Actually Intelligent

This week on Actually Intelligent, Max Thon unpacks three AI stories that all point to the same question: who decides what AI does in the real world? From an AI-run store making hiring decisions, to a new push for international AI governance, to a fresh perspective on what AI can't replace in the labor market, this episode explores where control, responsibility, and trust in AI are being defined.

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, Max Thon sits down with Inspiren CTO, Dominique Simoneau-Ritchie, to explore how AI is being applied in senior care. They discuss how Inspiren uses computer vision and data to help prevent falls, how to design for caregivers in high-pressure environments, and what it takes to build AI systems that actually work in the real world. A grounded look at AI in healthcare, focused on outcomes, trust, and day-to-day impact.

This week on Actually Intelligent, Max Thon breaks down three AI stories that all point to the same thing: a growing trust crisis. From The New York Times' AI plagiarism controversy to California setting new rules for AI companies, to OpenAI stepping into media, the lines around authorship, regulation, and influence are starting to blur. Who creates the content, who sets the rules, and who controls the narrative? If you're building with AI or trying to keep up with where it's all headed, this episode connects the dots.

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, Max Thon sits down with Alex Pezold, CEO and co-founder of Agentech, to explore where AI, cybersecurity, and workflow automation collide—especially inside the insurance industry. Alex brings a unique perspective—coming off a nine-figure exit in cybersecurity and now building in one of the most complex, slow-moving systems out there: claims management. In this conversation, we get into how Agentech got its name, why product cycles are moving faster than ever, and what it really takes to sell AI into traditional industries. Plus—what's overhyped, what's underhyped, and where the real opportunity is right now. If you're thinking about AI beyond the headlines—and how to actually make it work—this one's for you. Let's get into it.

On this episode, Max Thon sits down with Andrew Bihl, co-founder and CTO of Numeric—a team building the pipes behind how enterprise finance actually works. This isn't a surface-level AI conversation. It's a real look at what happens when you try to bring intelligence into one of the most complex, trust-driven functions inside a business: accounting. From untangling messy cash flows to the very real friction of getting finance teams to adopt new tools, Andrew shares what most people get wrong—and where the real opportunity is hiding. If you care about where finance is going, how enterprise infrastructure is evolving, or what AI looks like when it leaves the slide deck and hits the real world—this one's worth your time.

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, host Max Thon sits down with James Brear, CEO of Mindgard, and Peter Garraghan, the company's founder and a leading academic in AI and systems security. Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of the core infrastructure of modern enterprises. The problem? Security hasn't kept pace. Most cybersecurity tools were built for traditional software—not for AI systems. That gap is opening the door to a new class of vulnerabilities many organizations are only beginning to understand. James and Peter share how Mindgard emerged from years of academic research into neural network vulnerabilities—long before large language models and AI agents went mainstream. That early work became the foundation for a company focused entirely on securing AI. If you're thinking seriously about the future of AI security—from adversarial threats to safeguarding intelligent systems at scale—this episode is worth your time.

If AI is going to shape the future of research, it doesn't get a free pass. It has to earn its place. And in academia, trust isn't assumed. On the latest episode of Actually Intelligent, host Max Thone sits down with Seth Watson, co-founder of Moara, for a clear-eyed conversation about what it really takes to bring AI into research environments where rigor, sourcing, and credibility are non-negotiable. That grounding matters. Because selling into universities isn't like selling into startups. Speed alone won't win. Novelty won't either. Researchers care about methodology. They care about metadata. They care about sourcing and being able to trace an insight back to its roots. In short: they care about trust.

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, host Max Thone goes solo to make sense of a chaotic week in AI—one where headlines moved faster than reality and speculation briefly became market signal. Max breaks down why OpenAI's headline-grabbing $500B "Stargate" data center project stalled, what a reported standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon reveals about where AI safety lines are actually being drawn and how a viral speculative memo managed to rattle stocks despite being more warning than fact. If you're building, investing, regulating, or simply trying to understand where AI is headed, this episode offers a grounded take on a critical question: are we at a real inflection point—and do we have the discipline to steer what comes next?

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, Max talks with Luis Loaiza, CEO and founder of Jelou.ai, about the rise of transactional AI inside the world's most-used messaging platforms. From building chatbots as a teenager to launching infrastructure that enables secure, agent-driven transactions directly within WhatsApp, Luis is focused on one thing: making AI useful. In Latin America and beyond, that infrastructure is quickly becoming mission-critical for banks and businesses alike. Max and Luis dig into what it takes to build secure agentic systems at scale, why infrastructure, not interface, will shape the next wave of AI, and how messaging platforms are evolving into operating systems for global commerce. If you're building in AI, fintech, infrastructure, or apps, this episode delivers a grounded look at what actually intelligent systems look like in practice.

On this special episode of Actually Intelligent, BAM's own Beck Bamberger, host of Coffee with a Founder, steps in to moderate a timely conversation with Ethan Smith, CEO of Graphite. Together, they unpack how AI is reshaping the future of software, search, and the emerging ecosystem of tools that are changing how teams build. Fresh off a live event in San Francisco, Ethan breaks down why today's AI moment feels like the early days of SEO—only this time, everything's moving faster. He shares why now is a defining window for startups, investors, and marketers to stake their ground in the evolving organic landscape. They get into the weeds, talking how AI systems are digesting brand signals across LinkedIn, Crunchbase, press releases, and more. Why consistent messaging matters. Why attribution's getting murky. And why owned content (think: podcasts, YouTube) isn't just a nice-to-have—it's your narrative control panel.

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, Max Thon sits down with Dominic Malone, founder and CEO of Wellie—an AI-powered wellness company on a mission to make burnout a thing of the past. Together, they explore how Wellie uses AI to move from reactive support to predictive insights—helping individuals and organizations spot burnout before it happens. Dominic shares how Wellie was born from Arise Wellness and the "11 Keys of Well Being," a human-first framework designed to serve as a wise friend, not a talking to-do list. He opens up about personal loss, Earth as a place to learn, and the value of tapping into ancestral and non-Western wisdom—especially in a world buckling under emotional and mental strain.        

On this episode of Actually Intelligent, Max Thon sits down with Lexi Reese, CEO and co-founder of Lanai, the enterprise AI observability platform helping companies track, govern, and scale AI workflows without the creep factor. Lexi unpacks how AI is becoming an invisible second workforce and what leaders need to do now to manage it responsibly. With past roles at Google, Gusto, and AmEx, she brings the receipts on scaling innovation while keeping data secure and teams in the loop. From the risks of shadow AI to what's next for AI policy, this episode is packed with takeaways for leaders who want to harness AI's power without losing control. Plus, Lexi shares the AI tool that's changing her day-to-day life.

On today's episode of Actually Intelligent, Patrick Ellis, the CTO and co-founder of SnapBar and resident AI expert at the AI house in Seattle, shares how SnapBar is turning AI-generated imagery and video into immersive marketing experiences. The two also discuss how bridging the gap between a cool demo and a real product is harder than it looks, and a rapid-fire breakdown of which LLMs are best for what—from coding to strategic research to, yes, getting actual work done.

On today's episode of Actually Intelligent, Max sits down with Emre Kazim, the co-founder of Holistic AI. From unpacking what AI governance actually means, to auditing systems for bias and compliance, and even managing the risks of "shadow AI," Emre shares lessons drawn from both academic research and hands-on experience helping enterprises adopt and scale AI with confidence.

Actually Intelligent showcases how founders, investors, and everyday people are using artificial intelligence. Hosted by Max Thon, a media strategist with a deep passion for making complex technology understandable, the show goes beyond the hype to reveal the human creativity, challenges, and breakthroughs driving AI forward. Each episode unpacks real stories of AI in action, from research to practical tools that change daily life, through conversations that make the complex accessible.