AIs Wide Open Podcast

Can anyone code – without experience – in the age of AI? Rahul sheds light on the inspiration behind Julius AI: a brainchild of passionate AI enthusiasts determined to empower everyone with the power to handle complex data analysis tasks regardless of coding experience. Rohan and Rahul also talk about how Julius AI breaks down barriers, allowing anyone to leverage the power of Python for data analysis and visualization through instructions in plain English language.

The line between human creativity and machine intelligence is blurring. LLMs can now churn out poems, code, and even news articles, raising a burning question: who owns the words? Rohan, Shayne, and Chris speak about the fast-changing AI x copyright landscape. They discuss questions such as: - Can using copyrighted material to train LLMs be considered fair use, or does it cross the line into infringement? - When AI creates, who gets the credit? - Can AI-generated data bypass copyright restrictions? They also talk about the challenges of defining authorship in the age of AI, and how copyright law will need to keep up.

Chris and Rohan talk about the major areas of progress and improvement for LLMs in the future and the landscape of LLMs in 5 years. The multi-billion dollar question - what will the landscape of LLMs look like in 5 years? Do people expect a handful of dominant LLM Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, etc., or will there be an ecosystem of LLMs created by every enterprise? They also talk about AI Safety: what are people's concerns from an AI safety standpoint? Do people subscribe to the more general-purpose Alignment?

Mikita shares his vision of PandaDoc being the default location for deals to be conducted in 5 years and explains how PandaDoc plans to use AI to achieve that vision. Rohan and Mikita also talk about: a) the ups and downs of being a bootstrapped founder, b) what CROs are looking for in AI, c) data privacy considerations in using off-the-shelf models vs building in-house.

4 years ago, Oleg was incredibly prescient about the future of AI in B2B on a podcast with a16z. Many of his predictions in that podcast - around how data models and workflows will be transformed in the years ahead with the explosion in AI capabilities - are now proving to be true. Rohan and Oleg talk about the future of sales tech, copilot, and autopilot use cases for Language Models, and how proprietary data is - more than ever - the biggest competitive advantage for companies.

Rohan speaks with Jon Ziglar, CEO of Rent. Group (including Rent.com, Rentals.com, Redfin, among others), to discuss the role of technology and AI in the rental property market. They talk about Rent.’s adoption of a unique omni-channel strategy and how Rent. has been pioneering content creation and highly targeted social media campaigns powered by AI. Jon shares his vision for how AI adoption will create an even more healthy and robust rental marketplace - property owners can be incredibly efficient in scaling their businesses, and renters can more easily find properties suiting their needs.

Will college degrees survive the incredible pace of skill shifts? Rohan and David explore the future of learning in a world of shrinking skill lifespans. David reveals a jaw-dropping stat: the average half-life of a skill (the time it takes for a skill to become half as valuable) has plummeted from 15 years a few decades ago to just 2 years - making skills obsolete in a flash. Lifelong learning is now an imperative, not just a nice to have. Rohan and David also talk about: - Whether college degrees are becoming a thing of the past or stepping stones to lifelong learning. - “Jailbreaking” the traditional college degree and how to thrive in today’s digital age where technology outpaces classrooms. - Strategies for thriving in a job market where adaptability is the new currency. - What AI means for the skills of the future - How Degreed acts as a personal learning GPS, guiding towards relevant skills and career pathways.

Rohan and Godard talk about: - Godard’s entrepreneurial journey: how his first company, BigMachines nearly failed 3 years in, how he and his co-founders kept going - AI Monty - G2’s latest AI release, a chat-based assistant for evaluating and choosing software vendors - How AI is likely to lead to a complete overhaul in CRM and associate sales tech Why G2 is fundamentally a data company, and why every software company will be a data company in the age of AI - G2's proprietary data advantage and how it will continue to expand that data advantage

Rohan and Aaron dive deep into Sameday's mission to eliminate missed inquiries and optimize customer interactions for local businesses. They explore how Sameday’s AI technology streamlines workflows, boosts revenue, and even adapts to handle emergencies. They also talk about: - The hidden costs of traditional call centers in the home service industry. - How AI personalizes customer interactions, even when it's a bot on the line. - The exciting future of AI for businesses beyond home services.

As organizations get more and more reliant on AI, what does that mean for human roles in sales and talent management? Rohan and Bryce discuss why finding the right wave to ride is crucial for career success, the benefits of cross-functional exposure (and how it can make you a better salesperson), and how Artificial Intelligence is transforming Talent Management and Sales. They also talk about how AI is: - Transforming the way companies find and retain top talent - Automating busywork for sales teams, freeing them up for strategic pursuits - Revolutionizing the future of sales

Imagine your bank with a smarter, faster assistant - one that can answer your questions, streamline tasks, and even empower staff. Rohan, Shayne, and Rishi dive into the world of conversational AI for financial institutions. They discuss: - How Posh is revolutionizing customer service for credit unions and community banks with chatbots, voice assistants, and a knowledge assistant for employees. - The evolution of AI, from early models to the powerful capabilities of GPT-3. This conversation explores the challenges of creating natural, human-like conversations while navigating regulations in finance. - Copilot vs. Autopilot: Posh's unique approach that balances the efficiency of AI with the irreplaceable value of human interaction. - Privacy and Security First: How Posh tackles these critical concerns in the financial sector, ensuring data protection and client trust.

Ram shares how he built Colaberry, a company that trains veterans for tech careers, combining social impact with a sustainable business model. Rohan and Ram talk about how Colaberry leverages AI to empower job seekers and reshape industries. They also explore the future of work: how AI will change roles for engineers, salespeople, and everyone in between. They further discuss: - How to build a profitable business with a social mission - The secret weapon for veteran career success (it's not what you think!) - Why AI is the new "internet browser" for innovation - How to stay relevant in a world powered by AI - Why the human touch will always be crucial in sales

For all the small business owners out there - ever feel like your customers are ghosts in the wind? You hear them but struggle to manage their needs effectively while your team spends hours on dead-end leads, wasting precious time and resources. Smith.ai is solving this problem, revolutionizing customer engagement for SMBs with the help of AI agents. Aaron’s career path is anything but ordinary - from starting his career at Google during its growth phase to building a company acquired by The Home Depot. He then became CTO at Home Depot. But what inspired him to tackle the challenges of small and medium businesses (SMBs)? This episode dives deep into: - The unique challenges of SMB customer engagement that can be solved with AI - Why simply throwing “AI” at a problem can backfire (and what it takes to be effective) - How Smith AI handles calls and qualify leads, so your team can focus on closing deals - Advice from Aaron - how to navigate a fast-changing AI landscape (as an employee/business owner/vendor/customer)

Can AI outsmart every annoying noise on your calls? Rohan and Davit discuss the motivations behind Krisp and the technical complexities of developing real-time noise suppression solutions. We explore the intricacies of AI model training, the importance of data privacy in audio processing, and how Krisp uses cutting-edge tech to make calls sound crystal clear.

Rohan and Michael discuss the future of cloud connectivity and how AI workloads will impact it. Megaport boasts 60-second deployments, letting users tap into the power of the cloud at lightning speed. But Megaport isn't just about speed. Rohan and Michael also talk about the strategic importance of connectivity in the AI era, specifically: - The rise of multi-cloud: How companies use multiple cloud providers for optimal performance, and how Megaport helps them navigate this complex landscape. - AI workloads and: Why seamless data access across platforms is critical for training powerful AI models, and how that means seamless cloud connectivity will be even more important in the future.

This episode explores the future of healthcare, where AI scribes like Freed take over the tedious task of charting notes. Erez shares stories of how doctors have become significantly more efficient with Freed. Rohan and Erez also explore, more broadly, the promise and the challenges surrounding AI’s adoption in medicine.

Rohan and Shayne chat with Yi to discuss AI innovation in customer service. They also talk about: - Domain-specific AI: where language models (LMs) are trained to understand specific industries and customer bases. - Automating efficiency: how LMs can evaluate themselves, leading to more efficient improvement in customer interactions. - AI limitations: challenges of using LM agents, and the issue of "hallucination" where LMs generate incorrect responses.

Will college degrees survive the incredible pace of skill shifts? Rohan and David explore the future of learning in a world of shrinking skill lifespans. David reveals a jaw-dropping stat: the average half-life of a skill (the time it takes for a skill to become half as valuable) has plummeted from 15 years a few decades ago to just 2 years - making skills obsolete in a flash. Lifelong learning is now an imperative, not just a nice to have. Rohan and David also talk about: - Whether college degrees are becoming a thing of the past or stepping stones to lifelong learning. - “Jailbreaking” the traditional college degree and how to thrive in today’s digital age where technology outpaces classrooms. - Strategies for thriving in a job market where adaptability is the new currency. - What AI means for the skills of the future - How Degreed acts as a personal learning GPS, guiding towards relevant skills and career pathways.

Can anyone code – without experience – in the age of AI? Rahul sheds light on the inspiration behind Julius AI: a brainchild of passionate AI enthusiasts determined to empower everyone with the power to handle complex data analysis tasks regardless of coding experience. Rohan and Rahul also talk about how Julius AI breaks down barriers, allowing anyone to leverage the power of Python for data analysis and visualization through instructions in plain English language.

The line between human creativity and machine intelligence is blurring. LLMs can now churn out poems, code, and even news articles, raising a burning question: who owns the words? Rohan, Shayne, and Chris speak about the fast-changing AI x copyright landscape. They discuss questions such as: - Can using copyrighted material to train LLMs be considered fair use, or does it cross the line into infringement? - When AI creates, who gets the credit? - Can AI-generated data bypass copyright restrictions? They also talk about the challenges of defining authorship in the age of AI, and how copyright law will need to keep up.

James talks about building a customer-centric mindset - and how his experience as a college football player, pursuing a music career, and door-to-door sales all helped him build this mindset. Major topic of discussion: the age-old debate of nature versus nurture in sales success – are sales skills innate gifts, or can they be cultivated through dedication and learning? How does this change in the world of AI?

Rohan and Rick discuss Rick’s entrepreneurial journey - at Boomi, and now Guru. Why did Rick think breaking down knowledge silos in enterprises was so important? They spend a great deal of time talking about the impact of AI on knowledge discovery, and knowledge updation. Perhaps the most interesting part of the discussion: how being an AI-native product is very different from adding “AI” as a feature - and how Guru plans to be a cutting-edge, AI-native product. We also talk about RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) and the importance of a knowledge system that goes beyond basic chat-centric interfaces. Guru has some exciting plans ahead in its quest to be best-in-class knowledge discovery, retrieval and updation for the enterprise.

Rohan, Shayne, and Kian chat about the impact of AI on the skills of the future. How should professionals think about the durability of skills in the age of AI? What skills should be double downed on? How can people be lifelong learners in an age of frenetic change? Kian also talks about T-shaped careers and how to balance breadth and depth in skills.

4 years ago, Oleg was incredibly prescient about the future of AI in B2B on a podcast with a16z. Many of his predictions in that podcast - around how data models and workflows will be transformed in the years ahead with the explosion in AI capabilities - are now proving to be true. Rohan and Oleg talk about the future of sales tech, copilot, and autopilot use cases for Language Models, and how proprietary data is - more than ever - the biggest competitive advantage for companies.

What does it mean to integrate AI and create a comprehensive, automated sales motion? How can we deploy AI at every part of the sales funnel? Rohan and Cody talk about these questions - and a lot more. They also discuss how Workato is evolving to be the system of action for AI.

Rohan and Godard talk about: - Godard’s entrepreneurial journey: how his first company, BigMachines nearly failed 3 years in, how he and his co-founders kept going - AI Monty - G2’s latest AI release, a chat-based assistant for evaluating and choosing software vendors - How AI is likely to lead to a complete overhaul in CRM and associate sales tech Why G2 is fundamentally a data company, and why every software company will be a data company in the age of AI - G2's proprietary data advantage and how it will continue to expand that data advantage

Rohan speaks with Jon Ziglar, CEO of Rent. Group (including Rent.com, Rentals.com, Redfin, among others), to discuss the role of technology and AI in the rental property market. They talk about Rent.’s adoption of a unique omni-channel strategy and how Rent. has been pioneering content creation and highly targeted social media campaigns powered by AI. Jon shares his vision for how AI adoption will create an even more healthy and robust rental marketplace - property owners can be incredibly efficient in scaling their businesses, and renters can more easily find properties suiting their needs.

Mikita shares his vision of PandaDoc being the default location for deals to be conducted in 5 years and explains how PandaDoc plans to use AI to achieve that vision. Rohan and Mikita also talk about: a) the ups and downs of being a bootstrapped founder, b) what CROs are looking for in AI, c) data privacy considerations in using off-the-shelf models vs building in-house.

Mike shares his journey at Google in 2003 when the company was still a relatively small start-up with around 1,000 employees. Rohan and Mike talk about the parallels between the rapid development we’re seeing now in AI and those early days at Google… the energy among builders, the possibility of whole new markets, and industries being created. Other topics they chat about: (a) Value capture: how can B2B AI startups effectively compete with incumbents and capture value, (b) AI safety: what does “responsible” use of AI even mean?

Mark is a veritable expert, and brings with him a wealth of experience, in the realms of marketing and analytics. Rohan and Mark talk about the evolution of marketing measurement methods over the past two decades – Mark points out the limitations of the traditional methods of the past that heavily relied on impressions, and how the last decade has seen a revolution in the precision of marketing attribution and analytics. Mark suggests that AI will bring a similar precision in sales analytics and attribution (particularly in terms of top-of-funnel) which will allow businesses to quickly run more experiments on various top-of-funnel and other sales strategies. This will mean: better tailored top-of-funnel strategies for each business, and access to leading indicators when these strategies stop working as well.

Rohan and Mark talk about Mark's fascinating journey at Outreach (outreach.io) - Mark was the first GTM employee at Outreach, and grew the business from a few leads on a CSV to $200M+ in ARR. Rohan and Mark also talk about: (i) “AI washing” - companies in a rush to claim “AI capabilities” by creating basic, marginally useful AI tools, (ii) data anonymization for training AI models, and much more.

Chris and Rohan talk about the major areas of progress and improvement for LLMs in the future and the landscape of LLMs in 5 years. The multi-billion dollar question - what will the landscape of LLMs look like in 5 years? Do people expect a handful of dominant LLM Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, etc., or will there be an ecosystem of LLMs created by every enterprise? They also talk about AI Safety: what are people's concerns from an AI safety standpoint? Do people subscribe to the more general-purpose Alignment?

Rohan and Cassidy discuss the potential of AI and LLMs to transform raw data into actionable intelligence, driving better sales performance. They talk about the various sources of data - customer conversations, emails, collateral, and assets - that can be used in combination with LLMs to drive better business decision-making. They also talk about the power of community influence in marketing and the need for a reimagined outbound approach in a world saturated with outbound from BDRs.

David and Rohan talk about sales acceleration, automation, and the need for personalization in a tech-driven era. David shares that while transactional sales may lean towards automation, the complex sales that rely on relationships and high-value solutions still demand personalization. In a world where sales performance drives a revenue organization’s success, sales teams must leverage AI for engagement, coaching, and communication strategies.

Ken and Rohan discuss the importance of embracing AI tools for personalized outreach and the challenges of capturing customer attention in a content-saturated environment. Ken shares his perspective on immersive and consultative sales and how that’s the future of sales.

The challenge for enablement has always been to prove the ROI of their work and their indispensability to the org. Taryn shares her advice and perspective on how enablement professionals can use AI to make themselves more efficient and effective. Rohan and Taryn also talk about the transformations AI will bring to the entire revenue org, including the enablement role.

Tammy and Arwa share their inspirational, but very different, journeys to tech sales leadership - Tammy started off as an SDR, while Arwa started in finance and accounting. Rohan, Tammy, and Arwa talk about how AI is likely to play a pivotal role in the evolution of the sales profession – liberating sales leaders and reps from mundane tasks and empowering them to focus on high-value activities. They also talk about the potential of AI to democratize sales by making it easier for people from all backgrounds to enter the profession. Big discussion topic - Does AI change the relative importance of: (a) prior domain knowledge, vs. (b) attitude: curiosity, commitment to learning, and discipline when it comes to success in sales? For example: are sales leaders more likely to hire people with limited prior domain expertise but a fantastic commitment to learning, because AI allows faster learning and education than ever before?

Rohan and Dave talk about the impact of AI at every point in the customer journey - top of the funnel, active deals, onboarding and engagement with existing customers, and retargeting/remarketing for closed lost deals.

Major discussion topic: could AI eventually replace sales managers? Rohan and Cory talk about the limitations of AI in sales – without a shared language and systematic approach, AI suggestions may only offer one-off solutions instead of fostering a cohesive sales methodology that continuously drives better sales performance.

Rohan, Eugene, and Shayne talk about what are the technical innovations driving the explosion in Large Language Models recently. Shayne talks about how much uncertainty there is about which applications LLMs will be good at - uncertainty that might take a decade to be resolved. Eugene brings his perspective on what a successful seller will look like in a world where synthesis, Mail outreach, summarization, and information retrieval are taken care of by LLMs. As they continue the conversation - they talk about trusting AI models, and whether we’ll ever move from AI-assisted human selling to human-supervised AI selling. Rohan, for one, believes that AI will never be able to completely replace the human seller because human beings want to talk to another human when they are making $10K purchases or larger. Lots of interesting stuff for folks interested in a plain English introduction to LLMs and future applications they might enable.

Anil and Rohan discuss how AI will transform the way sales professionals and managers work. They talk about how sales professionals must show agility, adaptability, and openness to the possibilities of AI dramatically improving productivity in their roles. They also talk about how AI will affect the attributes and characteristics that managers seek when hiring sales professionals and how AI automates more mundane tasks - freeing up managers to focus on training and coaching the sales reps.

Rohan and Dustin talk about how sales leaders and new sales professionals can prepare for the seismic shift that AI is going to bring to the revenue organization. Those who embrace the AI revolution can potentially experience a meteoric rise in their careers, far outpacing their peers who resist these transformative changes. They also talk about the power of insight extractions using Large Language Models (LLMs). The generative capabilities of LLMs - creating large amounts of high-quality content from a small set of instructions - are well-known thanks to ChatGPT and others. But there is power in using LLMs for synthesis too - extracting salient insights from customer conversations. Extracting targeted, customer-specific insights can help make reps and managers more productive.