Building Smarter Apps with AI | Josh Bermann & Adam Cogan | NDC Melbourne 2025

Josh Berman catches up with Adam Cogan at NDC Melbourne to explore the cutting-edge world of enterprise AI applications. In thischat, Adam teases his upcoming talk where he shares 12 essential lessons from building SSW’s AI-powered tool Yak Shaver.
e dives into the evolution from traditional apps to generative AI, the challenges faced with Microsoft Teams, cost modeling missteps, and how the newly emerging MCP is reshaping what intelligent agents can do. Whether you’re an AI developer, architect, or product owner, this session is a goldmine of practical takeaways to bring into your next AI project.

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Why 2025 is the Year of the Agent (or Is It?) | Gert Marx & Ulysses Maclaren | NDC Melbourne 2025

In this discussion from NDC Melbourne, Ulysses Maclaren sits down with Gert Marx to unpack one of the hottest topics in AI: agents. Are we truly in the “Year of the Agent,” or is the tech world just riding another buzzword wave? Ulysses shares what makes a real agent, contrasting them with rule-based systems, AI workflows, and generative models. With concrete examples and industry insights, he explains when it’s best to use an agent, when a workflow will suffice, and why so many companies are marketing non-agents as agents. If you’re building AI-powered solutions and unsure what tools are best suited to your problem space, this talk is a must-watch.

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The Hidden Cost of AI | Ulysses Maclaren & Richard Campbell | NDC Melbourne 2025

What does artificial intelligence have to do with nuclear reactors, brownouts, and humanity’s last exam? At NDC, SSW’s Ulysses Maclaren sits down with tech veteran Richard Campbell to explore the energy demands of AI, Microsoft’s nuclear strategy, and how our increasing data needs are impacting global infrastructure. They also examine whether artificial general intelligence is truly within reach or still a distant goal. From understanding the environmental cost of AI to dissecting the realities behind AGI, this conversation offers practical insights into where technology is heading and how it’s reshaping our world.

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