Perrin Rowland is the Chief Product and Experience Officer at AcademyEx, New Zealand's leading disruptive technology education institution, and is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of customer experience in New Zealand.
What Perrin reveals
◽️ Why New Zealand is falling dangerously behind the rest of the world on AI
◽️ The three forces converging right now that make this moment unlike any previous technology shift
◽️ What Microsoft's chief of AI is saying publicly about white collar work
Episode Partners:
👉🏻 NZBusiness Magazine www.nzbusiness.co.nz
👉🏻 Sell your expertise at scale www.pwrfully.com
FOLLOW PERRIN
www.academyx.com Find Perrin on LinkedIn: Perrin Rowland
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00:00 – The AI tsunami & why New Zealand is behind
01:10 – “Why should anyone watch this episode?”
02:26 – Trust, regulation & NZ’s AI hesitancy
03:40 – 3 forces converging to supercharge AI (compute, energy, infrastructure)
06:52 – Claude can “use your computer for you”
07:14 – How New Zealand is (mis)using AI today
08:07 – Who will be most impacted? White‑collar roles at risk
10:02 – What kinds of jobs/tasks are vulnerable?
10:59 – Health NZ, ChatGPT bans & the Heidi Health breach story
12:34 – Massive upside: curing a dog’s cancer with AI
13:03 – Feeling freaked out but needing “AI agency”
14:17 – Analogy: a 6‑year‑old refusing school vs adults refusing AI
15:03 – Perrin’s background: CX, finance, and Academy X
16:46 – Sponsor break: NZ Business magazine
17:55 – Education at every age & school trauma
18:15 – The real magnitude of the AI shift
20:47 – Not trusting the internet, deepfakes & revenge porn
22:58 – Regulate AI or fall behind? The innovation vs safety dilemma
24:56 – Risk takers, early adopters & letting AI into your computer
27:31 – You can “choose not to use AI”… but it’s already everywhere
28:06 – Imagining robot helpers at home
28:53 – “How do I learn without getting overwhelmed?”
31:32 – Why structured education beats random YouTube rabbit holes
33:22 – This isn’t slowing down; you need “floaties” for the AI wave
36:51 – Why up‑to‑date, curated AI learning is critical
40:21 – The value of a trusted guide & learning community
41:34 – Early “silly” AI use cases that became real (IoT, wearables)
43:53 – Role reversal: Perrin interviews Mina
44:47 – Mina’s fear: content creation & being replaced
47:25 – Writing with AI as “therapy” & rediscovering voice
48:59 – What Mina really wants: confidence, clarity & trust
51:39 – Imagination: using other people’s brains to expand your own
52:00 – Trust in tech through credible educators
53:22 – Why Mina is picky about courses (and time)
54:25 – The challenge: Mina enrolls in the Disruptive Tech course
57:44 – How the course runs & what it covers
1:01:39 – Real example: Perrin + Claude do SEO & AEO in hours
1:03:36 – Mina’s excitement (and nerves) about the challenge
1:04:37 – Call‑to‑action for listeners: comments & questions
1:05:03 – Where to find the Disruptive Technologies course
1:05:51 – “Come do it with me” – Mina invites listeners to join
1:06:05 – Final message: “Just keep learning”
New Zealand