Transform NOW

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI.

News stories covered in this episode:

• Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says AI industry needs to give safety measures time to catch up https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-ai-dario-amodei-d59552edcb27892d8ee4d98a48397706

• The AI founders who walked away from Bezos-backed Prometheus to model the universe - https://www.reuters.com/business/ai-founders-who-walked-away-bezos-backed-prometheus-model-universe-2026-08-25/

• Error by AI scribe during medical appointment leaves patient devastated - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/ai-medical-scribe-error-leaves-patient-devastated/107031672

• Why Financial Institutions Are Building AI Control Layers Before AI Agents - https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/why-financial-institutions-are-building-ai-control-layers-before-ai-agents/

• AI will only revolutionize drug discovery and development if we play to its strengths https://www.biospace.com/drug-development/opinion-ai-will-only-revolutionize-drug-discovery-and-development-if-we-play-to-its-strengths

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In this episode, host Michael Marchuk sits down with Melanie Nabar, Principal at Volition Capital, a growth equity firm known for backing capital-efficient, founder-led software and internet businesses. With a decade of experience investing in growth-stage technology companies, Melanie offers a rare double perspective: how AI is transforming the portfolio companies being invested in, and how it's transforming the investment firms themselves.

From AI agents running sourcing and diligence workflows inside Volition, to a candid assessment of today's AI valuation bubble, to what actually makes a company "AI-native" versus "last gen," this conversation goes deep on the practical realities of growth investing in the AI era, including the risks that don't make headlines.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction & Melanie's background in growth equity

02:45 — AI inside PE/VC firms: agents, sandbox laptops, and scheduled tasks

05:15 — Why contrarian thinking still beats AI's "regression to the mean"

06:30 — Using AI as a sparring partner in investment diligence

08:15 — The AI valuation bubble: 50x revenue multiples and their consequences

10:30 — Growth equity vs. venture capital: why concentrated portfolios change the game

11:30 — Diligence on hyper-growth AI companies: churn, usage data, and product-market fit

16:35 — Regulated industries vs. SMB: how sector changes risk tolerance

18:40 — Retention benchmarks: consumer vs. enterprise standards

19:55 — What makes an AI-native investment firm (hint: it's culture)

21:40 — Managing AI budgets, token usage, and model selection

24:40 — Platform risk: will foundation models eat vertical software?

27:10 — Data moats, stickiness, and the switching-cost flywheel

29:20 — Vendor lock-in, open source models, and orchestration layers

31:00 — Leadership in the AI era: change management as the core skill

33:40 — How to spot AI-forward companies (and where the market really is)

35:00 — Wrap-up and key takeaways

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In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. News stories covered in this episode:.GPT-6 Astra might be too powerful to understand or controlhttps://www.transformernews.ai/p/openai-gpt-6-astra-might-be-too-powerful-to-understand-or-control .‘Mistrust’ of Palantir may affect NHS research, says health minister https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/07/mistrust-of-ai-palantir-may-affect-nhs-research .AI Agents Push Humans Out of the Loophttps://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.23642https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.23642.OpenAI confirms ‘wiki incident,’ says it’s ‘working on a framework’ for more disclosure - https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/05/openai-confirms-wiki-incident-says-its-working-on-a-framework-for-more-disclosure/ .Dyson Debuts $499 AI-Powered Toothbrush With a Built-In Camera - https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/dyson-debuts-499-ai-powered-093003488.html .Visit us on our socials:🦾 Get started with SS&C Blue Prism: https://okt.to/JcMLdU🧑‍💻LinkedIn: https://okt.to/k8zIdp✖️Twitter: https://okt.to/fHyd9G🙋‍♀️Facebook: https://okt.to/Vyjfiz📸Instagram: https://okt.to/5nYvIf💭Blog: https://okt.to/QuGqVP🤩Case studies: https://okt.to/ft1AMX.To ensure that you never miss an episode of Transform NOW, be sure to subscribe!

In this episode of the Transform Now podcast, host Michael Marchuk sits down with Russell Halper, CEO of InsideKitchen and a 20-year veteran in enterprise transformation. Russell specializes in "adoption architecture", the missing layer between deploying AI and actually getting business value out of it.

Here’s what we cover:

🔹 Why building an AI model is the starting gate, not the finish line.

🔹 How to redesign workflows for AI, instead of just bolting it onto broken processes.

🔹 Balancing human accountability with the rise of agentic AI.

🔹 Why domain expertise is critical for complex operations like supply chain.

🔹 How leaders can cut through the "agent washing" hype and build a "no-regret" AI roadmap for 2026 and beyond.

2:38 - Why 42% of enterprises abandon AI initiatives

5:44 - The operator mindset vs. traditional consulting

8:35 - Change management & the human element of AI

13:30 - Redefining human accountability with agentic AI

17:00 - Redesigning workflows for AI vs. bolting it on

24:30 - Engaging detractors and managing resistance

26:30 - Why 95% of GenAI pilots fail to scale

31:20 - The importance of domain expertise in supply chain AI

38:50 - Cutting through the "agent washing" hype

44:10 - Advice for CEOs: Building a "no-regret" AI roadmap

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In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI.

News stories covered in this episode:

• OpenAI Says AGI Is Coming By Year-End. It Also Just Had The Worst Safety Crisis In Its History. https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/chatgpt/articles/openai-says-agi-coming-end-063745266.html

• Goldman Sachs partner warns of ‘huge danger’ in letting AI replace bankers’ reasoning skills https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/24/goldman-sachs-ai-partner-danger-skills.html

• Microsoft and LinkedIn just analyzed the future of work and AI. It all points to one key skill set https://www.fastcompany.com/91583725/microsoft-linkedin-future-work-ai-human-connection

• AI is making a mess of how humans interact at work https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/20/gatekeeping-bots-piles-of-slop-welcome-to-the-age-of-ai-weirdness-at-work.html

• Europe's AI Act gets real - https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/eu-ai-act-gets-real

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In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Federico Berruti, a McKinsey partner and co-leader of their Canadian banking practice, who returns to Transform NOW to explain his concept of AI agents as "corporate citizens" and why agentic AI's real breakthrough is "decision design," redefining which decisions AI should own versus which those that should remain with humans.

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Here's what we discussed with Federico:

* Task automation vs. decision design

* The "tale of two banks" operating model gap

* Guardrails and autonomy trade-offs* Middle management change management and resistance

* Model risk management vs. agentic governance

* Decision rights, escalation, and auditability* Emergent systemic risk from decision patterns at scale

* Reflections on how agentic AI has evolved in 2026.V

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In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. News stories covered in this episode:.The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical. https://www.gatesnotes.com/work/make-ai-work-for-everyone/reader/a-turbulent-ai-era-and-critical-choices-to-make?WT.mc_id=20260826_ai-overture-2026-med-med.Anthropic’s best AI model struggles to attract users as cheaper tools thrive https://www.ft.com/content/5ee49718-c258-4f01-aa32-7e5b76ae5245?syn-25a6b1a6=1 .The AI-related reason every billionaire suddenly wants to own a sports team https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/24/business/sports-team-buying-spree .New Zealand to introduce bill for under-16s social media ban https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj068q7qj19o .The technology that could bring robot mowers to one in two American lawns https://www.therobotreport.com/technology-could-bring-robot-mowers-one-half-american-lawns/ .Visit us on our socials:🦾 Get started with SS&C Blue Prism: https://okt.to/JcMLdU🧑‍💻LinkedIn: https://okt.to/k8zIdp✖️Twitter: https://okt.to/fHyd9G🙋‍♀️Facebook: https://okt.to/Vyjfiz📸Instagram: https://okt.to/5nYvIf💭Blog: https://okt.to/QuGqVP🤩Case studies: https://okt.to/ft1AMX.To ensure that you never miss an episode of Transform NOW, be sure to subscribe!

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk sits down with returning guest Ashley Gross, a leader in AI and enterprise transformation, to discuss why organizations struggle to see real ROI from their AI investments. Ashley argues that the true value of AI isn’t unlocked at the tool level, but at the workflow level. Too often, companies fall into "workflow paralysis" by purchasing software hoping for a quick fix, without actually designing or interrogating the processes behind them. Without intentional behavior change and workflow optimization, Ashley warns that AI simply becomes another expensive addition to an already bloated tech stack.

To move beyond experimentation, Ashley shares her practical methodology for uncovering and redesigning workflows, which involves everything from analyzing existing documentation to conducting real-time "buddy sessions" with employees in the trenches. She emphasizes the critical importance of keeping humans in the loop to maintain accountability and trust, ensuring that AI augments human judgment rather than replacing it entirely. The conversation also tackles the persistent friction between IT and business teams, offering proactive solutions like embedded governance—where policy checks and approvals are automated directly into IT request workflows—to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and build cross-functional trust.

Looking ahead, Ashley advises leaders to prioritize high-ROI workflows, such as proactive budget forecasting, to make AI a durable competitive advantage rather than a short-lived spike in productivity. She also gives listeners an exclusive sneak peek into her book, The AI Workweek, which features over 100 tool-agnostic use cases and practical frameworks designed to help everyday workers eliminate busy work. Whether you're a C-suite executive or a frontline employee, this episode provides a blueprint for driving meaningful, scalable change with AI.

The AI Workweek Book: https://a.co/d/0fDld0qE

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In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI.

News stories covered in this episode:

• Who Will Win as AI Rewrites Competitive Advantage? - https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/which-companies-capture-value-from-ai

• OpenAI president urges enterprises to hasten AI security defenses - https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/openai-president-urges-enterprises-hasten-ai-security-defences/

• Google to buy Spirit Airlines business data for $10 million - https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/google-buy-spirit-airlines-business-data-10-million-2026-08-17/

• The Bank That Runs on AI Agents: What Happens When Software Starts Making Financial Decisions? - https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/the-bank-that-runs-on-ai-agents-what-happens-when-software-starts-making-financial-decisions-/

• ‘I see the incredible promise’: on set of an AI film shoot as new studios embrace controversial tech - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/16/directors-embracing-ai-film-making

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In this episode of Transform NOW, Brad Hairston talks with Dr. David De Cremer, dean and professor at D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University and author of The AI Savvy Leader, who explains how leaders can put humans first, build "authentic intelligence" alongside AI, and measure adoption in human terms.

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Here's what we discussed with David:

- Executive abdication of AI strategy to IT departments

- Human-first design, adoption, and management framework

- AI as an add-on strategy vs. an integration strategy

- Deliberate friction as a tool for scrutiny and trust-building

- People-centric adoption metrics (trust, fairness, opt-in usage) vs. cost/productivity

- Authentic intelligence vs. artificial intelligence

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