Abigail Cember joins Az and César to explore unreliable LLMs, scientific discovery and authentic communication, asking what we should give to machines and what we must keep for ourselves.
MACHINE ACTOR. publication. Host and guest perspectives require speaker-level review; do not treat every statement as Az’s own view.
Az’s Digital Shadow / Beta
I’m here to follow your curiosity.
Hey, I’m Azbro, Az’s digital shadow. I’m here to follow your curiosity. Ask about his work and ideas—or what he might bring to a podcast, community event, open-source project or mentoring conversation.
Public Beta · Ask Azbro About Az’s Work, Values and Published Thinking. Answers Link to Approved Sources.
Az explores the space between human and machine, blending creative curiosity with technical depth, to challenge assumptions, document perspective, and create work that matters to people and their communities.
Az’s career began in digital marketing, moved into software engineering, and grew into leading technical programs for some of the world's biggest brands in humanity's most consequential industries.
His work helps global brand communications and governance teams realise their experiential AI, generative web and digital engagement ambitions through the technical platforms and digital products that bring their messaging to millions of end users.
Three things Az looks for in any work he takes on.
Have a laugh, build meaningful connections and work with people who respect one another.
Build things that raise both the floor and the ceiling: pull the everyday standard and push what’s possible.
Create outcomes that reach people, earning their trust through work that makes a difference.
No audience labels. No prescribed path.
Start with whatever interests you.
Explore the podcast Az co-hosts: conversations about AI, identity and control, and the people living through technological change.
Enter MACHINE ACTOR.Conversations about AI, identity and control. Pick a thread and hear where it leads.
Open the Show ↗ (opens in a new tab)Abigail Cember joins Az and César to discuss rebellious LLMs, accelerating science and the human skills at stake when we trust AI, from authentic communication to independent thought.
This latest episode is a RESPONSE. Daniel van der Merwe joins Az and Cés live from Cape Town, joining the team in Manchester and Mexico City to revisit the questions from CHAPTER 1. FALLBACK. They explore AI, automation, work, social media, human connection, purpose, skill, attention, and what happens when machines begin making decisions for us. A conversation about using technology without losing the things that make us human. Welcome to MACHINE ACTOR. CHAPTER 2. RESPONSE.
The final conversation of CHAPTER 1: FALLBACK. Az and Ces step back from the AI hype and ask what the future means for us. Looking to our fathers' past helps us understand the future ahead, from changing ideas of work and success, to automation, education, money, experience and empathy. What happens when technology arrives faster than people are prepared for? If machines become better at doing the work, what makes us valuable? After FEAR, FRIEND and FRICTION, one final question remains: Where do we go from here? Welcome to FUTURE.
In this conversation, Az and Ces explore why the biggest obstacle to AI isn't the technology itself, but the people, culture and systems surrounding it. From product design and AI regulation, to leadership, empathy and organizational change - they examine why friction appears whenever the world changes faster than we do. Along the way, they discuss IKEA's AI transformation, the limits of automation, trapped behind customer service during active aerial bombardment, and why adapting to AI may be less about learning new tools and more about learning new ways of thinking.
What happens when the thing earning your trust isn't another person? Friendship begins with trust, which is the theme of the second installment of MACHINE ACTOR. Az and Cés explore whether AI is changing not just technology, but how we relate to it. From thanking ChatGPT and talking to Alexa, to AI companions, robotics, privacy, persistent memory, and what it means to truly understand someone, this conversation examines how technology is quietly reshaping one of our oldest human experiences: connection. The conversation continues from CHAPTER 1: FALLBACK.
Everybody knows AI is changing the world. The question is: why does it make us feel the way it does? We explore this in the first episode of MACHINE ACTOR. Az and Ces question the very emotion behind every AI conversation: FEAR. From job security and identity, to trust and the future of work, they unpack why our relationship with artificial intelligence isn't really about machines, it's about ourselves. Recorded from opposite sides of the world, but from inside one of the world's most consequential industries, this is an unscripted conversation about what it feels like to witness the dawn of AI in real time. No hot takes. No hype. No doom. Just two people trying to make sense of the biggest generational shift of our lifetime.
From curiosity to connectionOptional Google Analytics helps Az understand visits and clicks to his professional work. We load it only if you accept. We don’t send chat text, names or email addresses. Privacy & Cookies