Jeremy Utley - Stanford, Beyond the Prompt | AI as Your New Strategic Thought Partner

Jeremy Utley, adjunct professor at Stanford and host of Beyond the Prompt, shares how executives and operators can use AI to unlock creativity, accelerate decision-making, and drive transformational change. His work sits at the intersection of innovation, experimentation, and applied AI, making his perspective especially relevant for private equity leaders and middle-market teams navigating rapid operational shifts. In this episode, he breaks down practical ways AI becomes a strategic partner, not just a tactical tool.You’ll LearnHow AI-powered role-play can prepare leaders for high-stakes conversations and improve organizational outcomes.Why treating AI like a collaborator — not an oracle — dramatically improves idea quality and problem-solving.A structured method for using AI as a strategic thought partner for capital allocation, board prep, and complex decision workflows.How non-technical teams can codify workflows into lightweight GPTs that unlock days — and sometimes weeks — of saved effort.Why experimentation must be a KPI, and how leaders can create a culture where inaction — not failure — becomes the punishable offense.Chapters00:00 Intro00:42 Jeremy’s shift from professor to AI learner03:39 Coaching executives on applied AI05:54 Using AI to prepare for difficult conversations10:02 Expanding executives’ imagination for AI13:22 Strategic use cases for leaders18:19 Modeling AI adoption from the top20:11 How AI amplifies creativity22:39 Collaborating with AI vs. treating it as an oracle24:21 Who benefits most from these tools26:38 National Park Service transformation story30:49 “Use AI to use AI” — the first step33:48 ClosingLinksExplore more interviews and Jeremy Utley's expert profile: https://www.justcurious.io/experts/jeremy-utleyWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZuUXggPcQygConnect with Jeremy Utley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley/Proof of Work is the podcast of Pluris, a platform connecting investors and operators with the world's leading applied AI experts. Each episode features the builders, operators, and investors who've actually put AI into production, turning it from buzzword to bottom line through sharp case studies and practical conversations. We explore how AI is used to grow revenue, expand margins, improve operations, and create measurable value inside real businesses.Learn more at checkpluris.comExplore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com Subscribe to our newsletter at https://proof-of-work-ai.beehiiv.com/