be a writer on The Simpsons. Very. That would be my That would be my job. So, Simpsons Now or Simpsons? Well, it That is a good question. Look, I think maybe is, you know, maybe Simpsons 10 years ago maybe, but anything anything where I could write Troy Mccclure, um, you know, Kemp Brockman, um, the Arnold Schwarzenegger character. Um, yeah, I just love all of those, um, classics. And, you know, should you need someone to insert a Simpsons reference, into your podcast to get down with the kids. Um, I'm I'm the person that, you know, I'm pretty sure I can meet that um requirement. I think saying to get down with the kids ultimately excludes you from being down with the kids. I think by definition, you can see why the 80s is my favorite. But but that said, I think what you've just flagged is maybe we need to do an idea on the social impact of the Simpsons and and the the cultural and social impact of the Simpsons over 30 30 years now. So many episodes, isn't it? I was looking the other day on or whatever whatever streaming service it's on and and it was like episode like 20,000 or whatever it was. It was ridiculous. It wasn't that many, but it was it was there's a lot of episodes of it. That's a big genre. Yeah. The thing it's always been so accurate in how it predicts the future. Is it a whole study of science that is like how the Simpsons is essentially just on the cultural zeitgeist just before it happens kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. And it makes you think like why are people bother ing with this QA on business and not looking more into, you know, do the Simpsons writers actually control things because they seem to be a little bit more accurate in the way and you want to be a Simpsons writer. I'm seeing a connection here. Yeah. Best plan mega best plan to take over the world. Be a Simpson writer. Yes. Well, the big question is could I do any worse than what we currently have. Um although yes is probably the answer. Let's not try and find that out. All right, Beth. Uh it's been a I got a last question for you, then we'll let you get on with your day before we get kicked in for next season. What are you looking forward to most about joining this podcast? Assuming you are looking forward to something. Oh, yes. I I'm absolutely looking forward to it. So, I think um it's going to look very suspicious, but you are two of my favorite people working at Microsoft. So, I was really delighted to be asked to be part of this. Uh I think it's an opportunity to um to learn from people working in and around this industry. So I'm looking at at it from that perspective. But um selfishly if I can if I can sort of be um there agitating for the social impact and the corporate responsibility elements of uh this technology and the platform and the opportunities that it proposes or or the risks that it could potentially mean as well. Um you I'm keen to uh to have those types of conversations. But for me it's you know it's a great learning experience. Um you know hopefully uh your listenership will, you know, shoot up um with with, you know, this gravy versus it already has drink um and and you know, perhaps ultimately coming to an answer to that question would would be um you know, rewarding in and of itself. Brilliant. Thank you so much, Beth. Thank you. Thank you. We are looking forward to really getting deep into next season, planning some episodes, getting you the some of your ideas that you've shared with us today and learning a little bit more about you each time and um and just being able to share the air time with you because it's God it's been boring doing it with Dan Turner for a year. It's been it's been a pleasure. Looking forward to doing more of it. Dan, any final words? Well, I suppose I suppose to all the people listening um from Beth Lee and myself, happy holidays. Have a great break. It's been a heck of a year um for everybody in whatever context you're in and please keep safe and have a great Christmas break. Thank you.
