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:

• It’s 2026. Can Your AI spell ROI? https://ceoworld.biz/2026/02/08/its-2026-can-your-ai-spell-roi/

• OpenAI's acquisition of OpenClaw signals the beginning of the end of the ChatGPT era https://venturebeat.com/technology/openais-acquisition-of-openclaw-signals-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-the

• Digital Employees, AI Bootcamps: America's Oldest Bank Is Spending Billions on Tech https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/09/digital-employees-ai-bootcamps-americas-oldest-bank-spends-billions-on-tech.html

• Why trust is key with synthetic data in the agentic era https://www.fastcompany.com/91424016/why-trust-is-key-with-synthetic-data-in-the-agentic-era

• House bill seeks AI workforce tax credits, agency-led outreach https://fedscoop.com/ai-workforce-tax-credit-house-bill/

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In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with future of work expert Kelly Monahan, who explains how company leaders can do so much more to drive successful AI adoption and transform their workforce.

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What we discussed with Kelly:

* Why most employees believe AI has actually increased their workload

* What an effective AI upskilling program looks like

* How to help employees achieve the expected productivity gains with AI

* Measuring strategy, creativity, and innovation versus speed and efficiency

* Human-powered leadership

* The critical elements of AI governance frameworks

* GenZ redefining what it means to have a career

* A fundamental mindset shift AI leaders need to make

* A preview of Kelly’s next book

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To ensure that you never miss an episode of Transform NOW, be sure to subscribe!

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:

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AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it

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What We Actually Learned Deploying 20+ AI Agents Across Our Entire Go-To-Market (8 Months In) https://www.saastr.com/what-we-actually-learned-deploying-20-ai-agents-across-our-entire-go-to-market-8-months-in/

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Alphabet calls out new AI-related risks, as it taps debt market to fund build-out https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/09/alphabet-highlights-new-ai-related-risks-in-tapping-debt-market.html

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Claude Opus 4.6: This AI just passed the 'vending machine test' - and we may want to be worried about how it did https://news.sky.com/story/claude-opus-4-6-this-ai-just-passed-the-vending-machine-test-and-we-may-want-to-be-worried-about-how-it-did-13505451

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Olympic Figure Skaters Get Heat for Using AI-Generated Music https://gizmodo.com/olympic-figure-skaters-get-heat-for-using-ai-generated-music-2000720192

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In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Anil Kumar, Managing Director and Head of the Private Equity AI Practice at the global consultancy Alvarez & Marsal, who explains how AI is disrupting the private equity sector.

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What we discussed with Anil:

* The journey from management consultant to AI thought leader

* AI-enabled vs AI diligence

* Contact center case study demonstrating the impact of AI diligence

* ‘First mile’ vs ‘last mile’ framework

*Portfolio monitoring revolution

* Investment thesis shift around AI

* The irreplaceability of human judgment

* The next frontier for AI in private equity

.

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To ensure that you never miss an episode of Transform NOW, be sure to subscribe 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:

• Microsoft’s AI Spend Is Starting To Spook Investors https://gizmodo.com/microsofts-ai-spend-is-starting-to-spook-investors-2000715208

• An Agent Revolt: Moltbook Is Not A Good Idea https://www.forbes.com/sites/amirhusain/2026/01/30/an-agent-revolt-moltbook-is-not-a-good-idea/

• 'It’s an awesome robot. It looks like a human. People could be easily confused that it’s a human' — Tesla exec on why Optimus 3 is a game changer https://www.techradar.com/computing/its-an-awesome-robot-it-looks-like-a-human-people-could-be-easily-confused-that-its-a-human-tesla-exec-on-why-optimus-3-is-a-game-changer

• Elon Musk Merges SpaceX With His A.I. Start-Up xAI - Elon Musk Merges SpaceX With His A.I. Start-Up xAI - The New York Times

• Google Deepmind pioneer David Silver departs to found AI startup, betting LLMs alone won't reach superintelligence https://the-decoder.com/google-deepmind-pioneer-david-silver-departs-to-found-ai-startup-betting-llms-alone-wont-reach-superintelligence/

• Manulife Canada Delivers Faster Life Insurance Approvals with AI Integration and Enhanced Digital Application - https://insurance-canada.ca/2026/01/30/manulife-faster-life-approvals-ai-application/

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In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Daniel Jurow, Founder and Principal Advisor at Sevoir Group, a management consultancy focused on creative services, including agencies, studios and martech firms. Daniel explains how AI is disrupting creative businesses and the strategies being employed to excel in the new environment.

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What we discussed with Daniel:

* AI adoption patterns across creative businesses

* How AI is fundamentally changing the business model of creative and professional services businesses

* Learnings from the collapse of Technicolor, the pioneer in cinematic color and visual storytelling

* The biggest gap between what AI can do versus what organizations can actually absorb

* How agencies and studios should restructure their revenue models in light of AI disruption

* AI actor Tilly Norwood – good or bad for media & entertainment?

* Indicators of whether AI will create or destroy value in a creative business

* Operationalizing personalization at scale

* What the Nike+ venture revealed about creative businesses and brands partnering with AI and automation companies

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💭Blog: https://okt.to/QuGqVP

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.

To ensure that you never miss an episode of Transform NOW, be sure to subscribe!

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 Dueling Rhetoric at the AI Frontier

https://deadneurons.substack.com/p/the-duelling-rhetoric-at-the-ai-frontier

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OpenAI to add shopping cart and merchant tools to ChatGPT

https://www.testingcatalog.com/openai-to-add-shopping-cart-and-merchant-tools-to-chatgpt/

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Drugmakers turn to AI to speed trials, regulatory submissions

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/drugmakers-turn-ai-speed-trials-regulatory-submissions-2026-01-26/

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Teaching employees to use AI could add up to $6.6T to US economy

https://www.hrdive.com/news/augmenting-artificial-intelligence-employees-increase-gdp/810409/

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AI is hitting UK harder than other big economies, study finds

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/26/ai-uk-jobs-us-japan-germany-australia

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How Americans are using AI at work, according to a new Gallup poll

https://apnews.com/article/ai-workplace-gemini-chatgpt-poll-4934bc61d039508db32bc49f85d63d99

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.

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In this episode, host Michael Marchuk welcomes Ramanath Suryaprkash, Vice President of Partner Ecosystems and Global Alliances at Infosys. Ramanath shares insights into Infosys' journey with agentic solutions and the broader impact of AI and automation in various sectors. The conversation delves into the transition from traditional automation to intelligent automation, the creation and application of AI agents in business processes, and the importance of AI guardrails to ensure data security and regulatory compliance. Ramanath also discusses common misconceptions about AI, the challenges of scaling AI solutions from pilots to production, and the strategy for progressive innovation to achieve business transformation. The episode emphasizes a collaborative approach involving service integrators, technology providers, and client teams to co-innovate and drive successful outcomes.

-Transitioning to Intelligent Automation

-Enterprise-Grade Automation

-Signals for Adopting Agent Systems

-Building Intelligent Agents

-Balancing Innovation and Risk

-Operationalizing AI Agents

-Common Misconceptions About AI

-Designing New Business Processes

-Future Scenarios and Progressive Innovation.

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💭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, 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 wants a cut of your profits: Inside its new royalty-based plan and other business models https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/news/openai-wants-a-cut-of-your-profits-inside-its-new-royalty-based-plan-and-other-business-models/ar-AA1UF2Lf?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds

OpenAI seeking investments from Middle East sovereign wealth funds for multibillion-dollar round https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/21/openai-seek-investments-from-middle-east-for-multibillion-dollar-round.html

JPMorgan CEO urges slowdown of AI roll-out to ‘save society’ https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366637505/JPMorgan-CEO-urges-slowdown-of-AI-roll-out-to-save-society

Davos 2026: PwC chairman Mohamed Kande says over 50% companies 'getting nothing' from AI adoption, has a tip for CEOs https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/davos-2026-pwc-chairman-mohamed-kande-says-over-50-companies-getting-nothing-from-ai-adoption-has-a-tip-for-ceos/articleshow/126777727.cms

NYSE-parent Intercontinental Exchange develops platform for 24/7 tokenized securities trading - https://www.reuters.com/business/nyse-parent-intercontinental-exchange-develops-platform-247-tokenized-securities-2026-01-19/

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💭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, 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:

.

AI paradoxes: 5 contradictions to watch in 2026 and why AI's future isn't straightforward

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/12/ai-paradoxes-in-2026/

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Apple’s new Google Gemini deal sounds bigger, better than expected https://9to5mac.com/2026/01/12/apples-new-google-gemini-deal-sounds-bigger-better-than-expected/

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Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/12/washington-governor-bob-ferguson-calls-ai-chatbot-regulations/

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AI is speeding into healthcare. Who should regulate it? https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/01/ai-is-speeding-into-healthcare-who-should-regulate-it/

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A new year’s resolution for leaders: Redesign work for people and AI https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/media-center/a-new-years-resolution-for-leaders-redesign-work-for-people-and-ai

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