Kiwi company Allbirds has announced a new direction and it's drawn questions from experts.

After years of losses, the former sustainable shoe company is transitioning to AI after selling all its assets this month.

It's revised its moniker to NewBirds AI - seeing share values surging up to 700 percent.

NZ Herald senior business writer Chris Keall says the tech and business-based press has raised concerns about what this could do for the company. 

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Kiwi company Allbirds has announced a new direction and it's drawn questions from experts.
After years of losses, the former sustainable shoe company is transitioning to AI after selling all its assets this month.
It's revised its moniker to NewBirds AI - seeing share values surging up to 700 percent.
NZ Herald senior business writer Chris Keall says the tech and business-based press has raised concerns about what this could do for the company.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers. 

Whether you’re a small business owner or interested in what’s going on in the Big End of Town, this podcast encompasses the sharpest voices and minds in the world of business.

Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers. Whether you’re a small business owner or interested in what’s going on in the Big End of Town, this podcast encompasses the sharpest voices and minds in the world of business.

Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers.

Best of Business

Chris Keall: NZ Herald senior business writer on Allbirds pivoting to AI

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/aab3dc08-9b4a-45af-b242-b42e007faf9e/transcript

Recent data has unveiled a silver lining in the latest June-quarter inflation figures.

Rents rose at their slowest rate, annually, in 25 years, according to Stats NZ.

The country’s stock of rents rose by 0.5 percent between the June 2025 and 2026 quarters, continuing the trend of softening increases that began towards the end of 2024.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further.

LISTEN ABOVE

Recent data has unveiled a silver lining in the latest June-quarter inflation figures.
Rents rose at their slowest rate, annually, in 25 years, according to Stats NZ.
The country’s stock of rents rose by 0.5 percent between the June 2025 and 2026 quarters, continuing the trend of softening increases that began towards the end of 2024.
NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further.
LISTEN ABOVE

Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on rents rising at their slowest rate in 25 years

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/2f0272b2-292a-41de-8cba-b48f00875e3f/transcript

It's been an interesting time for the tech sector, with many big companies reporting their results.

Tech stocks recently reversed some of the recent selloff last night - with the Nasdaq up 1.9 percent.

Milford Asset Management's Andrew Curtayne explained further.

LISTEN ABOVE

It's been an interesting time for the tech sector, with many big companies reporting their results.
Tech stocks recently reversed some of the recent selloff last night - with the Nasdaq up 1.9 percent.
Milford Asset Management's Andrew Curtayne explained further.
LISTEN ABOVE

Andrew Curtayne: Milford Asset Management expert on the factors impacting the tech stocks

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/16d59110-3a38-4508-9a41-b48f00862174/transcript

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own - and they're launching a full investigation.

AI startup Hugging Face said last week that it had detected an intrusion into its data processing systems that it suspected was caused by an AI agent acting on its own. 

Auckland University AI expert Dr Kerry McInerny says AI has been used to hack companies in the past, but this incident raises new concerns about cybersecurity. 

"My fear is that we focus a lot on the capacities of the agent of the AI itself, and that distracts away from the people who I think we should really be holding responsible - which is OpenAI itself." 

LISTEN ABOVE

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own - and they're launching a full investigation.
AI startup Hugging Face said last week that it had detected an intrusion into its data processing systems that it suspected was caused by an AI agent acting on its own.&nbsp;
Auckland University AI expert Dr Kerry McInerny says AI has been used to hack companies in the past, but this incident raises new concerns about cybersecurity.&nbsp;
"My fear is that we focus a lot on the capacities of the agent of the AI itself, and that distracts away from the people who I think we should really be holding responsible - which is OpenAI itself."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Dr Kerry McInerny: Auckland University AI expert on OpenAI's artificial intelligence hacking into another company

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/0ae6f940-aa4d-44e7-ae96-b48f007e4cb3/transcript

Chris Keall: NZ Herald senior business writer on Allbirds pivoting to AI

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