The AI Lab

The AI Lab

Generative AI has taken the world by storm —leaving business leaders with a flood of unanswered questions and a burning curiosity to understand what it all means. Most importantly, “What does this mean for my business?”. This is a show about demystifying the world of generative AI for business leaders. No fluff. No jargon. Just real conversations with the innovative leaders who are not only embracing this technology but advancing it — discovering new use cases, building new categories, and solving some of the largest problems for their teams & customers.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    The Hidden Costs of AI Abundance | Ernest Ng, Senior Principal of AI Strategy at Workday

    Ernest Ng, Senior Principal of AI Strategy at Workday, joins The AI Lab CEO Ryan Kurt to explore what business leaders are missing in today’s AI conversation—from the true cost of innovation to the organizational design challenges that will define long-term winners. We also dive into: Why AI may be the cheapest it will ever be—and why that matters now The gap between AI capability and enterprise adoption How token economics could reshape budgets, performance, and headcount Why AI transformation is as much a people challenge as a technology challenge The risk of over-automating junior work and losing future expertise What resilience planning looks like in a business increasingly dependent on AI systems Ernest Ng is Senior Principal of AI Strategy at Workday, where he helps large organizations think through AI go-to-market, adoption, and transformation. Prior to Workday, he was part of HiredScore, an early AI company in HR that was later acquired by Workday. He also spent nearly 12 years at Salesforce leading HR strategy, people analytics, data science, data engineering, and workforce planning. Trained as an experimental psychologist with a background in I.O., developmental, and cognitive psychology, Ernest brings a rare perspective on the human, organizational, and economic forces shaping the future of AI. Resources: → Learn more about The AI Lab: theailab.ai → Connect with Ernest Ng: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernestngphd/ → Connect with Ryan Kurt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankurt/ → Send listener questions: PodcastQuestions@theailab.ai

    30 min

  2. 31 MAR

    Parenting in the age of AI: Raising Kids in a World of Chatbots | Dr. Alex Sturm, Associate Professor of Psychology at LMU

    How do you raise children in a world where AI is not just a tool—but a companion, tutor, and influence? Melissa Mahtani sits down with Dr. Alex Sturm to explore how parents can navigate this new reality with clarity and confidence and use AI themselves, as a tool to make them “superhuman.”  We also dive into:  Why “authoritative parenting” (warm + firm boundaries) matters more than ever in an AI-driven world Why kids of all ages—from toddlers to teens–need to understand AI is a tool, not a human The risks of teens turning to AI for emotional support—and potential red flags to watch out for Alex’s message to tech companies developing AI for the future Resources for parents worried about the impact of AI Guest bio:Dr. Alex Sturm is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychological science at Loyola Marymount University, where she studies childhood development and neurodevelopmental conditions. As both a researcher and a parent, her work sits at the intersection of science and real life—helping families understand how children learn, grow, and navigate increasingly complex technological environments. Resources: → Learn more about The AI Lab: theailab.ai → Connect with Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sturm-164974a1/  → Connect with Melissa Mahtani: linkedin.com/in/melissa-mahtani → Send listener questions: PodcastQuestions@theailab.ai

    25 min
  3. The truth about AI and job loss | Cynthia Gutierrez-White, Communications Strategist + Ryan Kurt, Founder of AI Lab

    24 MAR

    The truth about AI and job loss | Cynthia Gutierrez-White, Communications Strategist + Ryan Kurt, Founder of AI Lab

    AI isn’t just changing how we work—it’s reshaping who works, what work looks like, and how organizations prepare for what’s next. In this episode, Cynthia Gutierrez-White and Ryan Kurt share a deeply human perspective on workplace transformation, unpacking the realities of job loss, career reinvention, and what it truly takes to reskill in the age of AI. We also dive into:  What’s being replaced vs. what’s being created The emotional and professional impact of layoffs in an AI-driven economy Why reskilling is becoming a core business strategy—not just an HR initiative The hidden crisis in entry-level jobs and what it means for the next generation of talent How leaders can support their teams through disruption—without defaulting to cost-cutting The opportunity for organizations to grow through AI, not just automate with it Guest bio:Cynthia Gutierrez-White is a communications strategist and author of *Redefined*, focused on helping professionals navigate career transitions in the age of AI. With a background spanning media, healthcare, and disaster response, she brings a deeply human perspective to workforce transformation. Ryan Kurt is the Founder of AI Lab, a community and advisory platform built to help executives navigate generative AI. After experiencing layoffs firsthand, he built AI Lab to help leaders and teams reskill for the AI era—equipping organizations to grow through AI, not just cut costs. Resources: → Learn more about The AI Lab: theailab.ai  → Connect with Melissa Mahtani: linkedin.com/in/melissa-mahtani  → Connect with Cynthia Gutierrez-White: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgutierrezwhite   → Connect with Ryan Kurt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankurt/ → Send listener questions: PodcastQuestions@theailab.ai

    32 min
  4. The trust gap: AI agents are reshaping business — but trust will determine who wins | Tim Sanders, Chief Innovation Officer at G2

    17 MAR

    The trust gap: AI agents are reshaping business — but trust will determine who wins | Tim Sanders, Chief Innovation Officer at G2

    AI agents are moving beyond chatbots and copilots to systems capable of completing entire business processes autonomously. In this episode, Tim Sanders, Chief Innovation Officer at G2 and AI researcher at Harvard, breaks down what agentic workflows really mean for organizations and why the biggest barrier to adopting agents isn’t the technology—it’s whether leaders can build trust in AI systems quickly enough to keep up with competitors. We also dive into: How AI agents are breaking the limits of traditional productivity How leading companies are deploying agents to drive measurable ROI What the use of autonomous agents means for job displacement Why companies like Amazon continue investing in AI agents despite occasional failures What the future workforce looks like when employees become “agent bosses” For leaders trying to navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape, the message is clear: start experimenting now or risk falling behind. Guest Bio Tim Sanders is the Chief Innovation Officer at G2, the world’s largest software marketplace, where he leads AI research focused on enterprise adoption and emerging technologies. A Harvard Business School fellow and bestselling author of five books—including Love Is the Killer App—Tim studies how organizations integrate new technologies to drive growth. His research combines economic analysis, executive interviews, and large-scale enterprise surveys to understand how AI is reshaping business strategy. Resources → G2 AI Research: https://www.g2.com→ Tim Sanders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsanders→ Prediction Machines (Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb)

    22 min
  5. Why high-stakes AI still needs a human in the loop | Ryan Kurt, Founder at The AI Lab

    5 MAR

    Why high-stakes AI still needs a human in the loop | Ryan Kurt, Founder at The AI Lab

    Ryan Kurt, Founder of The AI Lab, joins Melissa Mahtani, the show’s new co-host and Journalist-in-Residence, for a wide-ranging conversation on Job displacement vs. individual empowerment, AI governance, trust, and why outsourcing strategy to big consultancies is the wrong move.We also dive into: Why people, not tech, are the hardest part of transformationHow legacy org design slows AI adoption more than the tools doThe “Citrini Report” thought experiment, an AI tax, and who should benefit from AI’s upsideWhat responsible AI adoption looks like when the ground keeps shiftingWhether there should be more or less regulation around generative AIWhat keeps Ryan up at night when it comes to the future of AI Guest bio:Ryan Kurt is the Founder of The AI Lab, a community and advisory platform built to help executives navigate generative AI with no hype, no jargon—just practical strategy informed by real operators. Ryan’s work spans AI strategy, organizational design, and AI governance, with a focus on helping companies identify internal “change makers,” compress learning cycles, and build durable capabilities as the technology evolves.Resources: → Learn more about The AI Lab: theailab.ai → Connect with Melissa Mahtani: linkedin.com/in/melissa-mahtani → Connect with Ryan Kurt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankurt/ → Send listener questions: PodcastQuestions@theailab.ai

    51 min

  6. 24 FEB

    How We Got From Early AI to Today’s Models | Larry Birnbaum, Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern

    Larry Birnbaum, Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University and co-founder of Narrative Science, joins the AI Lab to explain why today’s large language models work at all—and why their success has surprised even longtime AI researchers. In this conversation, Larry and Ryan explore how decades of AI research led to the current moment, why massive models somehow generalize instead of just memorizing, and what this means for businesses adopting AI at scale. We also dive into: Why today’s AI boom feels sudden. but has decades of groundwork behind it The overfitting paradox: why massive models generalize instead of just memorizing How transformers and attention changed context, reference, and meaning in languag Why AI delivers the most value at scale and through personalization (work that wouldn’t otherwise exist) Bias vs. inductive bias and how agreeable AI systems can reflect a user’s worldview back at them What AI breaks in education, and why fundamentals still matter for students and engineers The interpretability problem: we know how LLMs learn, but not what they’ve learned or how they decide Larry shares hard-earned perspective from a career spanning academic AI research and real-world deployment, including lessons from building one of the earliest automated narrative platforms and why understanding AI’s limits is just as important as celebrating its breakthroughs. Guest Bio: Larry Birnbaum is a Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University whose research focuses on artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and human–AI collaboration. He is the co-founder of Narrative Science, an early pioneer in automated storytelling from data, and has spent decades studying how machines can generate language that is coherent, contextual, and useful at scale.  Resources → Connect with Larry Birnbaum on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-birnbaum-1393b4147/

    39 min

  7. 5 FEB

    Why AI Adoption Fails Without an Operating Model | Alex Czurylo, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer at Gen3 Marketing

    Alex Czurylo, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer at Gen3 Marketing and former analytics and operations leader at Rakuten Advertising, joins the AI Lab to break down what it really takes to build a successful AI program inside an organization—long before ChatGPT made AI mainstream. In this episode, Alex and Ryan unpack why the most effective AI strategies don’t start with tools, but with clearly defined business problems, strong governance, and internal capability-building. Why starting with a single, measurable business problem is the key to AI ROI How Rakuten Advertising built one of the earliest enterprise AI programs—years ahead of the curve What the “VP of AI Strategy & Operations” role actually owns (and why vision matters more than hype) How to approach AI governance without slowing down adoption Why AI training should be treated as a core employee benefit The hidden risks of outsourcing AI agents without internal ownership What Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) means—and how AI is reshaping marketing discovery Alex shares hard-earned lessons from leading analytics, data science, and AI initiatives at scale, including how to balance experimentation with operational rigor, and why companies that delay AI enablement risk falling permanently behind. Alex Czurylo is Chief Strategy & Operations Officer at Gen3 Marketing, where AI sits at the center of how the agency drives performance and innovation for clients. Previously, Alex spent over a decade at Rakuten Advertising leading analytics and operations, where he helped pioneer early enterprise AI use cases focused on automation, insight generation, and measurable ROI. Known for his pragmatic, outcome-driven approach to technology, Alex has been an early adopter of language models and AI systems—long before generative AI entered the mainstream. His work bridges data science, strategy, governance, and organizational change, helping companies turn emerging technology into real business impact. → Connect with Alex Czurylo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexczurylo/ We also dive into:Guest BioResources

    32 min

  8. 15 JAN

    What We’re Missing About AI Agents | Nate Nichols, Head of GenAI at Tableau

    Nate Nichols, an early builder in machine-generated content and now a product leader shaping “agentic” analytics, joins host Ryan Kurt for a candid conversation on how generative AI evolved, what we gained, and what we risk losing along the way. We also dive into: How early AI systems differed from today’s agentic models and why that matters Why many modern AI breakthroughs were discovered, not deliberately designed AI as a clarity engine: structuring messy thinking into plans, writing, and decisions The risks of optimizing AI for engagement and uncomfortable parallels to social media Where agentic AI creates real value today, and where caution is warranted Guest Bio: Dr. Nate Nichols is a product leader focused on generative and agentic AI for analytics. He previously spent over a decade building machine-generated content and data storytelling systems, and he earned his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Northwestern University, where his research centered on machine-generated content. Resources → Connect with Nate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-nichols/

    39 min
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About

Generative AI has taken the world by storm —leaving business leaders with a flood of unanswered questions and a burning curiosity to understand what it all means. Most importantly, “What does this mean for my business?”. This is a show about demystifying the world of generative AI for business leaders. No fluff. No jargon. Just real conversations with the innovative leaders who are not only embracing this technology but advancing it — discovering new use cases, building new categories, and solving some of the largest problems for their teams & customers.

Information

  • Creator
    The AI Lab
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The AI Lab
  • Show Website
    The AI Lab

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