Want our guide to master AI Agents? Get it here: https://clickhubspot.com/bka

Episode 76: What actually makes something a real "AI Agent"—and how close are we to AI handling complex work entirely on its own? Matt Wolfe (https://x.com/mreflow) is joined by Deepak Singh (https://x.com/mndoci), Vice President at AWS and leader of Amazon’s Agentic AI infrastructure teams. With over 17 years at Amazon and a PhD in theoretical chemistry, Deepak brings unparalleled insights into the development and future of AI agents, from early neural networks to today’s autonomous multi-agent systems.

In this episode, the conversation breaks down the hype vs. reality of AI agents. Deepak shares how AWS is pioneering true agentic AI—systems that use LLM-powered reasoning, autonomy, and reflection to tackle everything from Formula One race analytics to massive code migrations and breakthrough drug discovery. You’ll also learn how even small businesses can start leveraging agentic tools today, the rise of new agent standards like MCP and A2A, and why skills in articulating and breaking down problems are more valuable than ever for future-proofing your career.

Check out The Next Wave YouTube Channel if you want to see Matt and Nathan on screen: https://lnk.to/thenextwavepd

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Show Notes:

(00:00) AI Agents: Transforming Industries

(03:58) Generative AI's Everyday Impact

(06:39) Generative AI's Creative Potential

(12:30) Autonomy in Software Development Agents

(14:58) Agentic AI's Evolving Impact

(19:26) Iterative Agent Decision-Making

(21:53) Agent Core: Future of Agent Identity

(23:15) Lower Barriers, Autonomous Agents

(28:20) Ensuring Safe and Accurate Outputs

(31:42) MCP: Standardizing LLM Tool Access

(34:39) Real-World AI Applications for Business

(36:50) Efficient Call Response Systems

(42:31) Effective Problem Solving with LLMs

(43:48) AI Skills Over Programming Language

(47:30) AI Agents Revolutionizing Work

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Mentions:

Deepak Singh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsingh/

Amazon Web Services (AWS): https://aws.amazon.com/

Amazon Bedrock: https://aws.amazon.com/bedrock/

Kiro: https://kiro.dev/

Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/

Zapier: https://zapier.com/

Make.com: https://www.make.com/en

Get the guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/tnw

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Check Out Matt’s Stuff:

• Future Tools - https://futuretools.beehiiv.com/

• Blog - https://www.mattwolfe.com/

• YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@mreflow

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Check Out Nathan's Stuff:

Newsletter: https://news.lore.com/

Blog - https://lore.com/

The Next Wave is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Production by Darren Clarke // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano