Rethinking how we use AI – Louise Ballard, Co-founder, Atheni.ai
UKTN | The Podcast
UKTN
5.0 • 6 Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Louise Ballard, co-founder of early-stage firm Atheni.ai discusses how we move AI usage to the next level, from simply responding to questions to actually building systems that can really benefit businesses and organisations. She also talks about why the UK government’s plans to reskill 10 million workers in AI might be seriously flawed and how, as a 55-year-old female founder, she has navigated the tough funding environment.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At the moment, this generic use of what we call naked AI is harmful, but the use of well-configured, |
| 0:12.4 | you know, well-shaped AI is incredibly powerful. |
| 0:16.6 | The tech bros might have you believe that AI is going to take over everything, |
| 0:23.7 | but the reality of business is not like that. |
| 0:26.2 | And if you talk to most people in business, |
| 0:28.5 | they are not expecting suddenly AI to come in and do everything, |
| 0:32.4 | because business is messy. |
| 0:37.3 | That's our mission, is to make sure that everyone can be AI assisted, not AI generated. |
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| 1:38.8 | Hello and welcome to the UKTM podcast, a weekly chat with the movers and shakers of the UK tech industry and the destination for all things UK tech related. I'm your host, Jane Wakefield, and today I am joined by Louise Ballard, founder of Atheney. |
| 1:49.2 | Welcome, Louise. |
| 1:50.9 | Hello, Jane. |
| 1:51.8 | Hi there. |
| 1:52.5 | Now, before we talk about Athene, I want to talk a little bit about you. |
| 1:56.3 | And I was looking at the Athene website, and it talks about you as a founder, mother and long-time communicator |
| 2:02.6 | with three decades of experience across tech, media and change. So let's summarize those three |
| 2:09.1 | decades in about three minutes and tell me what's sort of led you to where you are now. |
... |
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