A.I. First for Consultants

Andrew Lawless
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AI-First for Consultants: Simplify, Systematize, Scale is the game-changing podcast that shows you how to transform your consulting business with the power of AI. Hosted entirely by AI, we break down complex strategies into simple, actionable steps to help you streamline your processes, automate your workflows, and scale faster than ever before. Whether you're looking to save time, outpace competitors, or future-proof your business, this podcast is your go-to guide for making AI your ultimate growth tool. Tune in and discover how to work smarter, not harder, and build the consulting business of your dreams!

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    GPT-5 Failed. NVIDIA Just Pulled $100 Billion (And What It Means for You)

    The AI gold rush just hit a rock. NVIDIA is pulling back $100 billion. SoftBank is wavering. Microsoft too. And Gary Marcus is finally getting his victory lap. In this episode, we break down why GPT-5's launch marked the beginning of the end for an entire class of AI-powered businesses. We explore the technical failures that crushed the AGI dream. This includes the viral bicycle test and the unexpected chess debacle. We also discuss the economic truth behind dwindling subsidies. Finally, we cover what this means for consultants, operators, and anyone whose business relies on "I use AI." The efficiency consultant is dead. But something new is being born. We present the AI-first operator framework. This approach sees AI not as a way to replace thinking but as a tool to help identify what to ignore. We'll go through the Tower of Hanoi method. We'll also explain why, if the AI agrees with you, you're wrong. Plus, you'll get a 15-minute audit to check your work today. What We Cover Why NVIDIA and SoftBank are pulling back billions from AI investments. The GPT-5 launch: maximum hubris meets maximum disappointment. The bicycle chain test and chess debacle that exposed the architecture's limits. Capability vs. reliability: the distinction that changes everything. Semantic leakage and why "yellow" might derail your entire strategy. The death of the wrapper business model. The Tower of Hanoi method for AI-first consulting. Why you want the AI to be *confused* by your thinking. The Distribution Audit: a 15-minute test to bulletproof your value proposition. Key Takeaways GPT-5 was better, faster, and cheaper, but it wasn't AGI. And the entire market was priced for AGI. The models don't reason. They predict. And it has massive implications for anyone relying on AI for strategy. If your deliverable can be predicted by the AI's training data, you're not selling a strategy. You're selling history with a new cover sheet. The new framework: Human constraints → AI chaos processing → Human rejection and synthesis. You're a filter, not a wrapper. Competitive advantage lives "out of distribution"—in the space the AI can't reach. The Distribution Audit (Try This Now) Open your most recent client deliverable. Copy the core argument into a large-context LLM. Ask: *Does the logic in this text exist within your training data? If yes, summarize the consensus view." If the AI perfectly summarizes your "unique" value proposition, you have a problem. Rewrite until the AI says: *This perspective contradicts the common pattern." That's where your margin lives. Timestamps 00:00 – Friday the 13th, 2026: A day of reckoning 01:23 – Gary Marcus's victory lap and the WeWork comparison 02:00 – NVIDIA pulls $100 billion: What it signals 03:42 – The GPT-5 launch and the death of the efficiency consultant 05:38 – The bicycle chain test that broke the internet 06:49 – The chess debacle 25:54 – The Tower of Hanoi method for AI-first operators 27:27 – "If the AI agrees with you, you're wrong" 29:55 – The Distribution Audit: Your 15-minute action plan 32:00 – Final thoughts: Don't be a wrapper. Be a filter. --- ** Links & Resources Gary Marcus on the OpenAI/WeWork comparison; https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/breaking-openai-is-probably-toast Apple research on LLM reasoning limits: https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/illusion-of-thinking University of Washington research. Does Liking Yellow Imply Driving a School Bus? Semantic Leakage in Language Models: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.06518v3 Connect With Us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ai-first-strategist Newsletter: https://www.teamlawless.com/blog

    32 min

  2. 2 FEB

    Exposed. The 7 phrases that scream "AI wrote that."

    LinkedIn is sick. The feed is packed with polished, predictable AI posts. Readers scroll faster and assume you are faking it. Where do you lose them? This episode exposes the seven phrases that scream “AI wrote this.” We read each one out loud. Then we swap it for a line you would put your name on, with a real point and a real cost. You get language that pulls replies again. You get fewer “nice post” comments and more “tell me more” messages. What phrase from your last post would you delete first?

    33 min

  3. 27 JAN

    6 AI Systems That Protect Premium Pricing

    Most consultants are using AI to make more content, faster. That makes you easier to replace and easier to price shop. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use AI the profitable way: generate better options, make faster decisions, and package your judgment into repeatable assets that protect premium fees. What you’ll get from listening You’ll stop starting from scratch and build “stencils” that recreate your best work on demand. You’ll build a Client Truth File so your messaging hits what buyers actually fear, want, and pay for. You’ll use the 10-10 method to ship faster without lowering quality. You’ll design one “Money Printer” GPT that removes a real bottleneck and keeps you in control of decisions. You’ll avoid the trap of automating mediocrity and start scaling expertise instead.

    34 min

  4. 7 JAN

    The Anti AI-Slop Playbook

    AI made “good enough” content free. Your buyers can feel it, and they stop trusting fast. This episode shows the new edge for boutique experts. Accountability beats volume. Let AI handle drafts and admin. You own verification, truth, and judgment. If your name is on it, you own the consequences. 00:00 Stakes. If you sell expert judgment, speed and volume trained the market to expect more, faster, everywhere. 00:46 Credibility shift. “Perfect” decks trigger suspicion. The buyer’s first thought becomes “did they even read this.” 01:27 The “processed” problem. We suspect slop even when it is not there. Volume contaminates everything. 02:52 The pivot. The new question is “can you be trusted” and “can you show your work.” 03:39 Proof in the courtroom. Johnson v. Dunn becomes the accountability case study. 04:21 What failed. Citations generated by an AI tool were not verified. Multiple attorneys signed anyway. The signature is the promise. 05:13 Consequences. Disqualified from the case. Referred to the state bar. Career risk is real. 11:11 The operating model. Shift energy away from junk tax and into sensemaking. Protect the thinking that builds judgment. 11:27 Automation done right. In a crisis, automation handles non-judgment steps so humans can execute the core decision. 13:45 Simple task, chaotic environment. A software update is easy. The scheduling chaos is the real load. 15:27 The trust constraint. AI helps only on verified data. If humans must second-guess it, it adds more junk tax. 15:54 The consulting report story. A polished, citation-heavy report collapses when someone checks footnotes. Fake references, misquotes, clawback. The lesson is simple. Humans own proof. 25:19 The move. Stop the generation habit. Start the verification habit. One claim, one proof from the original source, one constraint, one next step. 26:23 Closing thesis. AI can generate versions. It cannot generate trust. The future is pruning, verifying, and owning judgment. Run the 15-minute test today. Pick one claim in your offer. Prove it from the source. State one constraint you obey in delivery. Then take the next step. Bring it to a short diagnostic, and we will tighten your proof chain so the right buyers say yes faster.

    27 min

  5. 17/12/2025

    Automation kills trust. How to sell at scale with AI and avoid LinkedIn jail.

    Episode summary This episode highlights a key point: automation can get you blocked on LinkedIn. In contrast, augmentation helps you attract premium clients. Let AI do the heavy lifting. Keep the last mile human, so your message feels real, timely, and worth replying to. Chapters 00:00 The seduction of “this tool will fix my scaling problems.” 01:13 Sarah automates prospecting and lands in LinkedIn jail. 02:34 What LinkedIn flags. Volume, velocity, and low acceptance. 04:19 Simplify to amplify as the AI-first filter. 06:58 The tool landscape, reduced to three buckets. 08:27 The metric that pays for the effort. Response rate. 10:11 Lead scoring as the asymmetric advantage. 13:17 Timing and intent signals. Radar, not hope. 15:01 The authenticity premium and the uncanny valley problem. 16:24 Automate the basics, personalize the details. The 80/20 rule. 19:04 The AG system and filtering, not funneling. 24:56 Stay out of jail. Safety rules that are non-negotiable. 27:49 Become the AI conductor. Buyers will have screening bots. 32:11 The 10-minute experiment to audit your messages. 33:36 The real advantage. Train AI on your voice, not generic best practices. The problem this episode solves You want scale, and you also want trust. That tension costs money when you treat LinkedIn like a volume machine. The story in this episode is a warning sign. Generic blasts trigger platform alarms and quickly kill momentum. Key ideas you can apply immediately Automation tries to replace you. Augmentation keeps you in control and leverages AI. Response rate is the proof. Generic outreach tends to stay low. Augmented hyper-personalized outreach can double or triple replies when it stays human. Lead scoring is where AI can capture your attention. Humans get fatigued deep in lists. Models stay consistent and help you spend time on the right people. Authenticity becomes scarce. Messages that are written flawlessly begin to appear templated. Prospects feel it and tune them out. Use the 80/20 rule for trust. Let AI draft most of the message. Add the human details that prove you paid attention. The AAG system in one clean pass Start with a tight ideal client definition, enrich the list, then filter hard. This is filtering, not funneling. Build an always-on radar for intent signals and communication styles. Draft fast with AI, then edit like your reputation depends on it. Never send raw AI output. When they reply, shift AI to research and proposal acceleration so you can move quickly while the deal is warm. Staying out of LinkedIn jail The tripwires are predictable. High volume, machine-like timing, low acceptance rates, and activity no human would do at scale. Keep activity human. Warm up accounts. Avoid extreme behaviors. Protect the acceptance rate. Move slower than the tools want you to move. Tools mentioned The episode references tools across enrichment, workflow automation, drafting, lead scoring, personality insights, and proposal support. The point is not the tool list. The point is choosing augmentation over replacement. The 10-minute experiment Take your last three LinkedIn messages and run a tone audit. Identify formulaic language that sounds transactional. Rewrite one line in each message to show real attention and mutual professional intent. Send the revised versions next. Track replies this week. Let response rate tell the truth. Closing idea The edge is not more automation. The edge is training AI on your voice, your values, and your way of framing problems so you stop sounding like a generic template. Run the audit today, rewrite the next three messages, and measure what changes.

    35 min

  6. 08/12/2025

    Protecting Human Judgment in an AI-First Consulting Era

    AI expands capacity and removes administrative drag. It also risks replacing the thinking clients pay for. The episode defines a clear line between removing friction and outsourcing judgment. The conversation applies cognitive load theory to consulting work and brings in research highlighted by neuroscientist Poppy Crum. Intrinsic load is the real complexity of the client problem. Extraneous load is the administrative burden. Germane load is the productive struggle that builds professional judgment. The smart path is to cut extraneous load with AI and protect germane load as the source of premium value. Listeners hear how AI can clean research, summarise content, and accelerate drafting. They also hear the risk of treating AI output as final thinking. Poppy Crum’s work shows how tools shape what the brain practices. Overuse of AI for thinking can reduce pattern recognition and create generic advice. The episode closes with one operating rule. Use AI to make the boring work cheap and keep the thinking expensive. Protect the framing, political reading, and decision-making that clients cannot automate. Relevant links to Poppy Crum's work Official site: https://www.poppycrum.com/  TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/poppy_crum_technology_that_knows_what_you_re_feeling  Huberman Lab conversation: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/enhance-learning-speed-neuroscience-poppy-crum

    13 min

  7. 02/12/2025

    AI Is Over. The Next Margin Comes From What You Turn Off, Not What You Prompt

    If you are still selling prompt workshops, you are training clients to see you as a cheap content vendor, not a structural partner. This episode walks straight into that discomfort and names the real risk. Not missing the next tool. Conformity. Looking and sounding like every other consultant who just discovered AI last year. We start by calling time of death on the “teach people how to prompt” era. If you want more prompts, this is the wrong episode. If you want to think like an Original Intelligence operator and design AI systems that make your firm harder to copy every quarter, this is your listening block. Resources mentioned in this episode Ideal Client Definer: https://www.teamlawless.com/ideal-client-definer 5-Day Sales Challenge: https://www.teamlawless.com/5-day-sales-challenge-sign-up AI Your Consulting. High Performance Consultant Academy: https://www.teamlawless.com/AI-your-consulting Main site and podcast hub: https://www.teamlawless.com Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ai-first-strategist

    30 min
  8. The Death of Information: Staying Human After AI Outsmarts You.

    29/10/2025

    The Death of Information: Staying Human After AI Outsmarts You.

    Summary As AI eats through data analysis, reporting, and pattern recognition, the consulting game has changed. Clients aren’t paying for information anymore—they’re paying for judgment and accountability. In this episode, Andrew breaks down what it means to operate as an Original Intelligence Operator (OIO): a consultant who uses AI for precision analysis but applies human courage, context, and behavioral insight to drive real transformation. What You’ll Learn Why the value of information has dropped to near zero—and what replaces it. How AI became the fearless CFO that handles data without emotion. The two irreplaceable human skills: judgment and accountability management. The Galway Sickness story: how fast diagnosis kills trust. How behavioral barriers, not data gaps, derail most consulting projects. The OCLC case study: how asking the right questions fixed 500 workflows in three days. The Bosch story: the power of holding the line on profit and principle. Key Idea Consulting’s defensible edge isn’t more information—it’s better questions. AI provides the clean analysis. The OIO applies judgment, builds trust, and manages change until the insight sticks. Memorable Quote “AI does the fearless analysis. Humans carry the risk.”

    24 min
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About

AI-First for Consultants: Simplify, Systematize, Scale is the game-changing podcast that shows you how to transform your consulting business with the power of AI. Hosted entirely by AI, we break down complex strategies into simple, actionable steps to help you streamline your processes, automate your workflows, and scale faster than ever before. Whether you're looking to save time, outpace competitors, or future-proof your business, this podcast is your go-to guide for making AI your ultimate growth tool. Tune in and discover how to work smarter, not harder, and build the consulting business of your dreams!

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Lawless
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Andrew Lawless LLC
  • Show Website
    A.I. First for Consultants