No Brainer - An AI Podcast for Business – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the No Brainer podcast, Geoff Livingston and Greg Verdino are joined by Kate Arnold, a senior AI and watsonx technical specialist at IBM and adjunct professor at Fairfield University and Columbia University. They discuss the current state of AI and its impact on consumers and businesses. They also explore the importance of strategic implementation, change management, and employee education in AI adoption. The conversation touches on the role of AI in various industries, such as healthcare and finance, and the potential for rapid innovation in these areas. And of course, you’re hear a bit about how IBM approaches enterprise AI with watsonx. Later in the episode, Kait, Greg and Geoff discuss the future of jobs and the need for organizations to prepare their workforce for an AI-powered future. And drawing on her teaching experience, Kait explains that it’s important for students (and hey, we’re all lifelong students, after all) to roll up their sleeves and experience AI firsthand to gain the confidence they’ll need to adapt to AI and stay relevant in the new world of work. Takeaways Consumer hype around AI is high due to a lack of knowledge, but as people become more familiar with AI and its applications, the hype is expected to die down. Businesses are using AI to transform their operations and incorporate it into various aspects of their business cycles. Successful AI implementation requires a strategic approach, change management, and employee education. The impact of AI is expected to be significant in industries such as healthcare and education, where there is room for rapid improvement. Organizations need to align their AI initiatives with their strategic goals and focus on areas where AI can have the most impact. Employee adoption and usage of AI tools are crucial for the success of AI implementation. The future of jobs will be influenced by AI, and organizations need to prepare their workforce for an AI-powered future. AI is already automating simple tasks and eliminating certain jobs, but it also opens the door for new job opportunities. Generative AI allows individuals to take on multiple roles and pursue their passions. Human interaction and soft skills are still essential. It's important for students and professionals to learn about and embrace AI to stay relevant in the future of work. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:10 The Consumer Hype and Business Adoption of AI 10:17 Strategic Implementation and Change Management in AI 14:28 Rapid Innovation in Healthcare and Education 17:03 Aligning AI Initiatives with Strategic Goals 20:55 The Importance of Employee Adoption and Usage 23:20 Preparing the Workforce for an AI-Powered Future 26:24 The Impact of AI on the Workforce 28:48 Embracing New Job Opportunities with Generative AI 30:40 The Importance of Human Interaction in HR 39:21 Preparing for the Future of Work: Learning and Embracing AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

In today’s episode, AI Marketers Guild (AIMG) founder and fractional CMO David Berkowitz joins Greg Verdino and Geoff Livingston for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of AI in marketing. The show kicks off with David’s summary of key findings from AIMG’s recent Q1 2024 marketing AI trends report. From there, they dive into the use cases for AI in various marketing functions and touch on the challenges and opportunities of implementing AI in marketing. The conversation ranges from personalization and creative optimization to the ways AI can level the playing field for small businesses and why agencies need new business models. The trio ponders the future of the CMO role, the coming AI-native workforce, and why senior marketers need to explore and experiment with AI to remain relevant in the face of fast-moving change. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Small Talk 03:27 AIMG Study on AI in Marketing 07:16 The Impact of AI on Agencies and Pricing 12:05 AI's Role in Finding Patterns and Insights 21:21 The Future of the CMO Role and the AI-Native Workforce 24:06 Advertising with AI 28:21 AI Tools for Small Businesses 32:30 Adapting to the Changing Marketing Landscape 36:24 The Power of Personalization with AI 39:09 Advice for Senior Marketers: Embrace AI and Experiment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knownwell CMO Courtney Baker joins Greg and Geoff to discuss the role of AI in marketing and professional services.  The three discuss the importance of leveraging AI to enhance professional services companies' capabilities and relationships. Courtney emphasizes the value of relationship data in professional services and how AI can help organizations gain actionable intelligence to proactively engage with clients and prevent churn.  The discussion also touches on the evolving business models of agencies in the age of AI, with Courtney, Geoff, and Greg agreeing that the traditional hourly billing model is outdated and that agencies must focus on delivering (and getting paid for) value to remain competitive.  Courtney, Greg, and Geoff explore the potential impact of AI on creativity, emphasizing the importance of human judgment and strategic decision-making in determining when and how to effectively use AI tools.  Ultimately, the episode highlights the significance of embracing AI as a thought partner and collaborative tool to enhance work and spark ideas, while still recognizing the unique value of human creativity and relationships in marketing and professional services.   Segments Include: 00:00 Start 03:50 The importance of humanity: What makes the human marketer valuable in the age of AI? 15:03 Data is gold, yet it is scarce. Why data is so important to all types of professional services firms, even their communications with clients. 18:55 How to change relational data into meaningful insights to reduce churn and strengthen operations. 22:33 Deciphering deep data to democratize analytics for all businesses. 26:02 Creative Agencies have to change to meet AI, but how does their business model and client relationships evolve? 36:31 Why Sam Altman is wrong about AI replacing agencies. 43:09 How AI helps us to level up creativity and our humanity.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special guest Eyelevel.ai CEO Neil Katz joins Geoff and Greg to discuss generative AI's hallucination problem. Large language models' (LLMs') propensity to hallucinate in their answers represents one of the biggest barriers to enterprise adoption. Eyelevel boasts a 95% accuracy on private instance responses by using its APIs and tools to prepare proprietary data for LLM consumption. The trio dives into the LLM marketplace, including discussions about why brands choose to implement a private instance, how the LLM market has evolved, and what causes the hallucination problem. Then, they discuss the enterprise data problem and how retrieval augmented generation (RAG) techniques still need additional help to strengthen LLM responses. Chapters include: 0:00 Start 4:40 Private instance versus licensing enterprise editions of LLMs 7:32 Eyelevel’s Air France implementation achieving 95% success rates 12:29: The need for enterprise data preparation 18:14 The hallucination problem with LLMs and RAG approaches 28:23 How governance can or cannot help enterprises 32:32 Why some use open source versus proprietary LLMs 39:12 The future of AI and an incredible vision Learn more about Eyelevel at https://www.eyelevel.ai/ or contact Neil Katz via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkatz/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of No Brainer, Geoff Livingston and Greg Verdino chat with Steven Freidkin, Founder and CEO of Ntiva. Ntiva offers a full range of IT managed services to growing businesses. It’s no surprise that they’re implementing AI internally and fielding plenty of calls from clients about everything from Microsoft Copilot to more sophisticated AI business use cases driven by proprietary data. In today’s conversation, we cover everything from why even 15 minutes of AI per day will put individual performers ahead of the pack to whether it’s worth paying attention to the hype around artificial general intelligence (AGI.) And we discuss it all through the lens of a tech pro who has rolled up his sleeves and done the work. Chapters 00:00 Start 02:50 Introducing Steven Freidkin, CEO, Ntiva 04:10 How Ntiva uses AI internally and with clients 10:10 AI hype vs real world action 13:20 Is AI-driven productivity a double-edged sword? 15:45 Why Steven challenges everyone on his team to use ChatGPT 15 minutes every day 17:00 What about businesses that aren’t adopting AI yet? 19:25 Dispelling the myth that AI is “easy” and “cheap” 23:00 Is Microsoft Copilot an AI gateway drug? 27:00 Is AI the product or just a feature? 33:00 The importance of AI guardrails 37:00 What does the AI sector need to do better to drive real business adoption? 43:45 Is AGI real, hype, or somewhere in between? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Greg and Geoff answer listener questions from Lisa Nirell, Phil Gerbyshak, last week's guest Paul Chaney, and TikTok commenters in an open-mic mailbag format. They discuss the challenges of educating organizations on AI integration, emphasizing the importance of alignment, change management, and training. They explore why people prefer fake AI-generated images of themselves and the potential impact on corporate recruiting. And they delve into the topic of AI marketing ethics and the need for marketers to prioritize ethical considerations in their work. The conversation covers the importance of making small improvements, the need for responsible AI, the bare minimum approach in marketing, connecting ethics with day-to-day work, the divide between marketers who get it and those who don't, the power of authenticity, the divide between brands who get social and those who don't, and the importance of providing value to customers. 00:00 Start 00:31 Introduction and Open Mic Mailbag 03:40 Educating Organizations on AI Integration 17:48 Fake Imagery with AI and Social Media 28:34 AI Marketing Ethics (Again!) 36:06 – Divide Between Marketers Who Get It and Those Who Don’t 53:58 -.Appreciation for the Audience and Final Word Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of No Brainer, we're joined by Paul Chaney. Paul is the editor of the AI Marketing Ethics digest -- a newsletter that explores the intersection between marketing and (you guessed it) ethical AI. Paul is a digital marketing veteran who was drawn to the subject of responsible and ethical AI when he saw how how few of the marketers who are racing to adopt generative AI tools are having serious conversations about key ethical issues like bias, fairness, human rights, and even environmental impact. He launched his newsletter to close this gap, and has been engaged the conversation ever since. Paul, Geoff, and Greg discuss the definition of AI ethics, why they matter for marketing, what it will take to get more marketers to take ethics seriously, and how brands can determine what's "right." Along the way, they explore how the choices we make today aren't so different from the choices marketers made (or didn't make) in the early days of the internet, email, and (especially) social media. And they land on a fundamental truth: AI ethics aren't about technology but humanity. Here's what to listen for in today's episode: 00:00 Introduction 01:30 What is AI ethics and why does it matter for marketing? 10:33 Are marketers thinking and doing enough about AI ethics? 14:36 What needs to happen to put responsible AI on the front burner? 25:49 Are generative AI companies inherently unethical? 31:00 Marketing history repeats: the internet, email, social media, and AI 38:05 How can marketers figure out what’s “right?” 46:00 The Ethical Implications of AI and Job Loss 52:15 The Future of AI Ethics in Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yahoo! Finance found that executives are only half as likely to mention AI on their earnings calls. Research from BCG found that enterprises aren't as enthusiastic as they used to be about generative AI. Even Sequoia Capital -- a major investor in AI startups --- has argued that the majority of AI tech companies are struggling to nail their value proposition. And all of this is happening as researchers find that OpenAI's ChatGPT plagiarizes its training data 70% of the time and Google's latest releases amount to a series of self-inflicted wounds. AI -- and generative AI in particular -- sure seems like it has teetered from the peak of hype and fallen into the trough of disillusionment. Greg and Geoff discuss why this might be the case. And why this is a good thing for any company serious about AI. What to Watch/Listen For: 00:00 Introduction 02:44 AI Hype is Dead 10:32 Challenges of Implementing AI 15:41 Generative AI and its Limitations 31:58 The Hype Around OpenAI 33:27 OpenAI's Success and Merit 34:54 The Importance of Basic Marketing 36:18 Salesforce's Focus on Trust 37:45 The Success of Companies like Nvidia and Amazon 40:00 AI as a Baked-in Technology 42:06 Diminished Hype and the Importance of Trust 43:03 The Potential Consolidation and Failures in the AI Space 48:16 Differentiation and the Need for Viable Products 53:54 The End of Hype and the Importance of Getting Serious As always, you can visit NoBrainerPodcast.com for complete show notes, including links to the articles referenced during this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's podcast, the conversation centers around Google's deprecation of third-party browser cookies, its impact on marketers, and whether AI might be part of the plan for moving digital marketing forward. Greg Verdino and Geoff Livingston discuss the importance of first-party data, the challenges of unifying data, the role of AI and machine learning in data cleaning and personalization, and -- of course -- the need for a strategic approach to data, marketing, and AI. What to Listen For 00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage 09:00 How Google's Deprecation of Third-Party Cookies Impacts Marketers 20:00 The Importance of First-Party Data and the Challenges of Unifying Data 33:30 The Role of AI and ML in a Post-Cookie Marketing Environment 42:00 AI Depends on Strategy and Strategy Depends on Data Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices