Practical AI

AI agents are moving from demos to real workplaces, but what actually happens when they run a company? In this episode, journalist Evan Ratliff, host of Shell Game, joins Chris to discuss his immersive journalism experiment building a real startup staffed almost entirely by AI agents. They explore how AI agents behave as coworkers, how humans react when interacting with them, and where ethical and workplace boundaries begin to break down.

Featuring:

• Evan Ratliff  – LinkedIn, X
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X

Links:

• Shell Game

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

As AI increasingly shapes geopolitics, elections, and civic life, its impact on democracy is becoming impossible to ignore. In this episode, Daniel and Chris are joined by security expert Bruce Schneier to explore how AI and technology are transforming democracy, governance, and citizenship. Drawing from his book Rewiring Democracy, they explore real examples of AI in elections, legislation, courts, and public AI models, the risks of concentrated power, and how these tools can both strengthen and strain democratic systems worldwide.

Featuring:

• Bruce Schneier – X
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Links: 

• Schneier on Security

Sponsors:

• Framer - The website builder that turns your dot com from a formality into a tool for growth. Check it out at framer.com/PRACTICALAI
• Zapier - The AI orchestration platform that puts AI to work across your company. Check it out at zapier.com/practical

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

As generative AI moves into production, traditional guardrails and input/output filters can prove too slow, too expensive, and/or too limited. In this episode, Alizishaan Khatri of Wrynx joins Daniel and Chris to explore a fundamentally different approach to AI safety and interpretability. They unpack the limits of today’s black-box defenses, the role of interpretability, and how model-native, runtime signals can enable safer AI systems. 

Featuring:

• Alizishaan Khatri – LinkedIn
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

In this start-of-year FC episode, Chris and Daniel break down what really mattered in AI in 2025, and what to expect in 2026. They explore the rise of AI agents, the practical reality of multimodal AI, and how reasoning models are reshaping workflows. The conversation dives into infrastructure and energy constraints, the continued value of predictive models, and why orchestration (not just better models) is becoming the defining skill for AI teams. The episode wraps with grounded 2026 predictions on where AI systems, tooling, and builders are headed next.

Featuring:

• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Sponsor:

• Framer - The enterprise-grade website builder that lets your team ship faster. Get 30% off at framer.com/practicalai

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

As AI reshapes the workplace, employees and leaders face questions about meaningful work, automation, and human impact. In this episode, Jason Beutler, CEO of RoboSource, shares how companies can rethink workflows, integrate AI in accessible ways, and empower employees without fear. The discussion covers leveraging AI to handle routine tasks (SOPs or "plays") and reimagining work for smarter, more human-centered outcomes.

Featuring:

• Jason Beutler – LinkedIn
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Sponsor:

• Framer – Design and publish without limits with Framer, the free all-in-one design platform. Unlimited projects, no tool switching, and professional sites—no Figma imports or HTML hassles required. Start creating for free at framer.com/design with code `PRACTICALAI` for a free month of Framer Pro.

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

Chris and Daniel talk with returning guest, Ramin Mohammadi, about how those seeking to get into AI Engineer/ Data Science jobs are expected to come in a mid level engineers (not entry level). They explore this growing gap along with what should (or could) be done in academia to focus on real world skills vs. theoretical knowledge. 

Featuring:

• Ramin Mohammadi – LinkedIn
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Sponsors:

• Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

Chris and Daniel unpack how AI-driven document processing has rapidly evolved well beyond traditional OCR with many technical advances that fly under the radar. They explore the progression from document structure models to language-vision models, all the way to the newest innovations like Deepseek-OCR. The discussion highlights the pros and cons of these various approaches focusing on practical implementation and usage.

Featuring:

• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Sponsors:

• Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai
• Fabi.ai - The all-in-one data analysis platform for modern teams. From ad hoc queries to advanced analytics, Fabi lets you explore data wherever it lives—spreadsheets, Postgres, Snowflake, Airtable and more. Built-in Python and AI assistance help you move fast, then publish interactive dashboards or automate insights delivered straight to Slack, email, spreadsheets or wherever you need to share it. Learn more and get started for free at fabi.ai
• Framer – Design and publish without limits with Framer, the free all-in-one design platform. Unlimited projects, no tool switching, and professional sites—no Figma imports or HTML hassles required. Start creating for free at framer.com/design with code `PRACTICALAI` for a free month of Framer Pro.

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

This episode is a special crossover between the Practical AI podcast and The Changelog podcast. Chris was recently invited by longtime friends Jerod Santo and Adam Stacoviak, cohosts of The Changelog, to join them on the show. They discuss AI, drones, robotics, swarming technology, and the rise of high-performance edge computing with Rust.  Chris points out that open source software, small AI models, and affordable hardware are making home automation and local AI accessible to everyone. From automating household functions to experimenting with drones and single-board computers, Chris describes how hands-on maker projects are shaping a bright future for physical AI, on small budgets and right from the comfort of your own home.

Featuring: 

• Jerod Santo – LinkedIn
• Adam Stacoviak – LinkedIn
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X

Sponsors: 

• Miro – Get the right things done faster with Miro's Innovation Workspace. AI Sidekicks, instant insights, and rapid prototyping—transform weeks of work into days. No more scattered docs or endless meetings. Help your teams get great done at Miro.com.
• Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

This week we have extended show notes below from Chris!

Swarming & Fully Autonomous Multi-Agent UxV Systems

Chris’s Definition of Swarming (anchor link in show notes)

Conceptual Foundations

• Swarm Robotics – Wikipedia
  High-level overview of swarm robotics as decentralized robot collectives.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_robotics
• Swarm Robotic Platforms – Wikipedia
  Survey of hardware platforms used in swarm robotics research.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_robotic_platforms
• Swarm Intelligence – Wikipedia
  Broader algorithms and theory behind collective intelligence (beyond robots).
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_intelligence
• Ant Robotics – Wikipedia
  Nature-inspired “ant-like” robotics as a special case of swarm robotics.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_robotics

Open Research & Multi-Robot Resources (Stepping-Stones Toward True Swarms)

• Programming Multiple Robots with ROS 2 (online book)
  Free book on multi-robot systems, ROS 2, and the Robot Middleware Framework (RMF).
  https://osrf.github.io/ros2multirobotbook
• Simulation with ROS 2 & Gazebo (ROS 2 Humble tutorial)
  Official tutorial on connecting ROS 2 to Gazebo simulation.
  https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Tutorials/Advanced/Simulators/Gazebo/Gazebo.html
• Spawning Multiple Robots in Gazebo with ROS 2
  Hands-on tutorial to launch N robots in Gazebo, each with its own namespace.
  https://www.theconstruct.ai/spawning-multiple-robots-in-gazebo-with-ros2
• ROS 2 Multi-Robot Simulation Best Practices (Discourse thread)
  Discussion of patterns for multi-robot systems (domains, namespaces, Nav2, etc.).
  https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/multi-robot-simulation-best-practices/38987

Getting Hands-On: Consumer Robotics, ROS 2 & Gazebo

ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2)

• Official ROS 2 Documentation – Humble (LTS)
  Main docs for ROS 2 Humble (recommended distro) with tutorials and APIs.
  https://docs.ros.org/en/humble
• ROS 2 Installation Guide (Humble)
  Step-by-step install on supported platforms.
  https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Installation.html
• “From Zero to Robotics Hero: A Beginner’s Guide to ROS 2” (article)
  Beginner-friendly overview with ideas for where to go next (MoveIt, Nav2, multi-robot, etc.).
  https://riyagoja.medium.com/from-zero-to-robotics-hero-a-beginners-guide-to-ros-2-90ac9c3b87ba
• ROS 2 Tutorial for Beginners (2025 guide)
  Up-to-date intro that walks you from install to simulating your first robot in 2025.
  https://www.timesofexplore.com/2025/10/ros2-tutorial-beginners-build-first-robot-2025.html

Gazebo Simulation

• Gazebo Sim – Official Site
  Modern Gazebo (Ignition) simulator; models, worlds, and docs.
  https://gazebosim.org
• Getting Started with Gazebo (Docs)
  Official “start here” guide for using Gazebo and Gazebo Fuel assets.
  https://gazebosim.org/docs/latest/getstarted
• Classic Gazebo Tutorials (still useful for fundamentals)
  https://classic.gazebosim.org/tutorials

micro-ROS (ROS 2 on Microcontrollers)

• micro-ROS – ROS 2 for Microcontrollers
  Official site for running ROS 2 on tiny embedded boards.
  https://micro.ros.org
• micro-ROS GitHub Organization
  Repositories, examples, and tutor...

Fireflies CEO, Krish Ramineni shares how the company is transforming AI-powered note-taking into a deeper layer of knowledge automation. He breaks down the technology behind real-time functionality like Live Assist, the user behavior patterns driving product evolution, and how Fireflies is innovating far beyond meetings. Krish also shares insights on future trends in AI and the potential for hardware integration, emphasizing the ongoing evolution of AI in knowledge work.

Featuring:

• Krish Ramineni – LinkedIn
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Links:

• Fireflies AI

Sponsors:

• Miro – Get the right things done faster with Miro's Innovation Workspace. AI Sidekicks, instant insights, and rapid prototyping—transform weeks of work into days. No more scattered docs or endless meetings. Help your teams get great done at Miro.com.
• Framer – Design and publish without limits with Framer, the free all-in-one design platform. Unlimited projects, no tool switching, and professional sites—no Figma imports or HTML hassles required. Start creating for free at framer.com/design with code `PRACTICALAI` for a free month of Framer Pro.

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!

Waymo’s VP of Research, Drago Anguelov, joins Practical AI to explore how advances in autonomy, vision models, and large-scale testing are shaping the future of driverless technology. The conversation dives into the dual challenges of building an onboard driver and testing that driver (via large scale simulation). Drago also gives us an update on what Waymo is doing to achieve intelligent, real-time performance while ensuring proven safety and reliability.

Featuring:

• Drago Anguelov – LinkedIn
• Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
• Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X

Links:

• Waymo Research
• New Insights for Scaling Laws in Autonomous Driving
• AI in Motion

Sponsors: 

• Outshift by Cisco - The open source collective building the Internet of Agents. Backed by Outshift by Cisco, AGNTCY gives developers the tools to build and deploy multi-agent software at scale. Identity, communication protocols, and modular workflows—all in one global collaboration layer. Start building at AGNTCY.org.
• Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai
• Fabi.ai - The all-in-one data analysis platform for modern teams. From ad hoc queries to advanced analytics, Fabi lets you explore data wherever it lives—spreadsheets, Postgres, Snowflake, Airtable and more. Built-in Python and AI assistance help you move fast, then publish interactive dashboards or automate insights delivered straight to Slack, email, spreadsheets or wherever you need to share it. Learn more and get started for free at fabi.ai

Upcoming Events: 

• Register for upcoming webinars here!