In The Age of Imperfect Machines, global InsurTech leader Dr. Magda Ramada Sarasola (WTW) joins BASELINE to explore one of the most overlooked questions in the AI revolution:What happens when AI fails and how do we insure against it?From the fear of the first elevators to today’s non-deterministic AI systems, this conversation uncovers why innovation doesn’t come from eliminating risk, but from learning how to live with it.Magda explains how the insurance industry has always enabled progress by absorbing uncertainty so society can keep moving forward and how that same principle now underpins AI assurance, accountability, and agentic systems.BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise. In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.
For thirty years, Robin Christopherson MBE has shown how technology can remove barriers and bring people in. As Head of Digital Inclusion at AbilityNet, he helped shape the tools that transformed accessibility - screen readers, voice control, and adaptive interfaces that became the foundation for modern computing.Now a new paradox is emerging. The same systems that once empowered people could begin to replace them. AI can already triage patients, interview candidates, and make complex decisions in milliseconds. But who decides where the human boundary sits and who can be trusted to draw it?
Digital identity is no longer just about logging in, it’s about who and what we trust in a world where AI agents are multiplying faster than humans.In this episode of BASELINE, I speak with Jacoby Thwaites, ex-Google technologist and now CTO of Magic ID. We dive into the UK’s plans for mandatory digital ID by 2029, Switzerland’s national e-ID referendum, and why identity has become the #1 attack vector in cyber security.Jacoby explains why humans today are “ghosts in the digital world,” why bots already outnumber humans online, and how trusted communities could give people and AI equal standing in digital society.
What does it really mean for the UK to become an “AI superpower”? In this episode of BASELINE, James Robson, former Data Protection Officer for the Labour Party (2023–2025), goes inside the hype and the reality. From protecting the most sensitive political data in Britain, to assessing the impact of billions in AI investment, James brings a unique perspective on how artificial intelligence will reshape jobs, democracy, and trust in government.
AI can now trigger real infrastructure changes, not just surface insights. But can you really trust it to touch production? In this episode of BASELINE, Rodney Foreman from Itential introduces the MCP Server: a new orchestration and control layer that allows AI agents, LLMs, and AIOps platforms to take real-world action with policy enforcement, validation, and full guardrails. We explore what the Model Context Protocol (MCP) is, how Itential connects AI systems to infrastructure safely, and why trust—not speed—is the real unlock for enterprise AI. With real-world examples like Selector and Lumen, this conversation shows how automation, compliance, and coordination are finally converging. If your AI strategy stops at insights, this episode will show you what’s next.
Dr Michael Barros brings a rare blend of scientific depth and human clarity. From showing us why every neuron is important to revealing how electroceuticals could transform medicine and how true intelligence is embodied, he turns complex frontiers of neuroscience into ideas anyone can grasp. His work at the University of Essex and the Alan Turing Institute is pioneering, but more than that, he speaks with humility and hope about the future of humanity and AI. This is one of those conversations that makes you rethink what it means to be alive, to learn, and to imagine what comes next.
Mike Lewis has spent over two decades uncovering the hidden inefficiencies that quietly drain millions from organisations. As Managing Director at Equantiis, his calm, pragmatic approach focuses on what others miss - the small inefficiencies that, once fixed, transform performance, morale, and growth.
In this conversation, we explore how AI can help eliminate those overlooked problems, why fear and hype often distract from the real work, and how finding just a few minutes of wasted time can unlock massive value.
Martin Bishop, former Chief Technologist for UK Public Sector at AWS, joins Baseline to explore what really works when governments and enterprises adopt AI.We talk about why embracing pilot failure is key to progress, how two-person teams are now winning seven-figure government tenders, and what legacy estates mean for transformation.
Martin also shares lessons from AWS, UK public sector procurement, sovereignty, education, and delivery at scale including how he helped stand up vaccine infrastructure in a single weekend.If you want to know what’s hype, what’s real, and how to turn AI into lasting progress, this episode is for you.BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise. In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.
In BASELINE052, Ian Smith sits down with Dr John Fletcher - Oxford, Imperial, and Cambridge-trained physicist and Chief Scientist at The Innovation Game. John is not just a world-class academic - he’s a rare innovator who bridges the gap between research and real-world impact.
At The Innovation Game, he is building technology that creates genuine competitive advantage, not just another layer of AI hype. His work proves how algorithms can solve critical problems in logistics, medicine, and science showing that the future of AI is about application, not buzzwords.BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise. In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.
https://www.tig.foundation
Venture capital is changing fast and the next wave of fundraising will be powered by data, AI, and intelligent matching between founders and investors. In Part 2 of this BASELINE conversation, Daniel Sawko (CEO of ShipShape VC) shares how hyper-contextual investor search can save founders from wasted meetings, how AI will reshape deal flow, and why frontier markets like space and defence are creating entirely new funding dynamics. From the Mira Murati fundraise for Thinking Machines to the rise of LP intelligence and decentralised VC, this episode is essential for founders, VCs, and LPs looking ahead at the future of capital allocation.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Cold open: Smarter fundraising for a new era
02:00 – AI hype cycles and misaligned pitching
10:15 – Investor–founder fit vs product–market fit
19:40 – New frontiers: space, defence, and AGI-era funding
33:20 – LP search and decentralising venture capital
45:00 – The intelligent future of fundraising
What happens when AI meets a healthcare system in crisis? Learn what’s real, what’s hype, and how tech could transform care without losing compassion.
00:00 – Intro: AI in Healthcare, Hype vs. Humanity01:12 – Meet Rhonda Siddall: Freelance Medical Writer02:54 – The Human Dimension of AI Deployment05:10 – The NHS in Crisis: Burnout, Compassion & Reality07:48 – Predictive AI in Diagnosis: COPD & RA10:32 – Efficiency vs Empathy: What Are We Optimising?12:01 – Hidden Bias in Health Data: Women Left Behind14:45 – Can AI Understand Emotion and Shame?17:02 – Utopia or Dystopia: Rhonda’s Final Reflection19:32 – Final Thoughts & Viewer Call to Action
Most founders spend up to 50% of their time trying to raise money — but many pitch to the wrong investors, burning time and relationships without results. In Part 1 of this BASELINE conversation, Daniel Sawko, CEO of ShipShape VC, explains why fundraising has become theatre, why warm intros dominate venture capital access, and how early-stage startups can focus on building traction instead of chasing the wrong capital. This is a must-watch for founders who want to stop wasting time and get investor-fit right from day one.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:00 – Cold open: Selling a cruise ship to an ice cream van
01:40 – Why traditional fundraising is broken
09:10 – Networks, warm intros, and VC access
18:45 – The pressure to perform vs building a real business
27:30 – Fundraising as sales: marketing your equity to the wrong market
38:15 – Why founders should prioritise customers over capital
AI is no longer a tool - it’s a battleground. In this second part of BASELINE043, Paul Jenkinson, founder of Whitespace, reveals how AI is being weaponised, why 93% of Europe’s infrastructure runs on foreign systems, and what it means for UK sovereignty, defence, and trust. From briefing Number 10 to building inside the MoD, this is a rare look into the real stakes of national AI strategy.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00 – The AI arms race has already begun
03:15 – Weaponising generative AI: the Number 10 briefing
08:47 – Why infrastructure matters more than models
14:32 – The trust deficit inside public AI systems
20:15 – 93% of Europe’s cloud runs on US infrastructure
25:04 – Can the UK afford to wait on sovereign capability?
31:18 – Auditable, ethical, and trusted AI: a new frontier
36:50 – Closing thoughts: power, risk, and responsibility
Patrick Sheehan is one of Europe’s most experienced sustainability investors. In this special 50th episode of BASELINE, we explore the collision of AI, climate, infrastructure, and early-stage venture capital — and what it means for those trying to build or back the future.Patrick founded ETF Partners, backed transformative startups like Open Cosmos and Cubbit, and has been investing in tech infrastructure since the early days of 3i. In this episode, he reflects on cost curves, AI’s energy demands, and the hard-earned lessons from his time working alongside American venture giants like Hambrecht & Quist.
EPIOSODE LINK:
https://etfpartners.capital/articles/etf-partners-the-intelligence-layer/
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00 — Intro: BASELINE hits 50 & why this episode is different
01:10 — Climate isn’t a sector — it’s a force reshaping every industry
03:15 — Space cost curves & the logic of first-mover advantage
05:12 — Starlink, Open Cosmos & Europe’s space momentum
06:48 — Cubbit & why energy-efficient infrastructure is critical for AI
09:25 — Bubbles, AI hype & why real value lies in infrastructure
11:03 — Patrick’s story: from 3i to founding ETF Partners
12:10 — Climate urgency, cost myths & seizing the moment
13:25 — Human-first AI & investing with purpose
14:40 — Optimism, Silicon Valley stories & what happens next
Louis Knight-Webb combines technical brilliance with rare composure.As co-founder of bloop.ai and a Y Combinator S21 alum, Louis is building AI tools that don’t just touch legacy systems - they understand them. From mainframes to COBOL, his team is using generative models to translate decades-old infrastructure into clear, maintainable modern code.In this BASELINE episode, Louis breaks down:
– Why mainframes still power trillions in daily transactions
– How AI can turn legacy code into natural language
– The real blockers in enterprise modernisation (and how to overcome them)
– Why modernisation is about translation, not disruption
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro: Why legacy still matters
01:00 – Mainframes, batch jobs, and modern AI
03:00 – Louis on Y Combinator and the founder mindset
08:30 – What bloop actually does
14:00 – AI vs enterprise systems: reality check
21:00 – Turning COBOL into natural language
28:00 – Real-time systems, Kafka, and the death of the calendar
35:00 – Technical debt, team knowledge, and scaling modernisation
43:00 – Future-looking: language models, trust, and quantum
51:00 – Final reflections: calm innovation and quiet disruption
Professor Reinhold Scherer is Head of the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex and a global leader in brain-computer interface (BCI) research. In this episode of BASELINE, he explains how BCIs are already restoring movement, hearing, and communication, and what it means when we begin connecting human brains to machines.We explore the ethics of neural implants, the rise of synthetic intelligence, and how tools like ChatGPT are reshaping memory, attention, and human thought. From non-invasive brainwave decoding to the psychological impact of cognitive outsourcing, this conversation reveals what happens when machines do more than serve us - they begin to shape us.
00:00 – Intro: Brain chips, AI, and the future of human thought
10:00 – How close are we to real brain-computer interfaces
20:00 – Can neural implants change who we are?
31:00 – Memory, cognition, and outsourcing thinking to AI
41:00 – Brain plasticity and the hidden risks of generative tools
51:00 – Synthetic intelligence and redefining what it means to learn
1:02:00 – Consciousness, simulation, and identity
1:12:00 – Final thoughts: trust, creativity, and human agency
Thanasis Mandaltsis shares a deeply human perspective on the future of digital identity. Drawing from his Greek upbringing and career at Onfido and iov42, he explores why trust, community, and participation not data extraction must form the foundation of our digital lives. From agentic AI and smart servers to post-COVID collapse of real-world communities, we unpack how the ancient Greek idea of the polis might hold the key to designing tech that serves people, not platforms.If you’ve ever felt displaced by the speed of AI or invisible inside digital systems, this conversation will feel like a blueprint for a different kind of future.
EPISODE LINKS:
https://magic-id.com
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro: The Polis and the Human Web
04:25 – Game Theory and Why Small Groups Win
07:55 – China, Control, and the Western Mirror
18:42 – How Magic ID Works (Real Example)
22:30 – Why AI Mirrors You — and That’s a Problem
26:10 – Agentic AI and Your Digital Self
30:05 – The Trouble with Web3 Incentives
37:00 – Greek Communities, US Platforms, and Local Resilience
40:30 – Building Viral Trust at Human Scale
47:10 – The Race for Narrative Control
52:30 – Final Reflection: Rebuilding the Polis
Dr Paul Dongha was studying intelligent agents before most people had internet access. Today, he leads Responsible AI at NatWest, shaping how artificial intelligence supports financial customers while protecting trust. In this conversation, Paul unpacks how GenAI is changing the relationship between banks and individuals, why emotional AI must be treated with caution, and how his 1996 PhD on goal-directed agents is now shockingly relevant.
We explore what it means to act ethically with AI, how regulation and innovation can coexist, and why the future of finance might look more like a conversation than a transaction.BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise. In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.
EPISODE LINKS:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/governing-the-machine-9781399426299/EPISODE
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro: Paul Dongha and 30 years of AI
04:15 – From PhD to agentic AI in the enterprise
10:35 – What AI is (and what it isn’t)
16:22 – Emotional AI, trust and digital relationships
22:10 – Responsible autonomy and personal assistants
26:44 – Stripe’s model breakthrough and financial ethics
32:02 – Regulating innovation and NatWest’s approach
37:55 – Personalisation, banking apps, and AI futures
43:10 – Utopia? Final reflections
Stephen Russell leads data, strategy, and technology at Warwickshire Police and he’s one of the most thoughtful voices in the UK on how AI can support, not replace, frontline policing. In this episode of BASELINE, we dive deep into the real challenges officers face today: from overwhelming digital paperwork to rising cybercrime. With calm clarity, Stephen shares how AI tools like generative assistants and predictive analytics are already being tested to give time back to officers and protect public trust.We explore the national coordination effort across 43 forces, the ethics of facial recognition, and what it means to police by consent in an age of AI. From cold cases to call centres, the future of law enforcement is changing fast and Stephen is helping shape it with care. This conversation is for anyone interested in responsible AI, public service innovation, or how we build technology that works for everyone.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00 – The Moral Duty Behind AI in Policing
02:00 – A Different Path to the Force
07:00 – When AI Stopped Being Theory
12:00 – Blocking ChatGPT at Work
17:00 – Policing AI Misuse and Deepfakes
23:00 – Cutting the Digital Paperwork Burden
30:00 – Predictive Policing and Public Consent
36:00 – Building National AI Standards
42:00 – Augmenting Officers, Not Replacing Them
50:00 – The Future of Trust in an AI Age
CONTACT IAN:
Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/
Email: info@baselinepodcast.com
#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence
What if we stopped designing technology for the average user and started designing for the people most often left out? Amy Low is Chief Executive of AbilityNet, a UK charity that helps people with disabilities use tech to live, work and thrive. In this episode, she joins BASELINE to expose the scale of digital exclusion, explain how AI is both a risk and an opportunity, and share a powerful new vision: inclusive design from the edges in.
From AI glasses that help a blind father read to his daughter, to the 94% of websites that still fail basic accessibility checks - this is a conversation about empathy, systems, and the real future of human-AI connection.
BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise.
In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.
00:00 – AI is more profound than fire
06:40 – How AbilityNet supports people
16:05 – Why accessibility must be designed in
18:42 – AI glasses and the power of Be My Eyes
27:33 – Spiky profiles and supporting neurodivergence
34:20 – The workplace after COVID
36:18 – Bias, hiring, and the myth of presenteeism
39:11 – Why “disabled” doesn’t mean “less capable”
41:45 – Simulation, joy, and digital purpose
47:30 – The case for designing from the edges
50:10 – Will AI take us to utopia or dystopia?
CONTACT IAN:
Web: https://www.baselinepodcast.com/
Email: info@baselinepodcast.com
#AI #Technology #FutureOfWork #Innovation #HumanConnection #BASELINE #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Influence
