Applied Intelligence

Keith Richman

The go-to show for business leaders navigating AI adoption in the real world. Host Keith Richman talks with operators, founders, and business leaders who are actually deploying AI—exploring what works, what doesn't, and how to bridge the gap between AI's capability and practical implementation. Smart, grounded, actionable.

Episodes

  1. 5 HR AGO

    The 6-Layer Framework for Scaling AI That Actually Works

    Keith Richman sits down with Jeff McMillan, former Head of AI at Morgan Stanley, to unpack the realities of deploying enterprise AI. Jeff shares his journey of partnering with OpenAI in early 2022 and breaks down his six-layer framework for scaling AI effectively—emphasizing why models alone aren't enough. They explore the critical importance of data quality, governance, and the emerging "agentic orchestration" layer that will define the future of corporate AI. Jeff also explains why he believes the "Head of AI" title should be a temporary role and why giving every employee access to AI tools is the best way to drive adoption and reduce risk. If you're a business leader navigating AI integration, this episode delivers practical, battle-tested strategies. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: From Morgan Stanley to AI Transformation 00:00:41 The Unlikely Path: From Army Lieutenant to AI Leader 00:03:33 The OpenAI Partnership: First Enterprise Customer 00:06:47 The Six-Layer Enterprise AI Stack 00:08:45 Why Data Quality Still Matters More Than Models 00:09:58 The Agentic Orchestration Layer: The Future of Enterprise AI 00:14:56 MCP Protocol: The Railway Gauge for AI 00:17:22 Build vs Buy: Strategic Decisions for Different Company Sizes 00:23:44 The Ferrari in the Walmart Parking Lot Problem 00:28:13 Measuring AI Success: From Contact Velocity to Revenue 00:32:34 The Three-Year Timeline: Realistic Expectations for AI Transformation 00:36:32 Shadow AI and Enterprise Tool Strategy #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #BusinessLeadership #MachineLearning #TechInnovation #DataAnalytics #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #AIStrategy #AgenticAI

    43 min

  2. 18 MAR

    The Argument for Why AI Can’t Replace Teachers

    Is AI actually helping students learn? In this episode of Applied Intelligence, host Keith Richman sits down with Jason Robinovitz, an education business leader and micro-school founder, to discuss the real-world impact of AI in education. Jason shares why his school prioritizes human connection over screens, how he practically integrates tools like ChatGPT and Claude to empower teachers, and why heavily marketed "two-hour AI schools" might leave kids unprepared for the real world. They also dive into the ethics of AI in college applications and why AI might actually widen the educational gap rather than close it. Whether you're an educator, business owner, or parent navigating technology in the classroom, this conversation offers grounded, actionable insights on deploying AI without losing the human element. Timestamp: Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:54 The Micro-School Model 00:01:40 The ChatGPT Moment 00:03:46 Detecting AI Usage 00:06:16 Maximizing Human Connection Time 00:07:16 The Alpha School Debate 00:11:24 Ethical AI Usage 00:12:42 The English Major's Revenge 00:15:30 The Future of Tutoring 00:17:53 Why AI May Increase Educational Inequality #AI #Education #EdTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Tutoring #Business #Technology #FutureOfEducation #AppliedIntelligence

    20 min

  3. 6 MAR

    Enterprise AI Is a Mess. Here's the Fix.

    Brendan Falk joins Keith to dismantle the hype around enterprise AI. While AI can generate software instantly, Falk explains why legacy integrations and edge cases make real-world deployment a massive challenge. He shares his proven framework for prioritizing AI initiatives based on business value versus technical feasibility and offers actionable strategies for upskilling teams. Whether you are evaluating internal tools, looking to automate customer support, or trying to bridge the gap between AI capabilities and actual ROI, this episode provides a grounded roadmap for success. #artificialintelligence #businessstrategy #enterpriseai #nocode #startups #softwareengineering #aws #productivity #techtrends #management

    50 min

  4. 11 FEB

    We Help 800k Patients with AI — Here's What Actually Works

    Numan CEO Sokratis Papafloratos joins Keith to discuss the delicate balance of deploying AI in a highly regulated healthcare environment. Sokratis shares his unique perspective, having studied neural networks 25 years ago before building a digital health platform that has served 800,000 patients. They dive into why Numan uses a hybrid AI-human model for behavioral coaching while strictly avoiding AI for clinical diagnostics due to safety concerns. Sokratis details their internal tech stack—including Cursor for coding and Intercom’s Fin for support—and explains the critical process of converting unstructured patient data into actionable insights. This is a pragmatic look at how to scale healthcare safely using artificial intelligence. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: AI's Promise for Healthcare Access 00:00:38 From Neural Networks to Numan: A 25-Year AI Journey 00:06:11 The ChatGPT Watershed Moment and Healthcare Caution 00:10:56 Hybrid AI-Human Coaching: The Current Model 00:17:32 Democratizing Healthcare Through AI Scale 00:22:52 AI Across the Organization: Coding, Customer Service, and Beyond 00:24:09 Developer Productivity 00:43:11 Security, Data Privacy, and the Healthcare AI Guardrails 00:46:44 Personalized Healthcare Journeys #AI #Healthcare #DigitalHealth #Business #Technology #Startups #MachineLearning #Leadership #Innovation #MedTech

    51 min

  5. 4 FEB

    How AI Helped Double Our Revenue with Half the Staff

    Voi CEO Fredrik Hjelm joins Keith Richman to reveal how the European micro-mobility giant is transitioning into an AI-native organization. Fredrik breaks down his aggressive "build vs. buy" strategy, explaining how Voi reduced legacy SaaS spend by nearly 40% by replacing software with custom LLM tools. The conversation covers the evolution from basic chatbots to autonomous agents, the reality of "Shadow AI," and why AI curiosity is now a hiring requirement. From automating tender bids to replacing junior engineering tasks, this is a masterclass in practical, high-impact AI deployment for operators. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessStrategy #CEO #TechTrends #SaaS #Voi #Automation #Leadership #MachineLearning Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Hiring for AI Readiness 00:00:30 Voice's Journey: From Hypergrowth to AI-First 00:01:14 The Klarna Moment: Early AI Inspiration 00:05:10 Phase One: The Year of the Chatbot (2023) 00:05:43 Organizational Change Management for AI 00:09:04 Shadow AI and the White-Listing Process 00:11:12 Phase Two: Coding Assistants and Vertical AI Tools 00:13:36 Buy vs Build: Rethinking the SaaS Stack 00:16:47 Mapping Software Products for AI Replacement 00:18:02 Removing Human from the Loop 00:19:01 Top-Down Cross-Functional AI Implementation 00:21:24 The New Software Sales Reality 00:23:50 Cost Savings vs Revenue Growth with AI 00:27:38 The Rise of 100x Engineers 00:30:01 Hiring for AI Aptitude Across All Roles 00:31:13 Domain-Specific AI Tool Stacks 00:32:28 Structured vs Unstructured Data: The AI Challenge 00:35:22 Understanding LLMs in Enterprise Settings 00:37:07 Case Study: Liquidize Marketing Automation 00:38:50 LLM Orchestration and Model Selection 00:40:34 Becoming the World's First AI-Native Micromobility Platform 00:42:13 Constraints: The Key to Safe AI Automation 00:44:05 Organizational Response: From Resistance to Enthusiasm 00:46:54 Creating the Head of AI Role 00:50:42 The Results: Double Revenue, Half the Staff 00:51:41 Frederik's Personal AI Tech Stack 00:56:22 The Biggest Win: Company-Wide AI Adoption

    57 min
  6. How We Are Deploying AI: 10x Functionality at 20% the Cost

    26 JAN

    How We Are Deploying AI: 10x Functionality at 20% the Cost

    Anthony Soohoo, CEO of MoneyGram, joins host Keith Richman to discuss how he is transforming an 80-year-old legacy payments company into an AI-first organization. Anthony shares his practical philosophy on AI adoption: start with a clear problem statement rather than the technology itself, and manually validate workflows before automating them. He explains why enterprise-wide goals must supersede departmental silos and predicts a massive disruption in the enterprise software market where costs drop by 80% while functionality increases tenfold. This episode is a masterclass for leaders looking to navigate the gap between AI hype and real-world operational implementation #AI #BusinessStrategy #DigitalTransformation #FinTech #Leadership #ArtificialIntelligence #TechTrends #CEO #MoneyGram #AppliedIntelligence Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: AI Transformation at MoneyGram 00:00:40 MoneyGram's Legacy Business and Digital Transformation 00:03:58 Building an AI-First Culture 00:05:56 Starting with Problem Statements, Not Functions 00:09:48 Communicating AI to Employees 00:11:30 Outcome-Based AI Strategy vs Functional Automation 00:14:27 The Future of Enterprise Software 00:15:44 Vetting AI Vendors and Partners 00:21:06 Enterprise Goals vs Departmental Goals 00:25:10 Data Strategy and Infrastructure 00:32:35 Early Wins and Productivity Gains 00:34:25 Hiring for AI Success: Enterprise Mindset 00:36:00 Data Labeling and Training Approaches 00:39:54 Personal AI Tech Stack 00:41:29 Advice for 100M Revenue Companies 00:42:24 The Transformation Opportunity

    45 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

The go-to show for business leaders navigating AI adoption in the real world. Host Keith Richman talks with operators, founders, and business leaders who are actually deploying AI—exploring what works, what doesn't, and how to bridge the gap between AI's capability and practical implementation. Smart, grounded, actionable.

Information

  • Creator
    Keith Richman
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Applied Intelligence