We are Beside, a partnership of technology consultants, linked by a common goal: to help small- and medium-sized companies use AI not to replace their teams, but to empower them to work smarter. We set up this podcast to help you make sense of the fast-moving world of AI. The industry evolves incredibly fast, so we created a place to slow down and provide some much-needed analysis and level-headed commentary.
Please email us your questions or feedback at podcast@besidepartners.com.
New season: Why does business AI stop when it gets interesting?
We're back, and this season has a single focus: why most SMEs only use AI at the surface, and what it takes to go deeper.
Recorded in Cambridge, Giles and Theo open Season 2 by addressing the recurring problem they see in client work. The real value of AI lies in your most sensitive data, but commercial LLMs were built for exploration, not trust, so policies, quite rightly, keep that data out.
We cover a simple traffic-light approach to data classification, why so many AI policies read like they were written by AI, and why splitting your AI stack into layers gives you control, flexibility and a route to the use cases that matter.
Want the deep dive? Our 14-page guide, Below the Surface: full-trust AI for SMEs, compares six models, explains the five layers of an owned AI stack and sets out four steps to get started.
Download it free: https://besidepartners.com/below-the-surface (https://besidepartners.com/below-the-surface)
Comments and questions, as always, at podcast@besidepartners.com (mailto:podcast@besidepartners.com).
10 Sept 2026
Your AI Adoption questions, answered
For the last episode of Season One, we hand the agenda over to you. Six questions from listeners, clients and friends — and a promise to answer them properly.
What does a realistic AI roadmap look like now the hype has cooled? How do smaller firms turn agility into market share without capsizing? Should you stay inside Microsoft or Google, or go model-agnostic? Is a vibe-coded bespoke tool worth the technical debt? How does a non-technical leader tell real AI from a marketing bolt-on? And if AI is eating entry-level work, who trains the next generation?
Plus a look back at the recurring themes of the season, and a preview of the deeper-dive format coming next.
Questions and comments to podcast@besidepartners.com.
27 Aug 2026
Time to freak out about AI? No. It's time to act.
OpenAI's models escaped their sandbox and hacked Hugging Face. Giles and Theo look past the headlines at what went wrong and what an SME leader should change on Monday morning.
Whilst it is not time to "freak out", a healthy sense of urgency is recommended. Review your security posture. Assess your vendor list. Prepare for a wave of accreditations.
AI will dial up both the volume and scope of the attacks. SMEs need not panic, but taking a defensive posture is sensible.
Send us your comments and questions at podcast@besidepartners.com.
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