Transform NOW

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk interviews Lari Hämäläinen, a senior partner at McKinsey and leader of their Quantum Black GenAI and agentic service group globally. Larry discusses key points from his article 'Seizing the AI Advantage' and the role of agents in digital transformation. He provides insights into the challenges and opportunities of generative AI, the persistence of the gen AI p...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . xAI reportedly lays off 500 workers from data annotation team https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/13/xai-reportedly-lays-off-500-workers-from-data-annotation-team/ . Meta’s Elite AI Unit Sparks Tension...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Tony Clark, the founder and CEO of NextWave Consulting and the host of the London Fintech Podcast. Tony gives his observations on how fintechs and other financial services companies in the UK and Europe are embracing AI to gain a competitive edge. . What we discussed with Tony: *Current transformation priorities for financial services companies in the UK/E...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. News stories covered in this episode: • AI agents could make the org chart obsolete. Microsoft's AI product lead explains what might replace it. - https://www.businessinsider.com/agents-kill-org-chart-microsoft-ai-product-lead-hierarch...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk talks with Sam Bhagwat, founder and CEO of Mastra, and co-founder of Gatsby.js. Sam is also the author of 'Principles of Building AI Agents.' The discussion covers his extensive background in open-source JavaScript tooling, his current take on building AI agents, and the insights from his book. Find out more about seeing AI agents as employees, the imp...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . Meta's AI leaders discuss using Google, OpenAI models in apps, The Information says https://www.reuters.com/business/metas-ai-leaders-discuss-using-google-openai-models-apps-information-says-20...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk sits down with Sean Hehir, CEO of BrainChip, to explore the latest innovations in AI at the silicon layer and the transformative impact of edge computing. Here's what we talked with Sean about: -The evolution of AI from centralized data centers to edge computing -How BrainChip’s architecture enables AI directly on devices, reducing latency, power consumpti...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. News stories covered in this episode: MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing - https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/mit-report-95-percent-generative-ai-pilots-at-companies-failing-cfo/   Meta Signs $10 Billion Cloud Dea...

In this episode,host Michael Marchuk interviews Daniel Yoo, the founder of Fin Mate. Daniel shares his extensive academic background and professional experience in finance and technology. Together, they explore the ways AI is transforming the financial advisory space, particularly in operational efficiencies and client-advisor relationships. The discussion covers how AI can enhance personalization...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . One AI Prompt, Two White Collar Jobs ‘Gone’: Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas’ Bold Claim Sparks Debate https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/one-ai-prompt-two-white-collar-jobs-g...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Henry Pray, Head of Product at UP.Labs, a venture lab that launches AI-driven B2B startups to solve complex problems facing leading companies.  Henry discusses how his organization leans on agentic automation to fuel their innovative solutions. . Here’s what we talked with Henry about:  * The way UP.Labs launches agentic startups to solve complex business...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. News stories covered in this episode: Sam Altman says Gen Z are the ‘luckiest’ kids in history thanks to AI, despite mounting job displacement dread https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sam-altman-says-gen-z-143000256.html Sam Altman addres...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk speaks with Mark Cameron, CEO and Director of Alyve to talk through Mark's insightful article, "The Future of Work: How AI is Reshaping Jobs, Organizations, and Workforce Dynamics." The discussion covers how AI is transforming work roles rather than eliminating them, the balance between technological efficiency and human purpose, and the implicat...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . AI’s Overlooked $97 Billion Contribution to the Economy https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ais-overlooked-97-billion-contribution-to-the-economy-users-service-da6e8f55?st=v7jQQo&reflink=desktopwebshar...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk chats with Tara May, CEO of Aspiritech, a QA testing company that empowers autistic individuals through meaningful employment. Tara introduces the concept of neurodiversity, explains its importance in the tech field, and showcases how API Tech is leveraging unique strengths of neurodivergent individuals to excel in AI and digital transformation. Learn how comp...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . Paralysed woman writes her name after 20 years, thanks to Elon Musk’s brain chip https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/neuralink-paralysed-woman-writes-again AI and Automation Talent Demand...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk welcomes back Jeremy Rossi and John Bellone to discuss the rise of AI agents and their impact on automation. The conversation delves into the future of startups in the AI space, the need for tangible outcomes over technical buzzwords, and the challenges organizations face in adopting AI agents at scale. The guests also share their thoughts on the longevity of...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . ChatGPT users send 2.5 billion prompts a day https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/21/chatgpt-users-send-2-5-billion-prompts-a-day/?utm_source=tldrai . White House Unveils AI Action Plan to Secure Global...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Michael Sands, founder of BeaconAP, and AI advisor to the capital markets industry. Michael explains how small to midsize firms in this sector are embracing the power of AI to transform their businesses and the winning techniques BeaconAP uses to make that happen. . Here’s what we talked with Michael about:  - BeaconAP’s unique value proposition to the mar...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . How AI and Automation Are Transforming Accounting Careers https://www.technology.org/2025/07/14/how-ai-and-automation-are-transforming-accounting-careers/ . A language model built for the public go...

In this episode, Brad Hairston speaks with Tom Davenport, a renowned author, professor, and one of the leading voices in AI and analytics, who provides a good reality check on how and where agentic AI is beginning to emerge. . Here’s what we talked with Tom about:  - The perspective Tom contributed to the book Agentic Artificial Intelligence by Pascal Bornet,  published in March of 2025 - What’s m...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . It’s Known as ‘The List’—and It’s a Secret File of AI Geniuses https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/it-s-known-as-the-list-and-it-s-a-secret-file-of-ai-geniuses/ar-AA1Hz5Sq .     Apple Loses T...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Andy Dyer, Automation Manager at Devon & Cornwall Police, who explains how the police force has leveraged automation to impact several areas of the organization, including ESG objectives. . Here’s what we talked with Andy about: \ - The automation journey at Devon & Cornwall Police - Automations that have had the biggest impact - How ESG became an...

In this episode, Transform NOW co-hosts Brad Hairston and Michael Marchuk banter about some interesting recent news headlines in the world of automation and AI. . News stories covered in this episode: . The CEO of a $62B data and AI company says people underestimate how hard it is to completely automate tasks https://www.businessinsider.com/when-ai-automation-replacing-humans-databricks-ceo-ali-gh...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Dr. Lou Bachenheimer, CTO Americas at SS&C Blue Prism, who explains how companies can take their RPA automations to the next level, task-based agentic automation. . Here’s what we talked with Lou about:  - The different levels of agentic automation - The key differences between today’s RPA and task-based agents - How companies can begin moving toward t...