The AI Why with Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson

We’re the team behind The AI Report — the #1 AI newsletter for 400,000+ business leaders at Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and more. Each week, we cut through the noise with expert conversations on how AI is transforming business. Expect deep dives into real-world use cases, practical strategies for leaders, and insights you won’t find anywhere else. If you want to understand AI in a way that drives results for your team, company, and career — you’re in the right place. 👉 Subscribe now and join 400,000+ professionals mastering AI in business. theaireport.ai/subscribe-theaireport-spotify

  1. $70K/Month by Selling to AI Agents Instead of Humans | Andrew Warner

    VOR 2 TAGEN

    $70K/Month by Selling to AI Agents Instead of Humans | Andrew Warner

    In this episode, Andrew Warner, founder of Mixergy, host of over 2,500 founder interviews, and creator of The Next New Thing, reveals why the most exciting business opportunity in AI right now isn't building another chatbot or SaaS tool. It's building for AI agents as customers. Andrew shares how one founder went from $3K to $70K/month by simply pivoting his social media tool to serve AI agents instead of humans, why Jason Fried at Basecamp is now adding agent-first features, and what this means for every entrepreneur and operator watching the AI wave. Andrew breaks down his own AI tech stack (Claude Code, VS Code, Atlas Browser, OpenClaw), why he keeps a separate laptop just for AI agent work, and the brutal honesty about how much time we're all spending "playing" with AI vs. actually building revenue-generating products. He and Liam go deep on the "SaaSpocalypse" debate, whether intelligence becoming a utility makes audience and distribution the only real moats, and why the agent-to-agent economy, where software sells to other software, might be the biggest shift since mobile. Key Topics Covered How Andrew built a $30M/year email newsletter business in his 20s and what he learned about monetization The origin story of Zapier: Andrew was their first paying customer before they even had a product Why AI's "shiny object syndrome" is the biggest trap for builders right now Andrew's daily AI tech stack: Claude Code, VS Code, Atlas Browser, Claude Desktop, and WhisperFlow How Postiz went from $3K to $70K/month by becoming the social media tool for AI agents The agent-to-agent economy: why your next best customer might not be human Is SaaS dead? Andrew's nuanced take after 2,500+ founder interviews Why audience and platform stickiness are the only real moats when intelligence becomes a utility Liam's Claude automation workflows: auto-generating guest research, marketing assets in 5 minutes Vibe video editing and the future of AI-powered content production Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and welcome 00:28 - Andrew's background: building a $30M email newsletter empire 02:00 - Selling the business in his mid-20s and traveling the world 06:19 - Starting Mixergy and doing 2,500+ founder interviews 09:39 - The founders Andrew admires most: Wade Foster and Zapier's origin story 12:07 - How solving problems for free changes your career 12:51 - AI's shiny object syndrome: building for fun vs. solving real problems 14:36 - Andrew's mission: helping AI builders find real revenue 17:45 - Andrew's AI tech stack: VS Code, Claude Code, Atlas Browser, WhisperFlow 22:32 - The ideal future of work with AI agents 24:31 - What's most impressive and most underwhelming about AI right now 25:20 - Building a social listening tool with AI 27:08 - The SaaSpocalypse debate: can you vibe-code your own tools? 36:12 - Postiz: from $3K to $70K/month by selling to AI agents 38:17 - The agent-to-agent marketplace future 40:06 - Liam's Claude automation: auto-generating guest research briefs 43:19 - Real-time AI workflows with WhisperFlow and Claude 48:02 - Why investing time in AI compounds exponentially 50:05 - Creating marketing assets in 5 minutes with Claude 51:27 - Vibe video editing: the next frontier for content creators 53:42 - Thought experiment: what's defensible when intelligence is a utility? 55:39 - The bread maker analogy: why SaaS won't actually die 58:01 - What makes software defensible: switching costs and stickiness 01:00:47 - Postiz deep-dive: the agentic social media scheduling tool 01:03:26 - Agent-first businesses: newsletters, chat apps, and tools built for agents 01:08:51 - Where to find Andrew and closing thoughts Andrew's Socials: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwarner/ Website — https://thenextnewthing.ai Partner Links Book Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/ Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe Get free AI resources: https://community.theaireport.ai/checkout/the-ai-report-welcome-gift?coupon_code=WRTH

    1 Std. 3 Min.
  2. Meta Goes Closed-Source + $1.75T SpaceX IPO | AI News in 5

    VOR 4 TAGEN

    Meta Goes Closed-Source + $1.75T SpaceX IPO | AI News in 5

    $1.75 trillion SpaceX IPO, Meta's closed-source Muse Spark, Anthropic's restricted Claude Mythos, OpenAI's four-day work week proposal, and Google's open-source Gemma 4. This week, the biggest companies in AI are making very different bets on power, access, and what happens next. AI News in 5 is your fast, no-fluff weekly AI news roundup for founders, operators, and executives who need to stay current. Every Tuesday, in 5 minutes. Stories Covered This Week: Meta launches Muse Spark, its first closed-source AI model under Alexandr Wang's $14B deal Anthropic restricts Claude Mythos to 50 partners via Project Glasswing over cybersecurity concerns OpenAI publishes 13-page policy calling for 32-hour work weeks and a "robot tax" SpaceX files for $1.75T IPO after $1.25T merger with xAI to build orbital data centers Google releases Gemma 4, open-source models running on a single laptop Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:25 Meta launches Muse Spark, goes closed-source 01:15 Anthropic holds back Claude Mythos over hacking risks 02:10 OpenAI proposes four-day work week and robot tax 03:05 SpaceX files for $1.75 trillion IPO 03:55 Google releases Gemma 4 open-source 04:45 Outro Partner Links Book Enterprise Training: https://www.upscaile.com/ Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe Free AI Tool Stack: https://community.theaireport.ai/checkout/the-ai-report-welcome-gift?coupon_code=WRTH

    5 Min.
  3. Why 95% of AI Pilots Produce Zero ROI | Yasmeen Ahmad, Google Cloud

    9. APR.

    Why 95% of AI Pilots Produce Zero ROI | Yasmeen Ahmad, Google Cloud

    In this episode, Yasmeen Ahmad, Managing Director of Product Management for Data & AI Cloud at Google Cloud, reveals why 80–90% of enterprise data is "dark" and untouched — and how Google Cloud is building the tools to finally unlock it. Yasmeen shares how BigQuery's new Knowledge Engine captures the invisible business context that human analysts have always carried in their heads, and why this semantic layer is the real unlock for enterprise AI in 2026. Yasmeen breaks down how enterprises are scaling from 50 to 2,000 autonomous AI agents, why continuous evaluation (not unit testing) is the only way to keep agents trustworthy, and what Google learned from seeing 50% of its own code now written by AI. She also explains why 95% of AI pilots produce zero measurable ROI — and why companies that partner with a platform like Google Cloud see dramatically different results. Plus, her contrarian take on governance: it's not the brake, it's what lets you drive 150 mph into the bend with confidence. Key Topics Covered Why 80–90% of enterprise data is "dark" unstructured data that GenAI can finally unlock How BigQuery's Knowledge Engine captures the invisible business context analysts carry in their heads The semantic layer: why the next big unlock is context, not just more powerful models How enterprises are scaling from 50 to 2,000 autonomous AI agents Intent-driven agentic AI: giving agents outcomes instead of step-by-step instructions Why continuous evaluation is replacing traditional unit testing for AI agents Google's internal AI adoption: 50% of code written by AI, 10% engineering efficiency gains Why 95% of AI pilots produce zero ROI and what changes that outcome AI governance as an accelerator — the "brakes that let you drive 150 mph" framework Why culture and founder mentality matter more than technology budget for AI success Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and welcome 00:50 - Being Scottish in Silicon Valley and the power of community 03:13 - The career thread: curiosity, pivots, and getting outside your comfort zone 06:20 - What makes data fascinating: the hidden stories inside numbers 07:48 - Why data is the lifeblood of enterprise AI 10:19 - 80–90% of enterprise data is "dark" and untouched 12:59 - What BigQuery actually does (explained simply) 14:50 - The invisible work: knowledge layers and business semantics 17:38 - The agentic AI moment: agents that think, plan, and execute 20:41 - From 50 to 2,000 autonomous agents inside enterprises 22:07 - Why you can't evaluate AI agents like traditional software 25:46 - Signals of AI readiness: Google's 50% AI-written code and Honeywell's 30% efficiency gains 30:21 - Why 95% of AI pilots produce zero ROI 35:37 - Governance as a speed accelerator, not a brake 39:53 - Who's best poised to win: culture over budget 45:59 - Why do you do what you do? Yasmeen's Socials: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmeenahmaduk/ Partner Links Book Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/ Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe

    51 Min.
  4. The $52 Billion AI Agent Revolution No One Is Talking About

    2. APR.

    The $52 Billion AI Agent Revolution No One Is Talking About

    In this episode, we break down the "Agentic Brain" — the architecture behind AI agents that can think, plan, and execute multi-step workflows with minimal human oversight — and why the agentic AI market is about to explode from $7.8 billion to over $52 billion by 2030. We reveal how the smartest enterprises are already deploying autonomous agents that handle everything from customer service to internal operations, and why only 14% of companies have production-ready agentic solutions despite all the hype. We go deep on what "bounded autonomy" actually means in practice, how multi-agent systems work (inquiries surged 1,445% in just one year), and why Gartner predicts 40% of enterprise apps will embed AI agents by the end of 2026. We also cover the real-world examples of companies using agents to handle 80% of customer service autonomously, the difference between "agentic AI" and a chatbot with extra steps, and what operators and executives need to understand before deploying agents inside their organizations. Key Topics Covered What the "Agentic Brain" is and how it differs from traditional chatbots and copilots Why the agentic AI market is projected to grow from $7.8 billion to $52 billion by 2030 How multi-agent systems work: planning, reasoning, tool use, and memory Why only 14% of companies have production-ready agentic solutions despite massive investment The concept of "bounded autonomy" and why it matters for enterprise deployments How some companies are already using AI agents to handle 80% of customer service autonomously Why multi-agent system inquiries surged 1,445% in one year Gartner's prediction that 40% of enterprise apps will embed AI agents by end of 2026 The difference between real agentic AI and hype — how to tell what's actually production-ready What executives and operators need to know before deploying AI agents in their organizations Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and meet the Agentic Brain team 00:39 - Today's agenda: three practical AI agents 01:09 - Agent 1: Personalized learning agent 03:05 - How the learning agent works 09:25 - Live demo: testing the learning agent 16:50 - Future of personalized learning with AI 24:51 - Agent 2: Sales analysis agent 28:31 - Demo: Sales performance dashboard 32:41 - Call quality and feedback analysis 46:18 - Real-world impact: proactive team management 49:26 - Agent 3: Customer service agent 50:52 - Multi-agent systems and scaling 78:55 - Closing remarks and thanks Partner Links Work with Agentic Brain — https://cal.com/forms/44f75adf-4741-4c5e-88d5-3249592ada99 Book Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/ Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe

    1 Std. 22 Min.
  5. OpenAI Kills Sora + Amazon's $50B Bet

    31. MÄRZ

    OpenAI Kills Sora + Amazon's $50B Bet

    This week on AI News in 5: OpenAI kills Sora just six months after launch — blindsiding Disney and losing a billion-dollar deal. Amazon drops $50 billion on OpenAI, putting Microsoft on the warpath. Apple dumps OpenAI and partners with Google to rebuild Siri. OpenClaw becomes the fastest-growing open-source project in history. And a hacker infects a popular AI tool downloaded 3.4 million times a day. Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe AI training for your team — https://www.upscaile.com/ Connect with Liam — https://www.linkedin.com/in/not-the-f1-driver-liam-lawson/ Get free AI resources: https://community.theaireport.ai/checkout/the-ai-report-welcome-gift?coupon_code=WRTH About The AI Why with Liam Lawson: The AI Why breaks down what's actually happening in AI — who's building it, how it's being implemented at scale, and why the people building it do what they do. New episodes every Tuesday (AI News in 5) and Thursday (founder and exec interviews).

    6 Min.
  6. The CMS Running NASA & 2,000 Stories a Day | Brian Alvey, WordPress VIP

    26. MÄRZ

    The CMS Running NASA & 2,000 Stories a Day | Brian Alvey, WordPress VIP

    In this episode, Brian Alvey, CTO of WordPress VIP (Automattic's enterprise platform), reveals how the platform powering NASA, CBS, NBCUniversal, Rolling Stone, Samsung, and the White House is integrating AI into enterprise publishing at massive scale. Brian shares how he's built over 24 content management platforms throughout his career — and why the current AI moment is the most transformative shift he's ever seen in publishing technology. Brian breaks down how WordPress VIP is embedding AI into tools like Parse.ly to give editors conversational content insights, how their AI-powered "editorial recipes" turn hours of manual headline testing and cross-linking into minutes, and how a new tool called Tollbit lets publishers actually charge AI crawlers for accessing their content. He also shares his philosophy on keeping humans in the loop at enterprise scale, how 200-person newsrooms and 11,000-contributor content teams are navigating AI adoption, and why the open web matters more than ever when everyone's fighting for attention in an AI-first world. Key Topics Covered How WordPress VIP powers mission-critical content for NASA, CBS, the White House, and hundreds of enterprise brands Brian's journey building 24+ content management platforms and what he's learned about great CMS architecture How WordPress VIP takes open-source WordPress and locks it down with enterprise governance for massive newsrooms The AI tools WordPress VIP is building: conversational analytics, headline testing, engagement optimization, and automated cross-linking How Tollbit lets publishers charge AI companies for crawling their content — a new revenue stream for media What "human in the loop" actually means when you're managing 11,000 contributors The Agentforce integration with Salesforce: bringing AI-powered chat and lead generation directly into WordPress sites Why the open web still matters in the age of AI and how publishers are fighting back How enterprise publishing teams are adopting AI without sacrificing editorial quality Brian's honest take on where AI helps editors vs. where it still falls short Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and welcome 00:35 - Brian's career building publishing platforms before Google existed 03:22 - AI as an equalizing paradigm shift 07:20 - Generalist superpower: bridging art and science 09:46 - Human skills vs AI: lessons from The Founder 13:36 - Career advice for his kids in the AI era 16:01 - WordPress VIP and enterprise publishing at scale 18:28 - Core mission: speed and stability without breaking things 23:06 - AI content intelligence tools and MCP adapters 28:39 - Media business fundamentals: attention and monetization 35:27 - Customer segments and AI crawler strategies 40:12 - Trust and credibility in the AI-generated content era 44:25 - From competing against WordPress to leading it 48:15 - Obsession with automation and future of work 51:51 - Building products in days with AI tools like Claude 56:47 - What truly drives him 58:40 - Closing and where to find Brian Brian's Socials: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianalvey/ Website — https://brianalvey.com Partner Links Book Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/ Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe

    1 Std. 2 Min.
  7. Apple Ditches OpenAI + $1.2B Robot Week | AI News in 5

    24. MÄRZ

    Apple Ditches OpenAI + $1.2B Robot Week | AI News in 5

    Apple confirms Google Gemini will power the new Siri — dropping OpenAI as the default on a billion devices. GPT-5.4 Thinking becomes the first AI to beat the human baseline at navigating a computer. Yann LeCun raises $1.03B in the largest seed round in European history to build a new kind of AI. Robotics companies pull in $1.2B in a single week. And the U.S. Department of Energy puts $293M behind AI for national challenges. Partner Links Book Enterprise AI Training — https://www.upscaile.com/ Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe Get our free AI resource pack — https://community.theaireport.ai/checkout/the-ai-report-welcome-gift?coupon_code=WRTH Connect with Liam — https://www.linkedin.com/in/not-the-f1-driver-liam-lawson/ About The AI Why: The AI Why breaks down what's actually happening in AI — who's building it, how it's being deployed, and why the people building it do what they do. New episodes every Tuesday (AI News in 5) and Thursday (founder and exec interviews).

    6 Min.
  8. How UserTesting Got 70% of Employees Using AI Weekly | Michael Domanic

    19. MÄRZ

    How UserTesting Got 70% of Employees Using AI Weekly | Michael Domanic

    In this episode, Michael J. Domanic, VP and Head of AI at UserTesting, reveals how he drove 70%+ weekly AI adoption across the entire company — turning UserTesting into one of the most AI-mature enterprises in the market. Michael shares why most enterprise AI rollouts fail, and the exact playbook he used to get hundreds of employees building custom GPTs and integrating AI into their daily workflows.Michael breaks down how UserTesting moved from Phase 1 (culture change and grassroots adoption) to Phase 2 (agent orchestration and scaled automation), how he built the governance frameworks that let teams experiment safely without creating chaos, and why the companies that treat AI adoption as a culture problem — not a technology problem — are the ones winning. He also shares his honest take on why AI projects consistently miss expectations and what leaders need to do differently in 2026.Key Topics Covered- How UserTesting achieved 70%+ weekly AI adoption across the entire organization- Why most enterprise AI projects fail to meet expectations — and the root causes leaders miss- How employees built hundreds of custom GPTs for internal workflows without a top-down mandate- The Phase 1 to Phase 2 transition: from culture change to agent orchestration- Building AI governance frameworks that enable experimentation without creating risk- Why treating AI adoption as a culture problem (not a tech problem) is the key to success- How to get executive buy-in for enterprise-wide AI transformation- What "AI maturity" actually looks like inside a real company- Michael's predictions for how agentic AI will reshape enterprise operations- The skills leaders need to drive AI adoption in their organizations*Episode Timestamps*00:00 - Introduction and welcome01:31 - Michael's career background and life journey08:08 - Why AI transformation is about creativity, not technology10:43 - Hiring the right AI transformation leaders14:07 - Building Centers of Excellence for AI17:36 - What UserTesting does and Michael's role32:55 - Achieving 70%+ AI adoption across the company35:41 - How employees built hundreds of custom GPTs39:16 - OKR methodology and governance frameworks43:50 - Creativity as the fundamental skill for future work48:39 - Phase 2: Agent orchestration and advanced AI56:46 - Outlook: Optimism about AI's future impact59:27 - Closing: How honest conversations drive progressMichael's Socials:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldomanic/Partner LinksBook Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://newsletter.theaireport.ai/subscribe

    1 Std. 7 Min.
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We’re the team behind The AI Report — the #1 AI newsletter for 400,000+ business leaders at Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and more. Each week, we cut through the noise with expert conversations on how AI is transforming business. Expect deep dives into real-world use cases, practical strategies for leaders, and insights you won’t find anywhere else. If you want to understand AI in a way that drives results for your team, company, and career — you’re in the right place. 👉 Subscribe now and join 400,000+ professionals mastering AI in business. theaireport.ai/subscribe-theaireport-spotify

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