The Next Thing Now Podcast

Why You Can't Trust Anyone

AI that your security team will actually approve. Everyone wants to use AI. Almost nobody has worked out how to trust it. In this episode Rob Borley sits down with Abbas Khan, co-founder of Togii, to unpack the question sitting underneath every stalled AI rollout: what does trust even mean in an AI world, and how do you get it back? We get into the Fable Five withdrawal and what happens when a frontier model you've built on simply disappears overnight, why compliance teams are the grown-ups in the room rather than the villains, the risk of "intelligence sprawl" as AI creeps into every tool in your stack, and why explainability and control now matter more than raw capability. If you're a CIO, a compliance lead, or anyone trying to get AI past the security team, this one's for you. 👤 Guest: Abbas Khan (Togii) 🔗 Abbas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbas-khan-04596811a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbas-khan-04596811a/] 🔗 Togii: https://www.togii.ai/ [https://www.togii.ai/] 🎧 The Next Thing Now is a weekly conversation about where AI is really heading, cutting through the hype to the stuff that actually matters. New episodes regularly. 👍 Like, subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss the next one. 💬 What would it take for you to trust AI with your real data? Let us know in the comments. #TheNextThingNow #AI #DataSecurity #Compliance #EnterpriseAI #Togii #AIgovernance

TheTruth Behind AI FOMO

Everyone's being told they're miles behind on AI. At the AI Summit the floor told a very different story to the stage. This week we get into the gap between what gets said about AI and what's actually happening in the room: the two kinds of AI user and why only one of them is on stage, the cost gate that's catching the early adopters rather than the beginners, why so many organisations are solving governance and compliance for tools they haven't deployed yet, and what the sudden disappearance of Anthropic's Fable model tells us about a new kind of risk that no contract protects you from. We also get into shadow AI, the training lag, AI as a national security asset, the UK's social media and VPN plans, and why people are putting boxes back under desks.

The Free AI Era Is Over

The Free AI Era Is Over What happens when AI stops feeling free? In this episode of The Next Thing Now, Rob and Kev unpack the growing reality behind token pricing, disappearing “all-you-can-eat” AI plans, and why the economics of AI are starting to shift dramatically. From exploding enterprise AI bills to the sudden rise of local LLMs, they explore the next phase of the AI race: not just intelligence, but compute, infrastructure, and cost. They cover: * Why frontier AI companies are killing unlimited plans * How token costs are becoming the new cloud bill * Why Macs with huge amounts of RAM are suddenly selling out * The rise of local LLMs and “bring your own model” architectures * Why AI usage inside companies is growing faster than costs are falling * The hidden operational cost of agentic AI workflows * Why “vibe coding” breaks at enterprise scale * The growing gap between AI experimentation and AI maturity * Why organisations now need AI governance, policy and consultancy * The rise of “flat is the new up” in AI-driven businesses * Whether frontier models are becoming too expensive to democratise * And the mystery surrounding Anthropic’s rumoured Mythos model The future of AI may still be extraordinary. But it is increasingly clear it will not be cheap.

The Future of Software Engineering

The Future of Software Engineering What is actually changing inside engineering teams? In this episode of The Next Thing Now, Rob Borley is joined by Gordon Lucas, Group Software Engineering Director at PureGym, to explore how AI is really impacting software engineering. Away from the hype and headlines, this is a grounded conversation about what is happening inside real teams today. While AI tools promise dramatic productivity gains, most engineering organisations are still working through a much messier reality. Backlogs still exist. Delivery pressure has not changed. And the day-to-day experience of engineers is evolving in ways that are as human as they are technical. We explore: * Why AI has not yet transformed engineering teams in the way people expected * The growing tension between code as craft and code as output * How the role of the software engineer is shifting towards orchestration and higher-level thinking * The leadership challenge of taking teams through rapid, uncertain change * Whether teams will get smaller, or simply produce more * What happens to junior engineers in an AI-driven world * Why decision-making, not coding, is becoming the real bottleneck * This is is a conversation about people, pressure, and the future shape of the profession. If you are a CIO, CTO, Head of Engineering, or product leader trying to make sense of AI in your organisation, this episode will help you think more clearly about what actually matters next.

The Reality of AI in Critical National Infrastructure

The Reality of AI in Critical National Infrastructure Can AI be trusted where failure isn’t an option? In this episode, we’re joined by Simon Ayley, Director of Strategic Growth Partnerships at WRC. Drawing on 30+ years of global industry experience, we explore what AI actually looks like inside critical national infrastructure. From regulated industries to complex operational environments, AI is no longer theoretical. It is already being tested, challenged, and in some cases embedded into systems that millions of people rely on every day. We discuss: * Why innovation inside large, regulated organisations is fundamentally different * The tension between speed, safety, and accountability * What it really takes to move from experimentation to production * How leaders should think about risk, regulation, and responsibility in an AI-driven world If you are responsible for technology, operations, or strategy in a complex environment, this is a conversation you need to hear.