In 2026, trust is currency." 🎙️

In this episode of Zero Shot, James Gauci and Llew Jury move beyond the theory to explain the tangible business impact of data sovereignty. From the shifting world order discussed at Davos to the strategic importance of building a "data moat," we explore how to position your business for the reality of 2026 .

What we cover in this session:

• The Sovereign AI Confusion: Demystifying what sovereignty actually means for a business person—from data residency to national capabilities .

• The "Accidental Breach": Why pasting sensitive PDFs into public AI models is a legal landmine waiting to happen .

• The Return of Local Hardware: James gives us a tour of his local server rack and explains why workstation-class GPUs are the new business essential .

• Agentic AI Reality Check: Llew shares his experience with OpenClaw, managing teams via Slack bots, and why we must move cautiously with multi-agent technology .

• The Essential AI 6: A practical governance framework to build trust with your customers and regulators .

The Bottom Line: Intelligence is a commodity; your data stack is your only real asset. Don't just "tick the box"—learn how to create a deliberate position in the AI landscape.

• 00:00 – Welcome to Episode 4: The Anti-Hype AI Business Podcast.

• 01:32 – Sponsor: Wrangling business tasks with Prompt Cowboy.

• 02:50 – Changing World Order: Insights from the World Economic Forum.

• 04:49 – Privacy & Trust: Why "Free" AI means you are the product .

• 09:04 – Defining Sovereign AI: National vs. Business Autonomy .

• 11:43 – The Cloud Trap: Data residency and legal risks .

• 17:08 – Accountability & Governance: The Essential AI 6 .

• 19:38 – Building your "Data Moat": Strategy over model performance.

• 31:13 – Local Hardware: Running enterprise AI without leaving the house.

• 36:31 – Testing OpenClaw & Anthropic 4.6: The arrival of Agentic AI .

• 42:11 – Takeaways: Autonomy, agency, and the "Trust Moat" .

  
  

Connect with the Hosts:

• James Gauci: CEO of Cadent.

• Llew Jury: Managing Director of Advancer at the AI Agency.

• Zero Shot: Follow us on LinkedIn for clarity in a complex landscape.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by ⁠Prompt Cowboy⁠—the fastest way to turn everyday business into automated workflows. They wrangle the hard stuff so you can focus on what matters. Visit promptcowboy.ai to start saving time today.

Produced by Yennia La Rotta.⚡

Is OpenAI still the king of AI, or have they lost their technical vision? In this episode of Zero Shot, James Gauci and Llew Jury pull no punches as they rank the world’s leading AI studios into a definitive Tier List—from the elite S Tier to the failing F Tier.

Whether you are a CEO looking for stability or a developer seeking the best agentic tools, this breakdown reveals who has the strategic moat and who is just "spending billions on posture".

In this episode, we discuss:

• The "S Tier" Leaders: Why Google and Anthropic are currently setting the gold standard for enterprise trust and performance.
• The OpenAI Debate: Why James is "bearish" on the industry giant despite their 800 million users.
• The "Daggy Uncle": A candid look at Microsoft’s reactive strategy and product management hurdles.
• The Rise of China: How Qwen and Moonshot (Kimi) are threatening established business models like ElevenLabs.
• The Hardware War: Why Nvidia remains a "B Tier" lab but an "S Tier" business infrastructure.
• The Fail Grade: Why Apple’s late entry has landed them at the bottom of the list.

Special Mention: Check out the PersonaPlex demo mentioned by Llew—the full-duplex voice AI that can actually tell jokes and laugh with you.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Prompt Cowboy—the fastest way to turn everyday business into automated workflows. They wrangle the hard stuff so you can focus on what matters. Visit promptcowboy.ai to start saving time today.

Produced by Yennia La Rotta

In this episode of ZERO SHOT, James Gauci and Llew Jury take a hard look at a question many leaders are quietly asking: Did AI actually work for businesses in 2025?

After a year of experimentation, hype, and heavy spending, the hosts reflect on where AI genuinely delivered value, and where it became a costly distraction. From real ROI examples in customer service, voice AI and workflow automation, to failed internal builds, wasted licenses, and over-hyped agent promises, this episode breaks down what actually worked and why.

James and Llew explore:

• Why 2025 became the “year of the dabble” for many organizations

• Where businesses saw real returns — in time, money and capability

• How AI became a money pit for some teams

• Why workflow quality matters more than AI “magic”

• The hidden risks of poorly implemented agents and rushed builds

• What leaders must do differently in 2026 to avoid repeating the same mistakes

This is a grounded reset — helping leaders separate signal from noise, understand where value truly sits, and move into the next phase of AI adoption with clarity and discipline.

This episode is proudly sponsored by PromptCowboy, helping teams turn AI prompts into repeatable, practical workflows that actually deliver results.

AI for business. One shot. Get it right.

Produced by Yennia La Rotta.

ZERO SHOT is an Australian podcast about AI and business — without the hype.

Hosted by James Gauci (Chief AI Officer at Cadent) and Llew Jury (Managing Director at Advancer), ZERO SHOT cuts through the noise to explore how AI is actually impacting businesses, boards and decision-makers across Australia.

Each week, we unpack real use cases, government signals, adoption failures, ethical trade-offs and the practical realities leaders face when implementing AI — from SMEs to the mid-market and beyond. No buzzwords. No Silicon Valley fantasy. Just clear, grounded conversations that connect technology, strategy and responsibility.

Whether you’re a business owner, executive, policymaker or operator trying to make sense of AI in a rapidly changing landscape, ZERO SHOT is here to help you think clearly, assess risk realistically, and move forward with intention.

This episode is proudly sponsored by PromptCowboy — helping teams turn AI prompts into repeatable, practical workflows.

AI for business. One shot. Get it right.

Produced by Yennia La Rotta.