Tool Use - AI Conversations

Mike Bird

The latest AI tools and strategies, featuring top builders, entrepreneurs, and researchers. Every Tuesday, get actionable knowledge about AI services that you can use today. - Conversations with AI builders and founders - Practical tips for applying AI immediately - Live demos of cutting-edge AI products - Deep dives into open-source projects Join us as we explore the rapidly evolving AI landscape and discover tools that transform productivity, creativity, and business. Subscribe now and stay ahead of the AI curve

  1. How to Become an AI-first Company (ft. Csongor Barabasi)

    3 DAYS AGO

    How to Become an AI-first Company (ft. Csongor Barabasi)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Struggling to cut through the AI hype to find real operational efficiency for your business? In this episode, we're joined by Csongor Barabasi, CEO of Bonsai Labs, an AI value creation partner for private equity firms. Csongor shares his expert framework for deploying AI agents to achieve massive productivity gains. Learn the practical steps to progress from a simple AI co-pilot to a fully autonomous AI agent , and discover how to create a 'golden data set' and feedback loops to make your systems smarter over time. We cover the critical build vs. buy debate , strategies for process automation , data security considerations , calculating ROI for AI projects , and enabling non-technical teams to build custom workflows. This is your ultimate guide to using AI for tangible business results. Csongor is the founder/CEO of Bonsai Labs, a specialized AI transformation and value creation firm working with Private Equity portfolio companies. With engineering excellence at it's core, the they deliver AI workflow automations and build custom AI products with tangible impact within weeks. Bonsai Labs: https://bonsai-labs.comCsongor: https://linkedin.com/in/barabasicsongor Connect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast https://x.com/MikeBirdTech https://x.com/barabasicsongor 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:40 - The Framework: Co-Pilot to Fully Autonomous Agent 00:11:26 - AI Solutions: The Build vs. Buy Debate 00:16:03 - AI for Non-Technical Teams 00:27:40 - How to Document a Process for Automation 00:31:36 - How to Measure the ROI of AI Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and process automation. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    41 min
  2. AI Coding Agents Can Do So Much More (ft Kiran)

    7 OCT

    AI Coding Agents Can Do So Much More (ft Kiran)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Coding agents are revolutionizing software development, but are you getting the most out of them? Many AI coding tools struggle with complex, long-running tasks, often getting lost in the middle of a project. In this episode of Tool Use, we sit down with Kiran, one of the core contributors to Slate, a research-driven coding agent built for the toughest production-level challenges. Kiran shares a deep dive into how to properly set up your dev environment to maximize the performance of any coding agent. We discuss the critical role of feedback loops, clear development pipelines, and consistent codebase patterns in getting correct, reliable code from LLMs. You'll learn why models are great at following patterns but terrible at creating them, and how to structure your projects for AI success. We also explore what makes Slate different, including its unique approach to context management that keeps it on track during complex tasks, preventing the performance degradation common in other agents. Find Slate here: https://randomlabs.ai/ Connect with us  https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast https://x.com/MikeBirdTech 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:54 - Setting Up Your Dev Environment for AI 00:15:18 - Is Software Engineering Dead? 00:18:20 - Why Coding Agents? The Origin of Slate 00:21:52 - What Makes Slate Different? 00:33:19 - The Bottleneck: LLMs vs Tooling 00:44:30 - Why LLMs Get "Lost in the Middle" Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and coding agents. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    47 min
  3. A.I. For Non-Technical Founders (ft Marnie Wills)

    30 SEPT

    A.I. For Non-Technical Founders (ft Marnie Wills)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Unlock the power of AI for your business, even if you're not a tech expert. In this episode, AI strategist Marni Wills reveals how non-technical founders can leverage AI as a new operating system to amplify their intelligence. Learn to build powerful AI workflows, create your own AI operating system, and personalize tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for massive business growth. Marni breaks down her exact process for using AI agents, developing custom instructions to avoid hallucinations, and building a "second brain" to automate tasks from email marketing to securing podcast interviews. This is your guide to making AI work for you, strategically, not technically. Connect with Marni Wills: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnie-wills-entrepreneur Website: https://businesswithaistrategist.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/businesswithai_strategist/ Digital Store: https://stan.store/business_with_ai_strategist Connect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast https://x.com/MikeBirdTech 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:19 - First Steps for Non-Technical Founders 00:08:13 - How to Avoid AI Hallucinations 00:11:04 - Building a Custom Prompt Library 00:27:17 - AI Agents vs. Automation (Lindy vs. Make) 00:32:48 - Creative AI Workflows You Haven't Thought Of Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and workflows. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    42 min
  4. Are AI Agents Ready for the Internet? (ft Bobbie Chen)

    23 SEPT

    Are AI Agents Ready for the Internet? (ft Bobbie Chen)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Are you ready for AI agents to browse the web? We explore the future of AI agent authentication, web security, and API design in this deep dive. As AI agents proliferate, critical questions arise: how do we handle security without giving an agent your password? How can we make websites optimized for agent consumption? We're joined by Bobbie Chen, a product manager at Stytch specializing in bot and AI agent detection, to discuss the risks and opportunities. We cover how OAuth can provide safer, scoped permissions for agents, and the emerging open standard Web Bot Auth, which allows agents to cryptographically prove their identity. Bobbie breaks down Simon Willison's "lethal trifecta" of AI security risks and discusses strategies for mitigating malicious behavior. We also touch on the future of AI SEO, how API design must evolve for a hybrid human-agent world, and the potential impact of agents on web monetization and advertising. Learn more from Bobbie Chen: Stytch supports Web Bot Auth: https://stytch.com/blog/stytch-supports-web-bot-auth Stytch Connected Apps (OAuth for AI agents): https://stytch.com/connected-apps Stytch Fraud and Risk Prevention: stytch.com/fraud AGI Builders Meetup: https://luma.com/agibuilders IsAgent SDK for agent identification: https://IsAgent.dev Additional Resources from the episode: Simon Willison's lethal trifecta: https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/16/the-lethal-trifecta IETF Web Bot Auth: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/bofreq-nottingham-web-bot-auth/ Jon Postel as "benevolent dictator" of IANA: http://memex.org/meme4-01.html Freestyle Cloud: https://www.freestyle.sh Connect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast https://x.com/MikeBirdTech 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:25 - The Risks of AI Agents Browsing the Web 00:07:14 - A Bot Registry vs. Open Protocols 00:18:04 - How AI Will Change Web Monetization & Ads 00:35:03 - The "Lethal Trifecta" of AI Security 00:41:25 - Practical Advice for Website Owners & Agent Devs Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and AI security. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    46 min
  5. Advanced AI Prompting (ft Michael Tiffany & Ty Fiero)

    16 SEPT

    Advanced AI Prompting (ft Michael Tiffany & Ty Fiero)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Master advanced prompting techniques and meta prompting in this deep dive into AI context engineering. As AI models evolve, the way we interact with them becomes more critical than ever. Prompting is no longer about simple questions; it's a skill that separates mediocre results from magical ones. In Episode 57, we're joined by Michael Tiffany, founder and CEO of Fulcra, and AI consultant Ty Fiero to explore the strategies that unlock an AI's full potential. Discover why prompts are more important than ever, how to tailor your requests for specific models like GPT-5 and Claude, and why a "high agency" attitude is the key to getting great outputs. We discuss practical methods like iterative prompting, using one AI to critique another's work, and asking the model itself how to create the perfect prompt. Learn how to avoid AI sycophancy, the power of multimodal prompting with images, and how to right-size tasks for complex projects. Whether you're a developer using vibe coding or just want to get better answers from ChatGPT, this conversation will change how you talk to AI. Guests: Michael Tiffany, Founder and CEO of Fulcra https://www.fulcra.ai https://x.com/kubla Ty Fiero, AI Consultant https://x.com/FieroTy Connect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast https://x.com/MikeBirdTech https://x.com/kubla https://x.com/FieroTy 00:00:00 - Intro 00:06:02 - The High-Agency Prompting Mindset 00:10:36 - Techniques for Reducing AI Bias 00:19:10 - Meta-Prompting: Having AI Write Your Prompts 00:23:12 - How to Build Prompting Intuition 00:30:00 - AI for Spec-Driven Development Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and prompting. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    50 min
  6. Build A Full Stack App With One Prompt (ft. Richard Abrich)

    9 SEPT

    Build A Full Stack App With One Prompt (ft. Richard Abrich)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Build full-stack apps from a single prompt with Fastable, the revolutionary AI tool from AI consultant Richard Abrich. In this episode, we dive deep into how you can go from an idea to a deployed web application using AI, and learn how Richard built the tool to accelerate his own development workflows. Richard shares his expert approach to context engineering, hallucination mitigation, and creating a powerful feedback loop by piping logs directly into the AI agent to debug and iterate faster than ever. We explore Fastable's tech stack (FastAPI, Python, React, Postgres) and how it offers a more flexible, vanilla alternative to tools like Lovable, giving developers the control they need. If you're interested in AI-powered development, the future of disposable software, or building your own tools to solve real problems, this is a conversation you can't miss. Try Fastable for yourself: https://fastable.dev Connect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast https://x.com/MikeBirdTech https://x.com/abrichr 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:57 - Fastable's Tech Stack vs Lovable 00:07:33 - Context Engineering for Non-Technical Users 00:17:32 - Fastable Demo 00:31:08 - Mitigating AI Hallucination 00:45:53 - The Future of Disposable Software Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and AI development. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    50 min
  7. How I Use AI for REAL Productivity Gains

    2 SEPT

    How I Use AI for REAL Productivity Gains

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Unlock massive productivity gains with AI and get hours of your life back. In Episode 55, after 10 years as a software developer with the last three focused on AI, I'm sharing the secrets to my personal productivity system. Learn how to leverage multiple LLMs, build a "digital brain" with Obsidian that goes beyond a simple second brain, and create hyper-custom automations to focus on what truly matters. I'll walk you through my complete setup, from the AI models I use daily (like Claude and local models) to the hardware and software I use to interface with my computer, including powerful voice transcription workflows. We'll cover how to use AI coding assistants to build your own scripts, essential terminal utilities that will speed up your workflow, and the specific media tools I use for tasks outside my expertise. This is the ultimate guide to leveling up your productivity with AI. Mike's GitHub: https://github.com/MikeBirdTech Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/ Mike's Stack: https://github.com/MikeBirdTech/stack Dataview Plugin: https://obsidian.md/plugins?id=dataview Connect with me https://x.com/ToolUseAI https://x.com/MikeBirdTech 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:52 - Which LLM Should You Use? 00:04:17 - How to Build a "Digital Brain" in Obsidian 00:12:40 - Voice Transcription: The Biggest Productivity Unlock 00:17:59 - Building Custom Automations with AI Coding 00:32:06 - Using AI as a Thought Partner Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and automation. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    38 min
  8. Fundamentals of AI Tooling (ft Hai Nghiem)

    26 AUG

    Fundamentals of AI Tooling (ft Hai Nghiem)

    Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaX Feeling intimidated by AI tooling? This is the perfect place to start. Join us for a deep dive into AI agent fundamentals with expert educator Hai Ngheim. We break down complex topics like context engineering, explaining why it's a more useful term than prompt engineering. Learn the key differences between an AI Agent and a workflow, and discover when to use each for maximum efficiency. We demystify Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), explaining why it’s fundamentally a search problem, not just a vector database issue. Explore the future of AI interoperability with the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the "USB-C for agents" , and see how it simplifies building with AI. For those intimidated by the command line, we offer tips on getting started with powerful tools like Claude Code. This episode covers the fundamentals of deep research , browser-use agents , and what makes a "deep agent" capable of producing high-value output. If you've heard these buzzwords online , this is the explanation you've been waiting for to help you integrate these powerful AI tools into your life. Guest Links: Check out Hai's Agent Engineering Bootcamp: https://maven.com/agent-lab/agent-engineering-bootcamp Check out AGI Ventures Canada on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-beginning-hai-nghiem-swnsc/ Connect with us  https://x.com/ToolUseAI  https://x.com/MikeBirdTech https://x.com/haithehuman 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:05 - Context Engineering vs Prompt Engineering 00:03:36 - AI Agents vs Workflows 00:20:56 - MCP (Model Context Protocol) Explained 00:29:58 - Getting Started with Claude Code 00:38:49 - The Power of Browser-Based AI Agents 00:48:50 - What Are Deep Agents? Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and AI Agents. Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.

    54 min
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The latest AI tools and strategies, featuring top builders, entrepreneurs, and researchers. Every Tuesday, get actionable knowledge about AI services that you can use today. - Conversations with AI builders and founders - Practical tips for applying AI immediately - Live demos of cutting-edge AI products - Deep dives into open-source projects Join us as we explore the rapidly evolving AI landscape and discover tools that transform productivity, creativity, and business. Subscribe now and stay ahead of the AI curve

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