The Brave Technologist

Dr. Maha Hosain Aziz, an international relations professor at NYU and Global Foresight Advisor at the World Economic Forum, highlights the often-overlooked societal, economic, and psychological impacts of AI adoption. She explores the growing anxiety around job displacement and the emerging "occupational identity crisis" occurring as AI reshapes industries and how people define purpose and stability in their careers. She also reveals how shifts in world order, the rise of tech companies as powerful global actors, and increasing mental health concerns are all interconnected in the age of AI.
Key Takeaways: 
Mental health challenges linked to AI-driven uncertainty

The Rising reliance on AI for emotional support

How global power dynamics are shifting as BigTech gains influence

The "occupational identity crisis" as AI reshapes our relationship with work

Guest Bio:
Dr Maha Hosain Aziz has crafted a portfolio career in global risk and future trends based at NYU's MA International Relations Program: She is a professor leading the annual global risk prediction project with crowdsourced consultancy Wikistrat, and creating data-driven risk indices and apps; a risk and foresight expert advising the World Economic Forum; co-chair in AI policy at think tank The Digital Economist; and senior advisor (geopolitics) at impact firm Enlighten Advisory.
She has written a trilogy of books: 7-time award-winning bestseller Future World Order (2019 & 2025), Global Spring (2026) and 10 Shock Events By 2030 (2026). She created the 10-time award-winning VR/AR political comic The Global Kid (2021), which is based on the 7-time award-winning original comic she drew (2016). She's also working on Evolution (2026), a comic about global extremism.
She is a global citizen with Pakistani roots who grew up in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US, studying at Brown (BA), Columbia (MA) and the LSE (MSc, PhD).
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About this Show:
The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!
Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.
The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.
Music by: Ari Dvorin
Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Or Eshed, co-founder and CEO of LayerX Security, shares why the browser has become the most critical (and overlooked) security layer in modern work. He explains key browser risk areas including phishing, cookie theft, compromised extensions, and data exfiltration, and how AI now increases the urgency around these risks. He also provides examples of real-world breaches that are reshaping how organizations think about risk.
Key Takeaways: 
Security risks that are unique to the browser along with simple habits you can adopt to reduce browser-based risk

How extensions like Grammarly use browser APIs to learn from user interaction behind the scenes

Why most existing security tools fail to detect browser-based threats and the rising costs of account takeovers

How AI-powered copilots could ultimately become a key defensive layer by reducing human error in real time

Guest Bio:

Or Eshed is co-founder and CEO of LayerX Security. Or has over 15 years of cybersecurity experience as an ML developer, security and intelligence researcher, and cybersecurity analyst. His work has led to the arrest of at least 15 threat actors and the exposure of the largest browser hijacking operation in history, with over 50 million browsers compromised. He has also written and spoken extensively on topics of cybersecurity, including at key conferences such as DEF CON and BSides Las Vegas.
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About this Show:
The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!
Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.
The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.
Music by: Ari Dvorin
Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Joseph Ng, Chief Strategy Officer of GeneGenius and author of The Hybrid Mind, discusses how institutions must redesign decision architectures as humans and intelligent machines operate together. His vision for the "hybrid mind" is one with supervised intelligence where humans set mission, values, and boundaries while AI participates in operational decisions.
He also discusses his work at GeneGenius to transform raw genetic data into "biological intelligence" that can support precision medicine, early disease detection, and personalized treatments. 
Key Takeaways: 
His work in AI-driven genomics systems and data for early detection and better prediction in medical systems

How governance—when designed correctly—can accelerate adoption rather than slowing innovation

Why the biggest risk in AI isn't technical failure, but a lack of institutional readiness to govern it

How human judgment is evolving in an AI-driven world, shifting from execution to supervision and interpretation

Guest Bio:
Joseph X Ng is a technology executive, AI governance strategist, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University. He is the author of The Hybrid Mind, which argues that institutions must redesign their decision architectures as humans and intelligent machines begin operating together.
A former enterprise AI leader at BNY Mellon, Joseph now works on frontier applications of AI, including genomic intelligence through initiatives like GeneGenius. His work focuses on building trustworthy AI systems by embedding governance, transparency, and human supervision directly into the architecture of intelligent systems.
And, for the record, he is a human from New York.
 
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About this Show:
The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!
Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.
The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.
Music by: Ari Dvorin
Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Anna Yuan, founder of Perena and former head of stablecoins at the Solana Foundation, discusses how Perena is designing new on-chain financial products, including USD*, a liquid yield token that earns continuously while remaining spendable. We also explore why trust remains one of crypto's biggest challenges, how decentralized and traditional finance are converging, and what role AI agents may play in the future of payments and financial automation.
Key Takeaways: 
How Perena's USD* token allows users to earn continuous yield while still being able to spend their assets

Why stablecoins could become a foundational layer for global financial coordination and programmable money

Why people still don't trust blockchain, and what Web3 companies should do about it

Why many financial services beyond payments remain largely untapped opportunities in crypto

How agents and stablecoins will interact over time

Guest Bio:
Anna Yuan is the founder of Perena, a stablecoin fintech and asset manager. Perena's team embraces AI natively in their workflow, with all staff learning to code and design with AI tools. Anna built yield.bingo as a tutorial for new stablecoin users to earn yield. Previously she was the head of stablecoins at Solana Foundation.
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About this Show:
The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!
Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.
The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.
Music by: Ari Dvorin
Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Elise Neel, Global Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships at Panasonic Go, shares lessons from leading innovation within large legacy companies and the cultural challenges of driving transformation. She explains how organizations should rethink AI governance and talent, and why roles like the CHRO may become central in the AI era.
Key Takeaways:
Why leaders must move from simply using AI tools to actively collaborating with them to drive meaningful transformation

How access to AI is leveling the playing field, making critical thinking the key differentiator for talent

Ways that non-technical professionals can quickly become powerful contributors with the right AI tools and training

Why the CHRO role may become one of the most influential positions as organizations integrate AI agents into their workforce

How AI could transform product ownership and customer support through intelligent systems that predict maintenance, optimize usage, and improve the overall customer experience

Guest Bio:
Elise Neel is the Global Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships for Panasonic Go, driving business transformation through AI to expand AI-enabled software, hardware, and solutions to 30% of Panasonic's sales by 2035.
Previously, Elise was SVP of New Business Innovation at Verizon, where she built a portfolio of nine investment ventures spanning location technology, drones, robotics, and energy transformation while ushering in the 5G era. She also served as CEO of MapQuest and held leadership roles at PlaceIQ, comScore, and InsightExpress.
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About this Show:
The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!
Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.
The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.
Music by: Ari Dvorin
Produced by: Sam Laliberte