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July 19, 2025 14 mins

Confused about AI? Think less rocket science, more slightly weird but incredibly helpful colleague. The AI Breakdown launches with a jargon-free expedition into machine learning and generative AI. Discover how this technology is quietly revolutionising everything from farm management to fast food, and why jumping in with both feet beats cautiously watching from the sidelines every time.

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Episode Transcript

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(00:06):
Hi, I'm Andy, and this is the AI breakdown, the podcast that turns artificial intelligence into real talk.
We cut through the complexity to show you how AI actually works and what it means for your job, your business, and your future.
Whether you are a manager looking to level up your team's productivity.
An entrepreneur wondering if you are missing the boat or you're simply curious about the possibilities.

(00:28):
This podcast skips the jargon and gives you practical insights you can actually use.
Today.
In our first episode, we're diving straight into the essentials, what this technology really is and isn't how it's already woven into your daily life and why those robots apocalypse headlines miss them all completely. 8 00:00:50,456.397890731 --> 00:00:52,826.397890731 But before we start, here's a brief intro on me. 9 00:00:53,216.397890731 --> 00:00:55,841.397890731 I'm a techie with nearly 30 years in the software world. 10 00:00:56,486.397890731 --> 00:00:57,776.397890731 And I've worn many hats. 11 00:00:58,286.397890731 --> 00:01:06,956.397890731 I've been a developer, product leader, and CEO, and now I'm CTO and co-founder of Notify Technology, a thriving sauce business here in the uk. 12 00:01:07,466.397890731 --> 00:01:17,66.397890731 What drives me is honestly curiosity, as sad as it sounds, I love getting my hands dirty with New Tech, especially with everything happening in AI right now. 13 00:01:17,816.397890731 --> 00:01:23,816.397890731 At Notify Technology, I'm leading our r and d initiatives to weave AI capabilities into our products. 14 00:01:24,206.397890731 --> 00:01:29,6.397890731 I'm also helping our team navigate AI so they can benefit from its full potential. 15 00:01:29,696.397890731 --> 00:01:34,136.397890731 Outside work, you'll find me with my family in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. 16 00:01:34,526.397890731 --> 00:01:43,46.39789073 I recharge with regular runs, keep competitive playing basketball, and when I'm feeling particularly brave, tackle the frigid North Sea waves. 17 00:01:43,256.39789073 --> 00:01:46,646.39789073 Yes, the wetsuit is absolutely non-negotiable Up here. 18 00:01:47,276.39789073 --> 00:01:48,686.39789073 Anyway, that's enough about me. 19 00:01:48,746.39789073 --> 00:01:49,556.39789073 Let's crack on. 20 00:01:49,946.39789073 --> 00:01:58,916.39789073 So what actually is ai? Artificial intelligence simply means teaching computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. 21 00:01:59,336.39789073 --> 00:02:06,431.39789073 This includes analyzing data, learning from experience, recognizing patterns, making predictions, or even creating new content. 22 00:02:07,421.39789073 --> 00:02:17,681.39789073 AI can see, hear and speak, read and write, and even make judgment calls like determining which ad matches your interests or assessing loan eligibility. 23 00:02:18,371.39789073 --> 00:02:23,261.39789073 It's not some unified, super intelligent brain or a sentient entity plotting away. 24 00:02:23,741.39789073 --> 00:02:30,461.39789073 It's more like thousands of little mini experts each brilliant at one thing and absolutely hopeless at everything else. 25 00:02:31,291.39789073 --> 00:02:32,821.39789073 AI is everywhere today. 26 00:02:33,381.39789073 --> 00:02:48,261.39789073 Sometimes it's obvious and in your face, often it's quietly working in the background, shaping your day without even realizing it's there on your phone, suggesting photo edits, drafting smart replies and q and l playlists you didn't know you needed. 27 00:02:48,741.39789073 --> 00:02:49,641.39789073 It's in your car. 28 00:02:50,181.39789073 --> 00:02:55,581.39789073 Powering lane keeping emergency braking and guessing your destination before you've hit go. 29 00:02:56,61.39789073 --> 00:02:58,371.39789073 It's also the brains behind self-driving tech. 30 00:02:59,31.39789073 --> 00:03:02,331.39789073 AI is changing how we explore, learn, and make decisions. 31 00:03:02,811.39789073 --> 00:03:14,96.39789073 More and more we're starting with chat, GPT or perplexity instead of Googling or tracking down someone who might know the answer, it's even changing how we create from weirdly brilliant bedtime stories. 32 00:03:14,886.39789073 --> 00:03:20,286.39789073 Building a prototype app just by chatting to a bot to launch an entire businesses with ai. 33 00:03:20,286.39789073 --> 00:03:24,636.39789073 As your co-founder, AI is woven into the fabric of everyday life. 34 00:03:24,966.39789073 --> 00:03:29,166.39789073 It's useful, invisible, and evolving faster than anything we've seen before. 35 00:03:29,556.39789073 --> 00:03:38,256.39789073 So don't think robot overload, think super smart toolbox, quietly ticking along behind the scenes, helping life and business run just that bit smoother. 36 00:03:38,886.39789073 --> 00:03:41,616.39789073 Now, let's break down the terminology First up. 37 00:03:42,126.39789073 --> 00:03:47,646.39789073 Artificial intelligence, the big umbrella term, it's any technology that mimics human intelligence. 38 00:03:48,36.39789073 --> 00:03:58,926.39789073 When a computer does something that typically requires brain power, spotting patterns, making decisions, recognizing speech, having conversations, or even seeing, that's ai. 39 00:03:59,796.39789073 --> 00:04:04,326.39789073 Now inside this AI umbrella, you've got machine learning or ml. 40 00:04:04,806.39789073 --> 00:04:16,626.39789073 Think of it like an eager apprentice, unlike old school programming where you'd have to spell out every rule step by step with ml, you feed the computer mountains of examples and just let it figure it out. 41 00:04:17,256.39789073 --> 00:04:19,836.39789073 It's like teaching a child to sort marbles by color. 42 00:04:20,256.39789073 --> 00:04:23,526.39789073 Show enough examples and soon they'll get the hang of it. 43 00:04:24,306.39789073 --> 00:04:27,936.39789073 Machine learning is why your playlist knows your mood before you do. 44 00:04:28,356.39789073 --> 00:04:32,316.39789073 Why fraud systems usually know when your card's been nicked and more. 45 00:04:33,6.39789073 --> 00:04:37,896.39789073 Then there's generative ai, the creative prodigy on the team that exploded with chat, GPT. 46 00:04:38,376.39789073 --> 00:04:47,826.39789073 These are systems that don't just analyze, they create, give them a prompt, and they'll whip up an essay, invent an image, or write a catchy jingle all out of thin air. 47 00:04:48,336.39789073 --> 00:04:52,446.39789073 It's like a chef who's tasted every recipe on earth, then invents their own. 48 00:04:53,106.39789073 --> 00:04:55,261.39789073 I find it helpful to visualize a Venn diagram. 49 00:04:56,106.39789073 --> 00:05:02,706.39789073 Generative AI sits within machine learning, and both are nestled under the big, sometimes chaotic umbrella called ai. 50 00:05:03,186.39789073 --> 00:05:04,806.39789073 That's how the pieces fit together. 51 00:05:05,166.39789073 --> 00:05:06,576.39789073 Here's where it gets interesting. 52 00:05:06,876.39789073 --> 00:05:12,786.39789073 Let's explore where AI is actually working hard behind the scenes, making a real difference in unexpected places. 53 00:05:13,386.39789073 --> 00:05:14,976.39789073 Let's start with a quirky one. 54 00:05:15,336.39789073 --> 00:05:18,6.39789073 It turns out happy cows make better milk. 55 00:05:18,606.39789073 --> 00:05:28,791.39789073 Who knew bovine emotions mattered? On modern dairy farms, AI facial recognition actually scans cow expressions to detect if they're feeling content or stressed. 56 00:05:29,241.39789073 --> 00:05:39,21.39789073 So when Bessie looks particularly grumpy, the farmer gets a notification suggesting it might be time for some mood boosting cow disco lights or a gourmet feed adjustment. 57 00:05:39,471.39789073 --> 00:05:42,561.39789073 It's farm tech with feelings and it's already happening. 58 00:05:43,101.39789073 --> 00:05:49,791.39789073 Or check out your local smart gym where AI fitness systems are helping personal trainers elevate their game. 59 00:05:50,181.39789073 --> 00:06:00,801.39789073 These digital assistants can analyze your form, track your progress, and suggest adjustments to your routine while human trainers bring irreplaceable motivation and expertise. 60 00:06:01,191.39789073 --> 00:06:06,951.39789073 These AI tools work alongside them offering consistent tracking and personalized recommendations. 61 00:06:07,521.39789073 --> 00:06:18,81.39789073 Some modern treadmills can even adapt to your fitness level and goals, adjusting difficulty based on your performance data, or recognizing that you've had a heavy weekend and need to take it easy. 62 00:06:19,96.39789073 --> 00:06:26,506.39789073 Modern building sites use AI powered cameras to automatically check if workers are wearing their helmets and other required equipment. 63 00:06:26,746.39789073 --> 00:06:30,196.39789073 Like a tireless safety inspector, miss your helmet. 64 00:06:30,526.39789073 --> 00:06:35,416.39789073 You'll get a ping not from your boss, but from an algorithm that never takes a break. 65 00:06:35,710.27544175 --> 00:06:36,700.27544175 Fast food's gone. 66 00:06:36,700.27544175 --> 00:06:41,650.27544175 Digitali at Wendy's that perfectly polite, always on voice at the drive-through. 67 00:06:41,920.27544175 --> 00:06:44,380.27544175 May well be ai never tired. 68 00:06:44,440.27544175 --> 00:06:47,470.27544175 Never in a mood just firing off your order to the kitchen. 69 00:06:47,907.21421726 --> 00:06:58,977.21421726 And behind Amazon's lightning fast deliveries are robotic fulfillment centers, vast grid-like warehouses, where AI powered robots swarm the floor, dodging each other with millimeter precision. 70 00:06:59,697.21421726 --> 00:07:04,857.21421726 They calculate optimal paths in real time, slashing idle time, and boosting speed. 71 00:07:05,187.21421726 --> 00:07:08,637.21421726 It's how your latest impulse buy shows up the next morning, like magic. 72 00:07:09,237.21421726 --> 00:07:09,987.21421726 The real story. 73 00:07:10,467.21421726 --> 00:07:12,147.21421726 AI isn't plotting a takeover. 74 00:07:12,447.21421726 --> 00:07:15,297.21421726 It's just quietly making daily life run a little smoother. 75 00:07:15,597.21421726 --> 00:07:16,857.21421726 Whether you notice it or not. 76 00:07:17,637.21421726 --> 00:07:28,317.21421726 The next time someone says, I don't trust ai, ask them if they trust their email spam filter, appreciate their next day Amazon deliveries, or rely on adaptive cruise control. 77 00:07:29,7.21421726 --> 00:07:33,687.21421726 Odds are they've already invited AI into their life just without noticing its arrival. 78 00:07:34,227.21421726 --> 00:07:46,212.21421726 So why is everyone obsessed with generative AI now after decades of AI quietly doing its thing behind the scenes? And what lit the rocket fuse on this technology? Two big things happened almost simultaneously. 79 00:07:47,172.21421726 --> 00:07:49,722.21421726 First, the science went absolutely bonkers. 80 00:07:50,142.21421726 --> 00:07:55,362.21421726 AI models balloon from cute little algorithms to data guzzling Goliaths models like chat. 81 00:07:55,362.21421726 --> 00:08:03,882.21421726 GPT basically binged on the entire internet, like a teenager with Netflix, absorbing everything from Shakespeare to snarky redder threads. 82 00:08:04,332.21421726 --> 00:08:11,52.21421726 The result, AI with an eerily human writing style, contextual smarts, and mind blowing creative power. 83 00:08:11,742.21421726 --> 00:08:12,372.21421726 Second. 84 00:08:12,777.21421726 --> 00:08:14,397.21421726 This was the real magic trick. 85 00:08:14,697.21421726 --> 00:08:18,507.21421726 Suddenly these powerful tools arrived in ridiculously simple packages. 86 00:08:18,987.21421726 --> 00:08:23,187.21421726 No PhD required just a clean little chat box that anyone could figure out. 87 00:08:23,757.21421726 --> 00:08:31,197.21421726 Chat GPT hit 100 million users faster than you can see A disruption leaving even tiktoks explosive growth in the dust. 88 00:08:31,887.21421726 --> 00:08:34,77.21421726 The investment world collectively lost its mind. 89 00:08:34,662.21421726 --> 00:08:43,452.21421726 $56 billion flooded into generative AI last year alone, creating a frenzied cycle of innovation, feeding, investment, feeding, more innovation. 90 00:08:43,842.21421726 --> 00:08:47,352.21421726 The result tasks that were once exclusively human territory. 91 00:08:47,712.21421726 --> 00:09:02,82.21421726 Writing your meeting notes, drafting that awkward email, conjuring images for your presentation, accelerating lifesaving drug discovery, or translating your global team call in real time, are now just a prompter way or embedded in everyday tools. 92 00:09:02,622.21421726 --> 00:09:06,732.21421726 It's not wizardry, though it feels like it's sometimes it's just extraordinary. 93 00:09:06,732.21421726 --> 00:09:09,522.21421726 Engineering democratized for the masses. 94 00:09:09,972.21421726 --> 00:09:16,452.21421726 The digital equivalent of going from only NASA can go to space to book your weekend Lunar getaway online. 95 00:09:17,52.21421726 --> 00:09:24,822.21421726 That said, the hype surrounding AI often causes unnecessary fear, and we humans do tend to overreact to new technologies. 96 00:09:25,302.21421726 --> 00:09:30,37.21421726 In fact, throughout history, we've been incredibly bad at predicting technology's impact. 97 00:09:30,407.21421726 --> 00:09:30,997.21421726 Think about it. 98 00:09:31,737.21421726 --> 00:09:34,287.21421726 Electricity was gonna fry all factory workers. 99 00:09:34,617.21421726 --> 00:09:35,847.21421726 It powered the modern world. 100 00:09:35,847.21421726 --> 00:09:40,77.21421726 Instead, spreadsheets, accountants panicked about extinction. 101 00:09:40,377.21421726 --> 00:09:42,57.21421726 Now they couldn't live without excel. 102 00:09:42,477.21421726 --> 00:09:57,297.21421726 And remember when the internet was dismissed as justified? All I'm seeing is EI is following this familiar pattern, undeniably powerful, occasionally chaotic, but ultimately destined to become as ordinary as your smartphone. 103 00:09:58,32.21421726 --> 00:10:02,292.21421726 The journey from terrifying new tech to can't remember life without. 104 00:10:02,292.21421726 --> 00:10:05,142.21421726 It is practically a human tradition at this point. 105 00:10:05,832.21421726 --> 00:10:10,152.21421726 The media and Hollywood have shaped how we view AI often and accurately. 106 00:10:10,932.21421726 --> 00:10:13,362.21421726 Let's tackle the two most common misconceptions. 107 00:10:13,392.21421726 --> 00:10:16,392.21421726 Myth one, the robots are coming for our jobs. 108 00:10:16,662.21421726 --> 00:10:26,592.21421726 Look, AI will absolutely automate the mind-numbing parts of your work, those soul crushing spreadsheets and endless report writing, but that's the boring stuff you hear anyway. 109 00:10:27,27.21421726 --> 00:10:34,467.21421726 What remains are the human elements that machines can't touch? Creativity, judgment, empathy, and strategic thinking. 110 00:10:35,217.21421726 --> 00:10:41,217.21421726 The World Economic Forum actually predicts AI will create more jobs than it displaces the real truth. 111 00:10:41,607.21421726 --> 00:10:48,267.21421726 AI won't replace you, but someone who knows how to use AI effectively probably will your best move. 112 00:10:48,387.21421726 --> 00:10:49,17.21421726 Start upskilling now. 113 00:10:50,209.25503359 --> 00:10:50,899.25503359 Myth two. 114 00:10:51,109.25503359 --> 00:10:53,734.25503359 Skynet is inevitable and the machines will rise. 115 00:10:54,604.25503359 --> 00:10:56,74.25503359 Great for selling movie tickets. 116 00:10:56,74.25503359 --> 00:10:57,214.25503359 Absolutely rubbish. 117 00:10:57,214.25503359 --> 00:11:02,134.25503359 As a realistic concern, today's AI isn't secretly plotting humanity's downfall. 118 00:11:02,644.25503359 --> 00:11:09,634.25503359 As AI pioneer Andrew Ung brilliantly puts it worrying about killer AI is like worrying about overpopulation on Mars. 119 00:11:10,204.25503359 --> 00:11:13,324.25503359 Having said that, AI isn't all unicorns and rainbows. 120 00:11:13,744.25503359 --> 00:11:16,924.25503359 There are genuine concerns that keep even optimists awake at night. 121 00:11:17,344.25503359 --> 00:11:22,204.25503359 Algorithms inheriting human biases systems and fairly advantage in certain groups. 122 00:11:23,389.25503359 --> 00:11:27,259.25503359 And the unsettling reality that your personal data is being collected on mass. 123 00:11:27,739.25503359 --> 00:11:29,329.25503359 But these aren't AI problems. 124 00:11:29,389.25503359 --> 00:11:31,969.25503359 They're human problems wearing digital disguises. 125 00:11:32,499.25503359 --> 00:11:41,349.25503359 AI is just a tool like a hammer, brilliantly useful for building your garden decking, completely harmless until someone decides to wave it around at a barbecue. 126 00:11:41,707.41829889 --> 00:11:43,567.41829889 And here's the absolute best part. 127 00:11:43,927.41829889 --> 00:11:51,37.41829889 If you can order takeout online or send a moderately coherent text message, you've already got what it takes to start with the eye. 128 00:11:51,487.41829889 --> 00:11:59,647.41829889 So why not jump in with both feet? Make spectacular messes, try ridiculous prompts, and watch as possibilities bloom, like wild flowers. 129 00:12:00,7.41829889 --> 00:12:07,87.41829889 The real magic happens when you stop treating AI like it's rocket science and start treating it like you're slightly weird, but incredibly helpful. 130 00:12:07,117.41829889 --> 00:12:07,837.41829889 New colleague. 131 00:12:08,197.41829889 --> 00:12:08,857.41829889 Trust me. 132 00:12:09,217.41829889 --> 00:12:17,27.41829889 Your best AI discoveries will come from the digital equivalent of, I wonder what happens if I press this button Ready for some practical advice. 133 00:12:17,207.41829889 --> 00:12:18,797.41829889 Let's get your AI journey rolling. 134 00:12:19,198.43870706 --> 00:12:19,618.43870706 One. 135 00:12:20,128.43870706 --> 00:12:22,378.43870706 Start with your most soul crushing task. 136 00:12:22,738.43870706 --> 00:12:27,358.43870706 You know the one that mind numbing work that makes you question your career choices. 137 00:12:27,868.43870706 --> 00:12:32,518.43870706 Writing up, meeting minutes, tedious research, updating customer user guides. 138 00:12:32,908.43870706 --> 00:12:36,808.43870706 Throw out a chat, GPT, Claude, or Perplexity and watch magic happen. 139 00:12:37,588.43870706 --> 00:12:40,738.43870706 Set a 30 minute timer and play two. 140 00:12:41,98.43870706 --> 00:12:43,258.43870706 Create an AI playground culture. 141 00:12:43,678.43870706 --> 00:12:47,788.43870706 Give each team member a 50 pound monthly AI experimentation budget. 142 00:12:48,238.43870706 --> 00:12:52,468.43870706 Celebrate the gloriously weird prototypes and half baked experiments. 143 00:12:52,918.43870706 --> 00:12:58,498.43870706 And remember in the AI Gold Rush, the Curious Explorers beat the cautious followers every time. 144 00:12:58,948.43870706 --> 00:12:59,398.43870706 Three. 145 00:12:59,728.43870706 --> 00:13:01,558.43870706 Celebrate Learning through failure. 146 00:13:02,98.43870706 --> 00:13:06,958.43870706 Create a dedicated AI learnings channel where team members share both successes. 147 00:13:07,333.43870706 --> 00:13:12,493.43870706 And fails when someone's prompt generates hilariously unexpected results. 148 00:13:12,763.43870706 --> 00:13:14,773.43870706 Celebrate it as a learning opportunity. 149 00:13:15,133.43870706 --> 00:13:18,733.43870706 The best innovations often come from experiments gone wonderfully wrong. 150 00:13:19,123.43870706 --> 00:13:20,113.43870706 So there you have it. 151 00:13:20,563.43870706 --> 00:13:22,993.43870706 AI isn't magic or a digital dictator. 152 00:13:23,323.43870706 --> 00:13:27,553.43870706 It's out there already, quietly helping behind the scenes ready for you to harness. 153 00:13:28,3.43870706 --> 00:13:30,103.43870706 If you can use Google, you can use ai. 154 00:13:30,373.43870706 --> 00:13:32,293.43870706 No one's too late or too far behind. 155 00:13:32,323.43870706 --> 00:13:34,393.43870706 It's all about getting started wherever you are. 156 00:13:34,943.43870706 --> 00:13:37,823.43870706 I've got a burning AI question keeping you up at night. 157 00:13:38,273.43870706 --> 00:13:41,483.43870706 Drop me a line at hello@theaibreakdown.com 158 00:13:41,543.43870706 --> 00:13:44,3.43870706 with AI confusion in the subject line. 159 00:13:44,423.43870706 --> 00:13:46,103.43870706 I promise to read every email. 160 00:13:46,163.43870706 --> 00:13:46,973.43870706 Yes, really. 161 00:13:47,333.43870706 --> 00:13:50,123.43870706 It might even feature your question in an upcoming episode. 162 00:13:50,483.43870706 --> 00:13:53,903.43870706 There's bonus points for questions that make me laugh or scratch my head. 163 00:13:54,245.68360502 --> 00:14:02,105.68360502 Hit subscribe, tell a friend, and I'll catch you in the next breakdown where we'll dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of gen AI assistance.
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