Talking AI

In this bonus episode of Talking AI, Omar Shanti, CTO of HatchWorks AI, breaks down how LangChain’s abstractions have both helped and hindered AI innovation.

He explains why these tools, while useful for quick starts, can sometimes make simple tasks harder as projects scale. The conversation highlights where LangChain shines and where it falls short.

Viewers will hear insights on why prompt engineering and tuning are more challenging than building agent tools. Omar shares how over-abstraction can cause issues when taking projects into production, leading many to rethink their toolkits.

If you’re working with LangChain or similar abstraction tools, this episode gives you practical advice on avoiding common pitfalls and understanding when these abstractions might not serve your needs.

Key Moments:

• Introduction to LangChain’s abstractions
• What is abstraction?
• LangChain’s pros and cons
• Challenges with LangChain in production
• Observability and orchestration
• How much orchestration do you need?
• Final thoughts on using LangChain

Key links:

• HatchWorks AI
• Connect with Omar on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

Is AI-generated content really good enough to compete in the highly competitive world of search engine optimization? This was a question that Tim Hanson had early on in his AI journey, as many of us were experimenting with ChatGPT and other tools with varying results.

His solution? Penfriend.ai – a tool that generates articles based on proven content strategies without the need for traditional prompting. As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Tim joins the Talking AI podcast to delve into the world of AI-powered content and how Penfriend avoids the dreaded “AI wrapper” label.

We hear Tim’s journey of developing Penfriend, inspired by his background in SEO and experience constantly adapting to Google’s algorithm tweaks. He tells host Matt Paige about the top mistakes he’s seen marketers make when using AI, and how his solution is built to mimic the multiple complex decisions a human makes before writing an SEO article.

Tim's approach demonstrates that successful AI integration goes far beyond simple prompts, involving complex workflows, proprietary data, and a nuanced understanding of the target audience.

Key moments:

• Creating value with an AI solution
• The importance of effective prompting and not overloading AI with too many tasks
• Comparison of human decision-making in blog creation vs. using a single AI prompt
• Penfriend’s approach to using different AI models for specific tasks
• The non-linear process of keyword research and title selection in Penfriend
• How Penfriend uses different prompts for various blog sections
• Discussion on how AI is affecting SEO practices
• The biggest challenges and lessons learned when creating Penfriend
• What Tim’s most excited about in the future of AI content creation

Key links: 

• Penfriend
• Connect with Tim on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

Gen AI promises to completely transform our world, from how we work to how we live. But do the core first principles in product management and strategy change with this new technology?

Join Matt as he digs into this question with Uday Kumar, Principal - Data and AI Product Management at Metashore. Uday shares his insights on maintaining core principles in product management while leveraging the new tools and technologies offered by generative AI. He emphasizes that while the fundamentals of understanding customer needs and solving problems remain unchanged, generative AI presents a new and compelling toolset.

They also discuss the potential of generative AI to revolutionize sectors like healthcare, fintech, and education by making complex technological solutions more user-centric and effective and highlight the importance of 'falling in love with the problem'—spending significant time understanding the issue before looking at the tools available to solve it. The conversation also explores how organizations can start integrating generative AI into their operations.

Key moments:

• Gen AI and product strategy
• Fundamentals of project management in the age of AI
• Challenges and opportunities with gen AI
• Implementing gen AI in organizations
• Data considerations and security in AI
• Strategic implications of gen AI
• The future of AI Agents and project management
• How to get in touch with Uday

Key links: 

• Metashore
• Connect with Uday on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

What if the future of work is not just about humans collaborating with machines, but about creating entire organizations that operate through AI agents?

In this episode of the Talking AI podcast, host Matt Paige unpacks this concept with Alan Wunsche, Managing Partner at Agentware AI and an expert in organizational change and emerging technologies. Together, they discuss the rise of "agentic organizations," where AI agents are not merely tools but integral members of the workforce, executing tasks autonomously and enhancing productivity.

Alan draws parallels between the current AI revolution and historical technological advancements, such as the printing press. He explains how organizations are beginning to give AI agents more agency, allowing them to take on responsibilities and make decisions that were once the domain of human workers. They also discuss the challenges organizations face in implementing AI agents, the critical role of HR leaders in managing the transition, and lots more.

Key moments:

• A look at ‘agentic organizations’
• Comparison of AI’s impact to historical technological revolutions
• A look at the transition of AI from assistant roles to autonomous agents
• The critical role of HR leaders in managing organizational change related to AI
• Insights into the challenges organizations face adapting to the advancements
• What the potential displacement of knowledge workers due to AI advancements could look like
• How to equip employees with new skills to thrive
• The evolving relationship between humans and AI agents
• Where people can connect with Alan

Key links: 

• Alan's Book
• Connect with Alan on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

Welcome back to the first episode of season 3 of the Talking AI podcast, formerly known as the Built Right podcast!

We’re kicking off with Amir Behbehani, Founder and Chief AI Engineer at Memra, a platform that helps build, deploy, and automate workflow through AI. He and host Matt Paige look at some of the hurdles AI needs to overcome to fully integrate into enterprise, such as lack of proprietary data access and memory. Amir delves into the science behind these challenges and potential solutions. He introduces the concept of ‘agentic AI’ and the emergent AI stack, made up of five layers, aimed at enhancing AI functionality through memory management, data orchestration, and agentic reasoning.

They also discuss the role of vector and graph databases, the importance of memory and context, and exploring future use cases in a marketplace with agentic AI. Amir also speculates on the transformative potential of AI in the future labor market - hinting at more entrepreneurial endeavors as individuals leverage AI for improved productivity and automation.

Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for more insightful discussions on the latest in AI technology! Follow us on social media for updates and exclusive content. Your feedback matters—leave us a review and let us know what topics you'd like to hear about next!

Key moments:

• Introduction to Amir and Memra
• Challenges with current LLMs
• Emergent AI stack overview
• Layer-by-layer breakdown of the AI stack
• Agentic AI and memory management
• Future of work with agentic AI
• The future of Memra

Key links: 

• Memra
• Connect with Amir on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

Welcome to the Talking AI podcast, where we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence with host Matt Paige. Formerly known as the Built Right podcast, Talking AI brings you insightful conversations with AI experts, founders of AI products, and industry leaders who are leveraging AI in their businesses. Whether you're an AI expert or a beginner, our episodes will help you understand how AI technology works and how early adopters are deriving value from it. New episodes drop starting August 6th.

Key links:

• Talking AI

Like many other tech fields, software development is being impacted by the mass uptake of artificial intelligence. But how exactly has the role of a software developer changed, and what will that role look like in the future?

In this special edition of the Built Right podcast, our CEO, Brandon Powell, sits down with J Schwan, the new Executive Chairman of HatchWorks, to explore the impact of generative AI on software development. With over 25 years in the digital consultancy space, J is an angel investor and Founder of The Second Mountain, a coaching and early-stage investment fund for technology services underdogs.

He joins the podcast to share his perspectives on the democratization of AI tools, how AI is changing development processes, and the evolving role of a software engineer. In J’s mind, AI isn’t here to replace software developers and they will still need to know the basics of building applications, but AI could hand them the tools for more impactful work.

We also talk about the wider impacts on business models, the role of agents, the potential for more bespoke AI applications, and practical advice for CIOs navigating the current AI hype.

Join us on this episode of the Built Right Podcast as we dive deep into the world of Generative AI and its transformative impact on software development and business. Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve and never miss an insight from the leading minds in tech. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review and share it with your network! Let's build the future together!

Key moments:

• An engineer’s perspective on the disruptive power of generative AI
• How generative AI became democratized with chat interfaces
• How the hype around AI mirrors transformative technologies of the past
• Why we’re still in the early days of AI’s full potential
• How AI will change the role of software engineers
• The role of agents in software development
• The impact of AI on business models
• Advice for aspiring software engineers
• Navigating the AI hype cycle

Key links: 

• Connect with J on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Talking AI - Conversations with AI experts and early adopters

Welcome to the Talking AI podcast, where we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence with host Matt Paige. Formerly known as the Built Right podcast, Talking AI brings you insightful conversations with AI experts, founders of AI products, and industry leaders who are leveraging AI in their businesses. Whether you're an AI expert or a beginner, our episodes will help you understand how AI technology works and how early adopters are deriving value from it. New episodes drop starting August 6th.

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

While the era of generative AI has got some people worried, especially in the creative spaces, others are seeing new opportunities arise from it.

Meg Ball, Graphic Designer at MTB Creative, has embraced generative AI tools and now uses them as a key part of her design process. In this episode of Built Right, we hear how she first became interested in gen AI and began to use Midjourney after learning about it via Discord communities.

Meg shares her thoughts on the art of prompting and experimenting with different features on Midjourney, plus how AI has changed her creative process entirely. She takes us through her process with an in-depth demonstration of creating new material in Midjourney (which you can see on YouTube).

Explore the future of creativity with us! Dive into this fascinating episode as we discuss how AI tools like Midjourney are reshaping the art and design world. Don’t forget to subscribe, share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us for more insightful episodes on innovation and technology!

Key moments:

• How Meg first became aware of generative AI
• Why Meg wishes she had got into AI sooner
• AI’s impact on creativity
• How generative AI has changed Meg’s creative process
• Where AI fits into the final product and why you can’t 100% take away the human element
• How different industries are reacting to AI
• Meg’s approach to progressing with AI tools
• Why technique is the number one thing Meg starts with
• A demonstration with Midjourney
• Why it’s not too late to jump on AI

Key links: 

• Connect with Meg on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Talking AI - Conversations with AI experts and early adopters

Welcome to the Talking AI podcast, where we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence with host Matt Paige. Formerly known as the Built Right podcast, Talking AI brings you insightful conversations with AI experts, founders of AI products, and industry leaders who are leveraging AI in their businesses. Whether you're an AI expert or a beginner, our episodes will help you understand how AI technology works and how early adopters are deriving value from it. New episodes drop starting August 6th.

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

How has the world of conversational design and conversational interfaces changed with the recent surge of Gen AI?

Taking a deep dive into this topic is Amber Prause, Digital Product Owner at Gordon Food Service, North America's largest privately held food distributor. She joins this episode of Built Right to talk about the evolution of conversational interfaces, the shift from deterministic design to non-deterministic models, and the importance of understanding user personas in designing chatbots.

Amber shares insights on training NLUs, the role of prompt engineering, and the challenges of leveraging AI in business workflows. We explore real-life examples of AI mishaps and the future of conversation design in the age of gen AI.

Listen to our podcast for insights from leading figures in this evolving field. Subscribe, share your favorite clips, and join the conversation today!

Key moments: 

• Introducing Amber and Gordon Food Service
• Amber provides insight into what conversational design is
• What part does UX play in conversational design?
• The potential risks of utilizing gen AI for large companies
• Examples of gen AI being used to do compelling and interesting things
• Big shifts in conversation design
• What AI solutions Amber is using right now
• The tool Amber is most excited about

Key links: 

• Gordon Food Service
• Connect with Amber on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Talking AI - Conversations with AI experts and early adopters

Welcome to the Talking AI podcast, where we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence with host Matt Paige. Formerly known as the Built Right podcast, Talking AI brings you insightful conversations with AI experts, founders of AI products, and industry leaders who are leveraging AI in their businesses. Whether you're an AI expert or a beginner, our episodes will help you understand how AI technology works and how early adopters are deriving value from it. New episodes drop starting August 6th.

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

Generative AI has set workplaces around the world on a path toward reshaping business models, team structures, and how they look for tech solutions. And it shows no sign of slowing down!

In this episode of the podcast, we hear about a new AI platform that offers a unique solution to modern workplace challenges.

Katherine von Jan, aka KVJ, is the Co-Founder of Tough Day, an AI platform that helps workers with everyday challenges. She joins the Built Right podcast to share her brilliant strategy for taking a unique idea and bringing it to market. We hear about how she first came up with the idea and put it through rigorous testing and research methodologies to test viability.

Katherine also shares her take on AI in the future of workplaces, the human connection in AI, and why Tough Day has been building AI archetypes to better understand different customer use cases.

Discover how KVJ's vision is reshaping the workplace with AI, offering a beacon of support and clarity for workers navigating today's challenges. Listen to our podcast for insights from leading figures in this evolving field. Subscribe, share your favorite clips, and join the conversation today!

Key moments: 

• Why Katherine built Tough Day
• The challenges of being an employee or manager in today’s world
• Where Tough Day can help employees who don’t have anyone to turn to for advice
• Katherine explains her early strategy that got Tough Day from an idea to a working solution
• Why an AI-first mindset is needed today
• How Katherine and her team put Tough Day to the test
• Working with LLM’s that may change in time
• Why Tough Day is building AI archetypes to understand use cases
• Where generative AI is headed in the future

Key links: 

• Tough Day
• Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

AI Opportunity Finder

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there?

Talking AI - Conversations with AI experts and early adopters

Welcome to the Talking AI podcast, where we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence with host Matt Paige. Formerly known as the Built Right podcast, Talking AI brings you insightful conversations with AI experts, founders of AI products, and industry leaders who are leveraging AI in their businesses. Whether you're an AI expert or a beginner, our episodes will help you understand how AI technology works and how early adopters are deriving value from it. New episodes drop starting August 6th.