The Debrief

The Debrief is joined by David Abel, director of the documentary In The Whale, to tell one of the most extraordinary survival stories you will ever hear. In June 2021, Cape Cod lobster diver Michael Packard plunged into the waters off Provincetown on a routine dive, only to be caught inside the mouth of a humpback whale, trapped in total darkness for around 30 seconds, certain he was about to die, before the whale surfaced and spat him back out. David takes the team inside how it happened, how Packard survived, and why he questioned the story himself before every detail checked out. He also reveals the part most people never hear: what the sudden, dizzying wave of global fame did to a fiercely private man who just wanted to keep diving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Driverless cars are already operating on Dubai’s roads, but are they ready for the city’s unpredictable traffic, and are passengers ready to trust them? Hassan Khairat and Antonio Semeraro, Principals at Arthur D. Little Middle East, join The Debrief to discuss where the UAE stands in the global autonomous vehicle race, why companies including Pony.ai, Baidu Apollo Go and WeRide are testing their technology here, and whether Dubai can achieve its ambitious target of making 25% of all trips autonomous by 2030.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI is moving too fast. That’s the warning from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who recently called for the industry to slow down. And he isn’t alone. Some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence are raising concerns about the speed of development and the potential damage rogue AI systems could cause. But how realistic is the threat, and what could it mean for ordinary people? Maher Yamout, Lead Security Researcher at Kaspersky, joins us to explain what is really happening, whether fears of an AI takeover are justified and how we can protect ourselves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Debrief crosses live to Apple expert and content creator Jermaine D'Vauz to break down everything from Apple's big launch. Fresh off the September keynote, Jermaine talks the team through the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the headline moment nobody could stop talking about: Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone, its biggest change in form factor since the iPhone X. He gets into the upgraded cameras, what the foldable is expected to cost, and whether it lives up to years of hype. And there's a change at the very top too, as this marked the first launch led by Apple's new CEO John Ternus, stepping into the role after Tim Cook. Jermaine gives his verdict on what it all means for anyone thinking about their next upgrade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, somewhere between two and five trillion dollars in dirty money is washed through the global financial system. The Debrief is joined by Robert Nordlander, who spent 20 years as a Special Agent with IRS Criminal Investigation, one of the world's most elite financial crime units. Robert explains what the unit actually does, and walks the team through what it takes to track dirty money through somewhere like Zhao Wei's Golden Triangle zone in Laos, a 39 square mile enclave one man effectively runs as his own country. He also gets into whether crypto has made hiding money easier or harder, how both criminals and investigators are now racing to out-use each other with AI, and what strings to pull at to track dirty money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.