Think AI Podcast

🎙️ Why 90% of Manufacturing POCs Die with Naresh MehtaAfter 20+ years building enterprise tech for global manufacturers across India, Mexico, and the US, Naresh Mehta has lived through every wave from Excel dashboards to digital twins to agentic AI to physical AI. In this conversation, he gets blunt about why most manufacturing AI projects never make it to production, names a brand new trap nobody is talking about (intelligence silos), and walks through two real deployments that prove what works when you stop chasing the model and start respecting the plumbing.We get into a real agentic AI build that automated 65% of supplier risk monitoring at an industrial conglomerate (200+ risk parameters, 8 multi-agent workflows, 20+ back office roles redeployed instead of fired), an auto OEM physical AI build that cut defect rates 25 to 30% by shifting inspection left with situationally aware robots, where quantum actually fits before manufacturing leaders even start asking, why every enterprise needs an AI control plane (and why the database-deletion horror stories happen without one), and what to tell the AI curious, the AI enthusiast, and the AI skeptic.In this episode:00:00 Cold open00:17 Welcome to Think AI Podcast01:24 Meet Naresh: 20+ years across India, Mexico, US02:00 The inflection point: when AI moved from read about to ship on04:30 Pace of innovation vs. pace of adoption07:03 The POC mindset that kills 90% of pilots10:00 Data silos. Org silos. Now intelligence silos.10:30 AI is 5%. The plumbing is 95%.13:42 Real win #1: 65% supplier risk automation, 20+ roles redeployed17:30 Real win #2: Auto OEM physical AI cuts defects 25 to 30%22:28 AI meets quantum: why manufacturing should care now30:19 The AI control plane: business outcomes + trust outcomes34:00 The agent that deleted the database35:57 Known patterns vs unknown patterns: the real implementation gap39:14 What surprised me. What stayed boringly true.46:01 Four things every manufacturer starting today must do49:54 The cake analogy: build the slice first50:58 Advice to your early 2000s self53:09 Dave on building from a different lens (disabled, dyslexic)54:45 Naresh's 10-year-old kid published a coloring book on Kindle57:41 One message each: AI curious, AI enthusiast, AI skeptic1:00:43 The unsolved problem: AI optimization for live video1:02:36 Take one idea and turn it into actionIf you lead a plant, a network of plants, or any operation where AI has to survive shift three at 2am, this one is for you.Subscribe for weekly conversations on what AI is actually delivering for manufacturers and healthcare. Drop a comment on which silo (data, org, or intelligence) is biting you hardest right now.---🔗 Links & Resources- Naresh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naresh-mehta-53b1b437/- Think AI Consulting: https://thinkaicorp.com- Dave on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davegoyal/#ManufacturingAI #AgenticAI #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #ThinkAIPodcast

The Long Arc of Data and AI with Reza RadReza Rad has watched every Microsoft data platform turn since SQL Server. 15-time MVP. Founder of RADACAD. Author of seven books. 10 million YouTube views. In this episode he tells Dave Goyal exactly which workforce AI is replacing, why your Copilot output is only as good as your star schema, and what a 22-year-old should spend the next two years learning if they want to survive the next decade.In this episode:00:00 Cold open: Who AI is actually replacing00:34 Welcome and intro01:48 What has actually changed and what has not in the AI era07:52 Why Copilot in Power BI fails on a bad data model10:39 The CFO who got the right Q3 number from stale data14:59 Why AI is replacing juniors, not seniors16:02 Real Fabric and AI customer outcomes20:39 Governance, F-SKUs, and the iceberg under every AI investment24:49 Mindset, energy, and surviving 20 years of platform turns29:36 What Reza would tell a 22-year-old today34:18 Power BI and Fabric Summit and why virtual beats in-person37:55 Music, pattern, and improvising inside structure42:13 What kept the content engine running for a decade44:01 One thing AI-curious, AI-enthusiast, and AI-skeptic should each learn this quarter47:02 New Zealand vs US adoption curves49:22 Closing wordIf this conversation helped you frame your own Power BI, Fabric, or AI strategy, share it with one teammate wrestling with the same questions. Subscribe for weekly conversations on building real AI in real companies.---🔗 Links and ResourcesRADACAD Academy: https://radacad.comReza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rezarad/Reza's books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QOdC4IPower BI and Fabric Summit: https://globalpowerbisummit.com/Think AI Podcast: https://bit.ly/ThinkAIPodcast#PowerBI #MicrosoftFabric #DataAndAI #Copilot #RADACAD

What do music and regulated manufacturing AI have in common? More than you'd think. Nilesh Maheshwari, founder of Emorphis, Emorphis Health, and Yuktra AI, joins Dave Goyal to unpack why the hardest places to deploy AI (pharma, healthcare, regulated plants) demand faithfulness over cleverness — and why structure and freedom aren't opposites.In this episode:00:00 Why a "knowledge thread" beats a database on the shop floor04:17 The real pain signal that built Yuktra (hint: it wasn't "we want AI")07:08 Guardrails for regulated AI — why clever LLMs are dangerous10:34 The plant-worker pushback that killed fancy AI answers13:23 Music, discipline, and how structure creates freedom18:54 What most US founders get wrong building with India teams21:07 Why there's no such thing as a "best product"29:22 Curious, enthusiast, or skeptic? Nilesh's take on AIIf you lead a plant, hospital, lab, or any regulated environment and you're wondering where AI actually fits — this one's for you.👉 Subscribe for more conversations on Data, AI, and the humans behind the systems.💬 Drop a comment: Are you AI curious, enthusiast, or skeptic?---🔗 Links & Resources- Yuktra AI: https://yuktra.ai- Emorphis Health: https://emorphis.health- Nilesh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nileshmaheshwari/- Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegoyal/#ThinkAIPodcast #RegulatedAI #ManufacturingAI #PharmaAI #FounderConversations

What happens when a cybersecurity leader who has sat on every side of the tech table — customer, reseller, distributor, and vendor — decides the future belongs to AI? Alex Ryals, CISO and SVP at MicroAge (celebrating 50 years!), breaks down why most companies are getting AI security dangerously wrong, and what to do before you flip the switch on Copilot or any AI tool.In this episode:00:05 — Intro: Alex's rare career journey across all four sides of the tech channel03:47 — Why Alex traded global scale at TD SYNNEX for a smaller, more impactful role10:53 — As a CISO, how do you balance "move fast" with "stay safe"?14:02 — Shadow AI: the silent risk happening in your company right now18:46 — Building a Copilot sales assistant and using AI avatars on YouTube22:34 — Humanoid robotics, skills marketplaces, and where IT partners fit in25:51 — MicroAge at 50: bankruptcy, reinvention, and lessons for every tech company29:53 — Octum.ai: why data hygiene comes before any AI investment33:30 — First move for leaders who don't know where to start with AIIf you're a business leader sitting on the fence about AI, this episode will either push you off or hand you a map. Like, subscribe, and drop your biggest AI security question in the comments.🔗 Links & Resources[MicroAge YouTube Channel] — Search "MicroAge" on YouTube[Cybersecurity Deciphered] — Alex's personal channel: youtube.com/CybersecurityDecyphered[Think AI Consulting] — thinkaicorp.comDave Goyal - davegoyal.com[Add additional links here]AIGovernance #CybersecurityAI #MicroAge #ThinkAIPodcast #AILeadership

What happens when someone with 17 years of IT strategy experience gets a front-row seat to the AI transformation inside a global tech enterprise? Priya Udeshi is Chief of Staff to the CIO and Head of IT PMO, sitting at the intersection of AI strategy, governance, and execution. She shares how she balances enterprise-scale agent deployments with democratized AI for every employee, why old governance frameworks are breaking, and what CIOs need to do right now to stop falling behind.In this episode:00:00 Meet Priya Udeshi: From PMO leader to Chief of Staff05:25 AI curious vs. AI enthusiast vs. AI skeptic: Where do you fall?08:24 Enterprise search as the real solution to meeting overload11:59 Why PPM tools fail and what actually works18:55 AI is in the passenger seat, I’m driving22:31 AI doubles capability every 3.3 months. What that means by 203024:00 Agent sprawl is real and governance has to evolve31:16 Hallucinations: What’s working to contain them41:05 What CIOs should be doing RIGHT NOW44:33 Measuring AI-assisted engineering with real KPIs47:06 Priya’s 7-year-old built a children’s book with AI52:04 Trust your gut: Advice to her younger selfIf this conversation sparked something for you, hit Subscribe and drop a comment with your biggest AI challenge right now. New episodes every week.

🎙️ Inside the Factory: Real-Time AI Intelligence for Manufacturing | Think AI Podcast Ep. 3Your machines already know what's wrong — but nobody's listening. Dave Goyal takes you inside 4 real manufacturing companies to show how real-time data and AI transformed their operations. Plus: a 4-layer framework to get started and 7 AI use cases you can implement now.⏱️ In this episode:00:21 – Why your factory machines are smarter than your spreadsheets03:15 – The data silo problem: ERP, MES, and PLCs that don't talk06:30 – 98% exploring AI, only 20% ready — here's why08:45 – Case Study 1: Professional audio equipment13:00 – Case Study 2: Global outdoor adventure gear17:30 – Case Study 3: Medical devices (FDA compliance & traceability)22:30 – Case Study 4: Fall protection safety equipment27:00 – The 4-layer framework: ERP → Shop Floor → Analytics → AI32:00 – 7 AI use cases: predictive maintenance, computer vision QA & more42:00 – "My ERP handles everything" — why that's not enough46:00 – AI Tip of the Day: Analyze any spreadsheet in 60 seconds50:00 – Series recap and what's nextIf this changed how you think about manufacturing data, subscribe and share it with a plant manager, CIO, or operations leader who needs to hear it.🔗 Links & Resources📖 Real-Time Business Intelligence Mastery — DaveGoyal.com🌐 DaveGoyal.com💼 LinkedIn: Dave Goyal🎙️ Ep 1: Personal Journey & First AI Assistant | Ep 2: Healthcare & AIManufacturingAI #RealTimeData #SmartFactory #DataAnalytics #ThinkAIPodcast

The U.S. healthcare system loses $260 billion a year. Not from malpractice. From paperwork, billing errors, and missing data.In this episode, Dave Goyal — founder of Think AI (top 1% of 500,000 Microsoft partners), Harvard-trained in AI for healthcare — shares 15+ years of real healthcare projects. No theory. No hype.You’ll hear how he built a claims system from zero that generated $100M+ in annual revenue. How he designed data strategies for entire health networks. How he helped non-profit hospitals turn buried patient records into life-saving insights.Plus: six back-office AI use cases any healthcare org can start today, a straight-talk segment on privacy and HIPAA, and an AI Tip of the Day you can try in two minutes.Next up: Episode 3 — AI in Manufacturinglinkedin.com/in/davegoyal | davegoyal.com #HealthcareAI #RevenueCycleManagement #DataStrategy #ThinkAI #AIpodcast

Episode 1: From Leg Braces to Leading AI — My StoryWhat does a kid who couldn't walk in central India have to do with artificial intelligence? Everything.In this debut episode of the Think AI Podcast, Dave Goyal shares the unfiltered story behind the brand — from growing up with a physical disability in Indore, India, to building one of the top 1% Microsoft Data & AI consulting firms in the world. You'll hear about the father who carried him to school, the best friend who taught him to ride, 400 walk-in interviews in six months, building a system that took a medical device company from zero to $100M+ in revenue, and why he's now launching Data & AI Studio to make artificial intelligence accessible to everyone.This isn't a tech talk. It's a human story about resilience, reinvention, and what happens when you refuse to let anyone else define your limits.In this episode:Growing up with a disability and finding independence through a modified Vespa scooterThe blind musician friend who planted the first seed of entrepreneurshipFrom Silicon Valley biotech to white-hat hacking across 20+ countriesCo-founding Think AI and reaching the top 1% of Microsoft's 500,000 global partnersWhy a 95% project success rate in an industry that averages 50–70%The three coaching experiences that changed everythingIntroducing Data & AI Studio: community, packaged AI solutions, and coachingAI Tip of the Day: Build your first AI assistant in 10 minutes (full prompt included)Coming in Episode 2: A deep dive into healthcare and AI — real projects, real revenue, and what most leaders are getting wrong.Connect with Dave:LinkedIn: [Dave Goyal]Website: davegoyal.com