The AI Corner

Join host Mike Bayly and guest Frances Valintine, founder of academyEX, to explore how AI is reshaping education, business, and national identity in New Zealand. Frances shares her views on generative AI revolution, and why now is the moment for NZ to step into an AI‑first future. You’ll hear about the real blockers holding back adoption (mindsets, scale, institutional inertia), concrete strategies for embedding AI skills into organisations, and her vision for NZ’s role as a trusted technology hub.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:28 – Pre‑ChatGPT era & early career in tech• 03:22 – Why AI is a gift for SMEs & agents’ potential• 06:12 – Mindsets, barriers & demographic divides• 11:49 – How Academy X works with learners & businesses• 17:25 – The shakeout, tool proliferation, and consolidation• 23:49 – What NZ’s ambitions should be in AI & tech• 29:30 – Capital, “backing winners” & local funding gaps• 36:05 – Two futures: success or failure for NZ

FRANCES VALINTINE'S LINKEDIN:https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesvalintine/SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:NZ AI News: https://theaicorner.co.nz/subscribeNZ AI Events: https://theaicorner.co.nz/p/ai-events-in-new-zealand

Erin and Mike dive into one of ChatGPT’s most useful but least understood features: memory and instructions, spanning Custom Instructions, Projects, Custom GPTs, and even Connectors.They talk through how memory remembers context across chats, how custom instructions shape every reply, and how projects and custom GPTs let you organise files, rules, and even trigger outside actions.These features are critical for everyday users, and how marketers, creators, and teams can get more personalised, consistent output.SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:NZ AI News: https://theaicorner.co.nz/subscribeNZ AI Events: https://theaicorner.co.nz/p/ai-events-in-new-zealand

Join host Mike Bayly and guest Leslie Tan to discover how AI‑overviews, generative engine optimisation (GEO), and evolving search behaviour are reshaping SEO in New Zealand.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:26 – AI‑overviews reshaping search experience• 03:19 – Google vs new AI search platforms• 07:24 – GEO & answer engine optimisation explained• 11:15 – Importance of long‑tail content and topical mapping• 14:28 – Advice for SMEs: competing without big domain authority• 18:30 – New metrics: visibility, mentions & attribution in AI‑led world• 19:55 – Product feeds & shopping results for AI / organic shopping• 21:48 – Will Google shopping feed optimizations help in generative AI outputs?• 22:43 – Preparing for future integrations with platforms like ChatGPT

LESLIE TAN'S LINKEDIN:https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsleslietan/SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:NZ AI News: https://theaicorner.co.nz/subscribeNZ AI Events: https://theaicorner.co.nz/p/ai-events-in-new-zealand

----- Clip produced in late August -----Erin joined Mike on the couch to check out Google’s latest AI tool, Nano Banana: the GenAI image editor built on Gemini.It lets anyone blend, edit and combine photos with realistic results. Faces stay consistent, scenes make sense and the whole process feels more fun than technical. No design skills required.In this episode of AI On The Couch, Mike and Erin run a live demo, test its limits and talk through what tools like this could mean for marketers, creators and everyday teams.SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:NZ AI News: https://theaicorner.co.nz/subscribeNZ AI Events: https://theaicorner.co.nz/p/ai-events-in-new-zealand

Join host Mike Bayly and guest Mark Laurence, founder of Ten Past Tomorrow, as he helps NZ organisations move from AI enthusiasm to real impact through senior leadership alignment, culture change, and strategic adoption. Learn why starting at the top matters, and how organisations can build a foundation for lasting transformation.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:28 – How Mark first got into AI & automation spark• 02:55 – The “ChatGPT moment” & why 2024 was a tipping point• 06:14 – Why leadership alignment matters more than just training operational staff• 10:46 – Culture, mindset & “reflexive” AI use vs technical use cases• 17:11 – Details of the flagship senior leadership team program & roadmap• 22:26 – What has changed in baseline AI literacy & how courses adapt• 24:17 – Off‑the‑shelf tools vs specialised/bespoke models for organisations• 28:38 – Challenges (“fish hooks”) in rolling out transformation top‑to‑bottom

MARK LAURENCE'S LINKEDIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-laurence/

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Join host Mike Bayly and guests Bex Rose (AI Surge ANZ) and Sam Gibson (Education Sector Lead, Noel Leeming) to explore how AI is reshaping education in New Zealand: what it means for teachers, school leaders, students, and even businesses. Discover why now is the time for schools to act, set guardrails, and bring everyone on board before they’re left behind.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:49 – What sparked their journeys into AI in education• 04:49 – Mindset shifts school leaders need to embrace AI• 09:03 – Real‑world examples: personalised learning & tutor use• 12:21 – What good AI literacy looks like for students and teachers• 15:32 – Will AI replace teachers, or change how they teach?• 18:48 – Applying AI in businesses vs classrooms• 23:47 – Google vs Microsoft adoption in NZ schools• 27:04 – The need for guidelines & policy in schools• 32:57 – First steps for teachers & leaders getting into AI• 35:48 – Key skills students should master for an AI future

BEX ROSE'S LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bex-rosenz/

SAM GIBSON'S LINKEDIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samgibson1983/

SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:

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Join host Mike Bayly and guest Tom Barraclough, tech policy strategist and co‑founder of Brain Box Institute and Syncopate Lab, as he explores sovereign AI in New Zealand: why it matters, how law is being turned into code, and what New Zealanders should demand from AI systems that affect their lives. Discover the intersection of infrastructure, data, policy, and democracy in shaping AI’s future here.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio
• 00:27 – Tom’s journey: from access to justice to AI policy• 04:44 – What Syncopate Lab does: law‑as‑code & DocRef product• 07:05 – What is sovereign AI? Definition & levels of agency• 14:23 – Infrastructure, compute, energy & national leverage• 19:29 – Metrics & success: what would sovereign AI look like in NZ• 21:20 – International comparisons & what other countries are doing• 29:13 – Commercial use cases & risks in health & speech‑to‑text• 33:48 – Risks of pursuing sovereignty: cost, trust, ownership

TOM BARRACLOUGH'S LINKEDIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-barraclough-9783b410a/SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:NZ AI News: https://theaicorner.co.nz/subscribeNZ AI Events: https://theaicorner.co.nz/p/ai-events-in-new-zealand

Join host Mike Bayly as he sits down with Blake Harkness, graduate network engineer at MainPower and founder of Harkness AI. Blake is part of a new wave of engineers applying AI to real-world infrastructure: building customer service chatbots, automating regulatory compliance, and showing how even traditional industries can adopt AI.

Discover how Blake balances quick wins with long-term innovation, why trust and communication are vital for adoption, and the practical AI use cases (from Excel lookups to knowledge retrieval) that are saving time, money, and energy across New Zealand’s essential services.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:28 – Discovering AI at university• 01:22 – Early experiments at MainPower• 04:08 – Knowledge retrieval & everyday how-tos• 05:34 – Research agents for infrastructure planning• 06:58 – Overcoming fear of AI in the workplace• 07:51 – Pitching use cases to leadership• 09:39 – Regulation bots & customer chatbots• 11:01 – Fresh perspective as a young engineer• 12:53 – Balancing quick wins vs long-term builds• 14:45 – Advice for small NZ businesses• 16:34 – Regional AI adoption & Christchurch scene• 18:24 – Next-gen tools: Google’s Veo3 video model• 22:09 – Outro & next steps

BLAKE HARKNESS'S LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-harkness/

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Join host Mike Bayly and guests Simon Archer, co‑founder of PolicyCheck, and tech veteran Scott Houston, as they champion agentic AI in the insurance sector.

This episode explores why insurance is ripe for disruption and how AI-powered workflows can bring clarity, speed, and trust to policyholders and brokers alike. They break down three major breakthroughs (cutting admin overhead, improving policy comparisons, and personalising client communication) while ensuring brokers remain central, compliant, and trusted.

In this episode we discuss:

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:28 – Simon’s builder journey into AI• 02:17 – Why insurance is primed for AI disruption• 03:15 – Scott’s path from Green Button to agentic AI• 05:14 – AGI: evolving definition and emerging challenges• 08:28 – How agentic AI can make insurance proactive• 12:16 – The three problems PolicyCheck solves• 16:08 – Who moves fastest—SMEs or incumbents?• 20:26 – Focus, focus, focus: owning your vertical• 21:50 – Avoiding disruption backlash: balancing AI & process• 24:11 – The moat: data, relationships & trust with brokers• 27:27 – Advice for Kiwi founders building AI in legacy industries• 31:07 – Government can help: buy local AI products• 32:02 – Fast‑fire round: trending models and NZ AI highlights• 33:58 – Outro & next steps

SIMON ARCHER'S LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonparcher/

SCOTT HOUSTON'S LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-houston-3612588/

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Join host Mike Bayly and guest Tane Van der Boon, founder of Inviol, to explore how AI and computer vision are being deployed to tackle complacency and prevent injuries in New Zealand’s most dangerous workplaces.

Discover how Inviol builds AI that detects unsafe behaviour in real time, why edge computing matters for latency and reliability, and how startups can partner with legacy industries to scale.

• 00:00 – Intro & guest bio• 00:51 – Vulcan Steel hackathon origin story• 02:20 – Maui63 and marine conservation with AI• 04:00 – Building real-time vision on drones• 05:46 – What Inviol does• 07:38 – Startup-enterprise partnerships• 10:25 – Convincing customers who don’t know AI• 12:21 – Real-time AI on trucks and heat challenges• 14:11 – How the system works in practice• 15:28 – Cost to run Inviol on-site• 17:07 – Where else AI could help NZ• 19:56 – How ready NZ is for AI• 24:01 – What’s next for Inviol• 25:18 – How the team uses AI daily• 27:41 – Quick-fire round• 30:54 – Outro & next steps

TANE VAN DER BOON'S LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tane-/

SUBSCRIBE TO STAY AHEAD:

NZ AI News: https://theaicorner.co.nz/subscribe

NZ AI Events: ⁠https://theaicorner.co.nz/p/ai-events-in-new-zealand