AI Rebels

Jacob and Spencer

The AI Rebels Podcast is dedicated to exploring and documenting the grassroots of the current AI revolution. Every week a new episode is posted wherein the hosts interview entrepreneurs and developers working on the cutting edge. Tune in to benefit from their insight.

  1. 6D AGO

    Humanoid Robots Are a Distraction (Here's What Actually Works) ft. Grigorij Dudnik

    What happens when AI leaves the screen and enters the physical world? It breaks. Spencer and Jacob sit down with robotics researcher Grigorij Dudnik, who's been running real experiments with real robots—and finding that most of our assumptions about AI fall apart the moment hardware gets involved. The big one: the idea that a single massive model can do everything. Grigorij makes the case that the future isn't a "super-intelligent" humanoid. It's a modular system where an LLM plans, specialized models act, and physical constraints keep everything honest. They get into why humanoids are overrated, why generalization keeps failing in robotics, and why a system built on narrow, composable skills might be the actual breakthrough everyone's overlooking.

    1h 2m

  2. JAN 27

    The Hidden Tradeoffs of AI Automation (and Why Friction Still Matters) ft. Jakob Ambuehl, Brex

    How does generative AI actually work inside a large, regulated fintech company when real customers, real money, and real regulations are on the line? The AI Rebels Crew sits down with Jake from Brex’s Customer Experience Strategy team to reveal what actually happens when AI moves from hype to production. You’ll hear how a major fintech deploys AI in customer support without sacrificing trust, compliance, or the human experience, and why most AI implementations fail to do the same. We break down the metrics that matter (and the ones that quietly lie), why “containment rate” can mask bad experiences, and how Brex measures whether AI is genuinely helping customers or just making dashboards look good. Jake also explains how his team evaluates AI mistakes versus human error, and what responsible recovery really looks like at scale. Along the way, you’ll learn why friction isn’t always the enemy, how guardrails prevent costly failures, and why the most effective AI systems don’t replace people, they make the right work possible for them. If you want a clear, practical understanding of how AI succeeds in the real world (not in slide decks) this episode is worth your time. (AI Generated Summary) brex.com

    58 min

  3. JAN 22

    From Hype to Controls: Securing AI Before Regulation Catches Up

    Most companies are racing to adopt AI, but almost none can explain who’s responsible when it goes wrong. Cordell Robinson of Brownstone Consulting joins the AI Rebels crew to unpack the uncomfortable truth about AI governance, security, and compliance in a world moving faster than regulation. Why is the U.S. is lagging behind on enforceable AI rules, how can existing frameworks like NIST and ISO be adapted to fill the gap, and what does “good governance” actually look like in practice? These are all questions you'll hear answers to. Cordell also shares why annual security checks are no longer enough, and how agentic AI could shift penetration testing from a once-a-year ritual to an on-demand capability. If you’re building, deploying, or betting on AI, this conversation will change how you think about risk, responsibility, and readiness. https://bcf-us.com/

    55 min

  4. JAN 14

    Inside Dreami.me: Why Safer Companion AI Means Saying “No” More Often ft. Ryan "Zuda" Satterfield

    Chatbots are starting to feel less like tools and more like something you relate to, and that shift comes with real risks. On AI Rebels, we sit down with Ryan “Zuda” Satterfield, the builder behind Dreami.me, to unpack the “AI psychosis” controversy: how overly agreeable models can validate bad ideas and create safety problems for anyone shipping companion AI. Ryan breaks down the guardrails he is implementing, from reducing sycophancy to shutting down “messiah” narratives, and explains why he refuses to build romance features even if it costs users. Then we zoom out to the big questions: is “simulated consciousness” just clever prompting, or can agency emerge from enough structure and memory? We close with the messy future of copyright and training data, plus why human-made art may become the premium tier in an AI-saturated world. https://dreami.me/ Chapters 00:00 — What is Dreami.me? “Digital friend” built on “simulated consciousness” 03:05 — “AI psychosis” and the danger of the default yes-man chatbot 06:52 — Guardrails in the real world: blood pacts, “I’m God,” and the “Messiah Complex” 13:46 — How Dreami tries to avoid it: system prompts + fine-tuning + grounding responses 24:40 — “It’s my code, not the prompt”: the ‘be you’ experiment 25:30 — Parasocial dynamics: when “companionship” turns into dependency 35:15 — Consciousness talk: emergence, “patterns upon patterns,” and functionalism 39:59 — Copyright & training data: lawsuits, scraping, and “use my data” 43:51 — The future of art: AI commodity output vs “human-made” premium value 49:22 — Interrupting unhealthy loops: the assistant should challenge repetitive patterns

    57 min

  5. 12/16/2025

    AI Is Getting Cheaper. Human Judgment Is Getting More Valuable ft. Daniel Yoo, Finmate AI

    AI isn’t magic, and pretending it is may be the biggest risk in tech right now. A former financial advisor turned AI founder argues that most AI products are already becoming commodities, with little defensible moat and wildly inflated valuations. He explains why real value comes not from “agentic” hype, but from deep domain expertise, careful guardrails, and knowing what not to automate. In regulated industries like finance, trust, liability, and human judgment still matter more than raw intelligence. The conversation cuts through bubble thinking, warning that many AI startups won’t survive once capital dries up. In the end, AI raises the floor of expertise—but the ceiling still belongs to humans who can synthesize, decide, and take responsibility. https://finmate.ai/

    59 min

  6. 12/10/2025

    Your Next News Anchor Is AI ft. Nikolai Yakovenko, DeepNewz

    AI is now spotting the news before journalists even know it exists. DeepNewz’ founder reveals how their system scans real-time signals from across the internet to uncover emerging stories faster than any newsroom. He breaks down why writers are secretly relying on AI, how tiny teams are scaling like giants with agents, and where media is headed next. The conversation uncovers the shift from simple article summaries to true signal discovery and personalized news intelligence. If you want an early look at the future of information, this is a conversation you can’t afford to miss.

    1h 6m

  7. 12/02/2025

    Beating the Machines: How Bot Spot Levels the Playing Field Against Hedge Funds ft. Robert Grzesik

    Most retail traders don’t realize they’re battling algorithms that execute 70–80% of all market activity. Robert Grzesik reveals how Bot Spot turns plain-English instructions into actual Python trading bots capable of running on real brokerages. The discussion digs into AI-assisted backtesting, strategy optimization, and agentic systems that can research news or sentiment before placing trades. A new marketplace for user-built algorithms hints at a future where anyone can publish or refine automated strategies. What emerges is a clear view of algorithmic trading becoming not just more powerful—but radically more accessible. 00:00 — The Problem: Retail Traders vs. Automated Markets 03:20 — Why Algorithmic Trading Is Hard for Individuals 06:45 — The Inspiration Behind Bot Spot 10:12 — Building Trading Bots with Natural Language 14:30 — Backtesting, Deployment, and Real-World Execution 18:55 — AI Research Agents & Agentic Trading Systems 22:40 — Crypto, DeFi, and Expanding Beyond Traditional Markets 26:05 — LumiBot Origins and the Path to Bot Spot 31:10 — Marketplace for User-Built Trading Algorithms 36:20 — The Future of Finance: Fully Autonomous AI Investing https://www.botspot.trade/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertgrzesik/

    1h 2m

  8. 11/13/2025

    The Next Big AI Wave: Context Engines, Not Chatbots - ft. Ping CEO Camden Bean

    AI note-takers are already obsolete, and Camden Bean, CEO of Ping Assistant, explains why the real power is everything that happens before and after the meeting. In this episode, he reveals how Ping is building a full-context engine for accountants that remembers every client detail, automates emails and documents, and turns hours of work into minutes. Camden breaks down the wild speed at which modern builders can create using AI, including how he built in a weekend what used to cost $40,000 and months of engineering time. He shares a transparent look at how Ping co-creates features with accounting firms, why specialized AI beats generic tools, and what the next wave of automation will look like. If you want to understand where AI is actually heading, and how fast it’s coming, this conversation is a must-listen.

    55 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The AI Rebels Podcast is dedicated to exploring and documenting the grassroots of the current AI revolution. Every week a new episode is posted wherein the hosts interview entrepreneurs and developers working on the cutting edge. Tune in to benefit from their insight.

Information

  • Creator
    Jacob and Spencer
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 AI Rebels
  • Show Website
    AI Rebels