The AI Frontier Playbook

AI strategy stuck in pilot purgatory? In this episode of The AI Frontier Playbook, I sit down with Pam Maynard, Microsoft's first ever Chief AI Transformation Officer, on artificial intelligence adoption, organizational change, leadership, automation, and the future of work.Pam led Avanade as CEO across 60,000 employees before taking on this pioneering role at Microsoft. We unpack the four-layer metrics framework that prevents pilot purgatory, the Manulife $1 billion AI value example, why middle managers decide whether AI adoption sticks, and the McKinsey research showing companies with AI led from the top perform 3x higher than those without.A big thank you to ITI for sponsoring this episode. ITI is a proudly Canadian company that has spent over 30 years helping organizations bring their IT projects to life by making technology accessible, meaningful, and human.Whether you are a C-suite leader trying to scale AI across your enterprise or a manager closing the adoption gap on the ground, this episode delivers a practical framework you can put into action this quarter.Learn more about ITI: https://iti.ca/en/microsoft-365-copilot/📌 Resources & LinksPam Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-maynard/ITI Microsoft 365 Copilot solutions: https://iti.ca/en/microsoft-365-copilot/Episode with Meaghan Platt from ITI on AI, accessibility and inclusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5ydmRrYXnQ📬 Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe to the AI Frontier Playbook Newsletter: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website: https://frontierplaybook.ai#ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #Leadership #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation

The AI Frontier Playbook - Meaghan Platt Episode DescriptionMicrosoft Copilot, AI accessibility, and dignity: what most GenAI conversations completely skip. Meaghan Platt from ITI joins The AI Frontier Playbook to explore what real inclusion looks like in the age of AI.Most people talk about AI and productivity. Meaghan Platt talks about AI and dignity. As a Copilot Sales and Adoption Specialist at ITI and a mom navigating the daily reality of raising a daughter with PCDH19, a condition that causes epilepsy, seizures, cognitive delays, and significant communication challenges, Meaghan sees GenAI through a lens most enterprise conversations never touch.We go deep on what most AI conversations completely skip: dignity. The moment a child realizes the world was not built for how she communicates. The confidence that erodes every time a tool fails her. And why Copilot, used intentionally, starts to flip that. We also talk about language barriers, neurodivergence, burnout, and what it actually means to lead AI adoption with people at the center.You'll learn: Why dignity is the missing word in every accessibility and AI conversation How GenAI removes friction that most of us never even notice but that stops others completely What it looks like to build a custom voice model so a child can use speech-to-text in her own pronunciation Why AI adoption fails when leaders treat it like a software rollout instead of a people strategy How a trilingual team with no shared language built real collaboration using Microsoft Copilot When AI shifts from adapting people to technology, to technology adapting to people What parents and teachers can do right now to prepare kids for an AI-native worldWhether you lead AI adoption at an enterprise level or you are a parent, educator, or anyone who navigates the world a little differently, this episode will change how you think about what inclusion actually means in the age of AI.Learn more about ITI: https://iti.ca/en/microsoft-365-copilot/📌 Resources and LinksMeaghan Platt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meaghanplatt/📬 Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe to the AI Frontier Playbook newsletter: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website: https://frontierplaybook.ai#MicrosoftCopilot #AIAccessibility #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAdoption

What if the biggest obstacle to AI in your business isn't the technology, but the organizational structures built for humans to be the bottleneck?In this episode of the AI Frontier Playbook, I sit down with Steve Gustavson, CVP of Design and Research at Microsoft, leading the Business Apps and Agents division with a 350-person team spanning design, research, and content. We explore how organizational transformation, AI agents, and user experience converge to reshape how companies build and run their business processes.Steve brings 20+ years of experience from Adobe, ServiceNow, and now Microsoft, where he leads the design thinking behind Copilot Studio, Agent 365, and the broader agentic ecosystem. What makes this conversation different is how concrete it gets. We go deep on why rigid org charts become liabilities when AI teammates start handling workflows at scale, what it actually takes to evaluate agents beyond technical accuracy, and why generative UX is forcing a complete rethink of how business applications get built.If you want to understand where the future of work is heading across agent ecosystems, this is the conversation.What You'll Learn Why organizational structures designed for human decision-making become liabilities in an AI-enabled workplace. How generative agents are shifting Dynamics 365 and business applications from rigid tools to flexible, adaptive systems. What it means to evaluate AI systems beyond technical accuracy to include human qualities like empathy and voice authenticity. How the future of work requires flatter organizations with fluid project-based team assignments rather than static org charts. Why user researchers and design leaders are becoming the primary voices defining what makes AI assistance trustworthy and effective. What the ethical and transparency challenges are when deploying AI agents in organizations alongside human teams. How to balance using cutting-edge AI tools daily while maintaining security and ethical boundaries around sensitive data. Why the next generation of agents will be customizable by end users, PMs, and other non-engineers using plain-language markdown specifications.Whether you are an enterprise leader grappling with legacy systems or a designer thinking about human-centered AI, this episode challenges conventional thinking about how technology and people will work together.Sponsored by TalanLearn more about Talan's AI Commerce Agent for B2B Buyers: https://bit.ly/4kZRDTjResources & Links Steve Gustavson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegustavson/ Microsoft Agent 365: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-agent-365Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to the AI Frontier Playbook Newsletter: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/ Visit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com

What if the real battle for AI isn't about productivity, but about who controls the market when your agent is the one doing the shopping?In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with David Rothschild, Economist at Microsoft Research and lead author of the paper "The Agentic Economy." We explore a shift most people aren't asking about yet: what happens to competition, discovery, and consumer welfare when AI agents, not humans, become the primary interface between buyers and businesses?David brings over a decade of research in market design and information flows to explain our transition from an attention economy to a preference economy. We discuss whether we are headed for tighter walled gardens or if open protocols will finally level the playing field for small businesses and consumers alike. The choices being made right now by developers and regulators will shape the next decade of global commerce.You'll Learn: The Preference Economy: Why marketing dollars are shifting from catching eyes to satisfying automated agent criteria. Breaking Platform Lock-in: How AI agents could virtually eliminate switching costs for consumers. Stage One vs. True Transformation: The difference between AI-assisted tasks and AI-first autonomous workflows. The Small Business Advantage: How an open agent ecosystem allows companies to compete on product quality and fit instead of massive ad spends. Zero Friction: Why a drop in communication friction is more disruptive to the economy than raw processing power. Walled Gardens vs. Web of Agents: The high stakes of closed ecosystems for future innovation. The ACP Protocol: Why businesses may soon have to rebuild their digital presence to be readable by every major agent platform.Whether you are a business leader preparing for the next wave of disruption or a consumer curious about your future shopping experience, this episode provides a research-backed framework to position yourself on the right side of the agentic shift.📌 Resources & LinksDavid Rothschild on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davmicrot/David Rothschild at Microsoft Research: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/people/davidmr/The Agentic Economy paper: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/the-agentic-economy/📬 Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com#AI #FutureOfWork #AgenticEconomy #MicrosoftResearch #AIAgents

We gave people AI and no user manual. That's the problem Microsoft researcher Dr. Jenna Butler sees playing out in every organization right now.In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Dr. Jenna Butler, Principal Applied Research Scientist at Microsoft and one of the editors behind the New Future of Work Report 2025. Jenna has spent years studying what actually happens to humans when the tools around them change, from cancer biology simulations to developer productivity to the AI wave reshaping every workspace today.We dig into what AI literacy really means for non-technical people, why the shift from creating content to evaluating it changes everything about how we work, and what the productivity pressure paradox is doing to teams that were told to "go be more productive" without a roadmap. Jenna also shares why she thinks technology never removes toil, it just shifts it, and what leaders can do this week to change the conversation.You'll learn:1. Why most people don't understand that AI is a probability engine, not a search engine, and why that distinction matters2. How the shift from content creation to content evaluation is redefining what "doing your job" looks like3. What the productivity pressure paradox is and how it's quietly backfiring inside organizations4. Why AI models carry deep cultural and gender biases that most users never notice5. How one researcher fell for a complete AI fabrication while writing a paper about AI hallucinations6. What minimum viable AI literacy looks like for a non-technical employee in 20267. Why leaders should reframe AI adoption as a chance to experiment, not a mandate to perform8. How Jenna builds her own custom tools with AI when existing software falls shortWhether you are a leader trying to drive AI adoption without burning out your team, or a professional figuring out how to use these tools effectively, this episode gives you a research-backed framework for navigating the shift.📌 Resources & LinksDr. Jenna Butler on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-jenna-butlerDr. Jenna Butler at Microsoft Research: microsoft.com/research/people/jennbuMicrosoft New Future of Work Report 2025: microsoft.com/research/the-new-future-of-work📬 Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity: samuelboulangerai.substack.comConnect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samuelboulangerVisit my website: samuelboulanger.com#AI #FutureOfWork #AILiteracy #MicrosoftResearch #ProductivityParadox

What if the biggest obstacle to AI in your business isn’t the technology, but the way your systems were built to assume a human would always be clicking?In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Frédéric Bélanger, Leader AI & Innovation at Talan.Frédéric has spent years architecting B2B commerce and procurement systems. He knows exactly where the friction lives and why it has been so difficult to fix.We go deep into what actually breaks when you move from portals and workflows to intent-driven buying, what it takes to make your data and systems agent-ready, and how to deploy AI agents safely inside enterprise environments.No theory. No slideware. Just real architecture decisions and hard-won lessons.You’ll learn:Why B2B commerce was built around a human clicking and why that assumption is now a liabilityWhat shifts when you move from workflow-based APIs to intent-based APIsHow to tell if you have an AI opportunity or a data architecture problemWhy data field names and database column names now matter more than everWhat “human in the loop” really means as a design decisionHow MCP servers simplify agent integration without requiring a full rearchitectureWhat agent-to-agent commerce looks like and the questions we need to start answering nowWhy non-deterministic tools in enterprise environments are manageable if you build them correctlyWhether you are a business leader evaluating AI investments in your commerce stack, or an architect designing the next generation of B2B systems, this episode gives you a practical framework for building agent-ready enterprise environments the right way.Learn more about Talan's AI Commerce Agent for B2B Buyers: https://bit.ly/4kZRDTjResources & LinksFrédéric Bélanger on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/frederic-belanger/Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivityhttps://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with Samuel Boulanger on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit samuelboulanger.comhttps://samuelboulanger.com/

What if extending Microsoft 365 Copilot wasn’t about adding features, but about building real enterprise agents that act on your business systems?In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Sébastien Levert, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft working on Copilot extensibility and the Microsoft 365 agent platform.We break down what Copilot agents actually are, what “extensibility” really means in concrete terms, and when low code stops being enough. We go deep into pro code tooling, engineering discipline, and what it takes to ship agents like real software inside Microsoft 365 Copilot.This is not theory. It is architecture, workflow, and decision frameworks you can use immediately.You’ll learn: What Copilot agents are beyond simple retrieval or Q&A The real difference between low code and pro code agents When to use Copilot Studio versus developer tooling Why building inside Microsoft 365 Copilot unlocks productivity context How to version, deploy, and roll back agents using CI/CD Why you usually do not want to build your own orchestration layer How WorkIQ changes the way developers build agents The enterprise signals that tell you it is time to move to pro code How to avoid painful rearchitecture laterWhether you are a business leader deciding where to invest, or a developer building scalable agent solutions, this episode will give you a clear framework for navigating Copilot extensibility the right way.

What if your next business team isn’t just made of humans, but also intelligent agents?In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Simon Lacasse, Global Black Belt for AI at Microsoft and author of the white paper Scaling Agents for Enterprise. Simon is part of Microsoft’s SWAT team of AI experts, working with global organizations to bring multi-agent systems to life in real-world production environments.We go deep into what’s actually changed in the last 12 to 18 months to make multi-agent systems deployable at enterprise scale, and why it’s no longer just research labs or prototypes. It’s happening right now.You’ll learn: What agent orchestration actually means (and why it’s like a project manager for AI) Why the real shift isn’t smarter models, it’s smarter ecosystems How protocols like A2A and MCP are creating an “internet of agents” Why GitHub Copilot is secretly a multi-agent system and what that means for your tools How to start implementing multi-agent architecture in your organization without creating chaos The biggest misconceptions about cost, complexity, and governance Simon’s productivity tips on breaking problems down and avoiding “giant prompts”Whether you're building agent infrastructure or just trying to keep up with the pace of AI change, this episode will make the architecture and strategy behind multi-agent systems finally click.📌 Resources Mentioned🔹 Scaling Agents for Enterprise – White Paper by Simon Lacassehttps://github.com/slacassegbb/azure-a2a-main/blob/main/Scaling_Agents_Enterprise.pdf🔹 A Guide to Designing a Multi-Agent System – White Paper by Simon Lacassehttps://github.com/slacassegbb/WebBrowser_Example/blob/main/A%20Guide%20to%20Designing%20a%20Multi-Agent%20System.pdf🔹 A2A Protocol (Agent-to-Agent by Google)https://a2a-protocol.org/🔹 MCP Protocol (Model Context Protocol by Anthropic)https://modelcontextprotocol.io/🔹 Simon Lacasse on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lacasse-3545386/📬 Enjoyed this episode?🔹 Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity, my newsletterhttps://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/🔹 Connect with me on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/🔹 Visit my websitehttps://samuelboulanger.com/

🎙️Unlock the future of Inclusive AI: What does it truly take to build systems that are responsible and equitable from the ground up?In this essential episode on Gender Bias in AI and Responsible AI, we sit down with Miri Rodriguez, former star storyteller at Microsoft and the groundbreaking CEO/Founder of Empressa.ai. After 13 years crafting narratives within Big Tech, a personal health journey — including battling cancer —pushed Miri to pioneer a solution for one of technology's biggest challenges: the AI gender gap.Miri shares the emotional and strategic story behind Empressa — a pioneering AI platform built by women, for women. She exposes how reliance on traditional data sets has created deep-seated biases, consistently excluding female perspectives. You'll learn:- Why the legacy of male-designed technology (like the car airbag) proves that gender-neutral is often just male-default.- How Empressa.ai is rewriting this reality by implementing a royalty model that fairly compensates women for contributing their insights, stories, and lived experience, transforming silence into scalable knowledge.- Actionable design principles for building inclusive AI agents and foundational models, ensuring your next product is equitable.- Why the true barrier for women in tech and AI adoption is often confidence and the need for safe learning spaces—not capability.If you are building with Generative AI, leading product teams, or focused on accelerating gender parity in the workforce, this episode is mandatory listening. It will fundamentally challenge how you think about data, inclusion, and the systems we are all shaping.⏱️ Timestamps (YouTube Chapters)00:00 Intro 01:37 Meet Miri Rodriguez: Microsoft, Storytelling, and the Strategic Leap06:42 Why AI Systems Are Biased Against Women09:08 The Hidden Cost of Biased Data12:15 The Legacy of Male-Designed Tech (Cars & Airbags)14:48 How Empressa is Building AI with Women's Insights19:36 A New Royalty Model for AI Contributors22:05 Designing an Equitable AI: "By Women, For Women"25:11 The Domestic Workload Barrier (Why Women Don't Apply)25:45 Cohorts, Safe Spaces, and How Women Learn AI29:03 Building Inclusive AI Agents37:45 Practical Tip: Training AI for the Next Generation39:15 The Road to Gender Parity and AI's Role📌 Resources MentionedEmpressa.ai : https://empressa.aiMiri Rodriguez on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mirirod/Gender bias in AI data sources (Harvard, McKinsey, etc.)Women in AI Quaterly Index Report: https://empressa.ai/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Women-in-AI-Index-Quarterly-Report-Q4-2025.pdf📬 Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity, my newsletter: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website: samuelboulanger.com

AI isn’t just changing how we work — it’s changing how we lead.But most leaders are still trying to apply old thinking to a very new game.Kree Govender leads SMB sales at Microsoft Canada, supporting 1.4 million businesses through Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. With over a decade of experience leading teams across South Africa and Canada, Kree has had a front-row seat to the AI transformation — and he’s helping shape what modern leadership looks like in this new reality.In this episode, Kree breaks down what it means to be an “AI-enhanced leader,” why trust and curiosity are now strategic advantages, and how to lead teams that include not just people, but AI agents. We talk about cultural resistance to change, the risk of outsourcing your thinking, and how to stay human in a world of automation.Whether you're managing a team, experimenting with Copilot, or just figuring out where AI fits in your decision-making, this conversation gives you a grounded look at the leadership skills that still matter — and the ones you’ll need next.📌 Resources MentionedWork Trend Index by Microsoft:https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index?msockid=3b2712741f9262f50f5d07521e446344Kree Govender on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kree-govender-12b2651b/📬 Enjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulangerVisit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com

Everyone’s talking about AI in sales. But what does it actually look like to lead a modern sales organization that runs on it?Ehsan Youssef, Lead of Small and Medium Enterprise & Channel Sales at Microsoft Canada, has spent 20 years helping teams adapt to constant change—and now he’s transforming how his organization sells in the age of AI.In this episode, Ehsan breaks down what it means to operate as a frontier firm—one that infuses AI into every process, from planning and prospecting to customer engagement. He shares how his team measures the “ROI of time,” how they’re building trust in AI across hundreds of sellers, and why every leader needs to lead by example and use the tools themselves.Whether you’re running a sales org, experimenting with Copilot, or figuring out where AI fits in your business, this conversation gives you a clear playbook for turning strategy into action.📌 Resources MentionedMicrosoft Cloud Adoption Framework for AI: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/scenarios/ai/Erin Chapple on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmchapple/📬 Enjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to my newsletter Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website : Samuelboulanger.com

Everyone’s talking about AI. But how do you go from personal productivity wins to real, enterprise-scale impact?Ben Vollmer has spent 30+ years helping organizations answer that question—leading product teams at Microsoft, IFS, and now RSM, where he drives AI and Power Platform strategy for some of the largest businesses in the US.In this episode, Ben breaks down what’s actually working on the ground: from AI agents processing invoices and summarizing shift reports, to how edge AI and micro-vertical models are quietly reshaping operations. We also talk about the biggest blockers to adoption (hint: it’s not the tech), how to roll out AI without overwhelming your teams, and why most companies are still underestimating the power of data readiness.Whether you’re deploying Copilot, building with Power Platform, or trying to drive real change in your org—this conversation cuts through the noise.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro 02:28 – What’s working now: tech + organizational alignment 04:05 – Real-world AI agent examples: invoices, IT tickets, and internal copilots 06:39 – “AI is a lot of magic being sold” — grounding the hype 09:36 – Intelligent applications: the next evolution of forms and decision-making 11:04 – Broad vs. micro-vertical models: the real AI frontier 17:39 – Tangible ROI: shift reports, document handling, internal service automation 23:15 – The GPS metaphor: how AI adoption builds trust over time 39:06 – Ben’s productivity tip: the Louis Litt email rewriting agent 📌 Resources MentionedRSM Power Factory: https://rsmus.comBen Vollmer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvollmer/📬 Enjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to my newsletter Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com

Everyone’s talking about AI. But how do you actually get it working across a 100,000-person organization?Erin Chapple breaks down how Microsoft is doing exactly that—and what you can learn from it.In this episode, Erin shares what she’s learned from 30 years at Microsoft, first leading engineering teams for Windows Server and Azure, and now helping some of the world’s largest enterprises adopt AI at scale. She explains why Microsoft radically simplified its entire cloud portfolio, what it really means to become a “Frontier Firm,” and why governance isn’t a blocker, it’s your launchpad for innovation.Whether you’re building AI, selling AI, or trying to make sense of how it fits into your org structure, this conversation delivers real-world clarity from someone at the center of it all.📌 Resources MentionedMicrosoft Cloud Adoption Framework for AI: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/scenarios/ai/Erin Chapple on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmchapple/📬 Enjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to my newsletter Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website : Samuelboulanger.com

What if AI isn’t here to replace us, but to remove the boring parts of our work? In this episode, Scott Hanselman shares a deeply human perspective on AI, productivity, and the promises technology made but didn’t keep. If you’re a business leader wondering how to use AI without losing your team’s creativity, this conversation is a must-listen.Resources Mentioned: Scott Hanselman’s TEDx Talk (Portland) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVG8W-0p6vg&t=20sScott Hanselman’s Blog: https://www.hanselman.com/Scott Hanselman’s Podcast: https://www.hanselminutes.com/Enjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to my newsletter Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/About this Podcast & Channel:Mastering AI with the Experts is for leaders across all functions of the enterprise, from CIOs and VPs to HR, Finance, Legal, and Operations, who want conceptual clarity, actionable insights, and smart talking points on AI without the hype. This podcast is part of the Mastering AI for Productivity channel, where I share expert interviews, demos, and best practices for driving AI adoption in the enterprise.

Resources MentionedFâtih's website : https://fatihnayebi.com/Fâtih’s book: Foundation of Agents of AI for Retail :https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Agentic-Retail-Technologies-Architectures Scale AI (Canada’s AI supercluster) : https://www.scaleai.caAlpha Evolved by DeepMind : https://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-media/DeepMind.com/Blog/alphaevolve-a-gemini-powered-coding-agent-for-designing-advanced-algorithms/AlphaEvolve.pdfEnjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to my newsletter Mastering AI for Productivity : https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/About this Podcast & ChannelMastering AI with the Experts is for leaders across all functions of the enterprise — from CIOs and VPs to HR, Finance, Legal, and Operations, who want conceptual clarity, actionable insights, and smart talking points on AI without the hype.This podcast is part of the Mastering AI for Productivity channel, where I share expert interviews, demos, and best practices for driving AI adoption in the enterprise.

In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Dona Sarkar — Chief Troublemaker at Microsoft, global AI & accessibility leader, entrepreneur, author, and fashion designer — to explore why human connection is still the most valuable asset in the AI era. We talk about the limits of automation, why data quality can make or break AI projects, and how leaders can adopt AI without losing their unique voice. Dona shares candid stories from running offline businesses, busts common AI myths, and reveals how to experiment your way to success.Whether you’re a business leader, tech pro, or just AI-curious, this conversation will challenge how you think about the balance between AI power and the human touch.

In this episode, I sit down with Abram Jackson, Principal Product Manager Leadat Microsoft working on Microsoft 365 Copilot, agents, and extensibility. Abram has been leading the charge on agent-based experiences and joins me to talk about:• How agents fit into the future of productivity• The architecture behind grounding and context• Why good instructions matter• Real use cases for Copilot in organizations• The importance of opinionated agents• What’s next for AI in the enterpriseWhether you're building your first AI agent, wondering how to drive adoption, or just curious about what's coming next in Copilot and generative AI, this is a must-listen conversation.👇 Abram Jackson Ressources🔗 Blog – https://www.abramjackson.com🔗 Podcast (Return on Intelligence YouTube Playlist) –    • Return on Intelligence  🔗 LinkedIn –   / abramj  🔗Twitter/X – https://x.com/abrakjamson🔗 Newsletter (LinkedIn) –   / 7273833068849709056  👇 Connect with me (Samuel Boulanger)🔗 LinkedIn –   / samuelboulanger  🔗 Newsletter (Mastering AI for Productivity) – https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/🔗 Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/samuelbo...🔗 Connect with me on X : x.com/itsSamuelAI

In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Cadie Kneip, Senior Readiness Business Program Manager at Microsoft, to uncover the secrets behind successful AI adoption in organizations. With her innovative Copilot Champs program, Cadie has created a movement that transformed how Microsoft employees embrace and share AI tools.What you'll learn in this video:How Microsoft built the Copilot Champs community that grew to 7,000+ members through peer-to-peer learningPractical strategies for driving AI adoption without forcing technology on reluctant usersInsights on gamification and making learning fun through initiatives like Camp Copilot and Power Hours- Why the "human element" is critical for AI implementation successHow to measure AI adoption impact and track improvement in productivityWhether you're an IT leader looking to improve AI tool adoption, a change manager planning a rollout, or anyone interested in building technology champions in your organization, this conversation provides a blueprint for turning AI potential into real-world results.Links to assets mentioned during the podcast... and more... Microsoft 365 Copilot Virtual Skilling Event Framework – Microsoft Adoption Community with purpose: Deploying Viva Engage at Microsoft in three chapters - Inside Track Blog Driving Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption with Our Copilot Champs Community Return to Summer Camp: Making Microsoft 365 Copilot Fun with Camp Copilot

In this episode of Mastering AI with the Expert, I sit down with Neha Sharma, Data & AI Specialist at Microsoft, to explore how organizations can assess their AI maturity and build a foundation for impactful AI solutions. From data governance to scaling AI initiatives, Neha shares practical advice and real-world examples that highlight how businesses and public sector organizations can unlock the full potential of AI.

In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Marcus Schmidt, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, to explore how AI is revolutionizing customer service and contact centers. Whether you're new to AI or looking to optimize your current operations, this conversation is packed with insights on transforming customer experiences and empowering agents.

In this debut episode of our series, "Mastering AI with the Experts," we explore the revolutionary impact of AI on sales and business applications. Join us as we sit down with Matthew Mead, Global Black Belt Technical Specialist at Microsoft, to dive deep into how AI is transforming the way businesses operate, particularly through Microsoft's Copilot for Sales.