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Your AI agent is about to be handed your credit card. Today, it recommends products. Soon it will complete the purchase and pay for it for you. Who is responsible when it buys the wrong thing, and will consumers trust it enough to let it?
In this episode of "What's the BUZZ?", host Andreas Welsch sits down with Michael Nevski, Consumer Payments Market Intelligence Expert, to work through what happens when AI agents start making financial transactions on our behalf. Michael draws on more than 15 years of consumer research in financial services and payments.
Key insights from this conversation include:
What leaders can do now: make your product and service data clear and structured so an agent can read, compare, and verify it; give customers simple opt-in and opt-out controls over what an agent may do; review your legacy systems and work with partners and regulators on who is accountable when a transaction goes wrong.
Michael's line to write down: "Prove it to me that I can rely on that system."
If an agent made a purchase for your customers tomorrow and it went wrong, would they know who to turn to, and would they still trust you?
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
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Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
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Your next customer may never see your ad. More and more shoppers ask an AI assistant for the best option and take the answer it gives them, and agents are starting to recommend and buy on our behalf. So how do you advertise to an AI agent?
In this episode of "What's the BUZZ?", host Andreas Welsch sits down with Maarten Albarda, Marketing Executive and Consultant, to explore how marketing must change when AI agents shop, recommend, and buy for us. Maarten focuses on the "how" of marketing: the process, structure, agency ecosystems, and capabilities behind good marketing.
Key insights from this conversation include:
What leaders can do now: link every AI initiative to a business purpose and measure a before and after, so you can show the outcome is the same or better; use a tool to find the sources GPT, Gemini and Claude rely on for your category, then plan how to show up in them; ask your agencies how AI savings are passed on, and move toward paying for outcomes.
Maarten's line to write down: "don't do AI for AI's sake."
If an agent chose between your brand and a competitor tomorrow, would you know which sources it is listening to?
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
AI adoption is often treated as a one-size-fits-all approach. But individual employees and users have individual needs and preferences that successful AI programs consider.
In the latest episode of "What's the BUZZ?", host Andreas Welsch sits down with Christina Fischer, principal AI consultant and founder of Human Pattern Works, to unpack why so many AI transformations quietly fail the people meant to carry them, and what an actually inclusive AI playbook looks like.
Here's what you'll walk away with:
1) The real reason most AI initiatives fail
Christina puts the number at around 70%, and by her account, the common thread isn't the technology. It's leaders running a business problem like a software rollout, skipping the work across process, culture, and compliance that decides whether any of it sticks.
2) Your edge cases are your early-warning system
The employee who needs clarity on objectives or flexibility in how they work is often the first to feel friction nobody else has noticed yet. Listen to them early, Christina argues, and you catch what's breaking before it costs you the rest of the team.
3) Trust beats surveillance, every time
Keystroke logging and return-to-office mandates measure the easy thing, not the valuable one. Christina expects the flexibility of the pandemic years to come back, because it's what lets companies keep the specialized people AI transformation actually depends on.
Actionable takeaways you can implement this week
- Score before you scale: run Christina's four-dimension audit, process, work culture, compliance, technology, on your own team before you greenlight another AI pilot.
- Build one real feedback loop: swap a status update for an open conversation about what's actually working, and treat what you hear as signal, not noise.
- Check on your middle managers: ask the people absorbing pressure from both directions how they're doing, before they become your next regretted departure.
Who on your team is the canary in the coal mine right now, and are you actually listening to them?
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
Your next customer might not be a person. It might be an agent that searches, compares, and negotiates on someone else's behalf. So what happens to advertising, to pricing, and to trust when that becomes normal?
In this episode of "What's the BUZZ?", host Andreas Welsch sits down with Michael Carroll, Strategic Advisor and Fellow at LNS Research, to work through what actually changes when the customer is an AI agent. Michael spends his time on advisory boards and AI research, focused on what this technology should do for people, not only on what it can do.
Key insights from this conversation include:
What leaders can do now: make your business legible to agents and not only to people, with structure, schema, and clear answers to the questions an agent will ask on a buyer's behalf; sort your processes into intermediation and mediation, treating the first as candidates for autonomy and the second as needing a permission and audit trail before an agent goes near them; and work out, for a vendor agent and a customer agent transacting with each other, what each side is authorized to do, what information it is acting on, and whether it can be swayed.
Michael's line to write down: "If you can't trust it, it won't happen."
If your customer's agent evaluated you today, what would it find?
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
Most organizations are sprinkling agentic AI on top of a legacy, heterogeneous stack — and calling it a strategy. That works until the low-hanging fruit runs out, because it rests on a flawed assumption: that the business will keep operating exactly as it always has, only faster.
In this episode, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Grant Ecker, Chief Architect at Ecolab and founder of the Chief Architect Network — a 682-member nonprofit collaborative of Fortune 500 architecture executives. Drawing on architecture leadership roles at Danaher, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Medtronic, Lowe's, and General Mills, Grant lays out what it actually takes to make an enterprise architecture — and an architecture organization — ready for agentic AI.
Key insights from this conversation include:
Whether you're a chief architect building the agentic reference architecture, a CIO deciding who holds the keys to AI adoption, or a technology leader working to be in the room where strategy gets set, this conversation offers a grounded view of the organizational work that makes agentic AI possible.
Tune in now to learn how to prepare your architecture — and your architects — for a shift Grant frames as an age-like change on par with the printing press and the internet.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
AI agents are everywhere in the headlines, but successful agentic AI is about much more than deploying the latest technology. The organizations that succeed will be the ones that build the right foundation across data, culture, and strategy.
In this episode of “What’s the BUZZ?”, Andreas Welsch welcomes Sebastian Wernicke, author of Data Inspired, to explore what it takes to turn AI ambition into business outcomes.
You will learn why data alone is not enough, why organizations need to become data-inspired rather than simply data-driven, and how leaders can create the culture and strategy required for AI agents to deliver real impact:
Whether you are exploring AI agents, building an AI strategy, or leading organizational change, this conversation provides practical guidance for moving beyond AI hype and creating meaningful outcomes.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
When your AI agents start transacting on your behalf, who’s protecting your interests — and how do they prove it?
In this episode, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Nitin Badjatia, enterprise software veteran and board member of Customer Commons, to explore one of the most consequential and least-discussed gaps in agentic AI adoption: the absence of enforceable, machine-readable contracts between autonomous agents and the commercial web. Together, they unpack why the digital commerce infrastructure we’ve built on surveillance and click-through consent is fundamentally incompatible with a world where agents act, negotiate, and commit on our behalf — and what the emerging IEEE 7012 “My Terms” standard proposes to do about it.
Discover the strategic and governance foundations that responsible agentic commerce requires:
Whether you’re a Chief Digital Officer designing your agentic commerce strategy, a privacy or legal leader trying to get ahead of regulatory exposure, or an AI architect determining what rights your deployed agents should carry, this episode reframes the agentic opportunity through the lens that matters most: who is actually accountable when the agent acts?
Tune in now to understand why the infrastructure of trust — not the sophistication of the model — will determine which organizations can scale agentic commerce with confidence.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
How fast is AI really moving, and what does that mean for your business strategy?
In this episode, host Andreas Welsch reconnects with Doug Shannon, an intelligent automation and generative AI leader, to explore the accelerating pace of AI innovation and what it means for organizations navigating this transformation. Together, they discuss why the speed of change has become almost impossible to predict, how companies should approach the build-versus-buy decision, and why your competitive advantage lies not in technology, but in what your organization does best.
Key insights from this conversation include:
Whether you're a business leader grappling with AI strategy, an IT professional managing governance, or a team member wondering how AI will change your role, this episode offers practical perspectives on navigating the fastest-moving technology shift in modern business.
Tune in now to discover how to harness the momentum of AI innovation without losing sight of what makes your organization truly unique.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
What if the real competitive advantage in AI isn't about having the biggest models, but about building systems that can be trusted, audited, and governed at scale?
In this episode, host Andreas Welsch explores the convergence of AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing with Joseph Ng, Chief Strategy Officer at GeneGenius and author of "The Hybrid Mind: The Human-AI Convergence." Together, they challenge the prevailing narrative around the AI race and reveal why most organizations are solving the wrong problem.
Joseph shares critical insights on why companies must shift from treating AI as a tool deployment challenge to redesigning their entire decision-making architecture:
Capability is scaling faster than control. Organizations are deploying AI systems without understanding how they behave, how they're exposed, or how they can be influenced—creating exponential risk that compounds across interconnected agents and workflows.
The real differentiation won't come from model size or compute power. It will come from organizations that can build systems where intelligence, oversight, and human authority are embedded into the architecture from day one—what Joseph calls Cognitive AI and Native Architecture (CANA).
Quantum computing isn't a distant threat. The "harvest now, decrypt later" approach means sensitive data collected today could be compromised once quantum becomes viable, making cryptographic hardening and governance redesign urgent priorities for leaders.
For mid-sized organizations without large AI centers of excellence, Joseph recommends a phased, modular approach: audit your current systems, identify breaking points, and integrate AI incrementally while building governance into execution—not policy documents.
Whether you're a business leader navigating the AI landscape or a technology executive preparing for what's next, this conversation cuts through the noise to reveal what actually matters: building institutions that can operate intelligence responsibly, visibly, and at scale.
Tune in now to discover how to move beyond AI hype and build the governance-first systems that will define competitive advantage in the years ahead.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
What happens when AI moves faster than your ability to govern it safely?
In this episode, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Reid Blackman, founder and CEO of Virtue and author of "The Ethical Nightmare Challenge," to explore the critical ethical risks that emerge as AI evolves from narrow systems to generative and agentic solutions. Reid brings a philosopher's perspective to the business challenges of AI deployment, discussing how organizations can avoid the reputational, regulatory, and legal pitfalls that come with increasingly autonomous systems.
Discover why traditional approaches to responsible AI governance are breaking down and what you need to do instead:
Whether you're a business leader deploying AI systems, a risk officer concerned about governance, or a technologist grappling with ethical complexity, this conversation reveals why facing AI's challenges head-on is the only path to capturing its genuine opportunity.
Don't miss this essential discussion on turning AI hype into responsible, sustainable business outcomes. Tune in now to learn how to navigate the ethical minefield of modern AI deployment.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message.
Support the show
***********
Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.
Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook (https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge (https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com).
More details:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com
All episodes:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast
Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox:
https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter
From the publisher's feed
“What’s the BUZZ?” is a live format where leaders in the field of artificial intelligence, generative AI, agentic AI, and automation share their insights and experiences on how they have…