The Big Tech Show

Will AI replace authors? How will we spot real from the fake? And have some LLMs already been trained on authors’ books? Shane Hegarty, bestselling children’s book author joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adrian began by reading out a five-hundred-word excerpt generated by chat GPT in the style of author Shane Hegarty. The tech editor then asked Shane to rate the piece for accuracy out of 10. The children’s book author gave the piece a one out of ten because it was trying to be funny and had little sense of what his book is actually about. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is YouTube the most powerful media of all? How are hackers bypassing biometrics using artificial fingertips? And are Irish jobs on the line as Intel swings its layoff axe? JJ Clarke, producer, joins host Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. The tech editor began by discussing a report by the pan-European Policing Authority Europol which has joined other IT security organizations in warning that biometric systems like fingerprints and facial recognition scanners are being bypassed by criminals. The reason this has garnered so much interest is because so many users access their phones through their fingerprints and facial scanning. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the case for space? Does humanity benefit from it? And are the environmental impacts too great? Leo Enright, space commentator, former RTE and BBC correspondent joins Adrian on the Big Tech Show. Adrian began the conversation by asking was there any scientific merit to the Blue Origin New Shephard rocket which last week made a sub-orbital flight with an all-female crew to the edge of space and back. The space commentator stated that there was next to no scientific value in the Jeff Bezos backed space exploration. However, Leo Enright, did point out that Gail King was the first American journalist in space and the he is hopeful that she will once again popularise space exploration amongst the American public. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What made Adam Dalton realise he loved selling? Which teacher influenced him in secondary school? And what are the downsides of a multi-million euro exit? Adam Dalton, co-founder of Jamango! former CEO and co-founder of Robotify, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adam Dalton seemed destined for entrepreneurship with an early love of LEGO and Minecraft. Adrian began the conversation by asking him about a guidance counsellor in his secondary school called Michael O’Neill. The teacher put on coding classes after school where Adam learned to build websites and games through coding, which served him well in his future career. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Irish jobs be impacted if the EU go after US tech services? Is Ireland the likely battle ground for a digital trade war? And why did the Chinese pull out of the deal to sell TikTok? JJ Clarke, Producer, joins host Donal O’Donovan on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. The business editor began by pointing out that Ireland sells about 52 billion dollars' worth of digital services to the US every year, versus about 53 billion dollars' worth of physical products. Roughly half of Irish exports to the US (the digital services) are not affected by Trump’s current tariffs. However, Donal O’Donovan highlighted that global trade in goods and the manufacturing sector are being targeted currently. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much energy do data centres consume? What kind of data do they store? And is Ireland now a landfill for junk data? Caroline O’Doherty, Environment correspondent with the Irish Independent joins Donal O’Donovan on the Big Tech Show this week. The environment correspondent started by talking about why companies like building data centres in Ireland. Caroline O’Doherty stated that; Ireland has a strong IT sector, the political climate is stable, and the geographical climate is also favourable because data centres create a lot of heat and don't do well in hotter countries. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did US military leaders accidentally add a journalist to their group chat? What should users of DNA test 23andme do now that the company is going bankrupt? And why has Netflix show Adolescence created such a panic about teenage phone use? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. The tech editor started by discussing the recent security leak at the highest level of the US government. Editor in chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was added to a Signal group chat You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is happening with the weaponisation of technology? From Musk threatening to shut off Starlink in Ukraine to the Israeli’s arming hundreds of pagers. And where does Ireland’s neutrality stand in all of this? Declan Power, security and defence analyst, joins the Big Tech Show for this week’s episode. The tech editor began by asking the defence expert about Ireland’s neutral stance. Declan Power made the argument that Ireland has taken a side in the Ukraine conflict. However, Ireland is only providing non-lethal support for Ukraine such as aid and fuel rather than bombs and bullets. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What should you know about the new Amazon.ie website? Is it worth switching over from the UK domain? Is it cheaper? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the new MacBook Air like? Should you upgrade to it? And can a new CEO rescue Intel’s woes? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. Adrian began the conversation by talking about the new MacBook Air with an M4 chip. He advised the listener to consider older versions of the MacBook Air with either M2 or M3 chips as they are perfect for the average office worker. However, the tech editor made the point that if someone has an intel chip based laptop or an M1 chip laptop, they should consider the new MacBook Air. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is buying a Tesla now a political statement? Are people now shying away from the EV brand? And has Elon’s support of Trump spelled disaster for Tesla sales? Derek Reilly, partnership director with Nevo, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s going on with crypto? What’s the state of play with meme coins? And is the market about to crash? Katie Byrne, Money editor with the Irish Independent, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adrian began by discussing Trump coin, Donald Trump’s meme coin which has reportedly made 350 million dollars since its launch. The money editor told Adrian that after announcing his crypto project, there was a pattern showing that people had got the news at least 24 hours before the meme coin news was announced. The money expert explained that by the time the news of the meme coin was shared on truth social, the insiders had gone in made their money and exited. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s are the benefits of 6G? Are the Chinese phone brands flooding the market any good? And what’s different about the new iPad Air? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are Chinese online shopping apps taking off in Ireland? Will Apple’s age assurance system work? And what can be done to stop children encountering harmful content online? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. Apple is introducing a new declared age range function which will enable developers to see age information volunteered by parents during the account setup for a child on the Apple app store. Under the new system, parents will be able to change the age associated with a child’s account, while a new set-up process is also being introduced to make it easier for parents to control their child’s access levels to apps on iPhones and iPads. Apple is also setting additional abilities for app developers to restrict kids from downloading apps from Apple’s App Store based on their age. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Apple investment in Europe a thing of the past? How do the AirPods Pro 2 work as clinical grade hearing aids? And is the affordable new iPhone 16e worth getting? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Big Tech Show this week, Adrian talks to Danny Jenkins, CEO and co-founder of ThreatLocker IT security firm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Ireland’s tech juggernaut grinding to a halt? Are we alienating ourselves from Europe with corporate tax? And how do we approach the Trump administration? Richard Curran,?columnist with the Sunday Independent and presenter of The Business on RTÉ Radio 1, joins Donal O’Donovan on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. With the EU and the US increasingly butting heads on the issue of tech regulation, Ireland may soon find itself in problematic territory between the EU and the Trump administration. Richard Curran, began by setting the scene of what makes up the Irish tech scene. He described it as “huge” with quite a large number of the tech workforce being employed by multinationals. Depending on how you measure it, there are between 110,000 and 120,000 people employed in Ireland within the industry. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can we expect from the new iPhone SE? Is it worth getting the Samsung S25 Ultra? And why are the new AI features on phones so underwhelming? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adrian has spent the last month trying out the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. According to the tech editor the device keeps its perch atop all Android flagship phones, but he argues that the new AI features may not keep it there for much longer. The phone comes with great cameras and display, S Pen and good battery life and is priced at €1,469 with 256GB or €1,849 for 1TB. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are ultra-cheap online buys from Temu and Shein about to be a thing of the past? Who will benefit? And what is Comreg doing about scam texts? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Both the EU and the US moved to cutdown the free flow of low-cost online purchases from China to the West. On the EU side, customs checks, and increased costs will be imposed on ultra-cheap packages from China. The US has gone further with Trump’s new tariff programme prompting the US postal service to announce that it would temporarily no longer accept any parcels from China, however, it resumed accepting them on Wednesday. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is life like for an Irish tech co-founder in the US? Is America a more dynamic space for technology? And what are the downsides to living in a Trump nation? Markham Nolan, co-founder of the AI startup Noan, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. The co-founder lived in the US for a decade, seven years in Manhattan and then 3 years in a suburb of the city called Larchmont. Nolan argues that America is a place of dynamism for tech companies but there are also downsides. He eventually left the states to return to Dublin with his family. Markham cited a higher quality of life, active shooter drills in his children’s school and access to healthcare as main reasons for returning home. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could Mark Zuckerberg’s makeover of Meta cost Irish jobs? Will Trump go to war against Dublin based EU privacy fines? Will users see an uptick in hate speech? Thomas Hughes, chief executive of Appeals Centre Europe, joins Adrian on The Big Tech Show this week. The Appeals Centre Europe is a Dublin-based agency with a staff of 25. It was recently given regulatory imprimatur by Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, as a qualified body to accept and adjudicate on user complaints from across the EU against the three biggest social media platforms; Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. While the decisions made by Appeals Centre Europe are not binding, they are officially logged and are persuasive to regulators who can then take a more binding action such as imposing fines. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is DeepSeek AI? How did it wipe over a trillion dollars off the US NASDAQ Index? And why are experts urging users to be cautious? Founder and CEO of Galvia AI, John Clancy, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss. DeepSeek AI is a free AI-powered chatbot founded in 2023 by Chinese hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng. The product uses a reasoning model, which means it shows the user how it arrives at an answer. The technology uses less memory than its rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT which reduces the cost to perform tasks. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it worth getting a generator for stormy weather? What kind of generator should you get? And do you need an electrician to install one? ?Peter Finn, also known as Pete the Builder on Instagram, and star of the Home Rescue TV show joined Adrian on the show to discuss. In the wake of storm Éowyn last week, hundreds of thousands of homes in Ireland were left without electricity and many still have no power. Peter Finn advised people to get a generator installed by an electrician. The builder also made the point that the Irish government should look at putting cabling underground to avoid mass outages. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a Trump presidency mean for technology? Will there be a regulatory war between the EU and US? And what was behind Elon Musk’s bizarre hand gesture? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Ireland a natural place for artificial intelligence? Are we overregulating when it comes to data centres? And what can we expect from AI in 2025? ?Mark Kelly, founder of AI Ireland and chief customer officer of Alldus, joins Adrian to discuss. The founder began by saying that agentic artificial intelligence will become more common over the coming year. Agentic AI is the technology that powers AI agents so they can act autonomously without human oversight. By serving as a comprehensive platform, agentic AI facilitates seamless interaction between AI agents and humans, fostering a collaborative environment where both can work together. Mark pointed out that an AI agent will be able to book a flight for a person, pick them a seat and even purchase books for them on Amazon. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a TikTok ban mean for us? Who will or won’t be able access it? And what are the implications for the Irish workforce? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January means dark days, cold weather and isolation. A new opportunity, a change of life, and that means it’s one of the most vulnerable times for those at risk from romance scammers. How do you spot a romance scam? Who are they targeting? And if it happens to you, how do you report it? Detective superintendent, Michael Cryan from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, joins Adrian on The Big Tech Show to discuss. ?The detective superintendent described romance fraud as a scam that takes place mainly online. He says, the victim will match unknowingly with the scammer and then that person will exploit the person through manipulation and exploitation over a period of time. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you thinking of buying an electric car in 2025? Why did EV sales drop by almost 24% last year? And from cold weather to charging points, what should you consider before purchasing? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adrian began by quoting The Society of the Irish Motor Industry’s figures that showed that in 2024 there were 121,195 new car registrations and only 17,459 of them were electric cars. There was a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 registrations seen in 2023. The tech editor made the point, that consumer confidence in electric vehicles has collapsed here in Ireland as well as in some other European countries. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the big tech trends for 2025? What will happen with crypto, Amazon.ie and the Trump-Musk relationship? Maybe we will see the world’s first company worth four trillion dollars but will hear about via Threads or X? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2024 comes to a close, what were the best phones, laptops, tablets and headphones? Of the many to cross Adrian’s desk, here are the ones that stood out and are still worth getting. JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is Luigi Mangione being lauded as a hero online? What does this response say about online culture? And what does this say about the status of healthcare in the US? Reporter for WIRED magazine, David Gilbert, joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show todaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is social media now ungovernable? Have we created an online world of manipulation, misinformation, controlled by a handful of billionaires? And if so, what can we do about it? Privacy expert, one of the inventors of social networking and author of Restoring Our Sanity Online, Mark Weinstein, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Bitcoin continue to soar? Is Apple’s Vision Pro a flop? And should we take meme coins seriously? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss the latest tech news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a rush to get presents? What tech should you gift this Christmas? And what are Adrian’s top affordable picks? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of the Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have a thick phone wallet? Do you use a novelty ringtone or set notifications to ping constantly? Is the crying laughing emoji one of your go-to texting characters? Well, you may not think of yourself this way, but you're middle aged. In this revisited episode of The Big Tech Show from July of this year, Adrian speaks to producer, JJ Clarke. Adrian kicked off the conversation by talking about the older generations' annoying habit of leaving their ringtone on in public places. There was some daylight here between Adrian’s and JJ’s view on this, with the latter stating that he believed it was the time it took to stop the ringing was the issue. Overuse of certain emojis is a hallmark of people who have aged out of the zeitgeist. Adrian spoke about the overuse of the crying laughing emoji. He said it was used like punctuation by this type of phone user and that every message from one of these senders will include them. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are people easy to hack? Are we vulnerable to manipulation? And could this skill be used to gain entry to a property? In this revisited episode of The Big Tech Show from March of this year, Adrian speaks to the people hacker, Jenny Radcliffe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are Crypto and Bitcoin on a bull run at the moment? Was it set off by a Trump victory? And how long will it continue? Lory Kehoe, Chief commercial officer and head of international at M2 joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is Bluesky getting a million new followers a day? How big is it in Ireland? And how do you find people once you join? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Bluesky is a social media platform that was founded as part of Twitter in 2019. In 2021, Jay Graber became CEO of the platform, with Dorsey leaving the platform's board in May. The site was initially invitation-only but was then opened to the public. Adrian began by addressing the narrative that people are leaving X and joining Bluesky on account of political ideology. However, he said the main reason users are signing up to the platform is because it is the first alternative to X where users can go and get the news. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Apple’s new MacBook Pro M4 worth getting? Is it better than an updated MacBook Air? And what type of work requires one? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. For the last week Adrian has been testing out the 16-inch space-black, nano-texture version of the new MacBook Pro M4. He gives his verdict on the laptop which starts at a fairly lofty €2,999. Whereas the entry-level 14-inch M4 model (€1,949) has a few immediate upgrades worth noting, including double the RAM (16GB), a better chip (M4) and its €100 less than the M3 model. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why did the FBI set up their own encrypted phone company? How did it result in the biggest drug trafficking sting in history? And is law enforcement finally catching up with criminals online? Author of Dark Wire and co-founder of 404 Media, Joseph Cox, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. In 2018 the Federal Bureau of Investigation set up ANOM, a supposedly secure smartphone-based proprietary messaging app. It was a sting operation that intercepted millions of messages sent through the service. The ANOM service was widely used by criminals, but instead of providing secure and encrypted communication, it was in fact a trojan horse distributed covertly by the FBI between 2018 and 2021. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What effect will President Trump’s win have on Ireland? Is it the end of Ireland’s US multinational corporation tax bonanza? And will Elon Musk be given free rein to promote his interests? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you make an impression as a startup founder? Does walking into a big company and asking to see the CEO work? And how do you get past gatekeepers? Oran O’Flynn, CEO and co-founder of Talio, an AI-powered market research co-pilot platform joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the hardest part of founding a tech startup? How do you choose a business partner? And what do you give up in the pursuit of success? Adrian was joined this week on The Big Tech Show by Nocomed founders, Rosemary Durkan and Donal Adams to discuss their startup journey. Nocomed is the first sustainability platform for life science companies. The business allows companies to measure and reduce their carbon emission. Adrian asked the co-founders about how they chose each other, and it turns out that Rosemary and Donal sat together on the first day. The tech editor quizzed them about what they had to give up, Rosemary spoke about less money while Donal mentioned the time demands to get the enterprise on its feet. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can tech allow blind people not just hear but feel the action as a fan? How does Field of Vision’s haptic device work? And how was the Irish startup created? Co-founder of Field of Vision, David Deneher, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. David describes the device as a tablet which has a small magnetic finger piece that moves based on where the ball is on the pitch. There are tactile pitch lines which the blind or visually impaired person can feel which allows the fan to feel exactly where the ball is on the pitch at any given moment. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s going on with electric cars? Has Ireland made a complete bags of it? Or is it just a blip in a general upward trend? And what are the top EV models to look at right now? This week on the Big Tech Show, Adrian is joined by Derek Reilly, partnership director with Nevo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How big is the rift emerging between the US and EU over AI? Why are tech giants going big on nuclear AI data centres? And are we witnessing the end of the non-robotic taxi? To discuss, Adrian was joined by head of growth at Humanloop and founder of Taxbot.ie, Conor Kelly, on the Big Tech Show. Conor began by talking about his recent move to San Francisco and the attitude there to Europe. He said that all the innovation in the artificial intelligence space is coming out of Silicon Valley with all big tech companies releasing new AI models there. The Dublin native noted that Europe is so far behind the US that the newer models can’t even be brought to Europe anymore. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the answer to Ireland’s data center energy problem nuclear power? Why are Google and Microsoft investing in it? And why are 15 data centres across the country paused? Adrian was joined by Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy at University College Cork, Dr. Paul Deane, to discuss the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the war on dodgy boxes a failure? Was Tesla’s robotaxi launch more Flinstones than Jetsons? And why is the Irish social media regulator warning of “enshittification”? Producer, JJ Clarke, joins Adrian to discuss this week’s technology news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Google about to be broken up? Will Tesla’s Robotaxi be a hit? And what are the bargains and swizzes in this years’ Amazon’s Prime Day sale? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show this week to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The inside story of how Elon Musk bought Twitter, and its mismanaged ever since, is a fascinating one. This week, Adrian is joined by the New York Times journalists, Ryan Mac and Kate Conger, who wrote a blow-by-blow account of how it all happened, with insider access to people involved in the deal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.