Hedaux, Hogg & The Machines 3:AI Safety Fast, but Can You Trust It?

1st November 2026

In this episode of Hedaux, Hogg & The Machines, Ed & Simon catch up on the last five to six weeks in AI and what it means for productivity, workforce management and retail.

Payroll and scheduling: Would anyone trust AI to check payroll before payday? Managers will still need to sense-check the output.

Forecasting models: Ed warns that some published accuracy gains use data you wouldn’t have at forecast time, such as actual weather.

Walmart’s Agent Gateway: Walmart opens its shop to AI shopping agents while Amazon tightens its rules. What does that mean for liability and click and collect?

Driverless cars: Simon shares his first Waymo ride, and they ask why the US is moving faster than the UK.

Measuring AI productivity: Saving a manager two hours a week only counts if the time is reinvested well.

Area managers in 2027: How AI could help them plan visits and cut through comms overload.

Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report