BASELINE

In this episode of BASELINE, Ian Smith sits down with Kirill Pyshkin, investor and physicist, to unpack what’s actually happening inside the quantum market.Investment has jumped from around $2 billion to over $10 billion in a year. Large institutions like HSBC and Moderna are already reporting real-world results. So why does it still feel like a science project?This conversation breaks down what changed in 2025 and why it matters, where quantum is already being used today, why one breakthrough can shift an entire industry, the real risks around encryption and security, how investors separate signal from hype, and what happens next as quantum moves from research to deployment.

If something goes wrong at sea, there is no one coming to help you.The only thing that connects you to rescue… is a signal.In this episode, I sit down with John Dodd from Inmarsat, part of Viasat, to understand what really happens when that signal is sent.This is about the systems that keep people alive when they are completely on their own. How they work, what they’re up against, and what it takes to make sure they don’t fail.Because out there… it has to work.BASELINE uncovers how AI and technology are transforming business, creativity, and society.

Enterprise AI adoption is accelerating, but implementation is proving far more difficult than expected. While organisations are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and large language models, many are struggling to translate capability into real operational impact. Bob De Caux is the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) at https://www.ifs.com/enThis conversation explores the gap between AI innovation and enterprise execution, covering the realities of AI strategy, organisational readiness, and the challenges of deploying AI systems at scale. Topics include AI transformation, enterprise architecture, data readiness, internal capability gaps, and the pressure on leadership teams to act before fully understanding the implications.Drawing on real-world experience inside enterprise environments, this discussion breaks down why AI initiatives often stall, where companies are overestimating progress, and what needs to change for AI to deliver measurable value.

The AI job market is expanding rapidly, but most people still don’t know how to access it.In this episode, Ian sits down with William Excell, a recruiter working directly with AI startups and high-growth technology companies, to break down what is actually happening inside the hiring market.As AI reshapes how companies are built, teams are becoming smaller, faster, and more selective. The result is a fundamental shift in what companies look for and who gets hired.

The global talent market is changing faster than most companies realise.For decades, careers followed a predictable path: education, corporate ladder, promotion, leadership. But AI, automation, and network-driven hiring are quietly rewriting the rules of work.In this episode of BASELINE, Ian Smith sits down with Gene Allmark-Kent, a senior executive search leader at Wilton & Bain, to unpack what is really happening behind the scenes of the global hiring market.

Errol Rasit is a Managing Vice President of Emerging Technologies Research at Gartner, where he advises global organisations on how technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud, and data infrastructure are reshaping business, decision-making, and human behaviour. With nearly two decades inside Gartner and leadership roles across research, product, and innovation, Errol brings a rare combination of deep technical insight and real-world enterprise perspective.

In this episode of BASELINE, Ian speaks with accountant and finance transformation specialist Michael Loizou about the human side of financial decision-making. As AI tools begin analysing financial data, generating reports, and assisting with forecasting, many people assume the role of accountants will simply become automated.

Michael sees it differently.

Drawing on years of experience working with founders and organisations, he argues that financial systems may process the numbers, but understanding those numbers requires context, judgment, and trusted relationships.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how markets operate, how companies hire, and how consumers make decisions. But beneath the headlines about productivity and automation lies a deeper question: what happens when human labour is no longer required to sustain the economy?In this conversation with Rodrigo Perez-Vega from Henley Business School, we explore how AI is reshaping consumer behaviour, employment, and even demographic trends. If consumption fuels economic growth but AI reduces the need for human work, the foundations of our economic systems begin to shift.

AI is changing who has the leverage to act - and who doesn’t.This conversation explores what that shift means for climate, work, and who gets to build next.. https://nyamiralabs.aiIn this conversation, Justin Keeble reflects on his career at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and business strategy, and why he chose to leave a senior corporate role to build something new.We explore how AI is being used inside real organisations today to measure, optimise, and make decisions across complex systems. From data centres and energy use, to supply chains, compliance, and sustainability targets that are currently off track.The discussion moves beyond hype into questions of agency, responsibility, and intent. Who gets access to these tools. How leverage is shifting from institutions to individuals. And why being deliberate matters as AI becomes embedded in how decisions are made.

We thought decentralisation would protect value. Bitcoin promised credible neutrality, but incentives reshaped it. Liquidity won. Ideology lost. In this conversation, John Fletcher explains why proof-of-work security models are structurally fragile, how Tether quietly undermined the neutrality of Bitcoin, and why incentive design always dominates belief systems. Then the discussion turns to AI.

Large language models already contain the world’s written knowledge, but they do not yet fully possess tacit human intuition.