Episodes

  • NB41: Cracking the AI Conundrum with Rex Briggs

    NB41: Cracking the AI Conundrum with Rex Briggs
    Sep 25 2024
    In this episode of the No Brainer podcast, hosts Geoff Livingston and Greg Verdino welcome Rex Briggs, chief ai officer at Claritas and AI subject matter expert for the MMA. They explore the limitations of AI, the importance of understanding its capabilities, and the risks associated with its implementation. The conversation delves into the role of algorithms, the significance of precision in AI applications, and the evolving landscape of marketing agencies in the age of AI. Rex shares insights from his book, 'The AI Conundrum', emphasizing the need for businesses to adapt and embrace AI while being mindful of its limitations and risks. The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of process and leadership in successfully integrating AI into marketing strategies. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Commercial Break 03:02 Exploring the Limitations and Risks of AI 07:50 Using Machine Learning and Gen AI for Segmentation and Personalization 17:38 Making Informed Decisions about AI: Precision and Open/Closed Systems 25:17 Differentiating AI Hype from Reality 25:51 The Future of Agencies and Marketing Departments in the Age of AI 34:57 The Importance of Process Documentation and Optimization 40:36 Leadership and Embracing Change in the AI Era Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • NB 40: AI Impacting the Digital Content Ecosystem with Stephanie Pereira

    NB 40: AI Impacting the Digital Content Ecosystem with Stephanie Pereira
    Sep 11 2024
    In this episode, Greg and Geoff are joined by Stephanie Pereira, the COO of Astral AI. They discuss the impact of AI on the digital content ecosystem and the challenges and opportunities it presents. The three discuss the exponential increase in content and how AI is making it easier to scale. Immediate impacts include the importance of maintaining quality and relevance in AI-generated content, understanding the role of AI in personalization, and the need to balance human touch and machine in content creation. The conversation explores the need for organizations to define workflows and roles when implementing AI technology. Stephanie, Greg and Geoff also touch on the significance of brand guidelines and the role of creativity and empathy in marketing. They also critique the overemphasis on prompt engineering and how it distracts businesses from embracing a more holistic understanding of AI's capabilities. Chapters 00:00 Start 03:30 AI is making it easier to scale content production, but it's important to maintain quality and relevance. 08:56 Building trust with AI-generated content is essential and striking the right balance between human and machine is crucial. 13:38 How social networks are adapting to AI generated content. 17.34 Brand guidelines are essential for maintaining consistency and coherence in marketing efforts. 23:52 Stephanie’s crystal ball future vision for AI and digital content. 27:51 AI in the Loop: Creativity and empathy are crucial for effective marketing, and AI can serve as a co-pilot to enhance these qualities. 33:08 Relying on prompt engineering as the future of AI is a mistake. Here’s why! Astral Website: https://tryastral.com/ Stephanie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniepereira/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • Big Tech Winners and Losers in the AI Hype Bubble

    Big Tech Winners and Losers in the AI Hype Bubble
    Aug 28 2024
    This fun end-of-summer podcast features Nick Unger, Managing Partner, AlterityAI in a follow-up conversation about the AI hype bubble and its potential impacts on enterprise adoption. Nick, Geoff, and Greg discuss some of the winners and losers of the generative AI bubble (28:52), but before they get there, they discuss what long-term impacts AI hype will have on businesses. Nick argues that while we may not be approaching artificial general intelligence, the power of generative AI is just beginning to be tapped and to market it Silicon Valley companies will keep promoting roadmap goals. The hosts and guest discuss the importance of education, data governance, and strategic implementation of AI within organizations. Finally, the conversation concludes with a conversation on winners and losers in the bubble era, including the challenges faced by traditional big tech companies adapting to the AI revolution, using examples like Cisco and Intel. Nick, Geoff, and Greg speculate on potential winners and losers in the AI landscape, discussing companies like Nvidia and Google and how established companies like SAP and Adobe might better navigate the AI landscape within their respective domain expertise. 00:00 Start 3:27 MIT Generative AI Course - What was it like? 4:44 Is the AI hype wave actually going to end? 8:39 How valuations are driving the hype cycle. 13:14 Using AI to lift humans. 16:00 When the seismic impact of generative AI technology normalizes 21:14 How do organizations pick the right use cases successfully? 23:49 There are no organizational AI experts 29:21 Brands that are winning and losing in the AI era, including Cisco, NVIDIA, Google, Intel, SAP and Adobe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • NB 38: Is There an AI Bubble? (With Info-Tech Marketing AI analyst Shashi Bellamkonda)

    NB 38: Is There an AI Bubble? (With Info-Tech Marketing AI analyst Shashi Bellamkonda)
    Aug 14 2024
    Is there an AI bubble and if so what does it mean to businesses? Geoff Livingston and Greg Verdino discuss the AI bubble with guest Shashi Bellamkonda, Principal Research Director, Marketing & AI Research and Advisory for Info-Tech Research Group. The three explore a hype wave or a bubble in the AI industry and the challenges faced by companies that have overinvested in generative AI. They also discuss the role of OpenAI and its missteps in managing consumer expectations. The conversation highlighted the importance of practical applications and the need for critical thinking when it comes to AI. The conversation explores the future of AI and its impact on various industries with an emphasis on driving revenue growth rather than just focusing on cost savings. Chapters 04:43 The AI Bubble: Hype Wave or Bubble? 12:10 The Missteps of OpenAI 21:07 The Importance of Critical Thinking in Evaluating AI 31:29 Consolidation and Shakeout in the AI Market Shashi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbellamkonda/ Shashi’s X Account: https://x.com/shashib Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • NB 37: ChatGPT is the Excel Spreadsheet for Generative AI

    NB 37: ChatGPT is the Excel Spreadsheet for Generative AI
    Jul 31 2024
    In this episode of No Brainer, Geoff is joined by successful serial entrepreneur Andre Yee, Founder and CEO of Tiga AI. They have a great conversation about the future of AI and its impact on sales and marketing. Andre brought his wisdom, offering insights like, “ChatGPT is the Excel spreadsheet of generative AI.” ChatGPT is a powerful tool, like Excel. But it takes more than a tool to realize true productivity gains. Real results require that companies invest in task- or process-specific AI solutions. In another key insight, Andre dropped a bomb, offering that “Generative AI has a deflationary effect on personalization.” His comments revolve around the cheapening of personalization around singular human behaviors. As a result, generated content hangs on singular life points that turn off customers more than engage them. Listen to the whole episode to get a thoughtful view of AI’s impact on sales and marketing. Chapters 00:00 Start 02:53 Generative AI as an impact event on sales and marketing 08:17 Evolution of sales development representative (SDR) role and AI’s impact on the position 14:43 Changes in marketing leadership and technology, including the CMO role 17:36 AI and machine learning in marketing and how it works with generative AI 24:50 Google's potential acquisition of HubSpot, and the challenges for incumbent big tech companies adapting to AI 29:57 Personalization is getting deflated, and it needs to become more relational About Andre Yee and Tiga.AI Andre Yee is the Founder of Tiga.AI, a company that actively prospects leads for companies by learning details about your target accounts and contacts at scale. He is also the founder and former CEO of Triblio, which he led to successful exit to International Data Group (IDG), a global B2B media and data company. Prior to founding Triblio, he was the SVP Product Development for Eloqua, responsible for product development and operations. At Eloqua, he was part of the executive team responsible for leading Eloqua to an IPO and a $957M acquisition by Oracle. Before his time at Eloqua, he was CEO of NFR Security, which he successfully led to growth and exit to Checkpoint Software. Connect with Andre: Visit www.tiga.ai for more information or to request a demo Connect with Andre Yee on LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • Episode 36: Separating AI Hype from Hope. An AI Knowhow Podcast Takeover

    Episode 36: Separating AI Hype from Hope. An AI Knowhow Podcast Takeover
    Jul 17 2024
    In this special episode, the AI Knowhow podcast team – Knownwell CEO David DeWolf, CMO Courtney Baker, CPO Mohan Rao, and CSO Peter Buer – take over the No Brainer podcast to dive into how to decipher AI hype and (perhaps) overambitious hope. Is AI poised to solve all of humanity’s problems? Or are we headed for a tech-driven catastrophe? This episode of AI Knowhow dives into the polarizing world of AI hysteria to separate the hype from the hope. Courtney, David, and Mohan break down where AI has been overhyped and where genuine hope lies. They discuss the foundational models in AI, the future of AI hardware, and the realistic applications of generative AI. David also shares insights on the potential of AI to transform enterprise operations, focusing on collaboration and knowledge management, while Mohan explores how AI can create hyper-personalized experiences for users. For the AI Knowhow interview segment, our very own Geoff Livingston joins Pete Buer to discuss the current state of AI in marketing and beyond. They highlight the integration of generative AI with machine learning and analytics, and how this blend could drive real enterprise value. All of that PLUS this episode kicks off with a segment called “Take a Lap, David,” revisiting one of David’s Hot Takes from a few months back. David predicted that the rise of Nvidia and AI in general would spell the beginning of the end of the dominance of the FAANG stocks. Specifically, David suggested that Amazon would be the company to falter because competitors like Microsoft and Google would make gains in their cloud and AI offerings. Venture capitalist Tomasz Tuzung recently covered what may be the beginning of this trend in a post titled When 1% Market Share Shifts Represent $5b of Market Cap. Knownwell is an AI startup that helps you reimagine your business in the AI Era. They are heavily focused on the professional services market. https://knownwell.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • NB35: The Human Touch in AI: A Conversation with Lisa Adams

    NB35: The Human Touch in AI: A Conversation with Lisa Adams
    Jul 1 2024
    In this conversation, Geoff Livingston interviews Lisa Adams, a CMO known for her expertise in AI. They discuss the importance of trust and authenticity in AI, the challenges of implementing AI responsibly, and the potential for AI to enhance human connection. Liza Adams and Geoff Livingston touch on the rise of PR, the importance of creating personalized and engaging experiences on websites, as well as the need to diversify marketing strategies beyond relying solely on search engines. Finally, they explore the role of brands in elevating the customer experience and building trust in AI, and how Apple may lead the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • NB34 - Get to know the CognitivePath AI Maturity Model

    NB34 - Get to know the CognitivePath AI Maturity Model
    Jun 19 2024
    On today's No Brainer, Greg and Geoff serve up a power-packed two-topic episode. In the first half, they dig into the AI Maturity Model they just released at their AI consultancy CognitivePath. Incorporating inputs from 100+ enterprise AI decision-makers, the maturity model lays out five stages and seven paths to take any organization from AI zero to AI hero. Greg and Geoff discuss why they feel the market needs a comprehensive maturity model and how business leaders can benefit from knowing where they stand. In the second part of the show, they guys switch gears and talk about Apple Intelligence. Smart move or too little too late? How might Apple's emphasis on the consumer experience and their keen understanding of the customer give them an advantage over other Big AI players? And wait, did Tim Cook just outsmart Sam Altman? (bwahahahaha). Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:26 Getting into the CognitivePath AI Maturity Model 07:18 Five Stages of AI Maturity 14:18 The Seven Paths to AI Maturity 20:07 Getting Into Apple Intelligence 26:01 Apple's Focus on Consumer Experience 36:15 Privacy and Simplicity in Apple Intelligence 40:32 Apple's Understanding of Consumer Wants and Needs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins