The Ultimate Guide to Large Language Models
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Large Language Models (LLMs).
What to know about Large Language Models
Large Language Models (LLMs) stand at the forefront of artificial intelligence, transforming how businesses, developers, and industries operate. These extensive AI models, trained on vast datasets, excel in understanding and generating human-like text, enabling innovations ranging from advanced chatbots and AI co-pilots to sophisticated data analytics and cybersecurity solutions.
The recent wave of developments highlights their expanding role across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, customer service, and cybersecurity. Readers exploring these stories can gain insights into how LLMs are being integrated into enterprise software, cloud platforms, and security frameworks to enhance productivity, automate complex workflows, and address emerging AI risks such as data privacy and adversarial attacks.
Moreover, these narratives emphasize the dynamic challenges and advancements surrounding LLMs—covering technical breakthroughs, collaborative industry partnerships, and regulatory considerations. By following this tag, readers will stay informed about the evolving landscape of Large Language Models, their applications, security implications, and the strategic significance they hold for future technological progress.
Kiwi Large Language Models News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
Blackpearl hails 114% ARR growth as AI debate shifts
Blackpearl's latest update shows investors are rewarding application-layer AI plays as annual recurring revenue climbed to USD $26.8 million.
Lancom joins AWS Anthropic reseller programme for Bedrock
Customers across New Zealand and Australia can now get broader access to Claude models through Lancom, as AI projects shift from trials to live use.
The Optimisers launches in Auckland to target AI search
Auckland's The Optimisers debuts as a digital agency helping brands win visibility in AI-led search, summaries and autonomous agent results.
Automating the repeatable, humanising the exceptional: Delivering real AI value with an ontology‑led approach
Lancom champions an ontology‑led AI approach, automating repeatable tasks while elevating human expertise to deliver real business value.
Safeguarding personal reputations: Women leaders' edge in AI-driven tech communications
Women tech leaders harness AEO and EEAT to shield reputations from AI deepfakes, turning bias-fuelled vigilance into a strategic edge.
Mastercard tests first AI agent-led payments in NZ
Mastercard and Westpac have trialled New Zealand's first fully authenticated AI agent-led payments for cinema tickets and hotel bookings.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Large Language Models
New AI era defined by agents, rising costs and maturity gaps
Jamf launches AI governance for Mac fleets in enterprises
Gartner says more than 10% of firms will be AI-first
The path to autonomous operations: Why observability is the reliability layer for AI
Cequence posts record quarter on agentic AI security
Featured News
Exclusive: Virtuozzo sees GPU clouds reshape AI infrastructure
AI demand is pushing cloud providers towards GPU-as-a-service models, with efficiency and utilisation emerging as key differentiators.
UiPath assisting One NZ on journey to become AI leaders
Strict controls are now central to One NZ's AI push as it guards customer data and avoids costly errors in billing and finance.
Banks face AI balancing act as regulation tempers uptake
Australia's banks are steadily increasing their use of artificial intelligence, but regulation and data security fears are tempering adoption.
Data-driven transport: The future is here
Australia's truck driver shortage is set to triple by 2029, pushing fleets towards data tools that could make autonomy viable.
How the 'human hour' mentality influences the future of tech
AI pilots are faltering where firms still judge success by hours saved, leaving customer value and workforce design unresolved.
Hype growing - but SMEs still face barriers to AI adoption
Small firms risk falling behind unless they adopt AI for practical gains, as SMEC AI says many are still confused by the technology.
'Smart people changing': How humans and agentic AI co-exist
Governance fears and skills gaps are pushing businesses to deploy agentic AI in secure systems while protecting staff from disruption.
Companies wildly unprepared for new era of security threats
Many firms are exposing sensitive data as shadow AI and weak controls leave them open to breaches, hallucinations and unauthorised access.
Check Point Technologies: On vigilance, Mythos and beyond
AI-driven vulnerability scanning is forcing firms to rethink complacency as Check Point says existing defences still help against Mythos.
Exclusive: Reco COO on securing the AI inside your SaaS stack
Reco COO Zoe Hillenmeyer says enterprises typically underestimate their AI agent exposure by a factor of ten and that gap is widening.
Vanyar primed for success with Uriah Jacobs at the helm
A shortage of skilled partners is slowing wider adoption of Palantir Foundry and AIP, creating an opening for Vanyar in the commercial market.
Exclusive: Google Cloud reshaping finance with agentic AI
Banks must move beyond isolated pilots if they want agentic AI to deliver enterprise-wide gains, Google Cloud says.
Google sees retail success with agentic commerce push
Retailers are using Google’s new AI suite to speed up shopping and support, with Bunnings already live and UCP adoption starting to grow.
Exclusive: Grafana Lab's Jen Villa on targeting the AI observability gap
The new tools aim to help firms spot faulty AI outputs and data risks sooner as production deployments outpace monitoring methods.
Exclusive: Celonis global banking head says AI rollout hinges on process intelligence
Banks risk wasting AI spending unless they first map how work really flows, as Celonis says process intelligence is becoming phase zero.
Diligence the watchword as oversight lags AI governance
Most boards are using AI for routine tasks, but only 3% have woven it into risk oversight, leaving organisations exposed to fresh hazards.
Exclusive: Orderfox pushes into autonomous execution with Gieni ABX
Orderfox launches Gieni ABX on Microsoft Azure to push industrial AI beyond insights, automating workflows across enterprise systems with governance.
Expert Columns
Search after SEO: Anna Harrison on staying visible in the AI era
Why organisations in Asia Pacific are rethinking their AI deployment strategies
Why data governance is a core IT responsibility in the AI era
Is Google dead? How AI is rewriting the rules of search, and what it means for NZ businesses
AI is compressing legal work but increasing the value of divergence
Why workplace AI is creating a quiet legal risk most businesses haven't caught up with yet
Is your data ready for AI? 5 steps before deploying an agent
Why 'strong passwords' can't save you from AI
Not all automation technology is created equal: choosing the right tool for the right challenge
From DSPM to data protection: Closing the last mile on sensitive data in the era of AI
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Large Language Models News
Pead launches GEO service to shape AI brand answers
Auckland agency Pead launches GEO service to help brands influence how AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini answer consumer queries.
New AI training programmes to address New Zealand's skills gap
The Institute of Data is launching new Data Science and AI training programmes on 8 April 2025 to tackle New Zealand's critical skills gap in AI expertise.
Exclusive: Celonis' Alex Lowe discusses how AI is transforming decision-making
Alex Lowe from Celonis reveals how AI is revolutionising decision-making, enhancing productivity by processing unstructured data more efficiently.
FAR partners with Custom D to revolutionise research access
The Foundation for Arable Research partners with Custom D to implement AI technology, aiming to simplify access to a vast library of crop research and improve user experience.
How small businesses can harness the productivity power of AI
AI is helping small businesses in New Zealand tackle productivity issues, crucial amid tough economic conditions, by automating tasks and optimising workflows.
CCL unveils Copilot readiness workshop for Microsoft 365
CCL has launched a readiness workshop for Copilot, a Microsoft 365 service. Expected to empower private enterprises and public organisations with AI capabilities, it aims to boost productivity, creativity, and connectivity securely.
Inaugural NZ tech event addresses our digital future
Spark Business Labs held Future State 2023 yesterday at Auckland's Spark Arena, inviting a range of business and thought leaders to discuss the future of work.
NTT DATA partners Cursor to speed AI software modernisation
Legacy-system modernisation could accelerate as NTT DATA rolls out Cursor's AI coding tools internally before offering them to clients.
Tsuga raises USD $35 million to expand AI observability
Rising AI data volumes are forcing observability vendors to rethink pricing and storage as Tsuga wins fresh backing to keep telemetry in-house.
Anthropic launches Claude Tag for Slack workplace workflows
Businesses can now assign tasks in Slack threads to a shared Claude instance, with administrator controls designed to limit access and spending.
Explainer: How loop engineering is changing coding
By focusing on evidence and small reversible changes, loop engineering could curb costly AI coding mistakes before they reach production.
F5 & Equinix join forces on enterprise AI security
The tie-up gives enterprises a single policy layer to curb data leaks and compliance risks as AI workloads spread across clouds and models.
Cloudflare & beehiiv add AI crawl controls for publishers
Newsletter publishers can now see and block AI crawlers from inside beehiiv, as concerns grow over scraping and lost archive value.
Envoy AI Gateway reaches 1.0 for production AI use
Enterprises can now route AI traffic with open-source governance and observability as Envoy AI Gateway reaches version 1.0.
Luminance launches Luna Crescent contract AI model
Enterprises could review contracts faster and with fewer errors as the legal AI specialist says its new model beats general-purpose rivals by 5%.
Proofpoint joins OpenAI cyber programme for GPT-5.5
Security teams could get faster threat triage and richer alert context as Proofpoint folds GPT-5.5 into managed workflows, not customer access.
OpenAI adds usage analytics for ChatGPT Enterprise
Enterprise users can now see credit spend by person, product and model, helping finance teams spot adoption trends and control costs more tightly.
Marketplacer joins Snowflake programme for marketplace data
Retailers can tap seller and customer data without duplicating systems after Marketplacer expanded its integration with Snowflake's AI Data Cloud.
Dell launches PowerEdge XE8812 for AI supercomputing
Data centres and research labs could cram larger AI models and simulations in memory, with Dell's new rack scaling to 144 GPUs per rack.
Ant Group posts record USD $5.17 billion R&D spend
The record outlay underscores the group's push into AI, health and payments as emissions fell and carbon neutrality continued for a fifth year.