Discover how to harness the power of AI without losing the human touch. Hosted by Mike Montague, Founder of Avenue9, this podcast delivers actionable insights to help small and mid-sized businesses market like big brands. With expert interviews, relatable success stories, and practical tips, we show you how to amplify your marketing efforts with AI tools that enhance—not replace—human creativity and connection. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or curious about the future of AI, this is your go-to guide for building smarter, more authentic marketing strategies.
Want to be a guest? Send Mike Montague a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1738519089289300a62eab036
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Everybody is talking about generative AI. They're missing the bigger opportunity.
In a recent conversation with James Thornton, CEO of Daz 3D, we explored a side of artificial intelligence that most business leaders aren't paying enough attention to.
While much of the current AI discussion revolves around generating text, images, and videos, Thornton's work sits at the intersection of 3D content creation, gaming, digital avatars, AI training data, and virtual world building. His team helps create the digital assets that power everything from entertainment experiences to the next generation of AI systems.
The conversation revealed an important shift that SMB business owners and marketing leaders should understand.
Most companies are focused on creating content.
The companies shaping the future are creating digital assets.
That distinction may become one of the most important competitive advantages of the next decade.
As AI evolves beyond chatbots and content generation, businesses will need new ways to create consistent digital identities, train intelligent systems, and build experiences that span physical and virtual environments. The organizations that prepare now will be positioned to benefit from these changes rather than react to them later.
The future of AI extends far beyond text, images, and video. AI is increasingly being trained to understand 3D environments, movement, physics, and real-world interactions.
High-quality 3D training data is becoming a critical asset. The next generation of AI systems, robotics, and virtual experiences depends on realistic 3D models and simulations.
Digital identity is becoming just as important as physical identity. Younger generations increasingly engage with brands through avatars, gaming, virtual worlds, and digital experiences.
Digital twins and virtual assets can create long-term business value. Brands can build reusable digital assets that scale across marketing, training, entertainment, and future AI applications.
AI avatars and virtual influencers are creating new marketing opportunities. Leading brands are already exploring how digital personalities can connect with audiences in new and immersive ways.
Human creativity remains essential in an AI-powered world. AI can accelerate production and execution, but human insight, storytelling, and strategic direction drive meaningful results.
The "uncanny valley" is still a challenge for AI-generated humans. Audiences can often sense when digital characters feel almost human but not quite authentic, making human oversight critical.
3D content creation is becoming more accessible than ever. Tools that once required large studios and specialized teams are increasingly available to creators, marketers, and SMBs.
Virtual experiences will enhance, not replace, real-world interactions. The most successful applications of AI and immersive technology will create new experiences while preserving human connection.
Business leaders should combine AI efficiency with human expertise. The greatest opportunities come from using AI as an amplifier of human creativity, intuition, and experience rather than a replacement for them.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Shea Murtaugh, CEO of Hoffman Murtaugh and founder of LeapShift AI Collective, to explore how smart SMBs are scaling faster with AI without burning out their teams or losing their humanity. Shea shares how AI has transformed her agency’s productivity from a traditional 40-hour workload into what feels like 120 hours of output per week, including building an entirely new AI community brand, website, logo, and launch system in a single afternoon. Together, they unpack the leadership mindset shifts required to scale intelligently with AI, while keeping people focused on higher-value thinking, creativity, and strategy.
The conversation dives into practical AI workflows for marketers and business leaders, including building custom GPT agents that act like personal clones, creating conference content in real time, using Gamma and Claude to build pitch decks in under an hour, and designing agency “brains” powered by client context and personality profiles. Shea also explains how she builds AI agents to support leadership, content strategy, and business growth, giving listeners a practical roadmap for integrating AI into everyday operations without sounding robotic or creating chaos.
If your team is overwhelmed by AI hype, struggling to keep up with bigger competitors, or looking for smarter ways to scale marketing and operations, this episode delivers a grounded, human-first look at what’s actually working right now.
AI multiplies capability faster than most leaders expect Shea shared that AI allows her to generate what feels like 120 hours of output inside a normal 40–50 hour work week, fundamentally changing how entrepreneurs think about productivity and growth.
Small businesses can scale smarter without dramatically increasing headcount Instead of replacing employees, Shea focuses on using AI to help her existing team produce more value, think more strategically, and scale revenue without bloating labor costs.
AI should eliminate repetitive work so humans can focus on thinking workShea explained that the goal is not to automate people out of the process, but to free teams from manual tasks so they can spend more time solving problems, creating strategy, and leading clients.
Most businesses are producing more content than ever… and getting less response. Why? Because somewhere between automation and scale, they lost the one thing that actually converts; their voice. In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with Rachel Minion to unpack the real challenge of marketing in the age of AI: how to grow without sounding like everyone else. From the “AI slider” between human and machine to the rise of robotic outreach and creepy personalization, this conversation gets honest about what’s working, what’s not, and why authenticity is becoming your biggest competitive advantage.
You’ll learn how to use AI as an amplifier instead of a replacement, how to build marketing systems that still feel personal, and why trust; not volume; is the real growth lever for SMBs and midmarket teams. If your marketing feels like a vending machine instead of a conversation, this episode will help you reset your approach and start creating content, outreach, and experiences that people actually want to engage with.
Top Takeaways
Authenticity is a discipline, not a default: You have to actively train and refine AI outputs to match your voice; if it doesn’t sound like you, it doesn’t ship.
Bad automation is obvious and instantly ignored: Buyers can spot templated, scraped, or mass-personalized outreach immediately; it erodes trust faster than it creates leads.
Relevance beats scale every time: A simple, human “just checking in” message outperforms high-volume automation when it feels real and intentional.
You don’t need millions of leads; you need the right ones: High-volume outreach can work in theory, but it’s inefficient and unsustainable for most SMBs without massive resources.
Build the business you actually want to run: Scaling without intention leads to a job you don’t enjoy; clarity on who you serve and how you serve them changes everything.
Your positioning drives everything downstream: When your offer, audience, and messaging are aligned, your marketing, sales, and referrals start working together naturally.
Your last sale should help you get your next sale: Strong client experience and clear outcomes create momentum; referrals and repeat business become your growth engine.
Artificial intelligence is moving fast; faster than most business leaders realize. In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with AI researcher Dr. Craig Kaplan to explore what may be the next major shift in technology: the transition from AI as a simple tool to something closer to an intelligent entity. The conversation tackles the big questions people are asking right now: Will AI become smarter than humans? How quickly could that happen? And what does it mean for businesses navigating the AI revolution?
Along the way, Mike and Craig explore the real risks and opportunities of advanced AI, including the difference between the “Terminator scenario” and the “Iron Man scenario,” the race between governments and tech companies to build more powerful systems, and why many experts believe AI development is accelerating faster than expected. For SMB leaders, marketers, and curious innovators, this episode offers a chance to step back and see the bigger picture. You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of where AI is heading, what superintelligence could mean for society, and why the choices we make today will shape how humans and intelligent machines work together in the future.
Top Takeaways
AI has evolved through three major phases. It moved from rule-based symbolic systems to machine learning and now into the emerging era of autonomous AI agents.
We are shifting from tools to intelligent entities. Modern AI systems are beginning to act more like independent intelligences that can take actions and make decisions.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is the next milestone. AGI refers to AI capable of performing any cognitive task at the level of an average human.
Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) may follow quickly. Once AI reaches general intelligence, it could rapidly surpass humans across many fields.
Many experts believe the risk of catastrophe is non-zero. Poorly aligned superintelligence could pose serious risks if development continues without safeguards.
The biggest danger may come from the AI arms race. Nations and tech companies are competing to build more powerful systems, making it difficult to slow development.
In this episode, Raj Singh, VP of New Products at Mozilla, breaks down the “ownership economy”; a world where starting a business is getting simpler, faster, and cheaper because the builder toolkit keeps losing friction. You can spin up a real brand presence quickly, look professional early, and test ideas without burning months on dev or a big stack of services.
Raj also gets blunt about what actually wins once “anyone can build anything”: trust and distribution. He explains why the noise is exploding, why old growth tactics get less reliable, and why reputation and taste matter more than ever when AI output trends generic. For SMB owners, the takeaway is practical; pick one AI tool and start, map your day-to-day work, then ask AI to help you reclaim time and focus on what makes you distinctly you.
Top Takeaways
The “ownership economy” is accelerating; it is now genuinely easier to start a business fast, look professional early, and spend less doing it.
When anyone can build anything, trust and distribution become the real bottlenecks; product alone does not guarantee growth anymore.
The signal-to-noise problem is getting worse; SMBs win by building credibility and becoming a clear “signal” in a sea of generic output.
Paid acquisition and PR are less reliable in high-noise markets; brand and reputation do more heavy lifting than they used to.
AI output tends to average out into “generic”; your taste and judgment are the differentiators that keep your work from looking like everyone else’s.
“Less features” can be a strategy; simpler products are easier to understand, adopt, and market.
For non-technical SMB owners, the best first step is picking one AI tool and using it daily; tool sprawl kills momentum.
To build a moat, look for advantages big platforms cannot copy quickly; proprietary data, cross-platform needs, and workflow depth are strong candidates.
Multiplayer and sharing experiences can be defensible; teams and families create stickiness that basic “native” features often do poorly.
As AI gets more integrated into real workflows, trust and guardrails matter more; automation without safeguards can create expensive mistakes.
In this episode of The Human-First AI Marketing® Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Brett Farmiloe, CEO of Featured.com and Help a Reporter Out (HARO), to talk about the real PR opportunity most small and mid-market companies are missing in 2026. You’ll learn how getting featured in credible media outlets isn’t just great for brand awareness, but it’s also how you get cited in AI models, improve your SEO, and build the trust that drives high-value sales conversations.
From the rise of reactive PR to the surprising ways AI is reshaping journalism, this conversation breaks down how modern PR actually works, and how SMBs can use AI tools without sounding like them. You’ll hear actionable tips on pitching reporters, showing up with original insight, and why getting quoted by a human is the best way to be found by machines. If you want smarter exposure without selling your soul to algorithms, this episode is your blueprint.
PR is evolving & reactive PR is where SMBs should start. Instead of blasting press releases, look for in-progress stories where journalists are already asking for sources.
Small businesses can now use AI to scale media outreach. AI tools can match your expertise with relevant media opportunities and even help draft responses so you're not starting from scratch.
Generative AI can’t replace original thought. Journalists want human insight, not ChatGPT output; Brett’s platforms detect AI-generated content and surface real voices.
Your media mentions feed your future search and AI visibility. Getting quoted in trusted outlets increases your odds of being referenced in AI models and cited in search results.
Only pitch where you’re a perfect fit. Relevance, timeliness, and helpfulness matter more than hype; follow instructions, respond fast, and be genuinely useful.
AI doesn’t write your story, but it can help find the right audience. Let AI do the heavy lifting of filtering through thousands of journalist requests, so you can show up where it counts.
Using AI to Help Humans Cross Borders with Ryan Bradley and Grant Frazier
What happens when AI meets immigration, one of the most complex, emotional, and high-stakes journeys in someone’s life? In this episode, Mike Montague talks with Grant Frazier and Ryan Bradley, co-founders of Global Entry Hub, about how they’re using AI to make immigration support more accessible, trustworthy, and human. You’ll hear how they built a multilingual AI assistant that guides people through global immigration processes, and why accuracy, empathy, and trust had to come before speed or scale.
This conversation goes far beyond immigration. It’s a masterclass for marketers and business leaders in what not to do with AI, and how to build smarter systems that actually serve people. If you’ve struggled with AI content that feels robotic, tools that underdeliver, or marketing automation that breaks trust, you’ll get fresh insight here. From hallucinating chatbots to real-world data architecture, Grant and Ryan share lessons every SMB leader should hear before launching their next AI initiative.
Top Takeaways:
• AI should be scoped with precision rather than speed. Trying to build broad, general-purpose tools leads to confusion and a loss of trust, especially in high-stakes industries.
• Trust is earned through constraint, not creativity. Their AI assistant only answers what it knows with certainty, which is critical when people's futures are on the line.
• Accuracy is more important than automation. A wrong answer in immigration isn’t just a typo. It could cost someone time, money, or even legal status.
• Data infrastructure matters more than the UI. Behind their AI agent “Mira” is a web of scrapers, data lakes, APIs, and logic rules that make her reliable.
• Hallucinations aren’t just a tech issue, but a human one. Users must trust what they’re being told. Without that, your AI becomes a liability rather than an asset.
• Global audiences need local nuance. Many AI tools reflect a Western bias in training data; true global support requires cultural and linguistic adaptation.
In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing® podcast, Mike Montague talks with Bryan Harris, founder of Growth Tools, about the fine line between automation and authenticity. Together, they explore how AI is transforming client acquisition, coaching, small business marketing, and why human connection is still the most valuable asset in your business. If you've ever wondered when to use AI and when to pick up the phone, this one’s for you.
Bryan shares how Growth Tools uses AI to reduce repetitive work, sharpen offers, and help SMBs solve their biggest bottleneck: getting more clients. But he doesn’t hold back on where AI falls short; especially when it comes to building trust, delivering hard truths, and guiding real transformation. This isn’t about shiny tools or fear-based hype. It’s a grounded, practical conversation on scaling the right things, for the right people, in the right way.
Top Takeaways
AI is a great assistant, not a great coach. While AI can speed up repetitive tasks, it can’t replace the emotional depth and trust of a real human conversation.
People don’t follow prompts; they follow people they trust. Human connection is still the strongest influence in decision-making, especially in coaching and high-stakes buying.
Your offer is the sharpest growth tool you have. A compelling, clearly defined offer outperforms fancy funnels or tactics every time.
AI can make your systems smarter, but not your strategy. Tools like ChatGPT work best when guided by a clear framework; they don’t magically create one for you.
Client acquisition is the #1 problem for most SMBs. Whether you’re selling services or coaching, getting hired consistently is the biggest bottleneck to growth (but solvable with the right systems).
Borrowed audiences (BOPA) are a fast track to visibility. Partnering with people who already have your audience beats building everything from scratch. Then AI can help you scale outreach.The success of coaching depends on the relationship, not just advice.People change when they feel seen, supported, and challenged; even the best AI can’t replicate that bond.AI will 10x your efficiency if you're already good.Experts can use AI to move faster and smarter; beginners often get overwhelmed or create more noise than value.The DIY info-product market is collapsing.Generic, self-serve courses are losing traction; people now want guided support, personalized coaching, and community to get real results.Focus on solving the real problem (not just adding AI).Before asking “How can I use AI?” ask, “Where are we stuck?” Then apply the right tool to remove the bottleneck, not add complexity.
Bots do the busywork, but you do the brilliant work.
In this episode, AI futurist and author David Espindola joins Mike to explore how small and midmarket companies can redesign roles around AI so humans spend more time on creativity, trust, and real customer relationships. They unpack the real difference between human and machine intelligence, the risks of anthropomorphizing tools like voice agents, and the importance of a "human in the loop" throughout your marketing & sales workflows.
You will hear practical guidance on where SMBs should start, how to decide if your company is a maker, shaper, or taker with AI, and why context training beats copy pasting from generic chat tools. David and Mike talk through using AI to keep CRMs updated so sales can actually sell, building hyper personalized marketing that still sounds like your brand, and choosing use cases that match your data and business model. They close with a candid look at jobs, ethics, and abundance, in addition to their optimistic hopes for a future with AI.
Top Takeaways
Human and machine intelligence are complementary: Humans blend analytical thinking with emotion and judgment while AI stays purely analytical, so collaboration is the key, not dependence.
Do not confuse AI personas with real people: He warns that naming agents like his co-host Xena is fun, but we must remember not to confuse a convincing voice with a real relationship.
AI is an assistant, not an autopilot: AI should act as a powerful assistant with a human in the loop from start to finish, meaning people provide context, monitor what is happening, and review the final output before it reaches customers.
Context training beats generic prompts: Companies get better results when they give AI rich context about products, culture, and brand voice. AI can still have hallucinations.
Start with the right problems: He urges leaders to start with a clear problem list and prioritize use cases where AI is actually the best solution.
Pick your role: maker, shaper, or taker: David uses the makers, shapers, and takers framework to help firms decide whether they will build cutting edge AI, tailor existing tools, or simply adopt what large vendors ship.
AI Shopping & Parenting in the Age of AI with Mia Umanos
In this episode of The Human-First AI Marketing® Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Mia Umanos, CEO of Clickvoyant and host of the AI Kid You Not podcast, to explore what AI means for both modern shopping and modern parenting.
We cover everything from the surprising lack of optimization in e-commerce experiences, to how AI is rewiring our brains, and why that matters. You’ll hear practical insights for SMBs trying to compete in an AI-powered world, what frontier AI leaders already know (but aren't saying), and why the real danger isn't just using AI, but losing the ability to think. If you're navigating how to lead, learn, or parent in the age of algorithms, this conversation is for you.
AI is already changing how kids learn and how parents teach. Mia shared how her daughter used ChatGPT to create a study guide to improve failing grades, demonstrating the positive learning utility of AI today.
Most e-commerce brands aren’t optimizing for how people actually shop. Less than 1% of SMBs scientifically test or personalize their shopping experience, missing major ROI and customer insights.
We’re entering a new era of “AI agents” that will shop for us. From product discovery to one-click purchasing, AI will increasingly make decisions on behalf of consumers, and brands need to prepare for that shift.
The rise of AI literacy starts at home. Just like kids learned how to navigate the internet, Mia believes Gen Alpha needs to grow up understanding what an LLM is and who Sam Altman is—because AI is shaping their future.
AI doesn’t just provide unprecedented access to information, but to skills. With tools like code generators and AI tutors, younger generations will outsource not just memory, but capability; making human creativity and judgment more critical than ever.
Critical thinking, writing, and research are becoming rare (more valuable). We need to actively teach and protect these human skills, or risk losing them in a world where AI can do the “easy thinking” for us.
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Custom AI agents become powerful when they are trained on real human context She discussed building GPT agents modeled after personality profiles, communication styles, and leadership frameworks so the outputs feel aligned with real people instead of generic AI content.
The future belongs to businesses that build systems, not just prompts Shea emphasized creating AI-powered workflows and agency “brains” that store client context, messaging, positioning, and brand voice to make execution faster and more consistent.
Conference content can now become a real-time marketing engine Shea walked through her workflow for capturing keynote presentations, transcribing insights live, generating implementation plans, and publishing LinkedIn content before the speaker even leaves the stage.
AI tools are compressing work that used to take days into hours Using tools like Gamma, Claude, and custom GPT workflows, Shea described building professional presentations, strategy decks, and launch assets in a fraction of the traditional time.
Raw information is often more valuable than over-processed AI summaries Shea prefers working from transcripts and original conversations because nuance, emotional context, and strategic insight are often lost in simplified AI-generated summaries.
SMBs currently have an AI adoption advantage over large enterprises Smaller organizations can move faster because they are not trapped in layers of approvals, legal reviews, and enterprise bureaucracy around new AI tools.
AI leadership is becoming more important than AI tool knowledge One of the strongest themes in the episode was that leaders now need new ways to manage energy, thinking, workflows, and expectations because AI changes how work itself gets done.
Personalized marketing is moving toward hyper-contextual experiences Shea shared her vision of a future where advertising, content, and messaging adapt dynamically to individuals in real time based on context and behavior.
The businesses winning with AI are the ones staying human Throughout the conversation, Shea reinforced that the real opportunity is using AI to amplify expertise, relationships, and authenticity instead of creating robotic content at scale.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
Trying to serve everyone breaks your scalability: Broad targeting creates operational chaos; focus allows you to build repeatable systems and hire effectively.
The right clients make growth easier, not harder: When your offer fits your audience, retention increases, referrals grow, and marketing feels lighter instead of forced.
Authenticity creates a pattern interrupt in a noisy market: Even imperfect, human moments stand out more than polished, generic AI content; people respond to realness.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
Regulating AI will be harder than past technologies. Because AI is widely distributed, traditional regulation models may struggle to keep up.
Advanced AI will likely develop goals and values. The values embedded in these systems will shape how they interact with humanity.
The future could resemble the “Terminator” or “Iron Man” scenario. Outcomes depend on whether AI systems are aligned with human interests.
The choices we make now matter. Today’s research, safety standards, and design decisions will determine whether AI becomes humanity’s greatest tool or its greatest risk.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
Press isn't dead; it's just decentralized. Authority is now earned across podcasts, Substacks, newsletters, and traditional media. PR today means showing up across all of them.
Original human content will only get more valuable. As AI slop floods the internet, real, expert insights become a premium commodity for both journalists and machines.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
• Human support is still essential in emotional customer journeys. For something as personal as immigration, no AI can replace the empathy and assurance of a real person.
• Don’t market your AI before you prove it works. Early “AI-first” marketing fell flat until it was paired with human follow-up and refined positioning.
• Governments move slowly. Startups don’t have to. While governments may take 5–10 years to modernize, startups can fill urgent gaps now if they build responsibly.
• The biggest risk in tech is overpromising. Most AI failures in business come from trying to do too much, too fast, without clear constraints or user understanding.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
SMBs need education, champions, and guardrails: Many small and mid sized companies still lack basic AI understanding.
Hyper personalization is the marketing frontier: Expect a surge in hyper personalization where marketing offers adapt to individuals and micro segments, all powered by AI.
Let AI do the CRM chores so sales can sell: AI will take over sales chores like CRM data entry leaving reps to spend more time face to face with customers and building real trust & relationships.
Jobs will shift toward human strengths and ethics: AI will automate many algorithmic and digital tasks, drastically increasing the value of human creativity, empathy, and ethics.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
AI is rewiring our brains whether we like it or not. Just the presence of a smartphone lowers our cognitive performance, and the same effect may apply to AI tools if we’re not aware of how we use them.
Marketing channels are fracturing and SMBs need to unify the experience. With omnichannel platforms and fragmented attribution, marketers must rethink how they track, test, and guide buyers through the journey.
Most SMBs are still guessing, not testing. AI tools like Clickvoyant offer predictive analytics and shopper behavior insights, but too few brands are actually using them to make data-driven decisions.
The future of marketing belongs to the brands that co-create with AI—not the ones who fight it. Mia encourages leaders to see AI as a thought partner, not a threat, and to find ways to scale creativity without sacrificing control.
The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.
