Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson

1d ago

What does the future of AI really look like as we head toward 2026, beyond the hype, headlines, and fear-driven narratives? On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by internationally recognized advisor, speaker, and researcher on AI strategy, Walter Pasquarelli. Walter is one of the world’s leading voices on ethical and strategic AI. He has advised governments, global institutions, and leading technology companies on AI governance, policy, and readiness, and brings a grounded perspective on what it really takes to lead in the age of artificial intelligence. Walter joins Geoff to unpack what’s actually happening with artificial intelligence and what most media coverage gets wrong. He brings a 360-degree view of AI adoption and how AI is moving out of boardrooms and into everyday life, reshaping how people think, decide, work, and relate to technology. This conversation dives into: Why AI adoption is accelerating among consumers not just enterprises The rise of AI companions, humanoid robots, and everyday AI use The real risks behind automation anxiety, data privacy, and emotional dependency What “AI psychosis” is and why it’s a growing concern Why AI literacy matters more than fear, hype, or blind regulation How AI is reshaping work, leadership, and global competitiveness In this video: 00:00 Intro 01:14 AI’s trajectory toward 2026 02:09 AI moves from boardrooms to living rooms 03:16 Humanoid robots: From screens to physical bodies 05:35 Household robots, prestige, and consumer adoption 07:33 Military, drones, and high-stakes AI applications 08:46 Self-driving cars as robotics, not just vehicles 13:49 Automation anxiety and ethical reality 18:30 Shifting authority from humans to algorithms 19:58 Power concentration and data privacy risks 22:49 AI, mental health, and emotional dependency 28:11 Why regulation alone will always lag 33:25 Business leaders’ biggest AI misconceptions 36:49 Data, talent, and capability gaps 42:18 Estonia, strategy, and digital leadership 44:42 Advising governments: What leaders must do 49:49 AI, sector disruption, and the future of work 53:22 Why top performers benefit most from AI 56:14 Judgment, curation, and human excellence Connect with Walter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-m-pasquarelli/?originalSubdomain=uk X: https://x.com/waltpasquarelli Our links: Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Jan 26

What if AI becomes the most consequential technology in human history? On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Nina Schick, geopolitical analyst and one of the world’s leading voices on AI. Nina Schick is a globally recognized expert on AI, geopolitics, and power. She was among the first to forecast the societal impact of AI-generated content and now leads the conversation on Industrial Intelligence, the idea that AI is not just software, but a geopolitical and industrial transformation. Nina sits down with Geoff to unpack how intelligence itself is becoming a geopolitical weapon. She explains why we are entering the Age of Intelligence, where non-biological intelligence may soon rival or surpass human intelligence, reshaping economics, warfare, democracy, labor, and global power structures This conversation goes far beyond AI tools and chatbots. We explore: Why AGI may arrive sooner than expected How AI infrastructure and scaling laws are reshaping global power What AI means for warfare, democracy, and national security How near-zero-cost intelligence will transform work and leadership In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:33 The AI scaling laws accelerating toward AGI 03:09 Excitement vs fear: how disruptive will AI really be? 05:16 Deepfakes, information warfare, and early AI misuse 06:58 AI’s true killer app: scientific discovery 08:49 Intelligence as a utility and the speed of global disruption 10:38 Why AI is becoming the biggest political issue of our time 12:12 Concentration of power and the rise of AI monopolies 14:33 Technology, history, and why power always follows innovation 16:18AI infrastructure, hyperscalers, and trillion-dollar CapEx 19:05 AI as hard power and American technological dominance 21:15 NATO, national security, and autonomous warfare 23:55 The end of American hegemony and the rise of hard power politics 27:36 Democracy vs authoritarianism in the AI race 29:48 Why trivial consumer AI is a strategic failure 35:52 What AI deployment really means for businesses 39:13 The myth of AI tools vs intelligence as a capability 41:41 Will AI actually cause mass layoffs? 46:32 Asset ownership in a world of cheap intelligence 50:24 How AI empowers individuals and emerging economies 52:51 The most important skills for the AI age 55:38 Why being human matters more than ever 56:41 Resilience, risk, and the future Connect with Nina: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninaschick/ X: https://x.com/NinaDSchick Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Jan 19

Is the metaverse actually dead or just badly branded? On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Christian Venables, co-founder of Radical Realities. Christian specializes in immersive technology and AI, staying at the forefront of emerging tools, platforms, and workflows. With a strong foundation in architecture and design, he has transitioned into extended reality (XR), exploring the evolving possibilities of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and spatial computing. He is the Co-Founder of Radical Realities, a global immersive studio of creative innovators operating entirely virtually. The studio delivers experiences that transcend the physical world, spanning metaverse development, gaming, AR/VR/MR, CGI, VFX, and AI consultancy. Throughout his career, Christian has led and contributed to immersive projects for globally recognized brands including Coachella, Universal, Disney, Cartier, and Hyundai. Christian sits down with Geoff to break down why the metaverse will be rebranded and not abandoned. The real future isn’t cartoon avatars or fantasy worlds, but spatial computing, AR glasses, and ambient interfaces that blend seamlessly into everyday life. Despite years of hype, backlash, and false hope, the metaverse may finally be entering its most practical and powerful phase. Christian explains why the term itself may disappear, while the underlying technologies XR, spatial computing, AI-driven 3D design, and wearable AR glasses, are already reshaping how we work, learn, design, and collaborate. From Meta Ray-Ban display glasses and neural wristbands to Gravity Sketch, Unreal Engine, and AI-assisted worldbuilding; This conversation explores how immersive computing is moving beyond gimmicks into real-world utility, especially across architecture, engineering, education, and the creative industries. In this video: 00:00 Intro 03:00 Is the metaverse dead or just misbranded? 06:00 Spatial computing vs virtual worlds 09:00 Why AR glasses matter more than headsets 12:00 Smart glasses: why this wave is different 15:00 Neural wristbands and gesture-based control 18:00 How quickly humans become dependent on tech 21:00 The split between human-made and AI-generated culture 24:00 Augmenting creativity instead of replacing it 27:00 Designing entirely inside VR 30:00 Gravity Sketch: true 3D creation explained 34:00 Why spatial collaboration beats screens 38:00 Real-world use cases: architecture & manufacturing 42:00 Why mouse and keyboard are reaching their limits 47:00 AI + XR: generating worlds in real time 52:00 What needs to happen before immersive tech scales 56:00 Should immersive computing be back on our radar? Connect with Christian: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-venables-74542836/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csavenables/ X: https://x.com/Csavenables Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Jan 12

What happens when the people building artificial intelligence quietly believe it might destroy us? On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Gregory Warner, Peabody Award–winning journalist, former NPR correspondent, and host of the hit AI podcast The Last Invention. Gregory Warner is a versatile journalist and podcaster. He has been recognized with a Peabody Award and other awards from organizations like Edward R. Murrow, New York Festivals, AP, and PRNDI. Warner's career includes serving as an East Africa correspondent, where he covered the region's economic growth and terrorism threats. He has also worked as a senior reporter for American Public Media's Marketplace, focusing on the economics of American health care. His work has been recognized with a Best News Feature award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival. Gregory sits down with Geoff for an honest conversation about the AI race unfolding today. After years spent interviewing the architects, skeptics, and true believers behind advanced AI systems, Gregory has come away with an unsettling insight: the same people racing to build more powerful models are often the most worried about where this technology is heading. This episode explores whether we’re already living inside the AI risk window, why AI safety may be even harder than nuclear safety, and why Silicon Valley’s “move fast and fix later” mindset may not apply to superintelligence. It also examines the growing philosophical divide between AI doomers and AI accelerationists. This conversation goes far beyond chatbots and job-loss headlines. It asks a deeper question few are willing to confront: are we building something we can’t control and, doing it anyway? In this video: 00:00 Intro 03:00 AI models that already behave like elite hackers 05:00 Why the AI risk window may already be open 06:30 What AI safety actually means (and why it’s so hard) 12:00 Human-in-the-loop: safety feature or illusion? 15:00 AI as an alien intelligence, not a human one 19:00 The Silicon Valley AI arms race explained 21:00 OpenAI, DeepMind, Anthropic, xAI: who’s racing and why 25:00 The “Compressed Century” and radical AI optimism 27:00 Can AI actually solve humanity’s biggest problems? 33:00 Capital, competition, and the pressure to deploy 37:00 Is AI more dangerous than nuclear weapons? 39:00 The problem with comparing AI to past technologies 43:00 What happens to human agency in an AI-driven world? 45:00 How AI reshapes creativity, journalism, and truth 53:00 The quiet assumptions built into AI systems 55:00 Why optimism and fear both miss the full picture 59:00 What responsibility do users have? 01:01:00 The most important question we’re not asking about AI Connect with Gregory:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radiogrego/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radiogrego/ Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Jan 5

What happens to jobs, money, and meaning when intelligence becomes cheaper than labor and humans are no longer the smartest ones in the room? On this episode of Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Emad Mostaque, founder of Stability AI and a leading voice in the global AI revolution. Emad Mostaque is a businessman, mathematician, and former hedge fund manager. He is the co-founder and was CEO of Stability AI, the company behind the popular text-to-image generator Stable Diffusion. With a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Oxford, Emad Mostaque has significantly contributed to artificial intelligence. His vision for Stability AI was to “build the foundation to activate humanity’s potential” through open-source generative AI. Emad sits down with Geoff to explore a future that may arrive far sooner than most people expect. He argues that within the next 1,000 days, artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape the global economy, upending work, capitalism, enterprise software, and even how we define human value. Drawing from his book The Last Economy, Emad lays out a stark and deeply thought-provoking framework for understanding what comes next when cognitive labor becomes economically irrelevant. This conversation explores the inevitabilities of exponential AI progress, including why intelligence is becoming “too cheap to measure,” how AI agents will replace many jobs done behind a screen, and the coming shift from human-plus-AI teams to AI-only systems. Beyond the economics, Emad also tackles the human question: where meaning comes from in a world where AI outperforms us at most cognitive tasks. He argues that resilience in the AI age will depend less on job titles and more on community, networks, relationships, and how deeply individuals engage with the technology itself. In this video: 00:00 Intro 04:30 What is “The Last Economy”? 08:45 Intelligence becomes too cheap to measure 13:30 The three possible AI futures 18:00 Are humans becoming the weakest link? 22:15 The rise of economic agents 27:00 Digital doubles and the end of white-collar work 31:45 Enterprises racing toward zero employees 36:30 Why AI is cheaper than human labor (by orders of magnitude) 41:15 Software, SaaS, and the collapse of enterprise moats 46:00 The internet after AI agents 50:15 Who controls the “AI next to you”? 54:30 Open-Source vs Big Tech AI 58:45 The first one-person billion-dollar company 1:03:30 What humans are still for 1:07:00 How to prepare for the AI economy now Connect with Emad: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emad-mostaque-9840ba274/?originalSubdomain=uk X: https://x.com/EMostaque Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mostaquee/ Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Dec 29, 2025

Is artificial intelligence humanity’s greatest salvation, or the most dangerous force we’ve ever unleashed? Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept, it’s a force already reshaping geopolitics, economics, warfare, and the human experience itself. In this year in review episode of Digital Disruption, we bring together the most provocative, conflicting, and urgent ideas from this past year to confront the biggest question of our time: What does AI actually mean for humanity’s future? Across more than 40 conversations with leading technologists, journalists, researchers, and futurists, one theme dominated every debate, AI. Some guests argue that artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence could trigger an extinction-level event. Others believe AI may usher in an era of total abundance, solving humanity’s hardest problems. And still others claim today’s AI hype is little more than marketing smoke and mirrors. This episode puts those worldviews head-to-head. In this episode: 00:00 The AI singularity is here 05:00 Existential threat or greatest opportunity? 10:00 Why no one agrees on ai’s future 15:00 The race toward AGI and superintelligence 20:00 The control problem nobody has solved 25:00 Intelligence has no morality 30:00 Capitalism, venture capital, and the AI arms race 35:00 Is AI just a marketing illusion? 40:00 Generative AI: Power, limits, and misuse 45:00 Autonomous weapons and modern warfare 50:00 Fear as the driver of dangerous innovation 55:00 Why AI is not like nuclear weapons 1:00:00 The first and second AI dilemmas 1:05:00 Handing decisions over to machines 1:10:00 Collapse, abundance, or course correction? Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Dec 22, 2025

Are companies preparing for an AI-powered future or reacting out of fear of being left behind? Looking ahead to 2026, Geoff Nielson and Jeremy Roberts sit down for an unfiltered conversation about artificial intelligence, the economy, and the future of work. As AI hype accelerates across markets, boardrooms, and headlines, they ask the hard questions many leaders and workers are quietly worrying about: Are we in an AI bubble? If so, what happens when expectations collide with reality? This episode explores whether today’s massive investment in AI, GPUs, infrastructure, copilots, and generative tools is laying the foundation for long-term value or repeating the familiar patterns of past tech bubbles like the dot-com boom and the subprime mortgage crisis. Geoff and Jeremy break down why traditional metrics like price-to-earnings ratios matter, why Nvidia and big tech dominate the narrative, and why the real risk may not be collapse but widespread underperformance. The conversation goes far beyond markets. They dig into the impact of AI on jobs, layoffs, and corporate restructuring, challenging the idea that AI is “taking jobs” versus being used as convenient cover for economic tightening. From IT, HR, and operations to customer-facing roles, they examine how AI could reshape workforce composition, accelerate automation, and create a new and potentially unsettling employment equilibrium. You’ll also hear a candid critique of how organizations are actually using AI today and what is to come next in 2026. Tech Trends Report 2026: https://www.infotech.com/research/ss/tech-trends-2026?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=research In this video: 00:00 Just add AI to everything? 03:45 Looking ahead to 2026: Nobody knows what’s coming 07:10 Are we in an AI bubble? 12:30 Comparing AI to the dot-com and 2008 crashes 18:10 Nvidia, GPUs, and the AI Gold Rush 24:20 Why AI infrastructure may be ahead of real-world use cases. 30:40 Markets untethered from reality 36:50 is AI really taking jobs or is something else happening? 43:30 The real employment question for 2026 49:40 Corporate bloat, back-office roles, and automation 56:10 Why most AI projects fail to deliver value 1:02:45 From productivity theater to real ROI 1:09:20 Faster horses vs. Real cars in AI 1:15:40 AI 2.0: Agents, experiments, and what comes next 1:22:10 The real risk ahead: Underperformance, not collapse Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

Dec 15, 2025

Are we using AI in a way that actually makes us smarter or are we unknowingly making ourselves less capable, less curious, and easier to automate? On this episode of Digital Disruption, we are joined by artificial intelligence expert and neuroscientist, Dr. Vivienne Ming. Over her career, Dr. Vivienne Ming has founded 6 startups, been chief scientist at 2 others, and founded The Human Trust, a philanthropic data trust and “mad science incubator” that explores seemingly intractable problems—from a lone child’s disability to global economic inclusion—for free. She co-founded Dionysus Health, combining AI and epigenetics to invent the first ever biological test for postpartum depression and change the lives of millions of families. She also develops AI tools for learning at home and in school, models of bias in hiring and promotion, and neurotechnologies to treat dementia and TBI. Vivienne was named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017. She is featured frequently for her research and inventions in The Financial Times, The Atlantic, Quartz Magazine and the New York Times. Dr. Vivienne Ming sits down with Geoff to unpack one of the most misunderstood truths about artificial intelligence: AI isn’t here to replace your thinking it’s here to challenge it. And whether you grow or get left behind depends entirely on how you choose to engage with it. Dr. Ming reveals why most organizations and most individuals are using AI in the worst possible way. Instead of creating leverage, they’re creating “work slop,” cognitive dependency, shallow automation, and declining human capability. She explains why the real competitive advantage in the AI age comes from productive friction, creative complementarity, and teams that know how to use AI to explore the ill-posed problems—the ambiguous, uncertain, high-value challenges machines can’t solve on their own. From how to robot-proof your company, to why AI tutors fail when they give answers, to the science of courage, reward systems, and organizational culture, this conversation is one of the most honest explorations of the future of human capability in an AI-saturated world. In this video: 00:00 Intro 02:30 The real value of hybrid intelligence 05:00 Cognitive automation vs. true complementarity 08:20 Ill-posed problems: where humans still win 12:10 What elite performers really do differently 16:00 The paradox of AI: why more automation creates more work 18:30 How hybrid teams beat prediction markets 20:50 Inequality & imagination disease in AI 23:10 AI tutors & the golden rule: never give the answer 28:00 The nemesis prompt: how to robot-proof yourself 44:20 Courage, ethics & reward structures in organizations 54:00 Using AI without losing the human story 01:06:30 How to robot-proof your company Connect with Vivienne: Website: https://socos.org/about-vivienne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienneming/ Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG