What the Web3? cover art

What the Web3?

What the Web3?

By: Suresh Balaji and Dave Wallace
Listen for free

About this listen

What the Web3? is a podcast for marketers, helping make sense of Web 3 and Gen AI and the opportunities that it offers for building brands, and connecting with audiences. With an incredible line-up of guests our aim is to Educate, Inform and Inspire!

Suresh Balaji and Dave Wallace
Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Suresh and Dave chat with Harry Burt of Head of AI News UK
    Sep 10 2025

    In this episode of What The Web 3, hosts Dave Wallace and Suresh Balaji tackle the seismic shifts in journalism and digital media brought on by generative AI, deepfakes, and Web3. Their guest is Harry Burt, Director of Business Innovation and Transformation at News UK, who shares frontline insights into how one of the world’s leading media groups is responding to disruptive technologies.

    Harry explains how News UK—and the wider News Corp group—moved beyond early NFT experiments to focus strategically on distributed web components, content authentication, and ownership models. He addresses industry scepticism around Web3, stressing the urgency for media companies to rethink value chains and reclaim control of intellectual property and audience data that platforms often monetise at creators’ expense.

    The conversation then turns to the existential challenges posed by generative AI. From paywalled journalism being scraped to train large language models, to the proliferation of misinformation and the lack of fair compensation for creators, Harry describes these as “mega tsunami” problems threatening publishers both large and small.

    Collaboration, he argues, is the only way forward. Harry reveals how News UK is spearheading efforts to establish open standards for content provenance, using blockchain to build transparent ledgers that improve attribution in search engines and provide regulators and platforms with trustworthy signals of authenticity.

    Yet the episode also highlights opportunities. Generative AI is already proving useful inside newsrooms—re-tagging archives, automating workflows, and making research more accessible through natural language interfaces. These tools can free journalists to focus on impactful, investigative work that underpins democracy.

    Looking further ahead, the hosts and Harry explore the role of immersive technologies like AR, VR, and the metaverse in creating “experiential news reporting.” While cautious about the pace of adoption, Harry sees long-term potential in enabling audiences to engage with stories in 3D, interactive environments.

    This episode is a dynamic primer on the urgent threats and emerging opportunities facing modern media—showing how journalism can protect its integrity in the AI era while exploring the next frontier of news through innovation and collaboration.

    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Suresh and Dave chat with Adam Buehler SVP, Digitas NA
    Sep 10 2025

    In this episode of the Web3 Marketing Association Podcast, hosts Suresh and Dave Wallace are joined by Adam Buehler, Senior Vice President of Creative Technology at Digitas North America. Together, they dive into the fast-moving worlds of generative AI and Web3, exploring how these two transformative technologies are beginning to converge.

    Adam outlines the rapid rise of generative AI—its “iPhone moment”—and explains why tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney are changing the way marketers, brands, and creatives think about content. From automating everyday tasks to reimagining search, art, and design, generative AI is no longer speculative: it is disrupting industries in real time.

    The discussion also touches on the risks: deepfakes, hallucinations, and the erosion of trust in digital content. Adam explains how blockchain and Web3 technologies could provide solutions, particularly through cryptographic provenance and content authentication standards such as C2PA, which could safeguard society against a collapse of shared reality.

    Throughout, the trio debate how AI might reshape the agency model, whether brands should set new guardrails on creative content, and how marketers can responsibly harness these tools. A recurring theme is partnership: machines won’t replace humans, but humans who use machines will outpace those who don’t.

    This is a thought-provoking conversation for marketers, creatives, and technologists alike—highlighting both the promise and peril of the coming collision between AI and Web3.

    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • Dave and Tim chat with Edward Bell GM Brand at Cathay Pacific
    Sep 10 2025

    In this episode of the Web3 Marketing Association Podcast, hosts Dave Wallace and Tim Semelin are joined by Edward Bell, General Manager of Brand Insights and Marketing Communications at Cathay Pacific, to discuss how one of Asia’s most iconic airlines is exploring Web3 and the metaverse.

    Edward shares how Cathay has built an internal cross-functional task force—spanning marketing, digital experience, IT, legal, and social teams—to explore the opportunities of Web3 in a thoughtful and structured way. Unlike luxury and fashion brands that rush to “be first,” Cathay is taking a more measured approach, focusing on delivering genuine value to customers rather than short-term stunts.

    The conversation highlights Cathay’s vision of Web3 as an innovation engine—a lower-risk space where the airline can experiment with new ideas, build community engagement, and inspire curiosity about travel. Edward emphasises that the goal is not to replace real-world travel with virtual experiences, but to complement it—sparking the desire to explore destinations in real life.

    They also explore broader themes, from how airlines balance Web2 and Web3 priorities, to the growing role of community in brand building, to the cultural shifts Web3 represents. Edward draws parallels with how David Bowie helped drive social change through music, suggesting that Web3 could be a similar catalyst for innovation and new forms of customer engagement.

    For Cathay, success in this space will mean enriching the customer experience, building stronger communities, and using Web3 as a platform for creativity and learning—all while staying true to its premium travel lifestyle brand.

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.