In this episode of What The Tech Podcast (AU), we sit down with Christina Jones, Head of Design at Canva, to explore a question shaping the future of creativity:

How does AI change the way we design products used by millions of people?

As generative AI becomes embedded into everyday tools, design is no longer just about layout and aesthetics. It’s about systems thinking, experimentation, evaluation frameworks, and making responsible choices at scale.

We unpack what “good design” means in the age of AI, how teams evaluate AI-generated images and content before they reach users, and why AI literacy is becoming a core skill for designers and product leaders alike. Christina also shares insights on ethics, originality, cultural context, and the tension between automation and human craft.

This is a grounded, practical conversation about building AI responsibly inside real products — not theory, not hype.

If you work in tech, product, design, innovation, or policy, this episode will challenge how you think about creativity in the AI era.

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In the Season 2 opener of What The Tech Podcast (AU), we sat down with Dave Lemphers, CEO and co-founder of Maincode, to ask a question Australia can no longer ignore:

Should Australia build its own AI or stay dependent on Big Tech?

Recorded ahead of Maincode’s public showcase of Matilda, an Australian-developed AI model, this episode cuts through hype to explore what Australian-made AI really means in practice.

We unpacked open-source vs closed models, data sovereignty, AI agents vs chatbots, enterprise readiness, and the real trade-offs between speed, control, and capability. Dave brings a grounded, engineering-first perspective on why many organisations aren’t ready for full autonomy yet and what Australia must do to move from AI consumer to AI builder.

If you care about Australia’s role in the global AI landscape, this episode is for you.

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In Part 2 of our Cisco exec series from Cisco Live Melbourne 2025, we sat down with Julie Canepa—long-time Cisco IT leader and former CIO for Australia & New Zealand who later led digital transformation and CX programs across Asia Pacific, Japan & China—to unpack how AI strategy becomes real business impact.

We cover moving from pilots to scale, building guardrails that accelerate delivery, linking AI to customer-experience KPIs, and reskilling teams for “everyday AI.”

What you’ll learn:

• The scale playbook: ownership, controls, and value stories that land with the business.

• People–Process–Technology: raising AI fluency and reskilling at speed.

• Measuring what matters: tying AI to CX and board-level outcomes.

• “Everyday AI”: practical agent patterns beyond the demo stage.

Guest: Julie Canepa (Cisco ANZ CIO; APJC digital transformation/CX leader).

Series: Special Cisco Executive Interviews — Part 2 (recorded around Cisco Live Melbourne 2025).