Getting started with AI
From what a model actually is to agents, tools and the protocol that connects them, ending on how to tell an AI problem from a process one.
bradshaw.cloud: Audio Edition
Essays and strategy insights on cloud economics, edge architecture and AI infrastructure, read aloud in a synthetic clone of the author’s voice.
Every episode is a piece from this site read in full by a synthetic voice cloned from my own, with my consent. The written version, with its diagrams and tables, is linked from each one. How the audio is licensed.
0:00 −11:14
Start with a playlist
Short paths through the catalogue, in the order they are meant to be heard.
Cloud economics
How cloud and AI spend is measured, where the cost curves cross, and how to decide what to run, buy or bring back in-house.
Governing AI agents
What an agent is allowed to do, who answers for it, and the controls that make autonomy something an organisation can run.
Every episode
52 episodes · 7 h 4 min · newest first
| PlayNo. | Episode | Topic | Released | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 2026 | ||||
| Model Routing: The Cheapest Model Is the One You Didn't Call Writing · Cloud Economics · 9 Nov 2026 | Cloud Economics | 9 Nov 2026 | 11:14 | |
| Most AI Requests Aren't AI Problems Writing · Security · 30 Oct 2026 | Security | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:53 | |
| An AI Agent Is Not a Service Account Writing · Agentic AI · 30 Oct 2026 | Agentic AI | 30 Oct 2026 | 20:07 | |
| Your Internal Developer Platform Will Not Survive AI Unchanged Writing · Cloud Economics · 2 Nov 2026 | Cloud Economics | 2 Nov 2026 | 11:14 | |
| Technical Debt Portfolio Scorecards: Stop Arguing About Messy Code Writing · Platforms · 29 Oct 2026 | Platforms | 29 Oct 2026 | 4:33 | |
| Cloud Exit Readiness: The Dependency Test Before You Repatriate Anything Writing · Cloud Economics · 29 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 29 Oct 2026 | 4:10 | |
| Typed Decision Models Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 5:26 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 12:53 | |
| Platform Product Metrics: How to Tell Whether Your Internal Platform Is Helping Writing · Security · 29 Oct 2026 | Security | 29 Oct 2026 | 4:36 | |
| AI Delegation Loop Insight · Agentic AI · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 3:11 | Agentic AI | 30 Oct 2026 | 5:13 | |
| Agentic AI Control Planes: The Guardrails That Make Autonomy Operable Writing · Security · 29 Oct 2026 | Security | 29 Oct 2026 | 5:49 | |
| FinOps for AI Metrics: The Scorecard That Turns Token Spend into Decisions Writing · Cloud Economics · 29 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 29 Oct 2026 | 5:16 | |
| MCP Security and Governance: The Control Map Enterprises Actually Need Writing · Agentic AI · 29 Oct 2026 | Agentic AI | 29 Oct 2026 | 7:04 | |
| What Your Strengths Assessment Won't Tell You Writing · Everything else · 29 Oct 2026 | Everything else | 29 Oct 2026 | 4:39 | |
| AI Governance Operating Models: Who Decides, Who Enforces, Who Gets Paged Writing · Security · 29 Oct 2026 | Security | 29 Oct 2026 | 19:19 | |
| Agentic API Security Insight · Security · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 5:36 | Security | 30 Oct 2026 | 15:36 | |
| Sovereign AI Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 2:35 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 4:40 | |
| Data Residency Is Not Sovereign AI Writing · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 17:31 | |
| AI Platform Operating Model Insight · Platforms · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 2:42 | Platforms | 30 Oct 2026 | 4:48 | |
| Agent Authority Insight · Security · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 2:37 | Security | 30 Oct 2026 | 4:30 | |
| Technical Debt Prioritisation Insight · Platforms · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 5:06 | Platforms | 30 Oct 2026 | 10:41 | |
| Team Topology Decisions Insight · Platforms · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:55 | Platforms | 30 Oct 2026 | 11:00 | |
| After the Interview: What I Wish I'd Had More Time to Say About the AI Grid Writing · Edge · 29 Oct 2026 | Edge | 29 Oct 2026 | 7:26 | |
| FinOps for AI Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 5:08 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:37 | |
| FinOps for AI: Why Your LLM Bill Is Exploding — and How to Stop It Writing · Cloud Economics · 29 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 29 Oct 2026 | 10:03 | |
| The Streaming Wars Were Won on Content. The Next Ones Won't Be. Writing · Media · 29 Oct 2026 | Media | 29 Oct 2026 | 5:27 | |
| Compression Is the Family. Quantisation Is One Cousin. Writing · AI Inference Economics · 29 Oct 2026 | AI Inference Economics | 29 Oct 2026 | 6:32 | |
| Cloud Repatriation Is Portfolio Management, Not Ideology Writing · Cloud Economics · 29 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 29 Oct 2026 | 8:08 | |
| The AI Grid: Why Inference Is Becoming a CDN Problem Writing · Edge · 29 Oct 2026 | Edge | 29 Oct 2026 | 6:01 | |
| The Model Context Protocol: A Strategic Reference for Technical Leaders Writing · Agentic AI · 30 Oct 2026 | Agentic AI | 30 Oct 2026 | 14:09 | |
| Cloud Repatriation Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 5:11 | |
| Platform Operating Model Insight · Platforms · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:02 | Platforms | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:23 | |
| FinOps Maturity Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:00 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:45 | |
| Developers as Customers Insight · Platforms · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:00 | Platforms | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:42 | |
| API Security When the Caller Is an AI Agent Writing · Security · 29 Oct 2026 | Security | 29 Oct 2026 | 6:29 | |
| AI Governance Is Enforcement, Not Intent Writing · Security · 30 Oct 2026 | Security | 30 Oct 2026 | 6:52 | |
| Model Compression Insight · AI Inference Economics · 30 Oct 2026 | AI Inference Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 3:34 | |
| Frontier Models Insight · AI Inference Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 2:49 | AI Inference Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 5:02 | |
| AI Grid Insight · Edge · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 2:35 | Edge | 30 Oct 2026 | 5:29 | |
| Economic Sovereignty Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:43 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:24 | |
| From Content Wars to Experience Wars Insight · Media · 30 Oct 2026 | Media | 30 Oct 2026 | 3:58 | |
| Build vs Buy: The Decision Framework Every CTO Gets Wrong Writing · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 8:19 | |
| Build vs Buy Insight · Everything else · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:05 | Everything else | 30 Oct 2026 | 7:06 | |
| AI Cost Curves: When API Pricing Becomes Your Biggest Infrastructure Decision Writing · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 9:51 | |
| AI Cost Curves Insight · Cloud Economics · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 3:58 | Cloud Economics | 30 Oct 2026 | 9:05 | |
| Agentic AI Patterns: From Chatbots to Autonomous Workers Writing · Agentic AI · 30 Oct 2026 | Agentic AI | 30 Oct 2026 | 15:02 | |
| Agentic AI Patterns Insight · Agentic AI · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:27 | Agentic AI | 30 Oct 2026 | 8:58 | |
| Model Context Protocol Insight · AI Foundations · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 2:54 | AI Foundations | 30 Oct 2026 | 4:58 | |
| AI Fundamentals Insight · AI Foundations · 30 Oct 2026 Short edition 4:17 | AI Foundations | 30 Oct 2026 | 12:31 | |
| Season 2025 | ||||
| State of Cloud 2025: Navigating EMEA's Cloud Revolution Writing · Edge · 30 Oct 2026 | Edge | 30 Oct 2026 | 4:59 | |
| Season 2024 | ||||
| A PWA Is Not an Edge Strategy Writing · Edge · 2 Nov 2026 | Edge | 2 Nov 2026 | 4:47 | |
| Season 2021 | ||||
| What is a Proposal? Writing · Everything else · 30 Oct 2026 | Everything else | 30 Oct 2026 | 4:34 | |
| Season 2020 | ||||
| SSH into Windows Writing · Everything else · 30 Oct 2026 | Everything else | 30 Oct 2026 | 8:56 | |