Mark Billinghurst is a professor at the University of Auckland’s bioengineering institute and director of the empathic computing laboratory at the University of South Australia in Adelaide. In our feature interview he paints a mixed future for mixed reality tech.

And Ben and Peter talk about a raft of new research showing that Kiwis trust in AI is lower than ever, and the increasing pressure for regulation.

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Is it time for NZ to be bolder with regulating big tech?

Peter talks to the European Union's envoy to Silicon Valley about how the EU's efforts to regulate big tech have been received and what NZ could learn from the massive government's imminent law changes.

We also ask if Microsoft's co-pilot can really be worth the pricetag.

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This week our main feature comes from Peter's experience at the site of OpenStar, a local startup that has big plans for creating a viable nuclear fusion reactor. He speaks to founder Ratu Mataira, investor Robbie Paul, and fusion expert Dennis Whyte to get their takes on what OpenStar is doing differently.

Ben reports on one of the startup events of the year: Ministry of Awesome's Electrify Aotearoa conference for 2023. If you missed out, it's your chance to get a taste of what was on offer.

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This week's episode is sponsored by 2degrees and takes a deep look at the telco's Shaping Business report for 2023.

Ben interviews a guest panel that includes:

• 2degrees chief business officer Andrew Fairgray,
• Mitre10 CEO Andrea Scown, and
• Founder of Valocity, Data Insight and Generate Zero Carmen Vicelich.

Plus, Ben and Peter share their own views on some of the key findings.

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This month was the hottest in recorded history, and the evidence that humanity is at fault is irrefutable. That's why episode 14 is all about how using data and digital tools could help start to move the needle on greenhouse gas emmissions.

From next year, listed companies are going to be expected to disclose their emmissions in their annual reports. KPMG director and data specialist Greg Scott joins to explain what that means and what the benefits to both planet and businesses could be.

That's followed by an interview with Ben Gleisner, founder and CEO of Cogo, a NZ-born startup that is helping people and small businesses across the globe get better visibility into their own emmissions.

The big question is: will any of this make a difference?

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It's episode 13 and Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck joins to talk about why the company gave up on catching rockets with helicopters to focus on fishing them out of the ocean instead.

Beck also gives detail into what's happening at Rocket Lab and where he sees Aotearoa New Zealand on the global space industry stage.

News topics:

• Twitter is out, X is... well, Twitter's called X now.
• Cutting costs of contracting with cozy consultants.
• Are we ready for an all-AI ad agency?

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Tāwhaki chief exec Linda Falwasser and BryceTech managing director Simon Potter join this week to talk about the big plans for an aerospace hub on the Kaitorete Spit in Canterbury, and how it can help rejuvenate the surrounding land and water.

We also speak to Brooke Lord from the NZ and Aus recruitment peak body RCSA about the sudden drop in tech job listings.

Our news topics include:

• Monopoly concerns over Microsoft acquiring Activision
•  AI in Hollywood - actor strikes and Oppenheimer's warning

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No one is 100% immune to being scammed and for businesses, one simple mistake can cost dearly.

We talk to Nigel Latta who has returned to NZ's screens with You've Been Scammed, a deep dive on the business of scams in Aotearoa and has some top tips for who to be wary of and how to avoid becoming a victim yourself.

Tech news covered:

• Should we have a sovreign cloud for AI?
• The impending end of 3G mobile networks.
• Twitter v Threads (because we can't help ourselves).

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In episode 10 we talk to science communicator extraordinaire Neil deGrasse Tyson.

In an interview with Ben, Neil shares his views on commercialising space, the cesspit of social media, science's racist history, and more.

They discuss his latest book, in which Neil asks what people, governments and businesses can learn by looking at the world from a cosmic perspective.

Ben and Peter also discuss the shifting sands for One NZ and Spark, Twitter's latest floundering, and the launch of UK-based fintech Revolut into NZ.

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In Episode 9 of The Business of Tech we quickly dip into the 2023 NZ Hi Tech Awards.

Then, we catch up with Ben Reid, Aotearoa's leading futurist, the creator of the influential Memia weekly newsletter, NZTE Beachheads advisor, and business consultant.

What do Kiwi businesses need to know about the generative AI revolution? Can robotics help transform our manufacturing sector, and is there still life in the metaverse?

Tune in to hear Ben's take on all of this and insight on how we, in the words of Sir Paul Callaghan, "get off the grass" and build a low-carbon weightless economy.

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