AI at Work

SummaryIn this conversation, Elijah Szasz and Kevin Williams explore the intersection of AI and video technology, particularly in the context of advertising and marketing. They discuss the evolution of AI-generated content, the ethical implications of using AI in advertising, and the potential impact of government regulations on the industry. The conversation also touches on personal experiences with AI tools and the future outlook for AI in business and national security.TakeawaysAI is transforming video technology and advertising.The uncanny valley effect is still a challenge in AI-generated content.Diverse media types are essential for effective advertising.AI-generated ads are outperforming traditional studio-produced content.Ethical considerations are crucial in AI advertising.Government regulations are evolving to address AI's impact.AI can enhance organizational efficiency and creativity.The intersection of AI and national security is a growing concern.Personal experiences with AI tools can inform business strategies.The future of AI in business is promising but requires careful navigation.Chapters00:00 Introduction to AI and Video Technology02:44 The Evolution of Advertising with AI05:28 The Impact of AI on Marketing Strategies08:36 Ethics and Regulations in AI Advertising11:40 The Future of Video in Business14:40 AI's Role in Creative Processes17:33 The Intersection of AI and Traditional Media20:35 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Adoption23:28 Conclusion and Future Outlook30:40 Navigating AI Adoption Challenges34:37 The Impact of Executive Orders on AI37:58 Understanding AI Regulations and Responsibilities41:06 National Security and AI: A Global Perspective48:36 Leveraging AI for Productivity55:08 Exploring AI Tools and InnovationsShow Notes & Links: https://www.spark6.com/podcast Submit listener questions: elijah@spark6.comkevin@ascendlabs.ai  Check out Kevin’s stuff:Ascend Labs: https://ascendlabs.ai/Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinguywilliams/ Check out Eli’s Stuff:SPARK6 Agency: https://www.spark6.com/Sign up for FREE AI Framework Friday Newsletter: https://www.spark6.com/newsletterFollow Elijah on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/

SummaryIn this conversation the hosts dive into how NotebookLM, powered by Google Gemini, has become a major productivity unlock for creative and knowledge-work tasks. Rather than re-designing slides or reports manually, NotebookLM lets them dump all their source documents (research, transcripts, notes), then generate polished slide decks, infographics, or even “podcast-style” audio overviews in minutes. The surprise: AI does not just amplify their output, it gives them entirely new capabilities, from treating complex text as a “bookstore” of knowledge, to turning dense material into clean, usable visuals and decks that previously would have taken hours or days.TakeawaysNotebookLM shines when you feed it raw source material, docs, PDFs, transcripts, then ask for a deck, infographic, or summary.Using it freed weeks of work: what once took hours of coding, formatting or design now takes minutes.The combination of deep context (lots of source docs) plus lightweight prompts often yields surprisingly usable results.Graphics, layout, and narrative flow are “good enough” not perfect for every case, but excellent for internal use or quick client briefs.As AI tools improve, expect slide-deck and presentation workflows to shift dramatically: spending time on content and storytelling instead of formatting.Chapters00:00 The Future of AI and Human Interaction02:41 Exploring AI Tools and Their Capabilities05:56 The Power of Visual Data Representation08:44 Understanding Notebook LM and Its Applications11:50 Creating Presentations with AI14:46 The Evolution of AI in Workflow Management34:39 Building Context with Notebook LM40:39 Creating Effective Presentations with AI46:23 The Art of Prompting for Better Outputs52:28 Branding and Consistency in Presentations57:24 Managing Context and Information FlowShow Notes & Links: https://www.spark6.com/podcast Submit listener questions: elijah@spark6.comkevin@ascendlabs.ai  Check out Kevin’s stuff:Ascend Labs: https://ascendlabs.ai/Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinguywilliams/ Check out Eli’s Stuff:SPARK6 Agency: https://www.spark6.com/Sign up for FREE AI Framework Friday Newsletter: https://www.spark6.com/newsletterFollow Elijah on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/

SummaryElijah recaps a talk he gave to University of Utah MBA students on how AI is reshaping work and why most professionals are still underusing it. He walks through the evolution from rule-based systems to today’s generative models, clarifies the difference between narrow AI and AGI, and explains singularity-style futures without pretending anyone knows the timeline. He contrasts media skepticism and bubble talk with hard data, like autonomous vehicle safety and Amazon’s AI powered recommendations. Then he gets practical, sharing a pyramid for adoption, the “clerks, colleagues, coaches” model of AI at work, and a roadmap for governance, safe experimentation, and turning AI from time saver into revenue driver.Takeaways• Most professionals, even in MBA programs, are barely using AI, which creates a huge edge for anyone who builds literacy now.• Modern AI is narrow but rapidly broadening, and while AGI timelines are uncertain, capability curves are clearly exponential, not linear.• Skepticism about bubbles and hallucinations is valid, yet many real world systems, like autonomous driving and fraud detection, are already outperforming humans.• The fastest wins come from automating tasks you dislike, then moving up the pyramid to work AI simply cannot do well and finally to revenue generating personalization.• Sustainable adoption requires an AI manifesto, governance, role specific training, clear ownership, sandboxes for experimentation, and a focus on AI as clerk, colleague, and coach rather than human replacement.Chapters00:00 Introduction to AI in Education02:51 The Evolution of AI: From Rule-Based to Generative06:05 Understanding Narrow AI vs. AGI08:41 The Turing Test and Its Implications11:33 The Singularity: Predictions and Possibilities14:27 Current Applications of AI Across Industries17:45 Skepticism and Challenges in AI Adoption20:39 The Future of AI: Opportunities and Limitations28:51 The Negativity Bias in AI Innovation33:36 The AI Supercycle: A New Era of Technology35:55 Generative AI: Capabilities and Limitations39:51 Practical Applications of AI in Business45:12 Governance and Ethical Considerations in AI49:53 The Future of AI: Trends and PredictionsShow Notes & Links: https://www.spark6.com/podcast Submit listener questions: elijah@spark6.comkevin@ascendlabs.ai  Check out Kevin’s stuff:Ascend Labs: https://ascendlabs.ai/Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinguywilliams/ Check out Eli’s Stuff:SPARK6 Agency: https://www.spark6.com/Sign up for FREE AI Framework Friday Newsletter: https://www.spark6.com/newsletterFollow Elijah on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/

SummaryIn this conversation, Elijah Szasz and Kevin Williams reflect on the end of the year, discussing the holiday rush and the challenges of managing workloads during this busy time. They delve into their experiences with various AI tools, particularly focusing on Gemini 3 and Claude, exploring their features, user experiences, and the implications for workflows in business. The discussion also touches on Google's resilience in the AI landscape, the integration challenges of different AI models, and the potential for new capabilities that these tools can unlock. They conclude with thoughts on the evolving nature of AI tools and their impact on marketing and content creation, while considering future developments in the AI space.TakeawaysThe end of the year often feels like a rush to complete tasks before the holidays.Different businesses operate on different cycles, affecting workload and planning.AI tools like Gemini 3 are becoming increasingly integrated into workflows.User experiences with AI models can vary significantly over time.Google's financial resilience positions it well in the AI landscape.Integration challenges exist between different AI models and tools.New capabilities in AI can unlock significant efficiencies in work processes.The evolution of AI tools is leading to better user experiences and outcomes.AI's impact on marketing and content creation is profound and transformative.Future developments in AI are unpredictable but hold great potential.Chapters00:00 End of Year Reflections and Holiday Rush09:00 AI Model Experiences: Gemini 3 and Beyond18:01 Exploring Google's AI Ecosystem and Nano Banana Pro20:53 The Power of AI Tools24:28 Navigating Google's AI Ecosystem27:51 Unlocking New Capabilities with AI32:12 The Future of AI in Workspaces36:48 Challenges in AI Integration42:37 The Unpredictable Future of AIShow Notes & Links: https://www.spark6.com/podcast Submit listener questions: elijah@spark6.comkevin@ascendlabs.ai  Check out Kevin’s stuff:Ascend Labs: https://ascendlabs.ai/Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinguywilliams/ Check out Eli’s Stuff:SPARK6 Agency: https://www.spark6.com/Sign up for FREE AI Framework Friday Newsletter: https://www.spark6.com/newsletterFollow Elijah on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/

SummaryIn this episode of AI at Work, Elijah and Kevin dive into the shifting terrain of automation and AI-powered agents. They highlight how traditional “if this, then that” workflows are giving way to dynamic systems driven by large language models, platforms like n8n enable you to describe what you want done, not just how. They share two real-world use cases, one clutter-clearing example (categorizing home-repair receipts) and one high-value business trigger (automated meeting-prep briefs). The conversation underlines the big leap: moving from rule-based automations to agent architectures that can decide, adapt, and act.Takeaways• Automation still matters, but the magic happens when an LLM steps into the workflow and makes decisions.• Platforms like n8n now bridge no-code visual workflows with AI agentic functionality. n8n+1• Start small: find one tedious, repetitive task you do and automate it today. Build confidence before scaling.• Be aware of guardrails: data access, security, and scope still matter when your agent can act autonomously.• The shift is real: business value lies not just in moving data, but in orchestrating flows where parts of the system think.Chapters00:00 Hectic mornings, Google Docs & teleoperated Sora robots02:30 Playing with Sora & falling into the AI video rabbit hole04:40 Bengal cat chaos & the dark side of AI gen videos07:10 AI-native kids & shifting expectations about tech09:30 Smart speakers, home automation hell & the orchestration gap13:45 The Midwit meme & the $16 wired earbud breakthrough17:20 Agents vs automations: what’s the actual difference?24:30 Picking a platform, connectors, APIs & pricing models45:20 Real-world agents: sales prep & everyday automations01:01:45 Agentic browsers & letting AI work inside your appsShow Notes & Links: https://www.spark6.com/podcast Submit listener questions: elijah@spark6.comkevin@ascendlabs.ai  Check out Kevin’s stuff:Ascend Labs: https://ascendlabs.ai/Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinguywilliams/ Check out Eli’s Stuff:SPARK6 Agency: https://www.spark6.com/Sign up for FREE AI Framework Friday Newsletter: https://www.spark6.com/newsletterFollow Elijah on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/

SummaryThe conversation explores the future of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and robotics, particularly focusing on the emergence of humanoid robots. The speakers discuss the likelihood of AGI being a part of the technological landscape in the next decade and the potential for humanoid robots to become commonplace in various sectors, moving beyond simple tasks to more complex functionalities.TakeawaysIt's increasingly likely that the 10-year picture will include AGI.Humanoid robots will likely be prevalent in everyday life.Robotics will evolve to perform tasks beyond current capabilities.The conversation highlights the distinction between basic automation and advanced humanoid robotics.The speakers express confidence in the advancements of robotics in the next decade.Humanoid robots may take on roles that require more than just lifting boxes.The discussion emphasizes the functional aspects of robotics in various industries.There is a growing expectation for humanoid robots to integrate into daily activities.The future of robotics is seen as a blend of AGI and physical capabilities.The timeline for these advancements is projected to be within the next ten years.Chapters00:00 Early mornings, parenting exhaustion & AI bedtime hack04:19 What is “superintelligence”? (AGI vs. SI)08:12 The singularity explained & unpredictability10:33 OpenAI progress claims, safety & global coordination12:05 Planning beyond today’s AI; 10-year robot horizon18:50 Deloitte refund cautionary tale (fake citations)22:49 Company guardrails: policies, manifesto & non-abdication26:04 Free vs. paid AI models; data control & opt-outs31:48 Building on frontier models: unpredictability & guardrails33:46 Measuring drift, compliance, and production monitoring35:59 ROI studies: MIT controversy vs. Wharton findings41:14 Where ROI shows up: content, research, knowledge mgmt44:14 AI dictation as a workflow unlock50:01 “Year of the agent” & voice in field ops54:07 “Vibe coding” overview (Replit/Lovable vs. dev tools)56:27 Scope first: why non-dev builds stall at 85%59:16 Google’s AI Studio/Opal strengths & ecosystem fit01:02:43 Using one model to scope prompts for another01:04:07 Prompt hygiene: “one question at a time”01:07:14 Next episode teaser: share real workflowsShow Notes & Links: https://www.spark6.com/podcast Submit listener questions: elijah@spark6.comkevin@ascendlabs.ai  Check out Kevin’s stuff:Ascend Labs: https://ascendlabs.ai/Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinguywilliams/ Check out Eli’s Stuff:SPARK6 Agency: https://www.spark6.com/Sign up for FREE AI Framework Friday Newsletter: https://www.spark6.com/newsletterFollow Elijah on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/

The discussion dives into OpenAI's recent policy changes affecting legal and medical advice, sparking industry concern. They detail the evolution of process automation, highlighting a three-phase approach: transitioning from messy documentation to fully automated systems. The hosts share insights on how custom GPTs can streamline workflows and the importance of ROI in automation efforts. They also tackle the implications of these changes for API businesses and speculate on the future of AI policy.

Hosts Elijah and Kevin dive into the transformative role of AI in the workplace. They discuss the importance of AI literacy and the evolution of job roles, emphasizing adaptability for future career success. Listeners learn about the tensions between top-down and grassroots AI adoption strategies. The conversation explores the real-world impacts of AI, including time savings and the emergence of new job opportunities. Additionally, they challenge common myths about AI while encouraging hands-on experimentation to navigate the rapidly changing landscape.