AI First with Adam and Andy

Are we in an AI bubble, or at the early stages of the most consequential technology shift of our lifetime? In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, Adam Brotman and Andy Sack unpack the tension executives are feeling as AI investment, valuations, and infrastructure spending accelerate at historic speed. They explore why AI can feel both economically fragile and fundamentally real at the sam...

In this special annual predictions episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , hosts Adam Brotman and Andy Sack are joined by Rose Kelly, Head of AI Consulting at Forum3, for a fast-paced, candid look at what 2026 will bring for artificial intelligence, business leadership, work, and society. The conversation explores whether CEOs will be hired or fired based on AI strategy, if the AI boom is headed...

OpenAI’s “code red” memo marks a pivotal moment in the AI landscape. In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, Adam Brotman and Andy Sack analyze why Sam Altman is sounding the alarm and how the rapid rise of Gemini 3.1 and Google DeepMind is reshaping competitive dynamics across the AI ecosystem. The conversation explores what this shift means for ChatGPT’s long-held dominance, whether Open...

The 2025 Year in Review episode of AI First with Adam and Andy offers an in-depth look at what truly shaped the AI landscape this year. Hosts Adam Brotman and Andy Sack revisit the predictions they made at the end of 2024 and evaluate how those expectations aligned with real developments across search, agentic systems, generative video, large language models, enterprise adoption, and the rapid exp...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , we sit down with Benji Koltai, co-founder and CEO of Galley Solutions, to unpack how AI is transforming one of the most complex operational environments: the kitchen. Benji shares the personal story that led him to build Galley and reveals why most food service companies still operate using analog systems and spreadsheets. He explains how Galley’s r...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , Andy Sack and Adam Brotman unpack one of the most common questions they hear from executives: which AI model should your organization use? Andy explains why comfort, workflow, and use case matter more than brand loyalty, and why toggling between models is a powerful way to learn their strengths. The conversation turns to the launch of Gemini 3, incl...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, hosts Adam Brotman and Andy Sack explore a recent New York Times opinion piece by Eric Schmidt and Andrew Sirota titled “Use AI to Reinvigorate Democracy, Not Replace It.” The article highlights examples from Albania and Taiwan, showing how governments are already using AI to reduce corruption, analyze constituent feedback, and create more responsive...

Adam Brotman and Andy Sack unpack the true meaning of AI First . Too many executives still treat AI as a tool for efficiency. But as Andy explains, AI is an “alien intelligence” that reshapes how organizations think, plan, and operate. Together, Adam and Andy explore the difference between being AI-curious and being truly AI-first, a shift that requires courage, cultural change, and daily use acro...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , IgniteTech CEO Eric Vaughan offers a candid inside look at one of the boldest AI transformations in enterprise software. After realizing that AI was an existential shift for his company, Vaughan led IgniteTech and its sister companies through a sweeping cultural reinvention that ultimately turned over 80% of staff to build what he calls an AI DNA or...

In this bite-size episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, the hosts tackle one of the most common misconceptions in enterprise AI adoption: that you need a perfect data lake before you can begin. Adam and Andy explain why this “wait until the data is ready” mindset slows innovation and how forward-thinking leaders are getting results now by experimenting with the data they already have. Through re...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, Adam Brotman and Andy Sack explore what it really takes for organizations to transform with AI. They argue that the journey doesn’t begin with data lakes, councils, or playbooks, it begins with leadership. The conversation dives into why CEOs need their own “aha moment,” how to empower internal change agents, and what it looks like when teams stop wa...

The global economy is undergoing a seismic shift that rivals the Industrial Revolution in scale and impact. In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , the hosts dive into the massive recent deals shaping the AI landscape, from Nvidia’s multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI to OpenAI’s unprecedented infrastructure agreement with Oracle. Far from being financial hype, these moves point to a...

In this special three-part episode, AI First with Adam and Andy follows Influence Mobile CEO Dan Todd through a 90-day journey to become an AI-first company. Listeners will hear how a 65-person team with $40–50 million in revenue moved from scattered experimentation to structured adoption. Dan shares how they introduced enterprise ChatGPT and Gemini, tracked usage, and built momentum through Slack...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , hosts Adam Brotman and Andy Sack sit down with Jennifer Strickland Fowler, CEO of Destination Pet, a rapidly growing company with over 160 pet care centers across 34 states. Jennifer shares her journey from human healthcare into pet care leadership and how her perspective on AI has shifted dramatically in the last year. She explains how Destination...

In this special mini-episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , Adam Brotman and Andy Sack dig into two of the biggest AI stories making headlines. They start with the recent MIT study that fueled a viral Fortune headline claiming 95% of corporate AI projects fail. Adam explains what the research actually found, from the limitations of wrapper apps to the importance of micro use cases and realistic...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , we’re joined by Henrik Werdelin and Nicholas Thorne, co-founders of Audos and authors of Me, My Customer, and AI . Drawing on decades of entrepreneurial experience, they share how AI is transforming not just the pace of innovation, but the very nature of what it means to build a business. From the rise of small, agile, high-impact companies to the n...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , we’re joined by Keith Fairclough, CIO of Cabi, a women’s apparel brand with a national network of over 2,000 independent stylists. Keith walks us through how he went from early AI experimentation to spearheading a full-scale transformation at Cabi, turning curiosity into capability across the entire company. Keith breaks down the lessons from their...

In this special episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , we go global with our first international guest, Shawn Walchef, founder of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media, joining us from Bulgaria. Shawn shares how he’s using AI not just to support operations, but to fuel real innovation across both his restaurant and media businesses. He walks us through a game-changing Father’s Day activation where a voice...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , author and tech thinker Steven Johnson shares the surprising origin story of Google’s NotebookLM. Learn how a writer’s personal obsession with note-taking turned into a viral AI-native product now transforming enterprise workflows.

AI First: A Playbook for Future-Proofing Your Business and Brand in the AI Era is officially out, and the world of AI has moved fast since we submitted the manuscript nine months ago. In this special launch-day episode, Adam Brotman and Andy Sack bring listeners behind the scenes to reflect on what has changed, what didn’t make it into the book, and what leaders need to be thinking about right now...

Fresh from the floor of the Food on Demand Conference in Las Vegas, Adam Brotman and Andy Sack unpack what’s top of mind for today’s restaurant leaders. In this episode, they reflect on the slowdown in digital growth, rising consumer price sensitivity, and the evolving challenges facing operators in 2025. They also explore how AI is transitioning from hype to practical application, powering smarte...

Commercial Real Estate brokerage is a $100B market, yet still stuck and manual as ever. In this episode, Joe Lee, CEO and founder of Locate.ai , shares how his company is using predictive AI and generative AI to transform the way national enterprises transact and expand into brick-and-mortar.  From boosting store sales by 15% and increasing broker throughput by 3x, Joe breaks down what it means to...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, we sit down with Matt Britton, Founder & CEO of Suzy, to explore how AI is transforming the way businesses operate. Matt shares his personal “aha” moment with AI, how he applied those insights to revolutionize his company, and why he believes CEOs must lead the charge in AI adoption—or risk getting left behind. We dive into Suzy’s AI-driven evolu...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, the hosts dive into a dynamic conversation with Nick Soman, CEO of Decent and an AI-first leader. They explore how Nick leverages multiple large language models to act as an "Iron Man suit" for his business, enabling his team to punch above their weight and unlock new levels of efficiency and innovation. The discussion highlights the transformative p...

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , we sit down with Andrew Katz, Chief Marketing Officer at Athletic Brewing, to explore how AI is reshaping marketing in the CPG industry. Andrew shares his hands-on approach to integrating AI into daily workflows, the role of GenAI in creative ideation, and the challenges of navigating the attention economy. We dive into: How AI is optimizing marketi...