Many companies know they should be investing in AI and data – but far fewer know how to run those projects well. In this episode, Kenny speaks with Mark Daniel Ward and Katie Sanders from The Data Mine at Purdue University about what business leaders need to understand before launching AI, LLM, or data-driven initiatives.

Drawing on years of hands-on work with companies like Cummins and Eli Lilly, Mark and Katie break down what it takes to run AI and LLM projects that deliver real business value. They explain how to scope initiatives so they move beyond experimentation, set realistic timelines, and avoid common execution pitfalls. The conversation also covers how to structure projects with clear ownership, checkpoints, and auditability, and how leaders can recognise when a data project is ready to scale – or when it’s time to stop.

For CEOs, COOs, and CFOs navigating their first or next AI project, this episode offers a grounded, execution-focused playbook for moving from experimentation to impact.

Learn more about the Data Mine here: https://datamine.purdue.edu/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Data Mine and Its Mission

04:09 Challenges in AI and Data for Large Enterprises

05:57 The Impact of Students in Organisations

10:12 Project Management and Business Outcomes

11:51 Diverse Projects and Applications of AI

16:18 Framework for Companies and Leaders to Start with AI

19:53 Debunking Myths About AI in Organizations

23:02 Advice for Executives on AI Projects

26:52 Final Quick Fire Questions

Find us on our socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

We’re entering a shift from AI that responds to AI that executes. In this Q&A episode, Kenny explains how AI agents differ from chat-based tools and why that difference matters for real businesses.

We explore the rise of AI agents, how they plan, act, pause, and resume tasks across real systems, and why visibility, guardrails, and human oversight matter more than hype. A grounded look at what’s possible today, what accelerates next year, and how leaders should think about AI that executes — safely.

Submit your questions at [email protected] to be featured in our weekly Q&As.

Chapters:

00:00 – The Rise of AI Agents

03:04 – Transformative Potential of AI in Business

05:39 – The Future of AI Work and Safety Concerns]

Find us on socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

AI agents are rapidly entering the enterprise — but with new power comes new risk. In this episode, Kenny sits down with Donato Capitella, a principal security consultant and ethical hacker with 14+ years of experience breaking into systems before the bad actors do. Together, they unpack the real security challenges behind AI agents and GenAI adoption.

Donato explains why prompt injection has become one of the most common attack vectors, how AI-powered workflows can unintentionally leak sensitive data, and why organisations should treat every LLM output as untrusted. Drawing on his experience reviewing 50+ enterprise GenAI implementations, he shares what teams consistently overlook and how leaders can design safer, more resilient AI systems before they hit production.

It’s a practical, grounded conversation for COOs, CTOs, and product leaders looking to strengthen security and deploy AI agents safely without slowing innovation.

Mentioned in the podcast:

The LLM Application Security Canvas: https://reversec.com/service/generative-ai-security/

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction to AI and Security

05:04 – Understanding Ethical Hacking and Generative AI

08:04 – Security Challenges in AI Implementation

10:08 – The Concept of Prompt Injection and Its Risks

16:03 – Guardrails for AI Implementation

24:00 – Biggest Opportunities in AI

31:33 – Advice for Leaders on AI Use Cases

Find us on socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

Many people use AI as a chatbot, and though it answers questions, it doesn’t actually do anything. In this episode, we unpack the type of AI that takes action and explain the real shift happening: from AI that responds to AI that executes. We break down how tool calls work, why context and permissions matter, and why 2026 will be the year action-taking agents go mainstream.

Submit your questions at [email protected] to be featured in our weekly Q&As.

Chapters

00:26 – The Difference Between Chatbots and AI Agents

01:40 – What Is A Tool Call

02:34 – How AI Can Successfully Take Action

03:56 – The Importance of Governance for Trusting AI

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🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

In this episode, Kenny sits down with Chris Allaire, Founder and CEO of Averity, to make sense of how AI is reshaping hiring and staffing — and where it’s still nowhere near ready.

Having spent nearly 30 years placing engineering and data teams, Chris has watched every wave of automation hit recruitment. His take? AI can speed things up, but it can’t replace the trust, intuition, or honesty that great hiring depends on. We explore how roles are evolving, what skills are becoming essential, and how leaders can introduce AI without losing the human connection that great hiring depends on.

If you’re leading teams across tech, operations, or talent, this conversation will help you navigate AI with more realism, more clarity, and a stronger sense of what should stay human.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction and Chris' Background

02:45 – The Evolution of Technology and Communication

05:29 – AI: Understanding Its Infancy and Misconceptions

08:03 – Human in the Loop: The Importance of Oversight

10:32 – The Role of AI in Recruitment and Organizational Change

13:08 – The Impact of AI on the Workforce and Job Roles

15:31 – Trust as the Currency in AI and Human Interaction

18:18 – Trends in AI Recruitment and Future Skills

22:57 – Psychology of Change: Adapting to AI in the Workplace

28:19 – Final Thoughts: The Human Element in AI and Business

Find us on socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

Many teams assume AI has to be driven by IT – but that’s no longer true. In this episode, we break down why the best AI outcomes now come from the people closest to the work. We explain how IT’s role is shifting to enablement and why 80% of adoption is really about people, process, and everyday workflows.

Submit your questions at [email protected] to be featured in our weekly Q&As.

Chapters

00:00 The Evolving Role of IT in AI Adoption

03:06 Empowerment of Non-Technical Teams in AI Implementation

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🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

In this episode, Kenny sits down with Kevin Appleby, Head of Partnerships of GrowCFO, to make sense of what AI actually means for modern finance teams. Kevin has spent years helping CFOs evolve from reporting engines into strategic operators, and he brings a grounded, refreshingly honest view of where AI fits into that shift.

We get into why finance still struggles with the same old problems – slow cycles, messy data, scattered tools – even as the technology around it accelerates. Kevin explains how leaders can navigate this moment without getting overwhelmed: by making better decisions about their data, demanding real value from vendors, and focusing on clarity over complexity.

The conversation also touches on the people side of change: how to support teams who fear losing their expertise, how to introduce AI without sparking panic, and why the most effective finance functions use technology to elevate their judgment, not replace it.

If you’re leading in finance, operations, or transformation, this episode will help you see AI not as a disruption to survive, but as a chance to redesign how your team works ≠ with more confidence, more insight, and fewer self-inflicted headaches.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction & Kevin’s Background

02:30 – What’s Really Changed in Finance

04:50 – Why CFOs Feel Overwhelmed by AI

06:10 – How to Choose the Right AI Tools

10:50 – Spotting “Real” vs. “Fake” AI

13:20 – Practical Examples of AI in Finance

17:15 – Plugins vs. Full Finance Transformation

22:20 – How AI Is Reshaping Finance Roles

30:40 – Leading Teams Through AI Change

32:50 – Quick Fire Round and Closing

Find us on socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

Too many companies try to roll out AI everywhere at once – and end up stuck. In this episode, we break down a practical way to start small, prove value fast, and choose the right first project. We explain why hero workflows – small teams, high-impact work — create the quickest and most visible wins, and how to spot them inside your organisation.

Submit your questions at [email protected] for a chance to be featured in our weekly Q&As.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI Implementation

01:12 Incremental AI Adoption Framework

03:12 Identifying Hero Workflows

04:24 Practical Use Cases for AI

Find us on socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

In this episode of The AI Opportunity, Erik Nakamura, CFO of Journal Technologies joins us to unpack how AI can genuinely improve the way finance works, without overwhelming the people who keep it running.

Drawing on years of building high-performing teams, Erik explains why the real opportunity isn’t in chasing every new tool, but in choosing where AI belongs – applying it to the repeatable, low-value workflows that drain time, distract attention, and slow strategic progress. When leaders manage AI intentionally, he argues, teams gain clarity, capacity, and calm.

Erik also shares how to redesign finance processes so they become reliable systems rather than recurring emergencies, why visibility and alignment matter more than automation alone, and how CFOs can guide their teams through AI adoption with transparency and purpose.

For leaders in finance, operations, and strategy, this episode offers a practical blueprint for using AI to build smarter, more scalable teams – not by adding more work, but by managing the work that don’t create value in the first place.

Chapters:

00:26 – Opening & Introductions

01:49 – The State of AI Today and How It’ll Evolve for Finance

08:48 – Turning Compliance From Events Into Reliable Processes

14:06 – Staff Fear, Adoption, and Human-AI Collaboration

17:47 – The Importance of Velocity: Move Fast, But Don’t Rush

20:25 – Aligning AI with Company Values & Strategy

26:21 – Why Some CFOs Resist Change — and How to Bring Them In

33:20 – Quick Fire Round and Closing

Find us on our socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]

In this Q&A episode, Kenny addresses where to start using AI in the workplace. The discussion emphasizes the importance of focusing on specific goals and identifying areas of friction within workflows. We advocate for starting with small, manageable AI solutions that can have a high impact, while also stressing the necessity of human oversight in the implementation process. This approach not only boosts morale but also helps teams build confidence in using AI effectively.

Submit your questions at [email protected] for a chance to be featured in our weekly Q&As.

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Where to Start with AI

03:21 Focusing on Small, High-Impact AI Solutions

05:15 The Importance of Human Oversight in AI Implementation

Find us on socials:

🔗 Follow Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalegbe/

🤖 Follow Brim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinbrim/

📩 For business or guest inquiries: [email protected]