Show Notes
Is 2026 the year that AI hype meets reality? In a new mini-series from Tech Tonic, the FT’s tech editor Murad Ahmed speaks with the paper’s reporters about what they'll be watching.
Do tech industry insiders think the huge amounts of capital that have driven the AI boom will continue? How will challenges to large-language model AI systems play out this year? And are chief executives expecting AI technologies to force job cuts?
In this episode, we hear from the FT’s venture capital correspondent George Hammond, AI correspondent Melissa Heikkilä and writer of the AI Shift newsletter Sarah O’Connor for their views on AI’s financial faultlines, how the technology will evolve and what kind of disruptions to expect in the world of work.
Free to read:
SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to launch landmark IPOs
Computer scientist Yann LeCun: ‘Intelligence really is about learning’
The AI Shift: Agentic AI is coming for quantitative research
Subscribe to The AI Shift newsletter, an essential deep-dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of work
This series of Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer for Tech Tonic is Edwin Lane. Flo Phillips is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.
The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.
A previous version of this podcast made a statement about Klarna's use of AI that the company has disputed. The reference has since been removed.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from FT Tech Tonic
Could AI help us understand ourselves and each other better? Writer and philosopher Alain de Botton speaks to the FT’s Madhumita Murgia about the challenges we face navigating human relationships, and how AI might be able to help. Recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival.
Murad Ahmed speaks to FT journalist Sarah O’Connor about her new book ‘We Are Not Machines’, which explores the impact AI is already having on workplaces. They discuss how Swedish miners dealt with the introduction of AI-powered vehicles, and how Czech translators found AI stealing the most creative part of their job. Recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival.
AI-related investments are now worth up to half of the entire value of the S&P 500. But is the AI investment boom a bubble waiting to burst? Tim Bradshaw, the FT’s global technology correspondent, speaks to Richard Kramer, founder of Arete Research, and Ophelia Brown, founder of Blossom Capital. Recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival on 5th September 2026.
At the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas earlier this year, athletes used performance-enhancing drugs and banned equipment in an attempt to break world records. At the same time, companies such as Adidas are designing new types of equipment that fall within the rules, but give athletes an edge. So where is the line between cheating and innovation?
Video-assistant refereeing (VAR) has proved to be one of the most controversial pieces of technology ever introduced in sports. But with the rise of everything from broadcasting gimmicks to data-driven gambling, it’s far from the only technology changing what it means to be a fan. The FT’s sports editor Josh Noble asks whether these advancements are making sport more fun to watch, or overshadowing the event itself.