AI Today with Lou Bortone

Lou Bortone
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

AI Today is a weekly livestream and podcast hosted by Lou Bortone that demystifies AI for small business owners. Each episode delivers quick, actionable insights on the latest AI tools, trends, and especially video-related tech — all without the overwhelm or jargon. It’s a go-to resource for entrepreneurs who want to work smarter, stay relevant, and keep the human touch in a tech-driven world. Perfect for solopreneurs, coaches, and creatives who want to embrace AI without losing their voice or their values. Visit us at AiToday.live

  1. 5d ago

    Ai Today: Branding, Vision Boards, and Ethical AI: Lindsay Hack on Using AI to Build Confidence

    Branding, Vision Boards, and Ethical AI: Lindsay Hack on Using AI to Build ConfidenceOn AI Today, host Lou interviews transformational coach and branding expert Lindsay Hack about integrating AI into coaching and personal branding. Hack explains she began using AI imaging for vision boards after struggling to visualize, and seeing an AI-generated “future self” image helped her—and later clients—build confidence and show up more authentically. They discuss how AI quality depends on inputs and self-knowledge, using AI to experiment with colors, hair, clothing, and visuals that match one’s essence and brand. Hack emphasizes ethical boundaries and transparency, distinguishing aspirational “future” imagery from deceptive claims. They explore audience reactions (including teens’ skepticism), why “human plus AI” outperforms AI alone for creatives and professionals, and practical starter advice: pick one daily use case, talk to AI conversationally, and expand from there. Hack can be found at theidentityhacker.com.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:15 AI Vision Board Breakthrough02:31 From Bad AI to Better Prompts04:55 Confidence Versus Comparison07:22 AI Branding Style Experiments09:16 Ethics and Transparency12:15 AI Ads and Audience Trust17:10 Human Plus AI Not Replacement20:04 Unexpected AI Uses21:50 Small Steps for Beginners25:16 Where to Find Lindsay26:08 Final Thanks and Wrap

  2. Oct 13

    Ai Today #Podcast: The AI Visibility Strategy You Need Right Now

    How Critical Propulsion Uses AI Agents to Replace Offshore Teams, Accelerate Sprints & Help SMBs Build FasterLou interviews Matt Davis (co-founder) and Jerry Duff (VP of Technology) from Critical Propulsion about their “anti-consulting” model that replaces traditional offshore delivery with agentic frameworks, distilling 7–12 person teams into 2–3 humans plus agents to improve speed and quality. They discuss vibe coding as a useful way for SMBs to prototype quickly, then harden into enterprise apps with security and scalability. They explain how they use agents internally to automate marketing, ICP/TAM work, expense reports, and even build their own CMS and CRM, with a rule to justify any non-billable hire that an agent can’t do. They contrast static automation with AI that handles exceptions and self-adjusts, address adoption hurdles and change management for non-technical users, share common use cases like transcript summarization, month-end close, and legal review, and describe their tech-agnostic, plugin-based framework that shortens two-week sprints into one-week agentic loops.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:25 Critical Propulsion Overview00:49 Vibe Coding for SMBs02:16 Scaling with AI Internally03:58 Automation vs True AI05:01 Biggest SMB Adoption Hurdles06:42 Tools and Builders to Use08:16 High Value Agent Use Cases10:30 Industry Reach and Job Fears11:57 Helping Non Technical Teams13:38 Custom AI vs SaaS Direction14:59 Their Framework and Who They Help16:29 Closing Thoughts and Future of Work17:44 Where to Find Them Outro

  3. Oct 6

    Secure AI, Quantum “Q Date,” and Practical AI Adoption for Small Businesses | Allan Francis Beechinor

    Lou Bortone interviews inventor and AI pioneer Allan Francis Beechinor of EmergeGen about “secure AI” and preparing for the “Q date,” when quantum computing and AI converge. Beechinor says many businesses adopt AI without enough caution, safety frameworks, and guardrails, and emphasizes that AI must be applied with the right context rather than as a one-size-fits-all solution—especially for small businesses that can’t hire dedicated AI teams. He recommends reducing fear, using fast MVP-style trial and error, and viewing AI as automation enhancement rather than a full replacement for employees’ cognitive and EQ strengths. Looking ahead, he advises businesses to track rapidly shifting customer behaviors, avoid hype and misinformation, and plan for tool changes by de-risking adoption, collaborating with teams, and avoiding single points of failure.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:21 Secure AI and Quantum Future01:16 Biggest AI Adoption Mistakes02:05 Why Context Beats Models04:20 Where Small Businesses Start05:39 Future Proofing and New Jobs07:25 Thriving in the Next Years09:31 AI Bubble and AI Winters11:46 Adopt AI Like a Smart Purchase13:19 Next Steps Beyond ChatGPT15:29 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

  4. Sep 29

    Look Confident on Camera Over 45: Style, Branding, and AI Avatars with Dawn-Marie Mutell

    Lou welcomes longtime friend and wardrobe consultant Dawn-Marie Mutell, the “Fashion Mistress,” to discuss why many people—especially over 40—hesitate to show up on video even though video builds trust and helps with AI findability. Dawn-Marie shares mindset advice to focus on helping one person, stop worrying about judgment, and use tools like re-recording and teleprompters to stay on track. She offers practical on-camera image tips, including using good lighting, choosing clothing colors that contrast your background and match your skin temperature, and building a simple “uniform” or capsule wardrobe that supports your brand. They also discuss backgrounds, using Canva for graphics, and Dawn-Marie’s positive view of AI avatars/digital twins like HeyGen to save time while maintaining signature style. She shares how to reach her, a free 10-day visibility challenge, and her six-week program, Turn On Your Star Power. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:41 Why Video Matters for AI 01:28 Beating Camera Fear 03:07 Simple Confidence Hacks 03:57 Teleprompters and Retakes 04:57 Look Polished on Camera 06:43 Build a Signature Style 08:26 Authenticity and Authority 09:49 Hair Makeup and Accessories 12:34 Background and Branding Setup 14:18 AI Avatars and Digital Twins 17:28 How to Work With Dawn 18:08 Client Story and Services 19:03 Wrap Up and Final Thanks 19:45 Bonus Free Challenge and Course 21:04 Final Sign Off

  5. Sep 22

    The AI Accountant: How AI Will Disrupt Accounting with Peter McCarroll

    Lou Bortone interviews Peter McCarroll (the “AI Accountant”) about how AI is rapidly disrupting accounting due to the industry’s transactional, repetitive work and large rules-based knowledge base, with major change expected within about two years. They discuss improved reliability from newer reasoning models, but stress AI still needs professional judgment, review, and accountability—AI vendors won’t cover penalties or liability if outputs are wrong. Peter explains why he focuses his content on accountants, the tradeoff of branding on LinkedIn, and the resistance among firms that treat AI as a fad. Practical uses include AI for document retrieval from email, spreadsheet-based categorization for micro businesses, and faster month-end closes moving accounting from “rear-view mirror” to near real-time dashboards and advisory “co-pilot” work. They note QuickBooks/Xero AI is still hit-or-miss, mention Digits, Puzzle, and Kick, and Peter prefers Claude while also using ChatGPT and Gemini. 00:00 Meet the AI Accountant 00:57 Why Accounting Gets Disrupted 03:03 Reasoning Models and Trust 04:33 Math Limits and Human Judgment 05:30 Branding as AI Accountant 07:20 Ostrich Mistake and Accountability 11:01 What to Delegate to AI 14:51 What to Expect from Your Accountant 19:36 Software Shift to Real Time Books 21:20 Claude vs ChatGPT in Practice 22:42 Beyond Efficiency to Growth 26:45 Drive the Truck Story 30:04 Wrap Up and Where to Find Pete

  6. Sep 15

    Why AI Is Making Marketing’s “Do More With Less” Problem Worse | Lisa Cole

    On AI Today, host interviews Lisa Cole, CMO and AI Officer at 2X, a global B2B go-to-market subscription services provider that lets mid-market and enterprise teams subscribe to marketing talent without long-term contracts to add skills and flexible capacity without operational burden. Cole explains the “marketing resource paradox” and argues AI is worsening it by changing how buyers research and purchase—requiring brands to be findable and chosen by both humans and agents—while also fueling the misconception that AI can replace marketing teams. She stresses humans are still needed for judgment, differentiation, accuracy, and customer expectations, and discusses her book The Limitless CMO, covering running marketing like a professional services business, mixing outsourcing models, and frameworks to adopt AI. She also describes 2X’s AI Center of Excellence and its focus on practical AI adoption across varying client tech stacks. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:20 What 2X Does 01:35 Marketing Resource Paradox 04:24 Why Humans Still Matter 06:06 AI Reasoning Pitfalls 07:52 The Limitless CMO 12:23 Why AI Efforts Stall 14:49 Run Marketing Like Services 17:02 Own Outsource Automate 18:48 Built for the Past Signs 20:24 Rapid Change Opportunity 21:31 Where to Find Lisa 22:08 AI Center of Excellence 24:00 Closing Thanks

  7. Sep 8

    Vibe Coding, Custom AI Tools & Spark Lab with Kim Doyal

    Can you build custom software applications without knowing how to code? In this episode of AI Today, host Lou Bortone chats with digital pioneer Kim Doyal (founder of Spark Lab) about the power of "vibe coding" and how AI is democratizing app development for non-technical creators. Discover how Kim uses Claude Code, VS Code, and Supabase to build functional web apps, why your domain experience is your greatest asset, and how to create bespoke micro-tools for your audience. Key Topics Covered: The transition from WordPress web design to modern AI vibe coding How non-technical creators can build software using Claude Code and VS Code Why small, bespoke problem-solving tools beat giant enterprise software Creating interactive lead magnets, custom hubs, and AI concierges Overcoming tech fear and treating AI as an interactive partner Everyday dictation tools like Willow Voice and WhisperFlow

  8. Sep 1

    How AI Search is Changing SEO Forever | AI Today Podcast

    Is AI search killing traditional SEO? In this episode of AI Today, Kathryn Tsoukalas (Director of Marketing at Brick Marketing) explains how AI engines, top-of-page answers, and AEO/GEO are altering the way customers find your business online. Discover why visitors land on your site later in the buying process, how to conduct a brand cleanup so AI engines don't get confused, and how to optimize your content across directories, LinkedIn, and video transcripts.

See All (52)

About

AI Today is a weekly livestream and podcast hosted by Lou Bortone that demystifies AI for small business owners. Each episode delivers quick, actionable insights on the latest AI tools, trends, and especially video-related tech — all without the overwhelm or jargon. It’s a go-to resource for entrepreneurs who want to work smarter, stay relevant, and keep the human touch in a tech-driven world. Perfect for solopreneurs, coaches, and creatives who want to embrace AI without losing their voice or their values. Visit us at AiToday.live

Information

  • Creator
    Lou Bortone
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    52
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lou Bortone
  • Show Website
    AI Today with Lou Bortone