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Looking for actionable business insights all in one place? We're here to help you find a way with a curation of the ‘best bits’ from top business podcasts. Save time searching; subscribe to the SME Stream where you can listen to relevant, timely, business-related content today.

14H AGO

The OpenClaw moment and what it means for AI

OpenClaw is the moment AI stops feeling like a clever chatbot and starts behaving like something closer to a digital co-worker. In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, you’ll hear exactly why. Veteran software developer and AI entrepreneurMike Hall joins me to break down what OpenClaw actually is in plain language. It’s not another prompt-and-response assistant, but a particularly smart type of AI agent that can wake itself up on a schedule, scan your data and tools, and decide for itself whether there’s work to be done. If it needs to write code to perform a task for you, it will do that too. Mike explains how that simple “heartbeat” loop, asking “Should I do something?” every minute, is the key shift that turns AI from reactive to proactive, and why that’s such a big deal compared with the chatbots most people have used so far. Skills and the hive mind We dig into how OpenClaw goes far beyond the current crop of AI agents baked into office suites and CRM platforms. OpenClaw is designed to live on your own infrastructure, plug into email, files and SaaS tools, and then act autonomously rather than waiting to be told what to do. OpenClaw has sparked a surge of interest from developers, an explosion of “skills” that any OpenClaw instance can download. The hive mind model central to OpenClaw is unlike anything we’ve seen in commercial agent products. That’s probably why OpenAI has snapped up OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger and will put him to work developing the next generation of AI agents for the creator of ChatGPT. Sandboxes essential We also cover the risks OpenClaw raises. Running OpenClaw on your personal machine can expose your entire digital life, which is why sandboxes and strict permissioning are essential. What happens when you let agents install community-built skills that might contain malware? Then there’s Moltbook, the social platform where OpenClaw-powered agents post and argue with each other, and what that experiment tells us about a near future flooded with AI personas. If you’ve heard the noise about OpenClaw and “agentic AI” but still aren’t clear on what’s genuinely new here – and why it matters for your business, your data and your job – this conversation will get you there. Streaming on iHeartRadio or your favourite podcast platform. Thanks to our sponsor, 2degrees. Show notes Mike Hall, CEO Ab0t.com OpenClaw: The AI Assistant That Actually Does Things - Turing College OpenClaw, OpenAI and the future - Peter Steinberger Meta and Other Tech Companies Ban OpenClaw Over Cybersecurity Concerns - Wired OpenAI hires OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger - FT What OpenAI’s OpenClaw hire says about the future of AI agents - Fortune Is OpenClaw Closed? - Hackster OpenClaw threats: assessing the risks, and how to handle shadow AI - Kapersky See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

48 min
14H AGO

The KiwiSaver wake-up call

Was the 3% contribution rate always wrong? We sit down with Greg Smith from Generate KiwiSaver and Matt Macpherson from Sharesies to discuss the state of retirement. KiwiSaver membership is growing for both Generate and Sharesies, but Greg and Matt say that there’s a lot of work to do at the national level. So why did the latest budget halve government incentives, and what’s happening with the higher contribution rates? Why are so many of us opting out of KiwiSaver altogether, while Australia sits on a $4.5 trillion retirement pool? Hear how more New Zealanders are actively switching their providers, and whether it’s time to close the "total remuneration" loophole. Plus, hear why a weakening US dollar might be making your balance look red even when the market seems to be up. For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunchSharesies Investment Management Limited is the issuer of the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme. The product disclosure statement (PDS) for the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme has been lodged, and may be viewed on the Disclose Register or on our documents page. Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website. Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

34 min
14H AGO

Anna Breman: Reserve Bank Governor on the OCR being held steady at 2.25%

Our new Reserve Bank Governor says she has full confidence in the people making OCR decisions. The Monetary Policy Committee, chaired by Anna Breman, has decided to keep the OCR unchanged at 2.25% for now. It says while inflation is above the target band, the economy still needs some time to recover. Breman told Mike Hosking the committee will make the best decisions it can, based on the data and forecasts it has access to at the time. She says something might look obvious in retrospect, but they're dealing with lots of global shocks constantly hitting the New Zealand economy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 min
14H AGO

Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the market reactions to the OCR being left in place

The new Reserve Bank Governor is standing by the first OCR decision she's overseen - keeping the cash rate at 2.25 percent. Anna Breman said the Bank isn't happy with inflation being at 3.1 percent, but it's likely it will drop later in the year. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 min
14H AGO

Rob Clark: Seek Country Manager on job ads rising 11.7% year on year

Signs the job market is on the up. New Seek data shows job ads have grown by 1.5% since October and are now 11.7% higher year on year. Gisborne's led monthly growth with an almost 4% increase, while Marlborough's the only region with a record annual decline in ads, at -6%. However Seek Country Manager Rob Clark says the fact growth stretches across regions and industries is a marked improvement on this year. He told Mike Hosking they’re hopeful the growth will continue. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 min
14H AGO

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Here's hoping this Reserve Bank Governor does a better job

We’ve had the first monetary policy decision from the new Reserve Bank Governor, and it’s not until you get a new captain at the helm that you realise just how little confidence you had left in the previous one. Now, to be fair, it’s early days for Anna Breman. We’ll judge her by what she does from here on in. But she does start with a clean slate - without us reading too much into her decisions or second-guessing every move because of a poor track record. And that, I’d say, is a very welcome change from just a few weeks ago before she took over. Her assessment is that inflation is fine. Yes, it’s a little high right now - 3.1 percent, outside the target band - but it’s expected to fall back within the band by this time next year. The economy is improving. The green shoots that were previously limited to certain regions and industries are becoming more widespread. Households are getting more money in their pockets, but they’re still cautious - and that’s a problem. Because unless they’re confident enough to spend, they’ll hold back the economic recovery from what it could potentially be. But - and this is probably the bit you’ve been most interested in, and waiting for - they will start raising the OCR faster than expected. Previously, the Official Cash Rate projection had it going from 2.2 percent in March to 2.3 percent in December. That’s now been brought forward: they’re forecasting 2.3 percent in June and 2.4 percent in December. The first increase will still most likely be in December, but the chances of it happening in September just increased. It’s not a major concern. It’s not a major correction. It’s not a game-changer for most people. But it does bring the inevitable a little closer. Still - for now - it’s nice to have a change at the top, isn’t it? And here’s hoping this Governor does a better job than the last one. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 min
1D AGO

Mike Jones: BNZ Chief Economist on the expectation the Official Cash Rate will be held at 2.25%

The new Reserve Bank Governor will deliver her first Monetary Policy Statement today. The central bank's expected to keep the OCR unchanged at 2.25%. It's likely to show when inflation should start easing, and when the economy should recover from last year's downturn. BNZ Chief Economist Mike Jones told Mike Hosking today’s announcement will likely see them swap out the mild easing bias the bank had in November and replace it with a mild tightening bias. He says they believe the Reserve Bank will probably want to signal a hike by around December this year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 min
1D AGO

Should we ditch NZ super?

The Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong says the party wants to replace super with a new support system See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 min

Looking for actionable business insights all in one place? We're here to help you find a way with a curation of the ‘best bits’ from top business podcasts. Save time searching; subscribe to the SME Stream where you can listen to relevant, timely, business-related content today.

Creator

iHeartRadio NZ
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

1.4K
Rating

Clean
Show Website

The SME Stream