Brendan and Ross catch up with Adam Spencer at IT Nation ANZ to explore how much AI has changed over the past 12 months.Adam discusses AI solving complex problems while still making surprisingly basic mistakes, and what that means for human expertise. They also explore the economics of AI, the rapid rise of robotics and where these technologies could have the biggest real world impact.The conversation also tackles “brain fade” and the risks of becoming too reliant on AI, before wrapping up with a surprising robot vacuum story about cybersecurity, privacy and the smart devices entering our homes.Timestamps[0:00] Introduction and the third annual AI catch-up at IT Nation ANZ[1:09] How dramatically AI capability has changed in 12 months[2:52] How multi-agent AI helped tackle a decades-old mathematics problem[5:03] Why powerful AI can still get surprisingly simple questions wrong[7:00] What AI means for mathematicians and human expertise[10:12] The economics of AI and whether the market is becoming a bubble[11:52] Could the AI market consolidate around a handful of major players?[12:14] Why smaller, local AI models could handle most everyday tasks[12:53] The extraordinary acceleration of humanoid robotics[15:12] Robots, dexterity and competing with elite table tennis players[16:49] Where robotics could have the biggest practical impact[17:23] Robotics, AI and the future of aged care[19:20] China’s lead in the global robotics race[20:00] “Brain fade” and the risks of becoming too dependent on AI[22:00] Why businesses may need to rethink how they assess human skills[23:00] The robot vacuum story every smart-device owner should hear[24:44] Simple cybersecurity hygiene for connected devicesFollow First Focus on LinkedIn for more conversations with technology leaders, innovators and industry experts 🔗 www.linkedin.com/company/first-focus-itSubscribe to the First Focus YouTube channel for more episodes from IT Nation ANZ 2026. Special thanks to ConnectWise and IT Nation for supporting these conversations.