AI Adjacent

AI Adjacent | Episode 2: Personal AI Agents, The Death of Apps & Who Thrives in the AI EraRyan Van Sickle and Taylor Jackson are back for Episode 2, digging into the next wave of personal AI agents, why your phone's apps may be obsolete by 2030, and the qualities that will separate those who thrive in an AI-driven world from those who don't.🕐 In This Episode:Personal AI Agents Are HereRyan shares his experience setting up Hermes — a personalized AI agent (his is named "Cindy Crawford") — and how it's fundamentally different from just using ChatGPT or Claude as a search tool. When an AI feels like an actual person who knows you, adoption changes entirely.The Evolution of AI AdoptionMost people still use AI like a smarter Google. But the real unlock is autonomous action — connecting AI to your tools (email, calendar, to-do apps) and letting it manage tasks on your behalf based on high-level objectives.Elon Says Every App Will Be Dead in 5 YearsOpenAI is working with Jony Ive (former Apple design chief) on an AI-native operating system that generates custom interfaces on demand — no pre-built apps. Ryan breaks down what this means for Apple, Samsung, and the future of your phone.Apple: Innovator or Incumbent?Tim Cook stepping down, the Siri team being sent to AI boot camp, a foldable iPhone on the way — is Apple capable of the paradigm shift required? Or will OpenAI and Google eat its lunch?Anthropic & OpenAI Launch Consulting ArmsBoth AI giants are moving to compete directly with McKinsey and other large consulting firms. What does it mean when the model builders also become the consultants? And what does this mean for startups trying to build on top of their platforms?Who Thrives in the AI Era: High Agency + Multidisciplinary ThinkersStripe co-founder John Collison's tweet sparks a deep discussion on the two types of people who will win over the next 10–20 years — those who act without waiting for permission, and those who think across disciplines without being limited by labels.Sovereign AI, National Infrastructure & EducationNVIDIA partnering with governments to build country-specific AI infrastructure, the UAE aiming to have half its government AI-enabled within two years, and what it means if countries start replacing traditional education with AI-powered learning programs.AI in the Wild: Real StoriesRyan uses Claude to build a full brand strategy, menu concept, and cookbook for a local Indian restaurant — in 30 minutes over dinner. Taylor uses AI to plan 15 date options for a girl he just met at the gym (it worked, mostly).🔧 Tools & Resources Mentioned:Hermes — personalized AI agentOpenClaw — early personal AI agentWhisperflow — keyboard shortcut dictation tool for any text field (Ryan's recommendation)Speechify — turns any document or web page into an audiobook (Taylor's recommendation)"Mastery" by Robert Greene — Ryan's book recommendation for building agency📬 Subscribe for a new episode every week covering AI news, tools, and how to actually use this stuff in your life and business.

Welcome to AI Adjacent — the podcast for people who are curious about AI but tired of the hype, jargon, and Silicon Valley insider talk.Ryan Van Sickle (co-founder of Compression, an AI transformation studio) and Taylor Jackson (organizational anthropologist and creative strategist) break down what AI actually means for regular people, working professionals, creatives, and anyone trying to keep up.In this debut episode, Ryan and Taylor explore how everyday users — dating coaches, designers, freelancers — are actually using ChatGPT and Claude in their work; what the Adobe x Claude partnership means for the future of creative production; the rise of the "AI-native creative" and managerial AI literacy; the Elon Musk vs. OpenAI lawsuit and its implications for nonprofit-to-for-profit transitions; Taylor Swift's voice trademark filing and the future of likeness rights; Stripe's new agent-native payment wallet and what agentic commerce actually looks like; plus ChatGPT 5.5, Codex, and a few tools worth trying this week.Whether you're an AI power user or just AI-curious, this conversation cuts through the noise to focus on the real, lived experience of AI adoption in 2026.Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 02:30 — How everyday users are actually using ChatGPT and Claude 12:15 — The Adobe x Claude partnership and what it means for designers 21:40 — The rise of the AI-native creative 28:55 — AI in dating apps and profile optimization 35:20 — Why everyone is becoming a "CEO of agents" 44:10 — Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman: the OpenAI lawsuit 52:30 — Taylor Swift's voice trademark and likeness rights in the AI era 1:01:15 — Stripe's Link wallet and the rise of agentic commerce 1:09:40 — ChatGPT 5.5, Codex, and tools worth trying this week 1:18:00 — Wrap-upHosts: Ryan Van Sickle — co-founder, Compression (compression.xyz) Taylor Jackson — organizational anthropologist & creative strategistGet in touch: Topic or guest suggestions: [email protected]: New episodes drop regularly. Find AI Adjacent on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts.