The Prompt

By Demandbase

The Prompt is a podcast about the questions shaping the future before anyone agrees on the answers. Hosted by Rachel Truair, the show brings together operators, creators, analysts, academics, and unconventional thinkers for candid conversations that start with a simple prompt and spiral from there. Before the playbooks exist and consensus forms, The Prompt explores the ideas, tensions, and hot takes shaping what comes next in AI, work, brands, business, and human relevance.

  1. 2 hr ago

    > Is your team using AI you don't know about? — Mike Kaput

    New research on thousands of professionals found something leaders don't want to hear: 53% of individuals say they're already deep into using AI, while only 25% think their own organization has caught up. Mike Kaput joins Rachel Truair to push that gap down one level, past the industry stat, into the team a leader thinks they know. Mike explains why the real barrier is uneven training rather than the tools themselves, makes the case that most knowledge workers aren't ready for the shift from chat to agentic AI, and shares the one question he'd ask any team to find out what's actually happening. The question underneath it all: how sure are you that you already know what your team would say? Quotes “It's less about the tool and a lot more about your approach.” "53% of people said they're already in the advanced stages of using AI. Only 25% said the same about their own organization." "Your average knowledge worker is pretty unprepared for the switch from chat to agentic AI." From the conversation Why 53% of individuals say they're already in advanced stages of AI adoption, while only 25% think their organization is Why the gap comes down to uneven training and access, not a lack of desire to use AI What's actually different about agentic AI tools, and why most knowledge workers aren't ready for that shift Whether the future favors specialized, vertical AI tools or the big frontier models everyone already has The one question Mike recommends every leader ask their team to find out the truth about how they're using AI About the guest Mike Kaput is the Chief Content Officer at SmarterX and a leading voice on the application of AI in marketing and business. He is also the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence and co-host of The Artificial Intelligence Show podcast.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekaput/

    > Is your team using AI you don't know about? — Mike Kaput
  2. 9 hr ago

    > Is persuasion becoming a lost art? — Kelly Urban

    About the episode We're communicating more than ever, and AI has made producing polished language almost effortless. So why does it feel harder than ever to actually move people? Kelly Urban, CMO at Maui Jim and formerly VP of Global Media Relations, Influencer Marketing, and Social Media at GoPro, joins Rachel Truair to explore what's actually changed in how we communicate, and why confidence, not polish, might be the real foundation of persuasion. Kelly makes the case for going to AI last instead of first, explains why trust is harder to earn than attention even though attention gets all the anxiety, and names the one piece of leadership advice she'd erase completely. The question underneath it all: if AI can write almost anything, what's the one thing only you can say with heart? Quotes “Attention can be captured very quickly, but it can go away so fast.” “I think the inflection point is are you going to AI first or are you going to AI last?” “If you can find that magic spot of being very personally connected to your team, you will be able to lead in a way that others can't.” From the conversation Why getting distribution used to be the hard part, and getting attention is now Whether steadiness or reinvention actually builds a stronger brand Going to AI first vs. going to AI last, and why it might decide whether you keep the ability to think for yourself What most leadership advice gets wrong about staying professionally distant from your team Which is harder to earn right now, trust or attention, and why that's the wrong question to answer too quickly About the guest Kelly Urban joined Kering Eyewear in September 2025 as the CMO of Maui Jim after serving 11+ years as a VP of Marketing at GoPro.  Urban is responsible for driving global brand strategy and expanding awareness for Maui Jim’s sun and optical collections across B2B and B2C audiences internationally. Urban is based out of Kering's Manhattan office.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellybaker1/

    > Is persuasion becoming a lost art? — Kelly Urban
  3. 20 Mar

    Ep. 589 | Leading through the AI shift: Why generative AI demands new thinking, not just new tools

    Generative AI is not just another tool, it’s a complete shift in how decisions are made and work gets done. In this episode of the OnBase podcast, Paul Gibson sits down with Jim Sterne, author and AI thought leader, to explore how organizations must rethink leadership, culture, and ROI in the age of generative AI. They discuss why AI moves us from deterministic systems to creative ones, why traditional ROI models fail, how leadership misalignment slows adoption, and what it really takes to embed AI into workflows without losing human judgment. If you’re navigating AI transformation in your organization, this episode will fundamentally change how you think about it. About the Guest Jim Sterne focuses his forty-five years in sales and marketing on using technology for marketing. He sold business computers to companies that had never owned one in the 1980s, consulted and keynoted about online marketing in the 1990s, founded a conference and a professional association around digital analytics in the 2000’s, and has lately been advising companies on the adoption of generative AI. He has written thirteen books on Internet advertising, marketing and customer service including the humorous Devil's Data Dictionary. His first book on AI was “Artificial Intelligence for Marketing: Practical Applications” (2017) and his latest is “The New Science of Customer Relationships: Delivering on the One-to-One Promise with AI” (2025). Sterne has consulted to some of the world's largest companies; lectured at MIT, Stanford, USC, Harvard, and Oxford. Since 2002, Sterne has remained active producing the Marketing Analytics Summit and spent 20 years with the Digital Analytics Association as cofounder and Board Chair Emeritus. He was named one of the 50 most influential people in digital marketing by one of the UK's premier interactive marketing magazines and was included in a list of the Top 25 Hot Speakers by the National Speakers Association. Sterne is on the Advisory Board of a variety of startups, has served on the Boards of his local library foundation and the Better Business Bureau, and the Editorial Board of the Applied Marketing Analytics peer-reviewed journal. His current passion is leveraging generative AI as a catalyst for innovation as seen in his TEDx talk. Connect with Jim.

    Ep. 589 | Leading through the AI shift: Why generative AI demands new thinking, not just new tools
  4. 19 Feb

    Ep. 586 | Stop bolting on AI: Rebuild your go-to-market from the foundation up

    AI won’t fix your go-to-market if your operating system is broken. In this episode of the OnBase Podcast, Chris Moody sits down with Yas Dalkilic, head of AI at RAB2B, to explore why adding AI to legacy workflows rarely drives meaningful results. Instead of chasing tools, Yas rebuilt her agency’s foundation, redesigning people, process, platform, and proof to create a truly AI-fluent organization. They discuss why AI belongs in the handoffs, how to build a shared “common brain” across teams, how buying group intelligence changes with behavioral signals, and why human judgment matters more in an AI-driven world. If you’re ready to move from AI curiosity to AI transformation, this episode is your roadmap. About the Guest Yasemin Dalkilic is the Head of AI at RAB2B, where she helps the agency and its clients turn complex marketing challenges into practical, measurable systems. With a background in mathematics and programming, she cuts through AI hype to focus on clarity, execution, and what works now, prototyping, testing, and iterating until workflows drive faster decisions and real outcomes. Her guiding belief is that progress beats demos and process beats theater. Before her work in AI and technology, Yasemin was a world-record-holding freediver. Training to dive hundreds of feet in a single breath taught her how to stay calm under extreme pressure and approach the most complex problems with discipline and intent, a mindset she brings to leading AI transformation today. Connect with Yasemin.

    Ep. 586 | Stop bolting on AI: Rebuild your go-to-market from the foundation up
  5. 12 Feb

    Ep. 585 | The architect CMO: Why operations, not ideas, unlock great creative

    Great creative does not fail because of ideas. It fails because of operations. In this episode of the OnBase podcast, Chris Moody sits down with Michael Miller, founder and head of creative at Consigliere, to explore why modern CMOs must think like architects of complex marketing systems. They unpack the hidden operational bottlenecks that sabotage performance, why agencies often get blamed unfairly, and how outdated marketing models are slowing teams down. Michael also shares a pragmatic view on AI: use it to buy back time, streamline process, and visualize ideas, not to replace creativity. If you are leading marketing in a performance-driven environment and trying to protect brand and creative quality, this episode offers a blueprint for doing both. About Michael Miller Michael Miller has built an impressive track record over his 20+ year career, developing award winning creative and digital experiences for some of the world’s top companies including Delta Airlines, Jeep, Citi, Adobe, Southwest Airlines, Apple, Lucasfilm, AT&T, Nike and Etihad Airways. Prior to founding Consiglieri, Miller was the Vice President of Marketing at T-Mobile where he founded their internal agency & TMO studios, and led the modernization of the brand’s marketing, creative and digital operation. Miller also architected T-Mobile’s industry leading social organization. Miller was the SVP Executive Creative Director at Publicis | Razorfish for 12 years prior, leading global, digital transformation for some of the largest brands in the world. Connect with Michael.

    Ep. 585 | The architect CMO: Why operations, not ideas, unlock great creative

About

The Prompt is a podcast about the questions shaping the future before anyone agrees on the answers. Hosted by Rachel Truair, the show brings together operators, creators, analysts, academics, and unconventional thinkers for candid conversations that start with a simple prompt and spiral from there. Before the playbooks exist and consensus forms, The Prompt explores the ideas, tensions, and hot takes shaping what comes next in AI, work, brands, business, and human relevance.