In this episode, Rahim Hirji discusses the evolving nature of intelligence, the importance of human skills in the age of AI, and how to adapt our education and mindset for the future. Discover insights on judgment, taste, curiosity, and the impact of AI on decision-making.
This is one of those episodes that will have you questioning decisions you have made as your week unfolds. Key Topics: The commodification of intelligence and its impact on value The importance of taste, judgment, and accountability in a world of abundant AI The concept of synthetic seniority and the blending of old and new wisdom Future skills needed for humans to thrive alongside AI The role of curiosity, boredom, and creativity in human development The risks of over-dependence on AI and algorithms Reimagining education to focus on soft skills and super skills The importance of questioning and understanding decision-making algorithms Practical self-assessment tools for future readiness Sound Bytes: "Taste, judgment, accountability are valuable now" "Talking to machines feels disingenuous" "Many decisions are made for us by algorithms"
Check out the book: https://superskillsbook.com/
Check out the diagnostic tool: https://superskillsbook.com/diagnostic/
Check out Rahim’s site: https://www.thesuperskills.com/
Strategic Compression with David Murrin
14/06/2026 | 40 mins.
Geopolitical forecaster and strategist David Murrin joins Francis Gorman to argue that the world isn't experiencing ordinary volatility it's in the middle of a deep, structural transition between great powers. Drawing on his "Five Stages of Empire" framework, David lays out why he believes America's decline began after 9/11, why China is rising into the vacuum, and why he sees the next decade as a period of unavoidable escalation. The conversation ranges across the war in Ukraine, the Iran nuclear question, the battle for the Pacific, the hollowing-out of Western military capability, and the subtler war being fought through economics, infiltration, and influence. It closes on Ireland's exposure as a neutral state and David's blunt verdict that there is "nowhere to hide." Key Takeaways David's "Five Stages of Empire" model frames how nations regionalise, fight a civil war, expand, peak, and decline and where he places the West today. His view that American power entered structural decline after 9/11, with China rising to fill the vacuum. The concept of "strategic compression" why rising powers are forced to act not when they choose, but when the window around them starts to close. Why he sees Ukraine and Iran as conflicts enabled and shaped by China, used as testing grounds for systems and tactics. His argument that Western societies are being degraded from within through long-running influence operations targeting domestic politics. A stark assessment of UK military readiness, and why he believes adaptability not hardware alone decides who survives modern conflict. What all of this means for a small, neutral, strategically significant state like Ireland. Soundbites "Nature absolutely abhors a vacuum. It hates it." "It's as if we're playing draughts and the Chinese are playing three-dimensional chess." "The timing of hegemonic conflicts is never at the choosing of the hegemon." "There are no neutral countries in its story, so there are no places to hide." "Stand up and be counted."
Note: This episode contains forecasting and personal analysis that is, by nature, speculative and at times contested. These are David Murrin's own views, shared to open debate rather than to state fact.
The Reinvention Mindset with Aidan McCullen
08/06/2026 | 46 mins.
In this episode, Francis Gorman speaks with Aidan McCullen, host of "The Innovation Show" and author of "Undisruptible", about reinvention, innovation, and what real change demands. Aidan reflects on his journey from professional rugby to becoming one of Ireland’s leading voices on transformation, sharing lessons from injury, identity, curiosity, and hundreds of conversations with world-class thinkers. Together, they explore why people and companies often wait until crisis hits before adapting, why superficial change rarely works, and why mental models must shift before business models can. From Nokia’s failure to respond to the iPhone to the personal grief of letting go of an old identity, this conversation is about preparing for change before it is forced upon you and finding the resilience to build what comes next. Key Topics: The importance of mental models in change The analogy of the caterpillar and butterfly in transformation The role of curiosity in innovation Lessons from Nokia's decline and failure to adapt The concept of creative destruction and proactive change Sound Bytes: "You can't waterboard a horse." "Snow always melts from the edges." "You can't force a horse to water."
You can find Aidan's book here: https://www.kennys.ie/shop/-9781119770480
The World's First Hackocracy With Geoff White
01/06/2026 | 38 mins.
In this episode of The Entropy Podcast, Francis Gorman sits down with British investigative journalist, author and BBC podcaster Geoff White to go inside the world of organised cybercrime and the regimes that increasingly depend on it. Geoff has spent years embedded in the underbelly of the cyber economy, from ransomware syndicates to state-sponsored hacking operations, and he brings a working journalist's eye to questions most security professionals only ever see from the defender's side. The conversation opens by dismantling the hoodie-in-a-basement myth: ransomware groups like Conti are run as businesses, with HR functions, payroll, performance management, customer support teams, and an obsession with professional polish. Geoff walks through what the leaked Conti messages reveal about how these organisations think of themselves including the striking self-description of their work as "postpaid penetration testing." The conversation then turns to North Korea, where Geoff lays out the case for what he calls a "hackocracy" — a regime increasingly funded by computer hacking. Drawing on US government estimates and his own analysis, he explains how cryptocurrency theft is keeping the North Korean state afloat, why sanctions are losing their bite, and why this should worry anyone who relies on the global supply chains that pass through the Korean peninsula. Francis and Geoff also dig into the moral and practical reality of the "don't pay the ransom" position, the weaknesses that still let attackers in, and the systemic role of money laundering as the unspoken second half of every major cybercrime story. The episode closes on the most timely thread: AI as an inherently deceptive technology. Geoff makes the case that systems like ChatGPT are designed from the ground up to fool users into thinking they're human and that this design philosophy has serious implications for the next generation of social engineering attacks. The conversation ends with a frank exchange on Anthropic's recent walk-back of its core safety commitments and what it signals about the industry's direction. Key Takeaways Ransomware gangs run themselves as businesses, not basements. The economics of ransomware are extraordinary. Money laundering is half the story. North Korea is becoming a hackocracy. A national ban on ransom payments would work eventually. . Humans are still the attack surface and AI makes that worse. Soundbites "In order to earn the kind of money that Conti was earning, the average Russian would have had to work for 400 years. So in a single ransom, you can make not just your life's money, but the money for the life of all of your family around you as well." — Geoff White "Within the next five to ten years, North Korea could become the world's first hackocracy — a regime entirely funded by computer hacking." — Geoff White "Our world is not being run by lovely rational AI. It's human beings who are deciding what happens." — Geoff White
The Comfortable Lies of Cybersecurity with Adam McElroy
25/05/2026 | 32 mins.
In this episode of The Entropy Podcast, Francis Gorman speaks with Adam McElroy, CTO at Eclypses, about cybersecurity, storytelling, AI, post-quantum readiness, and the evolving role of security leadership. Adam argues that modern cyber leaders must move beyond technical reporting and learn to communicate risk in ways boards and executives can act on. The conversation explores why security decisions in large enterprises take time, how AI is accelerating existing technical debt and governance gaps, and why quantum risk is no longer something organizations can comfortably defer. Adam frames post-quantum readiness as a generational risk comparable to Y2K: manageable if organizations plan early, potentially damaging if they procrastinate. A central theme is that cybersecurity is no longer just a technology problem. It is a business resilience issue involving boards, executives, architects, regulators, CISOs, CIOs, CTOs, and risk leaders. Adam also challenges the industry’s reliance on perimeter defence, arguing that organizations need to think more seriously about making data unusable if it is exfiltrated. Key Takeaways Storytelling is now a core cybersecurity leadership skill. Cybersecurity is business, not a separate technology function. AI has exposed existing technical debt faster than expected. Zero Trust is still valid, but there is no silver bullet. Organizations should assume breach and protect the data itself. “Harvest now, decrypt later” is a present-day risk. Quantum procrastination is becoming indefensible. The CISO cannot carry cyber risk alone. AI adoption needs policy, education, and discipline.
Soundbytes "There is no such thing as business and technology. It’s all business at the end of the day." “AI wasn’t built to be secure, it was built to be amazing.” “The CISO cannot protect the organization by themselves.” “The dashboard will never be green in my world.”
Hosted by Francis Gorman, The Entropy Podcast brings together intelligence community veterans, post-quantum cryptography pioneers, CISOs, business leaders, and frontline practitioners for unfiltered conversations on the threats, complexity, and geopolitics shaping our world.Past guests include former senior CIA officers, leading cryptographers, digital forensics experts, and security and technology leaders from across financial services, critical infrastructure, and government, voices rarely heard together in one place.Each episode goes beyond headlines to explore how cyber risk, emerging technology, and geopolitical instability are reshaping the way organisations operate, compete, and defend themselves. Expect candid insight on quantum risk, nation-state threats, AI, espionage, financial crime, business resilience, and the human dimensions of leadership.Designed for CISOs, board members, founders, technologists, policy thinkers, and the professionally curious, Entropy sits at the intersection of business, technology, and cybersecurity a space for genuine conversations with unique minds, the kind that don’t fit neatly into a press release.The name Entropy reflects the growing complexity and unpredictability of the systems we depend on, and the discipline required to lead through them.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on The Entropy Podcast are those of the host and guests in their personal capacity and do not represent the views, positions, or policies of their respective employers, affiliated organisations, or any government body. Guest appearances do not constitute endorsement by the host, and the host’s commentary does not constitute endorsement of guests’ views. Content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional, legal, financial, or security advice.One of the topics I cover a lot on this show is post quantum readiness, I believe awareness of this emerging technology is key for a safer world into the future. To support this awareness I have built a free resource to help you explore the world of quantum and learn as you go. You can find it here: www.postquantumreadiness.comBuy Our Swag:We now have some slick new swag you can purchase through our Esty store.https://theentropypodcast.etsy.com Watch and SubscribeYou can also watch full episodes and exclusive content on our YouTube channel:www.youtube.com/@TheEntropyPodcastAchievementsThe Entropy Podcast delivered strong chart performance throughout 2025, demonstrating consistent international reach and listener engagement.Regularly ranked within the Top 20 Technology podcasts in Ireland.Achieved a Top 25 placement in the United States Technology charts, holding the position for one week.Charted internationally across multiple markets, including Israel, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.This performance reflects sustained global interest and growing recognition across key podcast markets.Audio Quality NoticeSome episodes may feature minor variations in audio quality due to remote recording environments and external factors. We continuously strive to deliver the highest possible audio standards and appreciate your understanding.
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