Tool Use - AI Conversations

Check out www. ToolUsePodcast.com Hermes Agent has emerged as the open source AI agent that people are choosing. In this episode, we go beyond the hype to understand why. Through conversations with a co-founder of Nous Research, AI engineering veterans, and non-technical builders, we explore what Hermes can actually do today, where it falls short, and why the choice of which agent you use matters...

Check out www. ToolUsePodcast.com Are AI web browsers falling short of the hype? Enter Rover, a revolutionary open-source AI agent that unlocks full autonomous workflows directly on your website with just a single script tag. In this episode, Arjun and Bhavani from rtrvr return to dive deep into how Rover uses a unique DOM-only approach to navigate, click, and type with subsecond latency. This inn...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX In 2026, building an AI product is easier than ever, but getting traction and finding customers is the real challenge. In episode 82 of Tool Use, we sit down with Mano Tsiris, a serial exited founder and head of growth at Optimal AI, to break down the ultimate go-to-market strategy for technical founders and builders. Discover how to validat...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Are you looking to optimize your AI applications with the best open source Large Language Models? This week, we explore open source AI, rapid model switching, and local self-hosting with Nathan Break, a Machine Learning Engineer at Mozilla AI and the creator of Any-LLM. Any-LLM is an open-source Python SDK that allows developers to seamlessl...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Are you putting your business at risk by relying on big AI companies? In this episode of the Tool Use podcast, we dive deep into Sovereign AI with Max McCrea, founder of Greyhaven. We explore how businesses can maintain control of their private data while still benefiting from AI. Max breaks down the importance of self-hosting and building a...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Vector databases can be an important component for building reliable AI agents and scalable semantic search applications. In this episode, Arjun Patel from Pinecone breaks down how to optimize your RAG pipeline, choose the right embedding models (sparse vs. dense), and implement effective chunking strategies for better data retrieval. We als...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Unlock the power of AI fine-tuning for image and video models with Greg Schoeninger, CEO of Oxen.ai. In this episode, we explore how to move beyond simple prompt engineering to training custom open-source models for as little as $1. Discover the technical strategies for building high-quality datasets, the trade-offs between LoRAs and full fi...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Unlock the ability to build AI tools without coding experience as Justin Borge joins Tool Use to demonstrate how he built Helios, a personal management system, using only LLMs like Gemini and Claude. Justin breaks down his transition from marketer to growth engineer, sharing his exact workflows for using JSON documentation to give AI a perfe...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Discover the power of the Ralph Wiggum Loop with Ryan Carson as we explore the future of AI coding agents, autonomous workflows, and building one-person companies. In this episode, we break down how to implement Jeff Huntley’s simplified bash script loop using tools like Claude Code and Amp to ship features faster than ever. Ryan shares his...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Claude Code is evolving from a terminal-based developer tool into the Everything Agent that manages your entire life. In this episode, Eric Buess returns to show us how he built a hands-free, voice-controlled AI system that handles everything from school emails and calendar scheduling to monitoring family text messages. We dive deep into adv...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Sukh Saini, an exited founder and the creator of Engyne, joins Tool Use to break down the essential strategies for AI product distribution and personal branding. With a track record of 38 products, Sukh shares how he transitioned from a self-proclaimed horrible employee to a successful entrepreneur by mastering the business loop of building,...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Master your AI career in 2026 with this comprehensive guide on how to get a job in AI as a developer or non-technical professional. Mike Bird, AI and Engineering Lead at BoxOne Ventures, breaks down his personal journey from software developer to AI leader and shares insider secrets on the modern hiring process. Learn why traditional resumes...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX In this 2025 year-end wrap-up, we dive deep into the massive shifts in the AI landscape, from the surprise release of GPT-5.2 to the rise of open source models like DeepSeek. Mike Bird and Richardson Dackam reflect on a year defined by accelerating iteration cycles, the growing energy bottleneck for data centers, and the emergence of reasoni...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Discover how to master your executive function and reclaim your schedule with AI. In Episode 71 of Tool Use, Sam Julien (Director of Developer Relations and Experience at Writer) joins Mike Bird to explore how AI acts as the ultimate equalizer for productivity and mental clarity. We dive deep into practical strategies for reducing the time t...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Discover the future of front-end development with Cluso, an AI-powered web inspector and browser designed for "vibe coding." In this episode, Jason Kneen returns to demonstrate how to build bespoke AI tools that go beyond simple transcription. We dive deep into implementing voice control with context-aware agents, mastering the Mod...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Discover how non-technical founders are building valid MVPs using vibe coding and Cursor, and why you need to move beyond simple AI wrappers. We sit down with Mike Leslie, CEO of Revela, to discuss the critical strategies for de-risking your business from big AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic. Learn when to transition to in-house open-source...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Building AI agents is the current trend, but are you doing it correctly? Sam Bhagwat, founder of Mastra, joins Tool Use to breakdown the principles of building reliable AI agents. We discuss why you should use a TypeScript agent framework like Mastra, how to engineer production-grade prompts, and the best patterns for tool calling. Sam expla...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Turn your Obsidian vault into a fully automated operating system using Claude Code and AI agents. In this episode of Tool Use, physicist and AI explorer Artem Zhutov reveals how to leverage coding agents for non-coding workflows to optimize your productivity. Discover how to build a dynamic "second brain" that acts as a personal co...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX AI Agents, RAG hype, and the "Impossible Triangle" of LLM Infrastructure take center stage in this deep dive with Swyx (Shawn Wang). As the co-founder of AI Engineer and a team member at Cognition, Swyx breaks down why vertical agents are the golden opportunity for developers right now. We explore the decline of standalone vector d...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Explore AI risk mitigation, prompt injection dangers, and AI safety in this deep dive with AI engineering consultant Kyle Clark. We discuss the critical role of human-in-the-loop systems, safe AI implementation strategies for businesses, and the hidden dangers of AI web browsers and context rot. Kyle shares expert insights on leveraging AI t...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Master n8n workflow automation in this complete guide. If you're tired of manual tasks, n8n (an open-source Zapier alternative) might be the solution. Richardson Dackam, founder and AI builder, joins Mike to explore how developers can save time using n8n. We dive into powerful use cases like email management, social media automation, and...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Is your RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipeline optimized, or is it even necessary? We all know context is king for LLMs, but large context windows might not be the answer. On Episode 63 of Tool Use, we deep dive into RAG with Apurva Misra, founder of Sentick. We explore the entire RAG workflow, from creating and optimizing embeddings...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Unlock the power of AI for personalization at scale in your business. While many focus on AI for efficiency, the real game-changer is creating magical, more human digital experiences for your customers. We're joined by Lee Russell, founder of Minimum Viable Launch and an AI expert with over a decade of experience, to discuss how you can...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Struggling to cut through the AI hype to find real operational efficiency for your business? In this episode, we're joined by Csongor Barabasi, CEO of Bonsai Labs, an AI value creation partner for private equity firms. Csongor shares his expert framework for deploying AI agents to achieve massive productivity gains. Learn the practical s...

Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Coding agents are revolutionizing software development, but are you getting the most out of them? Many AI coding tools struggle with complex, long-running tasks, often getting lost in the middle of a project. In this episode of Tool Use, we sit down with Kiran, one of the core contributors to Slate, a research-driven coding agent built for t...