Investec Investec Focus Radio SA

What Next? | Reclaiming the future from the algorithm

Loading player...
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping economies, societies and power structures yet much of the conversation has swung between uncritical optimism and existential fear. In this episode of What Next? We explore how leaders can reclaim agency over the future of AI, ensuring it serves human progress rather than narrow commercial or political interests. Vilas Dhar, President, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation; philanthropist, technologist and advocate for human-centred AI, in conversation with hosts Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn, argues that the real challenge is not whether AI will become uncontrollable (this is the realm of Sci-Fi), but whether societies can adapt quickly enough to its social, economic and cultural impacts. He makes the case for shifting the focus away from hype and dominance towards participation, institutional imagination and moral courage and for designing AI systems that restore human agency and democratic participation, while supporting inclusion and long-term resilience.
Chapters
  • 00:00 From Tech Optimism to a Vacuum of Meaning
  • 08:45 Power, Participation and the Social Contract
  • 18:45 Institutions, Markets and Shared Ownership
  • 29:30 Leadership, Moral Courage and a Participatory Future
18 Mar English South Africa Business · Investing

Other recent episodes

What Next? Bridging the trust gap

In this episode of What Next?, Professor Mike Kenny (Cambridge) and Jacinta Koolmatrie examine the breakdown of trust between communities and institutions. They discuss how centralised governance and economic shifts have driven local grievances, and argue that rebuilding trust requires sharing power, working at community pace, and supporting locally led…
2 Apr 52 min

NOW Ep124: A crude awakening for inflation?

Interest rate cuts were meant to define 2026. Now, markets are bracing for hikes. In this episode of No Ordinary Wednesday, Investec’s Chief Economists Annabel Bishop and Phil Shaw examine how the energy shock is forcing central banks to reconsider their path. From London to Pretoria, policymakers face a familiar…
31 Mar 24 min

Macro Monday Ep110: Little sign of a near-term end to the war

With little sign of an early resolution to the war in the Middle East, supply constraints on commodities such as oil, gas, and helium may well endure. Chris Holdsworth Chief Investment Strategist, at Investec Wealth & Investment International notes that fuel prices likely to feed through quickly into consumer inflation,…
30 Mar 8 min

What Next? | Making the transition investable

Clean and green growth has moved from ambition to execution, but the challenge is one of pace. Investment conditions are key: predictable rules, credible pathways, and coordination across value chains, finance and government. This episode of What Next? Leadership Conversations for a Better Future, Helena Norrman, Marina Grossi, and Sang-Hyup…
27 Mar 35 min

Everything Counts | Episode 44: What the new 2026 tax allowances mean for you?

The new tax year is here, and the 2026 Budget Speech introduced important changes that could reshape how South Africans save, invest, and plan for retirement. In this episode of Everything Counts, host Motheo Khoaripe sits down with Vumi Dludlu, Investec financial adviser, and Johan Loubser, head of adviser enablement…
23 Mar 18 min
All episodes