Making money from AI: Searching for a ‘killer app’

Making money from AI: Searching for a ‘killer app’

Author: Financial Times February 11, 2025 Duration: 24:25

Is generative AI over-valued? At the heart of the generative AI boom has been the premise that a ‘killer app’ for AI will make investors a return on their capital. But it’s unclear how those use cases will actually make money for businesses that deploy them. Plus - is the problem a lack of AI take-up among employees? We hear from Joe Richardson, head of operations at Octopus Energy, Jim Covello, head of global equity research at Goldman Sachs and George Lee, co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute for a debate about the investment case for AI; Victor Riparbelli, chief executive of AI video start-up Synthesia, Amjad Masad, chief executive of coding start-up Replit, and Claudia Harris, chief executive at tech training company Makers.


Free to read:

UK artificial intelligence start-up Synthesia hits $2bn valuation

AI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ status


This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


From the Financial Times, FT Tech Tonic steps beyond the breathless headlines and gadget launches to explore how technology is fundamentally reshaping our lives, economies, and social structures. This isn't just a series about the latest app; it's a deep, considered examination of the forces driving the digital age and their often unintended consequences. Each episode grapples with the complex interplay between innovation and its real-world impact, drawing on the FT's global reporting expertise to provide clarity and context. You'll hear conversations that dissect the power dynamics in Silicon Valley, investigate the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence, and explore how entrepreneurship is being redefined across different cultures. The podcast digs into the substance behind the hype, asking whether emerging technologies truly deliver on their promise to improve society or if they introduce new perils we are only beginning to understand. By weaving together threads from technology, business, and culture, the discussions offer a nuanced perspective that challenges simplistic narratives. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that connects the dots between boardroom strategies, algorithmic biases, and the everyday experiences that define our increasingly connected world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

FT Tech Tonic
Podcast Episodes
Climate tech to save the planet: Techno-optimism or greenwashing? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:22
Billions of dollars are being spent by tech companies and investors on new technology to fight climate change. In the final episode of this series of Tech Tonic, Eric Toone, from Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures…
Climate tech to save the planet: Star power [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:09
Nuclear fusion is the reaction that powers stars and scientists say replicating it on Earth could produce all the energy we’ll ever need without the CO2. But no one has yet made a fusion reactor that actually produces mo…
Climate tech to save the planet: Hype and hydrogen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:17
The joke about hydrogen is that it’s the fuel of the future, and always will be. But green hydrogen is made from renewable energy and emits only water vapour, so amidst the fight to reduce carbon emissions, has green hyd…
Climate tech to save the planet: How to keep flying [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:30
As more people fly, aviation is on track to becoming a much bigger problem for climate change. Host Pilita Clark, FT columnist and climate journalist, looks at the potential for a more sustainable aviation industry, a se…
Climate tech to save the planet: Out of thin air [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:21
Direct air carbon capture - taking carbon dioxide straight out of the air around us - sounds like science fiction. In this episode Pilita Clark visits Iceland to meet the engineers and scientists at the forefront of this…
Coming soon: Will climate tech save the planet? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00
The climate crisis threatens the future of the planet. But don’t worry, technology will save us. At least that’s the message from startups, innovators and investors. Are they right? FT columnist and climate journalist Pi…
A sceptic’s guide to crypto: the crypto Wild West [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:06
In the fifth episode of the latest season of Tech Tonic, FT columnist and host Jemima Kelly looks at crypto regulation, and why there’s so little of it. It’s a story that takes her to the heart of US cowboy state Wyoming…
A sceptic’s guide to crypto: the church of bitcoin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:22
In the fourth episode of the latest season of Tech Tonic, FT columnist and host Jemima Kelly looks at the enduring faith in cryptocurrency. What do bitcoin devotees really believe, and does hardcore adherence to the coin…
A sceptic’s guide to crypto: NFT mania [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:09
In the third episode of the latest season of Tech Tonic, FT columnist and host Jemima Kelly unpacks the craze around non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Blockchain technology gave us NFTs, and NFTs have created a new way for art…

«1...678910