What AIs Want
The article argues that AI agents are reshaping commerce by favoring platforms that provide clean, structured data and reliable APIs, as seen in travel bookings where agents choose online travel agents over airline sites. It highlights OpenAI’s brief foray into instant checkout and Carrefour’s ChatGPT‑driven grocery service as early experiments in agentic commerce. The piece warns that financial services must adapt by delivering machine‑friendly content, robust cryptographic trust, and fast response times, or risk losing relevance. Ultimately, the shift moves value from human‑focused marketing to data quality and security.
Skinny Is Good
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City granted Kraken Financial a limited‑purpose master account, giving the crypto exchange direct access to the Fed’s payment infrastructure. This marks the first time a digital‑asset platform can route transactions through the central bank...
Joined Up Government
The piece argues that AI, not a national digital ID, will finally deliver a “joined‑up” UK government by letting citizen‑side bots navigate fragmented public services in seconds. Experts such as Jerry Fishenden, Tom Loosemore and Alan Brown warn that rising...
The Computer Is Your Friend
Two major social networks—X and the newly dubbed Moltbook—are being overrun by AI‑generated posts from bots masquerading as users. These posts churn out nonsensical propaganda, fabricated stories, and promote cryptocurrency scams. The article highlights how the platforms’ lax moderation fuels...
The Next Interface Is (Almost) Here
Apple is prototyping a suite of AI‑enhanced wearables—including dual‑camera smart pins, camera‑equipped AirPods and next‑gen smart glasses—that will feed sensor data into a Gemini‑powered Siri. The move positions Apple against rivals such as Meta, which sold over seven million Ray‑Ban...
KYA Now
The episode explores the emerging "Know Your Agent" (KYA) paradigm, arguing that the next bottleneck in the agentic economy is identity rather than intelligence. Drawing on insights from Sean Neville of Circle and recent industry reports, the host explains how...
Thinking About a UK Digital Identity Infrastructure
In a post‑New Year discussion at the UK Parliament, the host debated the need for a national digital identity infrastructure with MPs David Davis and John McDonnell, sparked by the government's vague proposal for an identity card to curb illegal...
Stablecoins and Strategy
The episode examines how stablecoins fit into long‑term strategic thinking, using China’s CCP and its recent policy discussions as a case study. It highlights the view that stablecoins are a gateway to a tokenised capital‑market ecosystem where settlement can be...
Identity and Money: A Case Study
The episode examines Ireland’s 1966‑1976 bank strikes, showing how the economy survived without cash by relying on cheques, IOUs and locally‑issued substitutes backed by strong social capital. It highlights that reputation‑based identity networks—often mediated through pubs and community figures—enabled informal...