Beyond The Prompt - How to use AI in your company

Jeremy Utley & Henrik Werdelin
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Beyond the Prompt dives deep into the world of AI and its expanding impact on business and daily work. Hosted by Jeremy Utley of Stanford's d.school, alongside Henrik Werdelin, an entrepreneur known for starting BarkBox, prehype and other startups, each episode features conversations with innovators and leaders to uncover pragmatic stories of how organizations leverage AI to accelerate success. Learn creative strategies and actionable tactics you can apply right away as AI capabilities advance exponentially.

  1. Why AI Gets People Wrong: The Real Source of Insight with Anthropologist Mikkel B. Rasmussen

    6D AGO

    Why AI Gets People Wrong: The Real Source of Insight with Anthropologist Mikkel B. Rasmussen

    Mikkel B. Rasmussen brings a rare lens to the AI conversation. As an applied anthropologist, he has spent decades helping companies like LEGO uncover what is really going on beneath the surface. In this episode, he shares how deep insight often begins with being wrong, why surprise is the clearest sign you have found something meaningful, and how the pain of not knowing is essential to breakthrough thinking. He also explains how AI is transforming his own research, from pattern recognition to video ethnography, and introduces a provocative idea: Anthropology Without Anthropologists. Jeremy and Henrik reflect on what it means to teach AI how to surprise us, how synthetic data might reshape experimentation, and why better insights begin with better questions. Key Takeaways Insight starts with being wrong Mikkel defines insight as the gap between how we think the world works and how it actually is. Anthropology helps uncover these mismatches, and that is where real breakthroughs begin.Pain is part of the process Mikkel and Jeremy both reflect on the emotional struggle that precedes insight. The doubt, sleepless nights, and questioning whether the work will ever come together is not failure. It is a necessary stage of discovery.Surprise is a signal The moment of surprise, when a new pattern emerges or an assumption is shattered, is at the core of applied anthropology. For Mikkel, it is the clearest sign that you have found something real.AI can accelerate experimentation Mikkel shares how AI is already helping his team analyze patterns, run faster experiments, and even conduct interviews that outperform humans in some cases. The goal is not to replace people but to push the limits of what is possible.HARL: humanactivitylab.com 00:00 Intro: Why This Conversation Matters 00:25 Meet Mikkel: Founder of Human Activity Laboratory 01:14 Understanding Anthropology and AI 03:32 Applied Anthropology: Tools and Techniques 04:56 The Role of Narratives in AI 07:06 The Importance of Sensory and Social Dimensions 13:06 Case Study: LEGO and the Anthropology of Play 21:07 The Role of Surprise in Anthropology 27:51 AI and Human Synergy 31:26 Exploring AI's Limitations and Potential 32:46 Anthropology Without Anthropologists 34:17 AI's Role in Generating Insights 37:23 Human Bias in AI-Generated Ideas 42:05 Synthetic Data and Its Applications 47:34 The Future of AI in Anthropology 49:25 The Debrief 📜 Read the transcript for this episode: why-ai-gets-people-wrong-the-real-source-of-insight-with-anthropologist-mikkel-b-rasmussen/transcript   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    56 min
  2. Teaser: What We Learned From Anthropologist Mikkel B. Rasmussen About Why AI Gets People Wrong

    6D AGO

    Teaser: What We Learned From Anthropologist Mikkel B. Rasmussen About Why AI Gets People Wrong

    In this teaser, Jeremy and Henrik debrief their conversation with Mikkel B. Rasmussen, founder of the Human Activity Laboratory. They expected a conversation about AI’s limitations, but got a rethinking of insight itself. They explore Mikkel’s definition of insight as the gap between how we think the world is and how it actually is, why surprise is a critical signal, and how pain often precedes clarity. They also touch on Mikkel’s experiments with AI interviewers that sometimes outperform human researchers, and why this episode challenged how they think about narrative, understanding, and the role of AI.  Full episode LIVE NOW.   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    8 min
  3. How the World’s Leading AI-First Fashion House Flips the Cash Flow Equation - with Diarra Bousso

    12/24/2025

    How the World’s Leading AI-First Fashion House Flips the Cash Flow Equation - with Diarra Bousso

    Diarra Bousso returns to Beyond the Prompt to share how she's reprogramming the fashion industry using AI, math, and a relentless spirit of experimentation. From selling AI-generated products before they exist to cutting out waste and wait times, she walks us through a radical new approach to design and operations. She explains how her team uses scientific rigor to test marketing ideas, create on-demand collections, and rethink the traditional fashion calendar. Diarra also opens up about the origin of her experimental mindset, which began during a year of recovery after a life-changing accident, and how that philosophy now shapes her leadership. The episode wraps with reflections on sustainability, mental health, and what it means to build a joyful, human-first company in the age of AI. Diarra shares how she’s using AI not just to scale her business, but to reclaim her time, and why her next venture might bring these tools to creators everywhere. Key Takeaways Experimentation is the foundation Diarra treats her entire business as a lab. Every idea is a test, and her team is trained to think in hypotheses, measure results, and adapt quickly.AI enhances human creativity She sees AI as a creative partner, not a replacement. It helps her move faster, make smarter decisions, and focus on the parts of design that require real taste and vision.Sell before you build By testing AI-generated designs with customers before making anything, Diarra unlocks cash flow, cuts waste, and sidesteps the long timelines of traditional fashion.Sustainability starts with the founder Diarra applies the same mindset to her own life. She’s using AI to reclaim time, reduce burnout, and build a business that supports health as well as growth.Website: diarrabousso.com DIARRABLU: diarrablu.com 00:00 Intro: AI-Driven Fashion 00:13 Meet Diarra Bousso: Founder of DIARRABLU 01:43 The Power of Experimentation 02:00 A Life-Changing Accident and Recovery 04:40 Embracing a Culture of Experimentation 06:13 Scientific Approach to Business 09:48 Empowering the Team 15:03 AI in Fashion Design 18:36 Revolutionizing the Fashion Industry 28:09 Traditional vs. Digital Fashion Models 32:18 Embracing AI in Fashion Design 32:49 Collaborating with Retailers Using AI 35:06 AI's Role in Prototyping and Design 36:58 The Future of AI in Creative Industries 39:14 Navigating Resistance to AI 48:10 Operationalizing AI for Efficiency 52:18 Balancing Innovation and Personal Well-being 57:19 Debrief 📜 Read the transcript for this episode: Transcript of How The Worlds Leading AI-first Fashion House Flips The Cash Flow Equation with Diarra Bousso   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    1h 9m
  4. Teaser: What We Learned From Diarra Bousso’s AI-First Fashion Startup

    12/17/2025

    Teaser: What We Learned From Diarra Bousso’s AI-First Fashion Startup

    In this teaser, Jeremy and Henrik debrief their conversation with Diarra Bousso, founder of the AI-first fashion startup DIARRABLU. They reflect on Diarra’s use of the word “yet” as a signal of growth, what it means to run a fashion brand more like a lab, and how her team “manages her back” when the ideas overflow. They also explore how AI is reshaping speed, sustainability, and experimentation in the fashion industry, and why your own lived experience might be your biggest asset in an AI-powered world. Full episode dropping next week.    For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    13 min
  5. The Future of AI with Illia Polosukhin: The Man Who Put the T in GPT

    12/09/2025

    The Future of AI with Illia Polosukhin: The Man Who Put the T in GPT

    In this episode, Illia Polosukhin joins Henrik and Jeremy to trace the origins of transformers and how practical constraints inside Google led to a breakthrough that reshaped modern AI. He explains why recurrent models were hitting limits, how parallel attention opened the door to scale, and why he believed a major jump in capability was imminent long before the rest of the world saw it. The conversation then turns to the risks and responsibilities of today’s AI systems. Illia describes how models can be subtly guided to influence user opinions, why open weights are not the same as truly open models, and how hidden behaviors can be embedded during training. He explains why provenance and verifiable data pipelines matter, especially as AI begins mediating more of the information we rely on. Later in the episode, Illia outlines how blockchain can support trust, identity, and coordination in a future where AI agents act on our behalf. He shares why information is becoming more valuable than money, how ownership of personal AI models will shape user agency, and why domain expertise becomes significantly more powerful when paired with modern generative tools. Key Takeaways: Transformers emerged from practical constraints, not theory Illia explains that the shift from recurrent networks to attention was driven by speed and parallelization needs at Google, not a desire to invent a new paradigm.AI’s step change was foreseeable to early builders Illia expected a ChatGPT level breakthrough several years before it arrived, based on clear research signals and accelerating model performance.Provenance and trust will define the next phase of AI As AI systems can be subtly manipulated, Illia argues that verifiable data pipelines and transparent training processes are essential to prevent large scale misinformation.Ownership and identity matter in an agent driven world Illia believes individuals will soon rely on AI agents that act autonomously, making it critical that users own their models and that interactions between agents are secured and verified.https://near.ai – NEAR AI Cloud and Private Chat products are now live, try them here Illia's X: x.com/ilblackdragon Illia's Substack: ilblackdragon.substack.com NEAR X: x.com/nearprotocol 00:00 Intro: AI and Information Control 00:29 Meet Illia Polosukhin: Co-Author of 'Attention is All You Need' 01:03 The Evolution and Impact of AI 13:24 The Birth of Near AI and Blockchain Integration 15:16 Challenges and Innovations in Blockchain and AI 22:17 Privacy and Security in AI Applications 26:58 Exploring Sleeper Agents in AI 29:19 Practical AI Implementation in Teams 30:06 AI's Role in Product Development 31:41 Challenges and Future of AI in Development 36:35 AI and Economic Alignment 41:46 The Future of AI Agents 44:14 Debrief 📜 Read the transcript for this episode: Transcript of The Future Of AI With Illia Polosukhin: The Man Who Put The T In GPT |   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    55 min
  6. Teaser: What We Learned From the Man Who Put the T in GPT

    12/03/2025

    Teaser: What We Learned From the Man Who Put the T in GPT

    In this teaser, Jeremy and Henrik reflect on their conversation with Illia Polosukhin, co-author of the “Attention Is All You Need” paper and founder of Near Protocol. They dig into Illia’s early expectations for ChatGPT, why “owning your AI” isn’t just a catchphrase, and how blockchain could help protect the information we rely on. They also explore what it really means to work with AI and why your own experience might be more powerful than you think. Full episode dropping soon.   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    11 min
  7. AI’s Next Frontier: World Models Explained by Christian Keller

    11/27/2025

    AI’s Next Frontier: World Models Explained by Christian Keller

    In this episode, Christian Keller joins Henrik and Jeremy to explain how world models are shaping the next stage of generative AI. He talks through how AI learns using different types of inputs, and why video adds a sense of continuity, change, and cause and effect that text alone does not provide. Christian shares vivid analogies and clear examples to show what multimodal models make possible. The conversation moves into how AI is now used throughout the research process, from generating synthetic data to evaluating model outputs. Christian shares how this loop is already in motion and how AI is helping scale and accelerate experimentation. He also reflects on the shift after ChatGPT launched, and how that changed the pace and structure of research work. Later in the episode, Christian describes how individual workflows are evolving, and how asking simple questions like “Could AI help with this?” often opens new possibilities. He shares examples from his own work and home life, including how his wife built and graded her own French exercises using generative tools. Key Takeaways: Text removes essential information Christian explains that text compresses reality and loses detail, context and temporality. Images and video help restore what text leaves out.World models give AI a sense of change Video introduces the before and after and how things move or enter a scene. This helps models learn cause and effect and builds more robust understanding.AI helps build AI Models can generate data, evaluate results and support researchers during development. Christian shows how this creates new ways of scaling experimentation and training.Workflows shift when AI handles early steps Christian shows how tasks like debugging and prototyping change with generative tools, which reshapes roles and opens new opportunities for innovation.LinkedIn: Christian Keller | LinkedIn 00:00 Intro: Information Compression 00:37 Meet Christian Keller: AI Expert 01:13 The Evolution of AI Products 02:11 Impact of ChatGPT on AI Development 02:38 Understanding PyTorch and Its Role 07:41 The Bitter Lesson in AI 09:12 Challenges and Future of AI Models 18:57 Using AI to Build AI 23:25 Innovative Chat Interfaces 23:41 Building the Autos Platform 24:35 Epiphanies in AI Integration 25:18 AI in Entrepreneurial Workflows 26:32 Challenges in AI Integration 31:15 Bias in AI Models 38:06 Debrief  📜 Read the transcript for this episode: Transcript of AIs Next Frontier: World Models Explained by Christian Keller |   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    45 min
  8. Teaser: Inside Our Debrief of “AI’s Next Frontier with Christian Keller”

    11/26/2025

    Teaser: Inside Our Debrief of “AI’s Next Frontier with Christian Keller”

    In this teaser, Jeremy and Henrik break down their immediate takeaways from their conversation with Christian Keller, including model fidelity, hallucinations, and the surprising ways AI is already reshaping everyday workflows. Full episode drops tomorrow.   For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin: Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelinJeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley   Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

    8 min
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About

Beyond the Prompt dives deep into the world of AI and its expanding impact on business and daily work. Hosted by Jeremy Utley of Stanford's d.school, alongside Henrik Werdelin, an entrepreneur known for starting BarkBox, prehype and other startups, each episode features conversations with innovators and leaders to uncover pragmatic stories of how organizations leverage AI to accelerate success. Learn creative strategies and actionable tactics you can apply right away as AI capabilities advance exponentially.

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