In this episode of Leaders of AI, Julia McCoy and Dave Shapiro welcome Mark De Grasse, former President of DigitalMarketer turned Founder of AI Branding Academy. Dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence and discover how it's liberating creators from mundane tasks, redefining marketing strategies, and empowering businesses to innovate. From personal branding insights to the future of content creation, Mark shares actionable tips and thought-provoking ideas that will change how you approach AI.

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb

Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

Follow Guests/Hosts

Mark:

https://markdegrasse.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdegrasse/

Julia:

https://www.instagram.com/juliaemccoy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaemccoy/

Dave:

https://x.com/DaveShapi

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveshap/

Learn About First Movers

www.firstmovers.ai

In this riveting first 2025 episode of Leaders of AI, visionaries Julia McCoy and Dave Shapiro unpack the staggering developments in artificial intelligence, making bold predictions for 2025 and beyond. The conversation dives deep into how OpenAI's O3 breakthrough signals we've entered a new era of AI capabilities - one that's advancing far faster than even industry experts anticipated. They explore how 2025 will be the "Year of the Agent," with autonomous AI systems set to transform every industry, followed by mass robot deployment in 2026 and the dawn of superintelligence by 2027.

The hosts share personal insights about how AI is already revolutionizing creative work, with Julia revealing how she used AI to write a viral book in just one hour that outperformed her previous nine books. Dave discusses the profound implications of quantum computing breakthroughs, explaining how they could enable discoveries in materials science that seem like science fiction today. Most importantly, they stress that while these changes may seem overwhelming, the key is to start adapting now rather than waiting for future developments.

This episode serves as both a wake-up call and a practical guide for viewers, emphasizing that success in the AI age isn't about replacing human creativity but augmenting it with new tools. The hosts argue that those who embrace AI integration today will be best positioned to thrive in tomorrow's transformed landscape. This conversation captures a pivotal moment in human history, as we stand on the brink of changes that will reshape society more dramatically than any previous technological revolution.

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

In this incredibly deep-dive episode of Leaders of AI, we dive deep with Richard Blythman, founder of Naptha AI, on one of the hottest topics of 2025 – AI agents. Listen in for a mindblowing conversation on the future of AI agents and decentralized artificial intelligence. Richard reveals how his journey from fluid dynamics to AI led him to build what he calls "the Linux of multi-agent systems."

Key Highlights:

- Why decentralized AI is crucial for the future

- How Naptha AI plans to simulate thousands of AI agent internets

- The vision of running 1 million agents in a single system by Q1 2025

- Why current blockchain technology isn't ready for agent-to-agent communication

- The fascinating potential of agent clones and collective consciousness

- Practical first steps for businesses entering the AI agent era

Featured Insights:

- The problem of data scarcity and why simulating agent interactions could be the solution

- How agent-to-agent communication could revolutionize business operations

- Why coordination between AI systems is harder than achieving intelligence

- The future of human-AI interaction and communication

- Practical steps for businesses to prepare for the age of AI agents

💡 For Business Leaders: Learn why recording and organizing your company's knowledge base is crucial for the AI transformation ahead. Discover how AI agents could revolutionize everything from customer service to internal communications.

🔮 Future Predictions: Richard shares his bold prediction that we'll see systems with one billion agents interacting by 2025, potentially leading to a market where AI agents outnumber human users.

✨ About Richard Blythman: Founder of Naptha AI, building the infrastructure for decentralized multi-agent systems. Recently secured $6M in pre-seed funding to revolutionize how AI agents interact and operate.

🔗 Connect with Naptha AI: Website: naptha.ai

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb

Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

In this episode of Leaders of AI, hosts Julia McCoy and Dave Shapiro interview guest Jason Moore, author of "AI and the Church" and pioneering church technology leader, for an enlightening discussion on the intersection of artificial intelligence and spirituality.

They explore how faith communities can embrace AI while maintaining authenticity, debunk common fears about technology, and discuss practical applications for religious organizations with limited resources. Moore shares valuable insights from his experience helping hundreds of churches navigate the AI revolution, offering a balanced perspective that acknowledges both the opportunities and potential pitfalls. This conversation bridges the gap between traditional faith practices and cutting-edge technology, providing a framework for thoughtful AI adoption in spiritual contexts.

What's inside this episode:

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

In this episode of Leaders of AI, host Julia McCoy sits down with Jonathan Mast, founder of the 260,000-member Facebook group "AI Prompts for Entrepreneurs," for a deep dive into artificial general intelligence (AGI), automation, and society's adaptation to AI. They cut through the hype around AGI timelines, explore the real possibilities of AI automation in 2025, and discuss why being a "first mover" in AI adoption is critical for businesses. Jonathan shares practical insights on how small and medium businesses can leverage AI to compete with tech giants, why Google has struggled with AI innovation, and what healthy adaptation to AI could look like for society. This conversation offers a balanced, optimistic perspective on AI's future while remaining grounded in current realities and practical applications.

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb 

Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast 

In this mind-bending episode of Leaders of AI, marketing virtuoso Austin Armstrong (1M+ Meta followers) joins Julia McCoy and David Shapiro to explore the rapidly approaching reality of AI agents replacing human virtual workers. Armstrong predicts massive workforce disruption within just 2 years as agentic AI becomes capable of performing knowledge work at a fraction of the cost. The conversation dives deep into AI consciousness, sustainable technology adoption, and how businesses can prepare for the agent revolution. From philosophical discussions about machine consciousness to practical insights about integration, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse into both the immediate and long-term future of work and technology. Don't miss Armstrong's compelling insights on why AI agents could make the traditional virtual workforce obsolete by 2026.

Key topics covered:

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb 

Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast 

In this incredible episode, Julia, Dave, and special guest Charles Sears, ex-military ops, expert on human consciousness, and current AI consultant and entrepreneur, have a mind-blowing conversation that you can't afford to miss if you're at all interested in the current state of machine evolution and if we will be living in an iRobot situation very soon. Charles Sears is the author of The Architecture of Awareness: Decoding Consciousness, and is a leading authority on the topic of human consciousness and awareness. Inside this episode, we discuss if AGI is already here (Sears believes it is, and is rolling out slowly), how life will change due to AGI among the human population, if we can avoid a dystopia on our way to the new Post-Labor Economy, and more.

Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb 

Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast 

In this episode, Julia, Dave, and special guest YouTuber Dylan Curious cover the intersection of generative AI in call centers with a recent use case from Verizon, where they're building “personal research assistants” for employees on calls so they don't have to record or search around for particular data while on the line, where the AI assistant delivers necessary data to them as they handle the call. 

Pranay Bajpai, VP of digital and assisted experience systems at Verizon, says "it’s not about dollar value, but more about getting more productivity and improving staff performance as we deal with the undoubted multitude of customer calls."

Next, Julia, Dave and Dylan cover how AI models helped virologists identify over 160,000 new viruses in one of the largest discoveries of new viruses ever made, by a machine learning tool. They also cover AGI and the meaning of a life of purpose when automation removes all human workload. And finally, they talk about what it would be like to live in a day and age where dating AI apps or even AGI apps is mainstream.

In this episode, co-hosts of new show Leaders of AI, Julia McCoy and David Shapiro share the origin story in their own careers that ultimately led them to the new age of technology, aka, the AI age. Julia and Dave share a mutual optimism for the age of abundance humanity is about to enter, and their work in the field to help companies adapt, and set the stage for what's coming to the show.

Subscribe on YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast