James R. Hennessy

5 days ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

Finally, we have a solution for Australia’s seemingly interminable, decades-long productivity funk. And it’s AI, of course. That’s the argument of the Business Council of Australia (BCA), the high priesthood of Australian commerce, which dropped a meaty report today arguing Australia can reignite growth and revolutionise its workforce by becoming “an AI leader by 2028”. Get The Edition in your inboxSigned up to The EditionA must-read afternoon newsletter.

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

In the end, the relationship that many predicted would end with a bang did so with a whimper. Elon Musk is formally stepping down from his role in Donald Trump’s administration and returning to his commitments in the private sector. “I would like to thank Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote on X.

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

The big bank poaching spree is heating up. As Andrew Cornell revealed last night, Westpac CEO Anthony Miller has nabbed Commonwealth Bank’s chief data analytics officer Andrew McMullan, who steps into the newly minted role of chief data, digital and AI officer. One angle here, covered by Andrew in today’s Capital Gains newsletter — and pointedly bemoaned by CBA CEO Matt Comyn — is the cutthroat people dynamics within Australian banking.

2 weeks ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

IdeasOpenAI likely needs more than software to survive. The deal with the former Apple design kingpin is a high-stakes gamble on hardware and long-term relevance. It’s fair to say that the world has been living in an artificial intelligence moment since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022. The staggering user numbers and the sheer scale of investment the generative AI platform has attracted certainly reflect that reality.

2 weeks ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

Researcher and former OpenAI board member Helen Toner thinks Australia could serve a critical niche in the global AI future. Toner, who was at the centre of the world’s biggest business story in 2023 when she helped briefly oust OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, told Capital Brief’s Daniel Van Boom that Australia should leverage its bench of engineering and scientific talent by pumping public funding into ‘moonshot’ AI projects.