AI Today with Lou Bortone

Think AI is just a bright, shiny object? Think again. In this episode of AI Today, host Lou Bortone sits down with Brett Wallace, founder of Agent Discovery, to unpack how small and mid-sized businesses can use AI voice agents and automation to eliminate everyday operational bottlenecks. Brett shares his journey from creating a personal phone agent to field recruiter calls, to building sophisticat...

Are you drowning in AI tools? You aren't alone. In this episode of AI Today, host Lou sits down with longtime marketing expert and AI Success Club co-founder Denise Wakeman to cut through the generative AI hype. Denise shares her journey from testing ChatGPT in its earliest days to shifting her focus toward building local-host applications. They dive deep into practical AI use cases for solopr...

Are you wasting time as the "manual bridge" between your business tools? Marvin Martinez, co-founder of Bandsaw AI, joins Lou Bortone to break down the 3 layers of AI automation. Learn how to qualify leads in 60 seconds, use AI agents to manage your inbox, and why the "80/20 human-in-the-loop" rule is essential for scaling a small business without losing your mind

Is your business invisible to AI? SEO expert Darlene Killen joins Lou Bortone to break down Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Learn why traditional keyword stuffing is dead and how to make your small business "findable" in the era of AI summary boxes and Gemini search.

Social media expert Katie Brinkley joins Lou Bortone to discuss "The Social Shift." Discover why engagement is hitting record lows despite AI making content easier to produce, and learn Katie’s strategy for using podcasts as a content engine without losing your human touch.

Are you "circling" AI but not actually using it to run your business? In this solo episode, Lou Bortone breaks down the "AI Confidence Gap" and introduces a month-long immersive experience designed to move you from guessing to doing. No homework, no complex courses—just real-time AI integration.

Are your AI tools secretly putting you at risk for a lawsuit? ⚖️ In this episode of AI Today, Lou Bortone sits down with "Legal Website Warrior" Heather Pearce Campbell to discuss the rising trend of mass arbitration and why your AI chatbot might be violating wiretapping laws. Watch here: https://youtu.be/zeheR2YzODY We’re covering: The "Short List" of Cringeworthy AI Practices...

Are you the driver or the passenger in your AI workflow? In this episode of AI Today , Lou Bortone welcomes visual storyteller Rosie Battista to discuss the "magic sauce" of image crafting. Watch here: https://youtu.be/KR7_GkXcX9k We’re covering: The Expert Stack: How Rosie uses Midjourney, Canva, and layering techniques. "Shaking the Book": A unique method for turning book met...

Lou Bortone sits down with Ian Cook, SVP of AI at Clue, to discuss how to stay grounded in an era of dizzying AI breakthroughs. Ian explains why AI should be viewed as an "amplifier" for your business rather than a replacement for your staff. In this episode, you'll learn about the latest "Low-Code" and "No-Code" tools like Lovable and Claude Code that allow anyon...

Can AI save the music industry? Host Lou Bortone talks with Brad Stewart, founder of Music Mogul AI , about how technology is finally fixing the "broken" traditional agency model. Brad explains why modern A&R starts with data—specifically ticket sales—and how he is using agentic AI to automate the "grind" of booking and tour management. If you are an artist, manager, or ind...

In this episode of AI Today , Lou connects with long-time friend and sales expert Jon Schumacher to discuss the evolution of the "AI Space Race" and how to move from basic prompting to building sophisticated AI-powered business systems. Jon shares his philosophy on solving business bottlenecks rather than just chasing the latest tool releases. He also gives us a deep dive into his person...

Is AI the end of human connection, or the beginning of a new Renaissance? Karin Volo joins the show to discuss why trust is the "secret sauce" for successful AI implementation in business. In this episode, Karin shares her incredible journey from a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis to becoming a leading voice in AI certification. We explore the "Utopia vs. Dystopia" crossroads, why lead...

Is NotebookLM the "smarter, dumber assistant" we’ve all been waiting for? In this episode, Lou Bortone sits down with the mother-son duo Sue and Matt Guiher to discuss how they are using Google’s NotebookLM to revolutionize business systems and academic research. From "source grounding" to the "Writing Wingman," learn how to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement.

Is AI making you more productive or just more "busy"? Dr. Ana Melikian, host of the Mindset Zone podcast, joins Lou Bortone to discuss how to navigate the "100-foot wave" of AI without losing your humanity—or your mind. What You’ll Learn: The ACE Framework: A simple, 3-step method (Act as, Context, Engage) for high-impact prompting. The Savant Intern Mindset: Why you should tre...

Think AI is too generic for your brand? Rob Schultz joins Lou Bortone to explain why the problem isn't the AI—it's your willingness to push it further. What You’ll Learn: The "Jump Through Hoops" Philosophy: Why you should never settle for the first AI response. Contextual AI: How to use transcripts to teach ChatGPT your specific voice, tone, and point of view. Visual Storytellin...

Are you overwhelmed by the "tool-of-the-week" fatigue? Jen Lehner joins Lou Bortone to pull back the curtain on how to actually integrate AI into your business workflow rather than just playing with it. What You’ll Learn: The Meta-Prompting Secret: How to make ChatGPT interview you to build a perfect business knowledge base. Google Workspace Studio: How to use the "Zapier-killer" built directly in...

Are you overwhelmed by the "New AI Tool of the Week" cycle? Lou Bortone welcomes social media agency founder and short-form video expert Nika Stewart to discuss how to quiet the noise and use AI to amplify your unique human voice. What You’ll Learn: The Overwhelm Antidote: Why focusing on one tool 100% is better than testing four tools at 25%. Meet "Goldie": How Nika trained a...

Ready to move past "playing" with AI and start profiting from it? Lou Bortone sits down with the "Live Stream Queen," Tanya Smith , to discuss the high-level frameworks she uses to automate video production and analyze social data. What You’ll Learn: The "VIDEO" Framework: A specific strategy for creating high-conversion prompts in Sora. The Copywriting Shift: Why Cla...

Is AI a replacement for your creativity, or the ultimate amplifier? Lou Bortone welcomes long-time friend and digital marketing expert Bob Sparkins to cut through the "shiny object" noise and focus on tools that actually save time and generate revenue. What You’ll Learn: The "Invisible" AI: Why SaneBox is the must-have tool for email sanity you didn't know was AI. Juicing t...

Are you using AI as a toy or a teammate? Rich Brooks, founder of flyte new media and the Agents of Change podcast, joins Lou Bortone to pull back the curtain on the exact AI workflows driving his multi-decade agency. What You’ll Learn: The Workflow Shift: Why Claude is beating ChatGPT for brand-voice writing. The "Invisible" Teammate: How to build an AI assistant for podcast show notes a...

http://www. LouBortone.com presents…Day 12: Building Websites with AI-Powered Lovable | 12 Days of AI Tools FinaleJoin Lou Bortone for the grand finale of the 12 Days of AI Tools series! On the final day, Lou introduces Lovable, an AI-powered web development platform that transforms written descriptions into fully functional websites and web apps. Learn how Lou used Lovable to create the 12 Days o...

Discover Canva's New AI-Powered Features | 12 Days of AI Tools - Day 11Welcome to Day 11 of the 12 Days of AI Tools! In this episode, we dive into Canva's AI integrations that have transformed it from a simple template tool to an advanced AI design platform. Explore features like text-to-image, background removal, Magic Write for copy, Magic Design for layouts, and AI video editing. Perfec...

http://www. LouBortone.com presents…Unveiling Google Gemini Gems: Custom AI Assistants for Every TaskJoin Lou on day 10 of the 12 days of AI tools as he introduces Google's Gemini Gems. Discover how you can create custom AI assistants with specific instructions, personalities, and expertise. Learn about the unique advantages of using Gemini Gems within the Google ecosystem for tasks like writi...

http://www. LouBortone.com presents…Day 9 of 12 Days of AI Tools: Unveiling Google's Nano Banana Image Generator! Hey, it's Lou! Welcome to day 9 of our 12 days of AI tools series. Today, we explore Nano Banana, Google's new experimental image generation tool from Google AI Studio. It's lightning-fast, web-based, and currently free to use. Perfect for creating social media graphics...

Day 8 of AI Tools: Voice Cloning & Text to Speech with 11 LabsJoin Lou on Day 8 of the 12 days of AI Tools as he explores 11 Labs, an advanced AI voice generation platform. Discover how 11 Labs can create ultra-realistic human speech, clone your voice, and even translate content while preserving your unique vocal qualities. Perfect for audiobooks, video narration, podcasts, and more, this tool...