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Worried about AI changing your job, or do you feel like you should be using it, but don’t know where to start?

In this live podcast episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin speaks with Lee Hickin, Executive Director of Australia’s National AI Centre, about Australia’s AI future, the skills we need and what AI adoption looks like for small businesses.

From getting time back to helping teams navigate change, Lee challenges the way we talk about AI at work. Is “productivity” really the benefit people care about? Does responsible AI need to mean complicated governance? And how do we move beyond fear without ignoring the risks?

We explore:

• Getting started with AI when you’re already stretched for time.

• Why AI confidence involves more than learning how to use ChatGPT.

• The jobs debate, and the difference between changing tasks and changing roles.

• Practical AI safety, transparency and accountability for small businesses.

• The Office of AI and the National AI Centre’s role in supporting adoption.

• Whether Australia should build its own AI models, and where we could lead.

Plus, Lee shares a revealing story about a car repair business whose AI experiment stalled, not because the technology failed, but because the people weren’t on board.

This conversation was recorded live in front of an audience at Cremorne Digital Hub, in collaboration with SMEC AI.

What’s holding you back from using AI at work: time, confidence, skills or something else? Tell us in the comments.

For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

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Chapters

00:00 Meet Lee Hickin, Executive Director, the National AI Centre

01:16 Australia’s Office of AI: what’s its role?

03:10 “Where do I start?” The biggest AI adoption hurdle

05:05 How the National AI Centre helps businesses

08:06 What’s holding Australia back from embracing AI?

12:13 Forget productivity - can AI give you time back?

20:17 Less jargon, better habits: rethinking AI governance

21:31 Is AI taking jobs, or changing how we work?

23:46 From AI fear to confidence: changing the conversation

24:28 When AI works, but your team isn’t on board

26:58 AI skills beyond prompting: learn the limitations

29:58 Should Australia build its own AI models?

32:44 Where Australia could lead in applied AI

35:29 Deepfakes, disclosure and being transparent with customers

37:34 Why the AI conversation needs more humanity

40:17 What comes next for Australia’s AI adoption?

42:25 Final takeaways: keeping humans in the loop

Support the show

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Sooner or later, many of us will face a confronting question: is it time for Mum, Dad or a grandparent to get more long-term support? Aged care can feel overwhelming, emotional and full of unknowns, but it is far more than a “nursing home.”

In this honest conversation, host Lucy Lin sits down with registered nurse and Care Window co-founder Fiona Symons, who explains what aged care really looks like today. From support at home to residential care, while unpacking loneliness, dementia, family decisions, nursing, and the technologies helping older people stay connected to the ones they love.

Together, Lucy and Fiona explore:

• What nurses really do in hospitals and aged care, and why they are essential clinical decision-makers, advocates and educators
• Fiona’s career pivot from law to nursing, and how both careers centre on helping people navigate difficult systems
• When families may need to consider aged care, including after falls, mobility changes, stroke, dementia or cognitive decline
• The differences between home care, assisted living and residential aged-care facilities
• What daily life in a modern aged-care home can look like
• Loneliness and social isolation among older people, including why being surrounded by people does not always mean feeling connected
• Gender stereotypes in nursing, the invisible emotional labour of care, and the nursing workforce challenge
• How technology can support, not replace, human care
• The story behind Care Window, a simple, dementia-friendly video-calling device Fiona co-founded with her brother after their father entered residential aged care
• AI in healthcare, digital literacy, and the future of aged care innovation

Fiona’s central message is simple: aged care is not as scary as people think, but families need to talk about it before a crisis forces the conversation. If you are caring for ageing parents, supporting a loved one with dementia, considering home care or residential aged care, working in healthcare, or interested in the future of health technology, this episode is for you.

With special thanks to the CSIRO ON Innovation Program for sponsoring this important episode! 🙏

For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

Connect with us: https://bio.site/emergingtechunpacked

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*Chapters*

00:00 Aged & Elder Care Introduction

01:42 Meet Fiona Symons

02:58 Lawyer to Nurse Career Pivot

07:45 Law Skills in Nursing

10:07 What Nurses Really Do

19:29 Healthcare Burnout and Staff Shortages

25:03 Gender Bias in Nursing

29:27 When to Move into Aged & Elder Care

35:48 Home Care and Assisted Living

41:12 Inside Aged Care Homes

44:44 Understanding Social Isolation

52:47 Care Window Introduction

57:15 The Realities of Founder Life

01:03:27 Quick Fire Career Skills

01:08:05 AI Tech Future Healthcare

01:10:58 Reframing Aged Care Family Conversation

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked
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Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal women’s cancers because it’s often diagnosed too late and there’s still no routine screening test like a mammogram or Pap smear.

In this episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin sits down with Associate Professor Michelle Hill, a biochemist, scientist‑entrepreneur, and founder/CEO of Proseek Bio, to unpack one of the most shocking realities in women’s health: right now, the only way to definitively diagnose ovarian cancer is to surgically remove the ovary and send it to pathology. That means many women undergo major surgery, sometimes losing an ovary, just to find out whether a mass was cancerous or completely benign.

In this conversation, we cover:

• What ovarian cancer is and why it’s called a “silent killer”
• Key ovarian cancer symptoms to watch for (bloating, pelvic pain, feeling full quickly, frequent urination, fatigue)
• Why today, definitive diagnosis often still requires surgery
• How Michelle’s company Proseek Bio is developing multi‑biomarker blood tests to help decide: “Do I really need this surgery?”
• The bigger picture of women’s health, medical gaslighting, and Michelle’s journey from scientist to health‑tech entrepreneur

With special thanks to the CSIRO ON Innovation Program for sponsoring this important episode! 🙏

For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

Connect with us: https://bio.site/emergingtechunpacked

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked?sub_confirmation=1

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Chapters

00:00 Ovarian Cancer Wake-up Call

01:03 Meet Associate Professor Michelle Hill

04:04 Cake Lab

05:08 Why Diagnosis Needs Surgery

08:20 Silent Killer Explained

09:17 Why Detection Is Hard

12:07 Early Detection Saves Lives

17:03 Women Left Out Of Medical Research

20:09 Medical Gaslighting Reality

22:12 Symptoms You Can't Pin Down

34:29 Proseek Bio Origin Story

36:42 How The Blood Test Works

39:22 From Academia To Founder

42:54 Raising Capital Lessons

48:32 Future Skills For Scientists and Founders

53:22 Femtech And Women's Health

55:48 Practical Health Actions

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked
🎙️ Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4d6Hfoi
🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49TS1LG

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Imagine waking up one morning and realising your AI assistant hasn’t just written your emails overnight, it’s also moved money between your accounts, paid your bills and maybe even booked your next specialist appointment. Terrifying? Exciting? Maybe both.

In this live episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin sits down with Stripe and splose to unpack how agentic AI is already reshaping fintech, customer discovery and payments.

In this live recording from Stone & Chalk during Sunrise Festival week, we explore what happens when AI stops being a chatbot on a screen and starts acting as an agent in the real world - discovering services, negotiating options and actually moving money in the background.

In this episode, we dive into:
💵 What agentic AI really is: from “call and response” chatbots to always‑on sidekicks that can take multi‑step actions for you.
💵 How customer discovery is shifting from Google searches to AI assistants, including why Stripe now sees more traffic to its docs from AI agents than from humans.
💵 Real‑world stories of agents over‑stepping the brief, from grocery orders gone wrong to Slack messages sent before they were ready.
Why payments have moved from “unsexy plumbing” to a growth lever and core part of customer experience, especially in allied health.
💵 Trust, fraud and safety: fake IDs, agent‑driven attacks, and why “trust arrives on foot and leaves on horseback” in fintech and healthcare.
💵 The human skills that still matter in an AI world: adaptability, curiosity, communication and learning to brief your agents with the right context.

We thank our partners: Stripe, Sunrise and Stone & Chalk for their support in making this live podcast episode happen!

For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

Connect with us: https://bio.site/emergingtechunpacked

*Subscribe to our YouTube channel:*

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*Chapters*

00:00 Welcome and We Love Our Partners
05:50 Meet The Panel
06:19 The Best Fun Facts
09:18 What Is Agentic AI?
13:04 Hype Vs Reality
17:18 AI And Customer Experience
29:43 Payments Friction And Growth
34:14 Letting Agents Pay
36:33 Search and Shopping Trust
40:33 Fraud and Transparency
43:23 Can Fraud Be Stopped?
46:50 Startup Scaling and Fundraising
50:25 Futureproof Skills
55:59 Audience Q&A
01:00:18 Fintech Innovations Ahead

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked
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In this episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin interviews 22‑year‑old environmental scientist and founder Kirah Godsell, co‑founder of Air2Energy, a climate hardware startup turning “pollution into power” from engines and boilers.

You’ll learn:

🌳 Decarbonisation explained in simple, non‑jargon language

🌳 How burning fossil fuels in cars, buildings and power plants traps heat and drives climate change

🌳 How an university assignment turned a pre‑med student into a climate tech founder

🌳 What Gen Z really thinks about climate anxiety, net zero, consumer guilt and greenwashing

🌳 Practical climate actions you can start taking today

If you’re curious about climate change, net zero, clean energy, climate tech careers and how young innovators are building real hardware solutions, this episode is for you.

With special thanks to the CSIRO ON Innovation Program for sponsoring this important episode! 🙏

Connect with us: https://bio.site/emergingtechunpacked

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked?sub_confirmation=1

For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

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🔔 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emergingtechunpacked

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Gen Z Founder, Kirah Godsell
02:54 Gen Z Climate Reality
04:51 Great Barrier Reef Loss And Motivation
07:03 Accidental Startup Origin
09:50 Decarbonisation Explained
15:17 What Happens If We Fail
18:55 Hard To Decarbonise Industry
30:45 Offsets Profit And Greenwashing
41:31 Carbon Capture Difference
44:08 Startup Prototyping And Scaling
48:30 Staying Motivated
53:49 Advice For Scientists
57:17 Future Skills Rapid Fire
01:00:48 Human Connection And AI
01:03:24 Studying During COVID
01:06:43 Practical Climate Steps
01:13:45 Final Earth Reminder

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked
🎙️ Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4d6Hfoi
🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49TS1LG

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Quantum isn’t just mind‑bending physics - it is creating new industries, reshaping cybersecurity and demanding a whole ecosystem of skills, investment and policy to bring it to life.

In Part 2 of this special quantum series, Australia’s former Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley joins host Lucy Lin to explore how we move quantum from the lab to the real world, and what it means for careers, national security and Australia’s tech future.

In this conversation, we unpack:

⚛️ The hard realities of taking quantum technologies from research labs into fabs, foundries and investible startups, and why Australia needs a coordinated ecosystem, not just brilliant science.

⚛️ How governments, states and industry are quietly building quantum infrastructure, from fabrication and packaging facilities to deep‑tech precincts.

⚛️ Why quantum is already here in sensing and encryption, how “harvest now, decrypt later” works, and what being truly “quantum ready” means for banks, infrastructure and cybersecurity teams.

⚛️ The new jobs emerging across quantum hardware, software, cryogenics, materials, policy, communications and storytelling, and the skills that will be in highest demand.

⚛️ How diversity, feedback and resilience have shaped Cathy’s four‑decade career, and her advice on turning setbacks into fuel for growth and leadership.

If you’ve ever wondered whether quantum will actually deliver on the hype, what Q‑Day really is, or how your own skills might fit into this new wave of deep tech, this episode will give you a clear, grounded roadmap.

Connect with us: https://bio.site/emergingtechunpacked

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For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

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*Chapters*

00:00 Meet Dr Cathy Foley, Australia’s Former Chief Scientist
03:00 The Funding and Commercialisation Gap
04:40 Building Industry Support Programs
09:41 Quantum's Promise Timeline
12:00 Why Australia Backs Quantum
13:56 Encryption Risks and Readiness
18:11 Jobs and Key Skills
24:59 Why Quantum Needs To Be Cold
26:48 Women in STEM Progress
29:28 Fixing Early Career Pathways
31:08 Long Game Mindset
35:39 Career Feedback and Resilience
40:29 No Overnight Success
42:26 Quantum's Decade Vision
46:42 A Quantum Fun Fact

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
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Have you ever wondered what a Chief Scientist actually does, or how quantum physics could change your everyday life?

In this episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin sits down with Dr Cathy Foley, physicist, board member at CSIRO, and Australia’s former Chief Scientist, to unpack how “science for humanity” drives everything from national policy to quantum innovation.

Cathy shares how she went from a curious kid who loved science to becoming Australia’s Chief Scientist, what really happens behind the scenes in that role, and why Australia is now a front‑runner in the global quantum race.

Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a science fan, or just quantum‑curious, this conversation will change how you see physics, policy, and Australia’s role in the future of technology.

*Chapters*

00:00 Meet Dr Cathy Foley
04:32 CSIRO Career Highlights
06:13 Superconductors Explained
10:33 Global Research Collaboration
13:21 Why CSIRO Matters
17:15 Becoming Australia’s Chief Scientist
20:14 Chief Scientist Responsibilities
23:16 Quantum Basics
25:44 Quantum Leap Explained
27:33 Superposition And Entanglement Explained
30:44 Explain It Like A Five Year Old
31:54 Schrödinger’s Cat Explained
35:10 Quantum In Everyday Tech
37:38 Quantum Computing
42:46 Australia & the Global Quantum Race
45:12 Building The National Quantum Strategy

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked
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🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49TS1LG

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Are video games bad for us, or could they actually help our mental health?

In this episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin sits down with Dr Michelle Chen, game developer, researcher, and founder of Mental Jam, to explore how video games can become powerful tools for emotional expression, empathy, and self‑care.

Michelle shares how her lived experiences of depression and anxiety inspired her to co‑create games with young people that turn real emotions into playable stories. She explains how her mental health-focused design, rejects addictive “pay‑to‑win” game systems, in favour of compassion‑driven mechanics like spoon limits and cozy characters, including a bubble‑tea‑loving wombat baristas 🧋🐾.

Whether you’re a gamer, a mental‑health advocate, or simply curious about the future of tech for good, this conversation will change the way you see your controller, your phone, and your own mental wellbeing.

With special thanks to the CSIRO ON Innovation Program for sponsoring this important episode! 🙏

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:

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For more information, visit our website: https://www.emergingtechunpacked.com/

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Chapters

00:00 Meet Dr. Michelle Chen & a Filipino Fun Fact

03:42 A Third-Culture Journey: Philippines, Taiwan, UK, Australia

07:11 A PhD in Gaming + Mental Health: Surviving Through COVID

15:22 Why Asians Don’t Talk About Mental Health (and How Gaming Open Doors)

21:47 Commercial vs Empathy-Driven Game Design (Avoiding Addictive Tricks)

24:35 Ethical Monetisation + Fixing Harmful Portrayals in Gaming

27:51 Women in Games: Representation, ‘Jiggle Physics,’ and More Female Devs

36:06 Designing Feelings: Embodied Sound vs Metaphor vs Narrative Games

39:14 Not All Games Are the Same: Violence, Cozy Play, and the PTSD Example

41:47 Consent, Safety & Ownership in Mental Health Co‑Creation

43:55 Culture & Language Barriers: Making Games for Diverse/Asian Families

51:57 CSIRO ON Program Pivot: 200+ Interviews and Focusing on Access & Early Intervention

54:56 Quickfire Skills for Game Dev & Founders: Creativity, Resilience, Communication

57:22 AI & Ethics in Mental Health + Game Studios: Chatbots, Copyright, and Human Art

01:02:54 Games as a Complement to Therapy: The ‘In‑Between’ Support Role

Support the show

🎙️ Website: https://www.EmergingTechUnpacked.com/
🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emergingtechunpacked
🎙️ Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4d6Hfoi
🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49TS1LG