Danny In The Valley

AI is coming to the legal world. Danny Fortson talks to Eleanor Lightbody, the chief executive of Luminance, a UK startup using artificial intelligence to automate and augment legal work. So is there to be a looming “white collar recession” or will we be able to have more time for thinking afresh about the law and other professions? Hear how AI is transforming contract review, and the future of the legal profession. Plus, why AI adoption is surging. what happens when AI makes mistakes, and how to avoid over-reliance on a single AI model: A fascinating insight into the practicalities of AI adoption. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI chatbots are being used by millions. But are they safe? Danny Fortson speaks to Ross Harper, the co-founder and CEO of Limbic AI, a company which has developed artificial intelligence software which can be used clinically as part of mental health treatment. Limbic is now used in 50% of NHS trusts, and has its eye on being used in all 50 States by the end of 2025. They talk about the future - and the reckoning he thinks is coming for wellness apps. Plus the Times' US business editor Louisa Clarence-Smith joins Danny to talk about the Figma IPO and the backlash to the UK's Online Safety Act.Further listening: Interview with Dylan Field, the CEO of Figma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny is joined by the Times' Technology correspondent Mark Sellman whio has been spending time with the UK's newest supercomputer, Isambard AI, which has become the world's 11th most powerful supercomputer and could be used to develop British LLMs (Large Language Models). Plus, flirtatious or insulting AI companions, and a government plan to ban businesses from paying hackers ransoms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny goes solo this week, in old-school Danny in the Valley style. He speaks to Sam Rodriques, the founder and CEO of FutureHouse – a non-profit organisation developing AI scientists that could revolutionise human discovery. Plus, he rounds up the week in tech – from NVIDIA’s chips making a return to China, to Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plan to build data centres the size of Manhattan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie speaks to Dylan Field - the CEO of Figma. The design software firm has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange with Dylan calling it the most ‘interesting, intense, and fun time’. Danny and Katie also talk about Linda Yaccarino resigning as CEO of X and discuss a so-called ‘Panda watch’ creeping over Silicon Valley!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie joins the CEO of Wayve, Alex Kendall, for a journey round the busy 'higgledy-piggledy' roads of London in a driverless car, to see the tech in real action. Plus a special AI news roundup on how Sam Altman & Satya Nadella's relationship may be souring; how Meta might be finding AI's best talent, and defining fair use when it comes to the training of LLMs.Have any questions, or feedback? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny meets up with Alex Blania, the CEO and one of the co-founders, alongside Sam Altman, of Tools for Humanity. Their project Worldcoin, aims to help us weed out AI imitators by verifying humans online. All you have to do is scan your iris on one of their orbs to get a unique biometric ID and some cryptocurrency.  Danny and Katie also take on Tesla’s robotaxi rollout, and question whether it's right and proper for humans to fall in love with AI bots? Spoiler alert! The answer is probably not, for both your sakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie speaks to Arthur Mensch, the 32 year old co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI who believes European sovereignty will be under threat if it does not gain traction in the race for AI supremacy. Plus, does Meta's $15bn investment in Scale AI suggest Mark Zuckerberg is anxious they are falling behind in that same race? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie is at 'Founders Forum' in the Oxfordshire countryside surrounded by titans from the world of tech as well as robots, flying cars, and a host of expensive gear proclaiming everlasting health. She talks to four of the 'Rising Stars' who may one day return as titans themselves - from a French startup working on robots that burrow inside your brain to AI tools creating new materials from scratch. Danny listens and is amazed - almost! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski joins the pod from the SXSW festival in London to tell the story of Klarna, the "buy now, pay later" fintech company he co-founded and currently leads. Press coverage suggests that he has gone all in on AI at the company; he claims his position is more nuanced. But what is clear, in his mind, is that an AI-induced recession may be unavoidable.Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week Sam Altman announced the acquisition of Sir Jony Ive's hardware startup, io, in order to create a new class of AI-native devices. This week, Katie and Danny ask whether this could be the bet of the century and more than just an expensive video shoot. Meanwhile did Anthropic's early model show a worrying tendency to blackmail it's users? Plus, Danny speaks to the founder of a school where kids may only have to learn for 2 hours a day, maybe! All thanks to AI.Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The internet, GPS, autonomous vehicles... they all have one thing in common: they're existence is in large part down to the DARPA (the US Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). And the UK is trying to repeat the success of that agency with its own: ARIA (the Advanced Research and Invention Agency). The organisation's CEO, Ilan Gur, joins Katie to discuss how. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie and Danny are joined for a conversation with Jon McNeil. For a pivotal 30 month period, Jon was President of Tesla and worked closely with Elon Musk. And also just where is the EV market currently at? Is the future of driving autonomous? And how best to invest in our AI future?Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Altman wrote a letter to staff at OpenAI explaining a new structure for the company. Katie and Danny react to that and the news this week that Deliveroo had agreed to a £2.9billion takeover from DoorDash. Plus, an interview with the subject of Netflix's Tinder Swindler, who in a world of deepfakes and online scammers wants us to trust again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny's second obsession (after humanoid robots) is space, so he's been speaking to someone sending satellites into orbit. No, not Elon Musk - though naturally his plans to colonise Mars do come up. Will Marshall is the co-founder and CEO of Planet Labs, a company which provides often revealing imagery of Earth in high definition.Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finally, the crypto episode is here. And after a lowdown on the vibe shift towards the industry in Washington, Katie is joined by Binance's new CEO, Richard Teng, who is tasked with making the case for the company that was beset by scandal under previous CEO and founder, Changpeng Zhao “CZ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan Peterson is the CEO of Flexport, a company that plans and manages shipping globally. Perfectly positioned, then, to lay out the inside story on how companies have been affected by President Trump's tariffs and what happens next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if there was a device that could record every conversation, every interaction, and then transcribed your entire life? Well there is, the Pendant, and according to its creator, it isn’t like an episode of Black Mirror at all. In fact, its creator, and CEO of Limitless AI, Dan Siroker, believes it can "to free the human mind from its biological limitations". He joins the pod to speak to a sceptical Danny Fortson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been almost 20 years since Drew Houston founded Dropbox in an effort to solve the problem of forgotten USB sticks. But how is the company innovating in a now much busier market? Plus Softbank makes a $40billion investment in OpenAI, while a new book allegedly tells the inside story of Sam Altman's 2023 (temporary) dismissal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny has been delving deeper into his humanoid robot obsession as he interviews the CEO of Texas based company, Apptronik. Plus, what went wrong at 23andMe as the once buzzy biotech startup files for bankruptcy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.