Patrick Sheehan is one of Europe’s most experienced sustainability investors. In this special 50th episode of BASELINE, we explore the collision of AI, climate, infrastructure, and early-stage venture capital — and what it means for those trying to build or back the future.Patrick founded ETF Partners, backed transformative startups like Open Cosmos and Cubbit, and has been investing in tech infrastructure since the early days of 3i. In this episode, he reflects on cost curves, AI’s energy demands, and the hard-earned lessons from his time working alongside American venture giants like Hambrecht & Quist.

EPIOSODE LINK:

https://etfpartners.capital/articles/etf-partners-the-intelligence-layer/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:00 — Intro: BASELINE hits 50 & why this episode is different

01:10 — Climate isn’t a sector — it’s a force reshaping every industry

03:15 — Space cost curves & the logic of first-mover advantage

05:12 — Starlink, Open Cosmos & Europe’s space momentum

06:48 — Cubbit & why energy-efficient infrastructure is critical for AI

09:25 — Bubbles, AI hype & why real value lies in infrastructure

11:03 — Patrick’s story: from 3i to founding ETF Partners

12:10 — Climate urgency, cost myths & seizing the moment

13:25 — Human-first AI & investing with purpose

14:40 — Optimism, Silicon Valley stories & what happens next

Louis Knight-Webb combines technical brilliance with rare composure.As co-founder of bloop.ai and a Y Combinator S21 alum, Louis is building AI tools that don’t just touch legacy systems - they understand them. From mainframes to COBOL, his team is using generative models to translate decades-old infrastructure into clear, maintainable modern code.In this BASELINE episode, Louis breaks down:

– Why mainframes still power trillions in daily transactions

– How AI can turn legacy code into natural language

– The real blockers in enterprise modernisation (and how to overcome them)

– Why modernisation is about translation, not disruption

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Intro: Why legacy still matters

01:00 – Mainframes, batch jobs, and modern AI

03:00 – Louis on Y Combinator and the founder mindset

08:30 – What bloop actually does

14:00 – AI vs enterprise systems: reality check

21:00 – Turning COBOL into natural language

28:00 – Real-time systems, Kafka, and the death of the calendar

35:00 – Technical debt, team knowledge, and scaling modernisation

43:00 – Future-looking: language models, trust, and quantum

51:00 – Final reflections: calm innovation and quiet disruption

Professor Reinhold Scherer is Head of the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex and a global leader in brain-computer interface (BCI) research. In this episode of BASELINE, he explains how BCIs are already restoring movement, hearing, and communication, and what it means when we begin connecting human brains to machines.We explore the ethics of neural implants, the rise of synthetic intelligence, and how tools like ChatGPT are reshaping memory, attention, and human thought. From non-invasive brainwave decoding to the psychological impact of cognitive outsourcing, this conversation reveals what happens when machines do more than serve us - they begin to shape us.

00:00 – Intro: Brain chips, AI, and the future of human thought

10:00 – How close are we to real brain-computer interfaces

20:00 – Can neural implants change who we are?

31:00 – Memory, cognition, and outsourcing thinking to AI

41:00 – Brain plasticity and the hidden risks of generative tools

51:00 – Synthetic intelligence and redefining what it means to learn

1:02:00 – Consciousness, simulation, and identity

1:12:00 – Final thoughts: trust, creativity, and human agency

Thanasis Mandaltsis shares a deeply human perspective on the future of digital identity. Drawing from his Greek upbringing and career at Onfido and iov42, he explores why trust, community, and participation not data extraction must form the foundation of our digital lives. From agentic AI and smart servers to post-COVID collapse of real-world communities, we unpack how the ancient Greek idea of the polis might hold the key to designing tech that serves people, not platforms.If you’ve ever felt displaced by the speed of AI or invisible inside digital systems, this conversation will feel like a blueprint for a different kind of future.

EPISODE LINKS:

https://magic-id.com

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Intro: The Polis and the Human Web

04:25 – Game Theory and Why Small Groups Win

07:55 – China, Control, and the Western Mirror

18:42 – How Magic ID Works (Real Example)

22:30 – Why AI Mirrors You — and That’s a Problem

26:10 – Agentic AI and Your Digital Self

30:05 – The Trouble with Web3 Incentives

37:00 – Greek Communities, US Platforms, and Local Resilience

40:30 – Building Viral Trust at Human Scale

47:10 – The Race for Narrative Control

52:30 – Final Reflection: Rebuilding the Polis

Dr Paul Dongha was studying intelligent agents before most people had internet access. Today, he leads Responsible AI at NatWest, shaping how artificial intelligence supports financial customers while protecting trust. In this conversation, Paul unpacks how GenAI is changing the relationship between banks and individuals, why emotional AI must be treated with caution, and how his 1996 PhD on goal-directed agents is now shockingly relevant.

We explore what it means to act ethically with AI, how regulation and innovation can coexist, and why the future of finance might look more like a conversation than a transaction.BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise. In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.

EPISODE LINKS:

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/governing-the-machine-9781399426299/EPISODE

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Intro: Paul Dongha and 30 years of AI

04:15 – From PhD to agentic AI in the enterprise

10:35 – What AI is (and what it isn’t)

16:22 – Emotional AI, trust and digital relationships

22:10 – Responsible autonomy and personal assistants

26:44 – Stripe’s model breakthrough and financial ethics

32:02 – Regulating innovation and NatWest’s approach

37:55 – Personalisation, banking apps, and AI futures

43:10 – Utopia? Final reflections

Stephen Russell leads data, strategy, and technology at Warwickshire Police and he’s one of the most thoughtful voices in the UK on how AI can support, not replace, frontline policing. In this episode of BASELINE, we dive deep into the real challenges officers face today: from overwhelming digital paperwork to rising cybercrime. With calm clarity, Stephen shares how AI tools like generative assistants and predictive analytics are already being tested to give time back to officers and protect public trust.We explore the national coordination effort across 43 forces, the ethics of facial recognition, and what it means to police by consent in an age of AI. From cold cases to call centres, the future of law enforcement is changing fast and Stephen is helping shape it with care. This conversation is for anyone interested in responsible AI, public service innovation, or how we build technology that works for everyone.

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:00 – The Moral Duty Behind AI in Policing

02:00 – A Different Path to the Force

07:00 – When AI Stopped Being Theory

12:00 – Blocking ChatGPT at Work

17:00 – Policing AI Misuse and Deepfakes

23:00 – Cutting the Digital Paperwork Burden

30:00 – Predictive Policing and Public Consent

36:00 – Building National AI Standards

42:00 – Augmenting Officers, Not Replacing Them

50:00 – The Future of Trust in an AI Age

CONTACT IAN:

Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/

Email: [email protected]

#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence

What if we stopped designing technology for the average user and started designing for the people most often left out? Amy Low is Chief Executive of AbilityNet, a UK charity that helps people with disabilities use tech to live, work and thrive. In this episode, she joins BASELINE to expose the scale of digital exclusion, explain how AI is both a risk and an opportunity, and share a powerful new vision: inclusive design from the edges in.

From AI glasses that help a blind father read to his daughter, to the 94% of websites that still fail basic accessibility checks - this is a conversation about empathy, systems, and the real future of human-AI connection.

BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise.

In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.

00:00 – AI is more profound than fire

06:40 – How AbilityNet supports people

16:05 – Why accessibility must be designed in

18:42 – AI glasses and the power of Be My Eyes

27:33 – Spiky profiles and supporting neurodivergence

34:20 – The workplace after COVID

36:18 – Bias, hiring, and the myth of presenteeism

39:11 – Why “disabled” doesn’t mean “less capable”

41:45 – Simulation, joy, and digital purpose

47:30 – The case for designing from the edges

50:10 – Will AI take us to utopia or dystopia?

CONTACT IAN:

Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/

Email: [email protected]

#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence

AI isn’t a product anymore - it’s infrastructure. In Part 1 of BASELINE043, Paul Jenkinson, founder of Whitespace, shares how he built a sovereign AI company trusted by the UK government and embedded inside the Ministry of Defence.

Paul’s approach is pragmatic, unsentimental, and laser-focused on value: build fast, build with trust, and stay close to the mission. From breaking free of SaaS thinking to operating inside high-stakes public systems, this is a rare blueprint for founders building where speed, integrity and national interest collide.

BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise.

In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.

CONTACT IAN:

Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/

Email: [email protected]

00:00 – Intro: What sovereign AI actually means

04:10 – SaaS is over: the shift to services at the frontier

08:33 – Building with clients inside government

13:25 – Lessons from Palantir and forward deployment

18:10 – What trust really looks like at state level

23:44 – Starting Whitespace: mission, mindset, and method

29:12 – Why traditional agile is failing in AI

35:26 – Architecture that adapts at speed

42:05 – Human decision-making vs algorithmic output

48:00 – Closing reflections on building inside the system

#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence

Professor Ashley Braganza, Dean of Brunel Business School and founder of its AI Centre, explains how artificial intelligence is not just automating tasks but eroding the essence of human expertise. In this episode of BASELINE, we explore the concept of tacit knowledge, the hidden skills and lived experience that define real work.

As AI slices jobs into tasks and replaces collaborative teams with individual co-pilots, we ask what will remain of human value. This is a deep, essential conversation for anyone in business, education, policy or technology trying to understand the real impact of AI on society.

BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise.

In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.

CONTACT IAN:

Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/

Email: [email protected]

00:00 – The Lens of Change

07:26 – What Corporates Already Know

14:53 – The Gigification of Work

22:20 – Losing Tacit Knowledge

29:46 – Can We Still Work as Teams?

37:13 – Generative AI in the Boardroom

44:40 – AI and the Future of Education

52:06 – What We’re Not Teaching AI

59:33 – Will This Be a Utopia or a Dystopia?

#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence

Sophie Costin from Make Real reveals how immersive technology and AI are transforming learning inside some of the world’s biggest organisations. From emotion-aware avatars to digital rehearsal spaces, this episode explores how the metaverse is evolving into a safe, responsive environment where people can practise, fail, and grow.

Make Real’s award-winning work blends behavioural psychology with game design to create powerful learning tools used by brands like London Business School and the London Stock Exchange Group. This is the future of training - where failure isn’t feared, it’s designed for.

BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise.

In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.

EPISODE LINKS:

https://makereal.co.uk

CONTACT IAN:

Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/

Email: [email protected]

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-smith-a803701/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Welcome to BASELINE040

01:05 – What Is Make Real?

03:20 – The Metaverse Is Becoming Tangible

06:45 – From Gaming to Training: Crossing Worlds

09:10 – Go-Karts, Pac-Man, and Projection Mapping

11:50 – Safe Spaces to Practise Difficult Conversations

14:30 – AI, Emotion Recognition, and Learning by Failing

17:55 – Digital Worlds That Feel Alive

20:40 – Privacy, Safety, and Real-World Impact

23:15 – The Future of AI-Augmented Human Skills

26:00 – Will the Digital World Empower or Control Us?

28:20 – Final Thoughts: Why Human Skills Matter More Than Ever

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BaselineAI

X: https://x.com/BaselineAI

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@baselineai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/baseline-podcast

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/baselinepodcast

#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence