Transform NOW

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...

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 Gentle Singularity https://blog.samaltman.com/the-gentle-singularity . What “Working” Means in the Era of AI Apps https://a16z.com/revenue-benchmarks-ai-apps/ . Disney, Universal sue image crea...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Grzegorz Wasiak, Sr. RPA Developer at Electrolux, based in Krakow, Poland.  Grzegorz was awarded the 2025 customer excellence award, “Global Builder of the Year,” and he shares many best practices that contributed to him getting this recognition. . Here’s what we talked with Grzegorz about:  - Overview of Electrolux - What the SS&C Blue Prism Global Bu...

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 Meta is offering $100 million to poach his employees https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/06/18/tech/meta-openai-sam-altman-100-million AI Agents Alone Won’t Automate The Enterprise—But They...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Richard Anstey, Head of Customer Experience & Automation at SS&C Intralinks, who explains how Enterprise AI is central to their inter-enterprise content management and collaboration platform as well as to how they operate internally. . Here’s what we talked with Richard about:  The importance of the “virtual data room” to the M&A market Challen...

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: . Company that sacked 700 workers with AI now regrets it — scrambles to rehire as automation goes horribly wrong https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/company-that-sacked-700-workers-with-ai-now...

In this episode of the Transform Now podcast, Michael Marchuk speaks with Rob Whiteman about his transition from McKinsey to founding Better Future Advisors, his projects like the Purpose Fund, and the challenges of AI adoption. They delve into the survival problem in AI, the importance of user experience, and the future of AI in corporate settings. Rob shares insights on how AI can enhance produc...

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: . Employees are using AI at work but hiding it from their bosses because they think it gives them a ‘secret advantage’ over their peers https://www.yahoo.com/news/employees-using-ai-hiding-bosses-191...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Damian Lewandowski, expert and AI practitioner at McKinsey & Company, who explains how enterprises can move beyond the AI hype to strategically enable agentic AI. . Here’s what we talked with Damian about:  - Blind spots in today’s agentic AI conversation - The risks of pursuing a linear approach to AI - The dangers of focusing too much on use cases -...

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: . Salesforce swoops for Informatica in $8B deal https://www.mobileworldlive.com/industry/salesforce-swoops-for-informatica-in-8b-deal/ . Apple Faces 'First Serious Threat In 20 Years' As Open...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk welcomes Chris Raimondo from EY to discuss the transformative impacts of AI, driverless vehicles, and humanoid robots on the insurance industry. With over 20 years of experience, Chris talks about how AI is not only changing core operations but also shaping new products and risk assessment models. They explore the misconception that AI is still experimental, t...

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: . China built hundreds of AI data centers to catch the AI boom. Now many stand unused. https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1113802/china-ai-data-centers-unused/   . The Algorithm of Sacrifice...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Sharyn Catt, Managing Director, and Peter Catt, Head of Quantum and AI, from the SS&C Blue Prism delivery partner Virtual Blue, based in New Zealand. Sharyn and Peter speak to the trends/opportunities around automation and AI in the ANZ region and how they are innovating the ways they serve their customers. . Here’s what we talked with Sharyn and Peter...

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 and OpenAI may be renegotiating their partnership https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/11/microsoft-and-openai-may-be-renegotiating-their-partnership/   . Is ChatGPT having “robot dreams”? AI i...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk speaks with Alexis Gauba, co-founder of Raindrop.ai, about the importance of monitoring and governance in AI products. They discuss the challenges organizations face when implementing generative AI, the need for clear plans and guardrails, and how to manage AI agents effectively. Alexis shares insights on the diverse applications of AI, the issues they encount...

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 data centres are the new power play – and most CIOs will never build one https://www.techmonitor.ai/digital-economy/ai-and-automation/ai-data-centres-power-play?cf-view . J.P. Morgan Chase:  An...

In this episode, Brad Hairston talks with Kelly Monahan, Founder and Managing Director at Upwork Research Institute, who explains how her future of work research challenges some of the prevailing views of the C-suite on AI. . Here’s what we talked with Kelly about:  *What being a future of work expert is all about *The augmentation versus automation debate *Why AI falls short in managing people or...

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: . Trump Wants Tariffs to Bring Back U.S. Jobs. They Might Speed Up AI Automation Instead. https://time.com/7276087/trump-tariffs-ai-automation-robots/ . China Has an Army of Robots on Its Side in the...

In this episode, host Michael Marchuk speaks with Veronica Hylak about the evolving landscape of Agentic AI. They explore the industries that are leading the charge in AI adoption, the importance of building trust with AI systems, and how organizations can adapt to work alongside AI. Veronica shares insights on the future of AI, emphasizing the need for transparency and stability, while also discu...