Why AI Can't Do Customer Obsession with Perrin Rowland

Recorded live at the Aotearoa AI Summit 2026 in Wellington, this episode brings together five voices with decades of grounded expertise and thinking past the hype cycle: data sovereignty, governance, physics, defence, venture.In this episode, we hear from:Peter-Lucas Jones — Chief Executive Officer, Te Hiku Media Peter-Lucas leads Te Hiku Media's iwi-led language technology work, speaking to Māori data sovereignty and the imperative to keep people — not systems — at the centre of AI. Dr Mahsa McCauley — AUT; outgoing Chair, AI Forum NZ; UNESCO NZ Commissioner Recorded the day after handing over the AI Forum NZ chair at the end of her maximum six-year term, Mahsa reflects on how far the national conversation has come — from speculative, sci-fi framing to genuine focus on ethics, responsible AI and governance.David Steele — Director, Texas, Plug and Play Tech Center A former decade-long Texas high school football coach turned venture scout, David now oversees Plug and Play's Texas offices after building its global sports-tech vertical. He draws a direct line between sport and startups: both reward agility, direct feedback and comfort with risk.Hema Sridhar — Deputy Director, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures A physicist by training and a former defence chief advisor, Hema brings that dual lens to AI policy. Koi Tū grew out of a five-year University of Auckland incubation into an independent charitable trust valued for being a neutral voice on hard questions.Aotearoa AI Summit website: https://www.aotearoaai.nz/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/116049478/admin/dashboard/Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George Meredith leads Security Technical Operations for RUSH, overseeing system quality and infrastructure security. With a Computer Systems Technology degree, Postgraduate Diploma in IT, and a Masters in Cybersecurity, George brings 15+ years of technical expertise to address privacy and security considerations essential to responsible AI deployment in Enterprise and critical infrastructure environments.He's also the Unit Training Manager for the Hawke's Bay Coastguard.In this chat we discuss:· How AI has rewritten the cyber-risk equation, for attackers and defenders· Why the defensive toolchain has caught up but governance hasn’t· What trailing-edge organisations should address first to stay safeGeorge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-meredith-nz/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prof. Dr. Aini Suzana Ariffin is a Malaysian academic, policymaker, and global advocate for responsible artificial intelligence. Her core expertise includes AI policy and strategy development, AI governance and ethics, and AI risk and impact assessment. She led the development of Malaysia’s National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap and contributed to key national frameworks such as the AI Governance and Ethics Guidelines and the AI Risk and Impact Assessment Framework, aligning with global benchmarks including UNESCO’s ethical AI principles and IEEE standards.Suzana currently serves as a Fellow Expert at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Chair of the UNESCO STEPAN Network for Asia and the Pacific.Elizabeth (Liz) Longworth is Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and an independent director and advisor, with a career spanning law, government, and international diplomacy. She spent much of her career at the United Nations, holding senior UNESCO posts in Paris — including Executive Director within the Director-General's office — before leading the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva.Before going international, Elizabeth led ICT sector strategy for Industry New Zealand and worked in telecommunications law, and she's also served on the board of New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority.Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Aotearoa AI Summit 2026 in Wellington, this episode brings together six voices spanning the boardroom to the hackathon floor, and ultimately considering when does the human in the loop matter most?In this episode, we hear from:Madeline Newman — Executive Director, AI Forum NZ Lou Compagnone — Director, Artificial Intelligence, DatacomAkilan S — Head of Marketing, Zoho CRM and Zia Agents, Martijn Verburg — Head of Engineering, Microsoft New Zealand Wise Group Hackathon Team — Winners, 2026 Aotearoa AI Hackathon Graeme Muller — Chief Executive, Tech NZ (NZTech) Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angie Judge is the Chief Data & Intelligence Officer at accesso, where she leads the vision and strategy for accesso Intelligence helping organisations across the experience economy turn data into confident decisions through predictive analytics and AI. She joined accesso following its 2026 acquisition of Dexibit, the company she founded in 2016 and grew into the leading data and AI platform purpose-built for visitor attractions, used by some of the world's most iconic venues.Before Dexibit, Angie held technology and transformation roles at Hewlett Packard and Amdocs, focused on network analytics and enterprise technology across the telecommunications, finance and public sectors. A frequent international speaker on artificial intelligence and the future of the experience economy, she's known for practical, grounded approaches to applying AI to operations, commercial performance and guest experience.We discuss:· The impact of the pandemic on the GLAM industry· The silver lining opportunity to rebuild a SaaS product during downtime· Deep vertical expertise as a data unlockAngie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiejudge/Accesso's website: https://accesso.com/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perrin Rowland is Chief Product & Experience Officer at academyEX. Before that she built and matured the design function at Westpac New Zealand — including their Customer Care Lab — and led user experience and CX maturity at Spark through a full agile transformation. She's taught information architecture and UX at New York University, worked with the Nielsen Norman Group, and describes herself, wonderfully, as a designer of journeys and a maker of maps.We discuss:· How to seize the opportunity to be a 'maker' with AI tools at your fingertips· Tips for getting more out of your LLM workflows· What's the CX problem everyone's trying to solve with AI, that AI is the wrong tool forPerrin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrinrowland/academyEX's website: https://academyex.com/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Neelesh Rampal is a climate data scientist at Earth Sciences New Zealand who uses generative AI to understand how record-shattering events like the Auckland Anniversary floods will change as the planet warms. He also co-leads a global task force setting responsible standards for AI in regional climate modelling, as many of the tech giants race into the field.Neelesh taught himself machine learning, won $1M in competitive Smart Ideas funding with no initial grant-writing experience, used it to help fund his own PhD (completed in two and a half years, full-time), then won a second bid. He was a 2026 Science New Zealand Awards finalist in the Early Career Researcher category.We discuss:· How generative AI is being used to forecast weather and model our future climate· Why "physics-informed" machine learning beats letting a model guess freely· What Neelesh's work means for critical infrastructure and NZ's climate resilienceNeelesh on Linkedin: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/neelesh-unleashedNIWA People: https://niwa.co.nz/people/neelesh-rampalA website on Neelesh's research: https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/high-resolution-climate-projections-using-physics-and-aiAnd his Google Scholar research page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=D-0-fHUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=aoFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malindi MacLean is VP of Customer at Halter, the New Zealand-founded agritech company transforming farming through solar-powered smart collars for cattle. She leads Halter's Global Customer Team across Auckland, Colorado, Australia, and Argentina.Malindi began her career as a professional cyclist representing New Zealand, before moving into senior commercial roles at Coca-Cola Amatil, IAG, and Hubbards. In 2021 she became the first female CEO of Outward Bound New Zealand — a role she stepped into seven months pregnant, in the middle of a pandemic — where she became a leading voice on youth development and wellbeing.Across every chapter, the through-line is the same: a deep belief in people, purpose, and challenge as the engines of growth.We discuss:· How a self-professed "anti-tech" person found purpose inside a tech company· What it takes to build high performing teams in different industries· Lessons that charities and private enterprise can learn from each otherMalindi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malindi-maclean-b6142470/Halter's website: https://www.halterhq.com/en-nzFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ollie Hill is the Country Manager for global energy technology leader Schneider Electric, where he spearheads operations in New Zealand, working across the systems that keep Aotearoa running. His work covers energy management, automation and digital infrastructure, as well as PDL, the electrical brand found in homes and buildings across the country.With more than two decades in technology and business leadership, including as Managing Director and board member at HP New Zealand, Ollie blends commercial experience with a practical, people-first leadership style. He sees energy as both a sector challenge and a strategic asset, helping people, systems and organisations perform at their best.We discuss:· How can we prepare ourselves for an electrified future· Data centers boom – a big scare for New Zealand or a big opportunity?· Whether or not your EV could power your houseOllie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverhill/Schneider Electric's website: https://www.se.com/nz/en/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Barraclough brings a decade’s experience working inside, alongside and across from governments in law, public policy and technology. Tom is a founder and director of a tech policy think tank (the Brainbox Institute, since 2018), as well as a start-up tech company (Syncopate, since 2023), which turns regulatory documents into digital infrastructure for implementation in computers. Tom has led public interest legal research projects, acted as project lead for a global multistakeholder coalition on tech transparency, and has consulted to public and private clients including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (NZ), the Parliamentary Counsel Office (NZ), an investor coalition representing USD$1.3T, the Global Partnership on AI, and the Global Network Initiative.We discuss:· How law is increasingly being implemented in digital systems· AI-drafted government regulation · A practical approach to a data sovereignty frameworkTom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bcgh-tech/Brainbox Institute's website: https://www.brainbox.institute/Syncopate Lab's website: https://syncopatelab.com/Follow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLFollow us on Instagram: @humaninthelooppodcastFind us on LinkedIn:Alaina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-luxmoore/Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafriedlander/Danu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danuabey/Sign up to The RUSH newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hmARzLEmail [email protected] if you have feedback, comments, questions or compliments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.