Transform NOW

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk interviews technologist and serial entrepreneur Kevin Surace, an early architect of voice AI with 90+ patents, about how gen AI and agentic automation are reshaping creativity, coding, and business operations. Kevin explains how AI tools democratize music, video, and software creation, often triggering jealousy as amateurs produce high-quality outputs quickly,...

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 debuts new AI model, attempting to catch Google, OpenAI after spending billions https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/08/meta-debuts-first-major-ai-model-since-14-billion-deal-to-bring-in-alexandr-wang.htm...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with John Rossman (author, advisor, former Amazon executive) and Andy Forti (PE-focused advisor) who co-wrote a paper that speaks to how companies can more effectively achieve big bet transformations. In the era of AI, big bets are being made everywhere, so this episode is very timely! . Link to white paper discussed on this episode: https://rossmanpartners.com...

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: • Senators tell ByteDance to shut down Seedance 2.0 AI video app 'immediately' - https://www.engadget.com/ai/senators-tell-bytedance-to-shut-down-seedance-20-ai-video-app-immediately-112146241....

Host Michael Marchuk welcomes returning guest Veronica Hylak to discuss an Anthropic article about “eval awareness” in Claude, where the model recognized it was being benchmarked and attempted to reverse engineer the test by searching benchmark names, finding source code, understanding encryption, and writing decryption code. Veronica argues this is both pattern recognition and emergent behavior,...

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 plans sweeping layoffs to offset heavy spending on AI https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/meta-plans-sweeping-layoffs-to-offset-heavy-spending-on-ai-dzkd9x7gs . New report...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk interviews Daniel Hindi, CEO of Noem.ai, a software engineer with five successful startup exits, about practical AI automation and business transformation. Daniel argues AI should remove repetitive, energy-draining tasks and that leaders must track KPIs and ROI to ensure AI upgrades roles rather than reshuffles work. He recommends finding the problem first, de...

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:.PE firms replaced $500K McKinsey reports with $50K AI — on live deals https://ucstrategies.com/news/pe-firms-replaced-500k-mckinsey-reports-with-50k-ai-on-live-deals/ .OpenAI courts private equity to j...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk interviews Robert Reed, COO of the International Bank of Chicago and founder of FinTech advisory firm Reed Advancement, about adopting AI in financial services operations, compliance, and risk. Reed argues AI should enhance, not replace, human judgment, especially since regulators aren’t ready for AI to make decisions; instead, AI should handle the “80%” data...

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 New Bonus Scheme? KPMG Is Dangling ‘Outsize’ Awards for AI Wins https://www.inc.com/brian-contreras/kpmg-new-bonus-scheme-ai-outsize-awards-employees/91314441 .Yann LeCun Raises $1 Billion to Build...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk speaks with Carina Lainer, a principal at Roland Berger’s Advanced Technology Center, about how quantum technologies and AI are converging. Carina explains that quantum computing’s probabilistic nature is different from AI hallucinations and is unlikely to worsen them, then discusses why ambitious qubit-scaling forecasts fell short due to error-correction limi...

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: • Goldman finds ‘no meaningful relationship between AI and productivity at the economy-wide level,’ but a 30% boost for 2 specific use cases - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/goldman-finds-no-meaningful...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk welcomes returning guest Lauren Vriens, an AI startup co-founder who previously built one of Accenture’s first generative AI platforms and scaled an electric mobility business in New York. Lauren argues software isn’t dead because users still need guided interfaces, but legacy SaaS will suffer if it only adds “magic buttons” instead of rebuilding AI-native UX...

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 Ads Now Hit on Your Very First Message https://winbuzzer.com/2026/02/21/chatgpt-ads-now-appearing-first-prompt-free-users-openai-xcxwbn/ . Google VP warns that two types of AI startups may no...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk speaks with returning SS&C leaders John Bellone (Global CIO, Global Investor Distribution Services) and Jeremy Rossi (Global CIO, Intelligent Automation Analytics) about how enterprise AI adoption is shifting toward transparency and real utility. They discuss rapid progress in AI coding models, why adoption is harder outside software development, and how a...

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 2026. Can Your AI spell ROI? https://ceoworld.biz/2026/02/08/its-2026-can-your-ai-spell-roi/ • OpenAI's acquisition of OpenClaw signals the beginning of the end of the ChatGPT era https://ve...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with future of work expert Kelly Monahan, who explains how company leaders can do so much more to drive successful AI adoption and transform their workforce. . What we discussed with Kelly: * Why most employees believe AI has actually increased their workload * What an effective AI upskilling program looks like * How to help employees achieve the expected produ...

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 Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it . What We Actually Learned Deploying 20+ AI Agents Across Our Entire Go-To-Market (8 Months...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Anil Kumar, Managing Director and Head of the Private Equity AI Practice at the global consultancy Alvarez & Marsal, who explains how AI is disrupting the private equity sector. . What we discussed with Anil: * The journey from management consultant to AI thought leader * AI-enabled vs AI diligence * Contact center case study demonstrating the impact o...

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: • Microsoft’s AI Spend Is Starting To Spook Investors https://gizmodo.com/microsofts-ai-spend-is-starting-to-spook-investors-2000715208 • An Agent Revolt: Moltbook Is Not A Good Idea https://www.forbes...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Daniel Jurow, Founder and Principal Advisor at Sevoir Group, a management consultancy focused on creative services, including agencies, studios and martech firms. Daniel explains how AI is disrupting creative businesses and the strategies being employed to excel in the new environment. . What we discussed with Daniel: * AI adoption patterns across creative...

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 Dueling Rhetoric at the AI Frontier https://deadneurons.substack.com/p/the-duelling-rhetoric-at-the-ai-frontier . OpenAI to add shopping cart and merchant tools to ChatGPT https://www.testingca...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk welcomes Ramanath Suryaprkash, Vice President of Partner Ecosystems and Global Alliances at Infosys. Ramanath shares insights into Infosys' journey with agentic solutions and the broader impact of AI and automation in various sectors. The conversation delves into the transition from traditional automation to intelligent automation, the creation and applica...

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: . OpenAI wants a cut of your profits: Inside its new royalty-based plan and other business models https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/news/openai-wants-a-cut-of-your-profits-inside-its-new-royalty-based-pl...

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 paradoxes: 5 contradictions to watch in 2026 and why AI's future isn't straightforward https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/12/ai-paradoxes-in-2026/ . Apple’s new Google Gemini deal sounds...