The AI Frontier Playbook

Samuel Boulanger

AI Frontier Playbook exists because the real conversations about enterprise AI deserve to be heard. The guests here are the practitioners, researchers, and executives actually making decisions inside organizations, not summarizing trends from the sidelines. Every episode is a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping work, leadership, and business strategy in real time. Whether you are leading an AI initiative, advising your organization, or just trying to cut through the noise, this is your space to think clearly, lead confidently, and stay ahead.

  1. Hands-On or Left behind : The new reality of AI fluency | Steve Gustavson, Microsoft CVP

    1D AGO

    Hands-On or Left behind : The new reality of AI fluency | Steve Gustavson, Microsoft CVP

    What if the biggest obstacle to AI in your business isn't the technology, but the organizational structures built for humans to be the bottleneck? In this episode of the AI Frontier Playbook, I sit down with Steve Gustavson, CVP of Design and Research at Microsoft, leading the Business Apps and Agents division with a 350-person team spanning design, research, and content. We explore how organizational transformation, AI agents, and user experience converge to reshape how companies build and run their business processes. Steve brings 20+ years of experience from Adobe, ServiceNow, and now Microsoft, where he leads the design thinking behind Copilot Studio, Agent 365, and the broader agentic ecosystem. What makes this conversation different is how concrete it gets. We go deep on why rigid org charts become liabilities when AI teammates start handling workflows at scale, what it actually takes to evaluate agents beyond technical accuracy, and why generative UX is forcing a complete rethink of how business applications get built. If you want to understand where the future of work is heading across agent ecosystems, this is the conversation. What You'll Learn Why organizational structures designed for human decision-making become liabilities in an AI-enabled workplace. How generative agents are shifting Dynamics 365 and business applications from rigid tools to flexible, adaptive systems. What it means to evaluate AI systems beyond technical accuracy to include human qualities like empathy and voice authenticity. How the future of work requires flatter organizations with fluid project-based team assignments rather than static org charts. Why user researchers and design leaders are becoming the primary voices defining what makes AI assistance trustworthy and effective. What the ethical and transparency challenges are when deploying AI agents in organizations alongside human teams. How to balance using cutting-edge AI tools daily while maintaining security and ethical boundaries around sensitive data. Why the next generation of agents will be customizable by end users, PMs, and other non-engineers using plain-language markdown specifications.Whether you are an enterprise leader grappling with legacy systems or a designer thinking about human-centered AI, this episode challenges conventional thinking about how technology and people will work together. Sponsored by Talan Learn more about Talan's AI Commerce Agent for B2B Buyers: https://bit.ly/4kZRDTj Resources & Links Steve Gustavson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegustavson/ Microsoft Agent 365: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-agent-365Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to the AI Frontier Playbook Newsletter: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/ Visit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com

    53 min
  2. Why AI Agents Will End the Attention Economy | David Rothschild, Microsoft Research

    MAR 25

    Why AI Agents Will End the Attention Economy | David Rothschild, Microsoft Research

    What if the real battle for AI isn't about productivity, but about who controls the market when your agent is the one doing the shopping? In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with David Rothschild, Economist at Microsoft Research and lead author of the paper "The Agentic Economy." We explore a shift most people aren't asking about yet: what happens to competition, discovery, and consumer welfare when AI agents, not humans, become the primary interface between buyers and businesses? David brings over a decade of research in market design and information flows to explain our transition from an attention economy to a preference economy. We discuss whether we are headed for tighter walled gardens or if open protocols will finally level the playing field for small businesses and consumers alike. The choices being made right now by developers and regulators will shape the next decade of global commerce. You'll Learn: The Preference Economy: Why marketing dollars are shifting from catching eyes to satisfying automated agent criteria. Breaking Platform Lock-in: How AI agents could virtually eliminate switching costs for consumers. Stage One vs. True Transformation: The difference between AI-assisted tasks and AI-first autonomous workflows. The Small Business Advantage: How an open agent ecosystem allows companies to compete on product quality and fit instead of massive ad spends. Zero Friction: Why a drop in communication friction is more disruptive to the economy than raw processing power. Walled Gardens vs. Web of Agents: The high stakes of closed ecosystems for future innovation. The ACP Protocol: Why businesses may soon have to rebuild their digital presence to be readable by every major agent platform.Whether you are a business leader preparing for the next wave of disruption or a consumer curious about your future shopping experience, this episode provides a research-backed framework to position yourself on the right side of the agentic shift. 📌 Resources & Links David Rothschild on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davmicrot/ David Rothschild at Microsoft Research: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/people/davidmr/ The Agentic Economy paper: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/the-agentic-economy/ 📬 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/ Visit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com #AI #FutureOfWork #AgenticEconomy #MicrosoftResearch #AIAgents

    47 min
  3. Microsoft's Future of Work Report 2025: What Leaders Need to Know | Dr. Jenna Butler, Microsoft

    MAR 12

    Microsoft's Future of Work Report 2025: What Leaders Need to Know | Dr. Jenna Butler, Microsoft

    We gave people AI and no user manual. That's the problem Microsoft researcher Dr. Jenna Butler sees playing out in every organization right now. In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Dr. Jenna Butler, Principal Applied Research Scientist at Microsoft and one of the editors behind the New Future of Work Report 2025. Jenna has spent years studying what actually happens to humans when the tools around them change, from cancer biology simulations to developer productivity to the AI wave reshaping every workspace today. We dig into what AI literacy really means for non-technical people, why the shift from creating content to evaluating it changes everything about how we work, and what the productivity pressure paradox is doing to teams that were told to "go be more productive" without a roadmap. Jenna also shares why she thinks technology never removes toil, it just shifts it, and what leaders can do this week to change the conversation. You'll learn: 1. Why most people don't understand that AI is a probability engine, not a search engine, and why that distinction matters2. How the shift from content creation to content evaluation is redefining what "doing your job" looks like3. What the productivity pressure paradox is and how it's quietly backfiring inside organizations4. Why AI models carry deep cultural and gender biases that most users never notice5. How one researcher fell for a complete AI fabrication while writing a paper about AI hallucinations6. What minimum viable AI literacy looks like for a non-technical employee in 20267. Why leaders should reframe AI adoption as a chance to experiment, not a mandate to perform8. How Jenna builds her own custom tools with AI when existing software falls short Whether you are a leader trying to drive AI adoption without burning out your team, or a professional figuring out how to use these tools effectively, this episode gives you a research-backed framework for navigating the shift. 📌 Resources & Links Dr. Jenna Butler on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-jenna-butler Dr. Jenna Butler at Microsoft Research: microsoft.com/research/people/jennbu Microsoft New Future of Work Report 2025: microsoft.com/research/the-new-future-of-work 📬 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity: samuelboulangerai.substack.com Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger Visit my website: samuelboulanger.com #AI #FutureOfWork #AILiteracy #MicrosoftResearch #ProductivityParadox

    40 min
  4. The Death of the Workflow: What Agentic B2B Commerce Really Looks Like

    FEB 26

    The Death of the Workflow: What Agentic B2B Commerce Really Looks Like

    What if the biggest obstacle to AI in your business isn’t the technology, but the way your systems were built to assume a human would always be clicking? In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Frédéric Bélanger, Leader AI & Innovation at Talan.Frédéric has spent years architecting B2B commerce and procurement systems. He knows exactly where the friction lives and why it has been so difficult to fix. We go deep into what actually breaks when you move from portals and workflows to intent-driven buying, what it takes to make your data and systems agent-ready, and how to deploy AI agents safely inside enterprise environments. No theory. No slideware. Just real architecture decisions and hard-won lessons. You’ll learn: Why B2B commerce was built around a human clicking and why that assumption is now a liabilityWhat shifts when you move from workflow-based APIs to intent-based APIsHow to tell if you have an AI opportunity or a data architecture problemWhy data field names and database column names now matter more than everWhat “human in the loop” really means as a design decisionHow MCP servers simplify agent integration without requiring a full rearchitectureWhat agent-to-agent commerce looks like and the questions we need to start answering nowWhy non-deterministic tools in enterprise environments are manageable if you build them correctlyWhether you are a business leader evaluating AI investments in your commerce stack, or an architect designing the next generation of B2B systems, this episode gives you a practical framework for building agent-ready enterprise environments the right way. Learn more about Talan's AI Commerce Agent for B2B Buyers: https://bit.ly/4kZRDTjResources & Links Frédéric Bélanger on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/frederic-belanger/ Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivityhttps://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/ Connect with Samuel Boulanger on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/ Visit samuelboulanger.comhttps://samuelboulanger.com/

    53 min
  5. Inside the Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit for Developers | Sébastien Levert, Microsoft PPM

    FEB 11

    Inside the Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit for Developers | Sébastien Levert, Microsoft PPM

    What if extending Microsoft 365 Copilot wasn’t about adding features, but about building real enterprise agents that act on your business systems? In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Sébastien Levert, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft working on Copilot extensibility and the Microsoft 365 agent platform. We break down what Copilot agents actually are, what “extensibility” really means in concrete terms, and when low code stops being enough. We go deep into pro code tooling, engineering discipline, and what it takes to ship agents like real software inside Microsoft 365 Copilot. This is not theory. It is architecture, workflow, and decision frameworks you can use immediately. You’ll learn: What Copilot agents are beyond simple retrieval or Q&A The real difference between low code and pro code agents When to use Copilot Studio versus developer tooling Why building inside Microsoft 365 Copilot unlocks productivity context How to version, deploy, and roll back agents using CI/CD Why you usually do not want to build your own orchestration layer How WorkIQ changes the way developers build agents The enterprise signals that tell you it is time to move to pro code How to avoid painful rearchitecture laterWhether you are a business leader deciding where to invest, or a developer building scalable agent solutions, this episode will give you a clear framework for navigating Copilot extensibility the right way.

    52 min
  6. Harnessing the Power of AI Collaboration | Simon Lacasse , Microsoft GBB

    JAN 29

    Harnessing the Power of AI Collaboration | Simon Lacasse , Microsoft GBB

    What if your next business team isn’t just made of humans, but also intelligent agents? In this episode of Mastering AI with the Experts, I sit down with Simon Lacasse, Global Black Belt for AI at Microsoft and author of the white paper Scaling Agents for Enterprise. Simon is part of Microsoft’s SWAT team of AI experts, working with global organizations to bring multi-agent systems to life in real-world production environments. We go deep into what’s actually changed in the last 12 to 18 months to make multi-agent systems deployable at enterprise scale, and why it’s no longer just research labs or prototypes. It’s happening right now. You’ll learn: What agent orchestration actually means (and why it’s like a project manager for AI) Why the real shift isn’t smarter models, it’s smarter ecosystems How protocols like A2A and MCP are creating an “internet of agents” Why GitHub Copilot is secretly a multi-agent system and what that means for your tools How to start implementing multi-agent architecture in your organization without creating chaos The biggest misconceptions about cost, complexity, and governance Simon’s productivity tips on breaking problems down and avoiding “giant prompts”Whether you're building agent infrastructure or just trying to keep up with the pace of AI change, this episode will make the architecture and strategy behind multi-agent systems finally click. 📌 Resources Mentioned 🔹 Scaling Agents for Enterprise – White Paper by Simon Lacasse https://github.com/slacassegbb/azure-a2a-main/blob/main/Scaling_Agents_Enterprise.pdf 🔹 A Guide to Designing a Multi-Agent System – White Paper by Simon Lacasse https://github.com/slacassegbb/WebBrowser_Example/blob/main/A%20Guide%20to%20Designing%20a%20Multi-Agent%20System.pdf 🔹 A2A Protocol (Agent-to-Agent by Google) https://a2a-protocol.org/ 🔹 MCP Protocol (Model Context Protocol by Anthropic) https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ 🔹 Simon Lacasse on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lacasse-3545386/ 📬 Enjoyed this episode? 🔹 Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity, my newsletter https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/ 🔹 Connect with me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/ 🔹 Visit my website https://samuelboulanger.com/

    41 min
  7. How AI Is Failing Women (And How to Fix It Now) | Miri Rodriguez CEO Empressa.ai

    12/09/2025

    How AI Is Failing Women (And How to Fix It Now) | Miri Rodriguez CEO Empressa.ai

    🎙️Unlock the future of Inclusive AI: What does it truly take to build systems that are responsible and equitable from the ground up?In this essential episode on Gender Bias in AI and Responsible AI, we sit down with Miri Rodriguez, former star storyteller at Microsoft and the groundbreaking CEO/Founder of Empressa.ai. After 13 years crafting narratives within Big Tech, a personal health journey — including battling cancer —pushed Miri to pioneer a solution for one of technology's biggest challenges: the AI gender gap.Miri shares the emotional and strategic story behind Empressa — a pioneering AI platform built by women, for women. She exposes how reliance on traditional data sets has created deep-seated biases, consistently excluding female perspectives. You'll learn:- Why the legacy of male-designed technology (like the car airbag) proves that gender-neutral is often just male-default.- How Empressa.ai is rewriting this reality by implementing a royalty model that fairly compensates women for contributing their insights, stories, and lived experience, transforming silence into scalable knowledge.- Actionable design principles for building inclusive AI agents and foundational models, ensuring your next product is equitable.- Why the true barrier for women in tech and AI adoption is often confidence and the need for safe learning spaces—not capability.If you are building with Generative AI, leading product teams, or focused on accelerating gender parity in the workforce, this episode is mandatory listening. It will fundamentally challenge how you think about data, inclusion, and the systems we are all shaping.⏱️ Timestamps (YouTube Chapters)00:00 Intro 01:37 Meet Miri Rodriguez: Microsoft, Storytelling, and the Strategic Leap06:42 Why AI Systems Are Biased Against Women09:08 The Hidden Cost of Biased Data12:15 The Legacy of Male-Designed Tech (Cars & Airbags)14:48 How Empressa is Building AI with Women's Insights19:36 A New Royalty Model for AI Contributors22:05 Designing an Equitable AI: "By Women, For Women"25:11 The Domestic Workload Barrier (Why Women Don't Apply)25:45 Cohorts, Safe Spaces, and How Women Learn AI29:03 Building Inclusive AI Agents37:45 Practical Tip: Training AI for the Next Generation39:15 The Road to Gender Parity and AI's Role📌 Resources MentionedEmpressa.ai : https://empressa.aiMiri Rodriguez on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mirirod/Gender bias in AI data sources (Harvard, McKinsey, etc.)Women in AI Quaterly Index Report: https://empressa.ai/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Women-in-AI-Index-Quarterly-Report-Q4-2025.pdf📬 Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity, my newsletter: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samuelboulanger/Visit my website: samuelboulanger.com

    43 min
  8. The Future of Leadership Isn’t Human-Only | Kree Govender, Microsoft Leader

    11/26/2025

    The Future of Leadership Isn’t Human-Only | Kree Govender, Microsoft Leader

    AI isn’t just changing how we work — it’s changing how we lead.But most leaders are still trying to apply old thinking to a very new game.Kree Govender leads SMB sales at Microsoft Canada, supporting 1.4 million businesses through Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. With over a decade of experience leading teams across South Africa and Canada, Kree has had a front-row seat to the AI transformation — and he’s helping shape what modern leadership looks like in this new reality.In this episode, Kree breaks down what it means to be an “AI-enhanced leader,” why trust and curiosity are now strategic advantages, and how to lead teams that include not just people, but AI agents. We talk about cultural resistance to change, the risk of outsourcing your thinking, and how to stay human in a world of automation.Whether you're managing a team, experimenting with Copilot, or just figuring out where AI fits in your decision-making, this conversation gives you a grounded look at the leadership skills that still matter — and the ones you’ll need next.📌 Resources MentionedWork Trend Index by Microsoft:https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index?msockid=3b2712741f9262f50f5d07521e446344Kree Govender on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kree-govender-12b2651b/📬 Enjoyed this conversation?Subscribe to Mastering AI for Productivity: https://samuelboulangerai.substack.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelboulangerVisit my website: https://samuelboulanger.com

    42 min
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About

AI Frontier Playbook exists because the real conversations about enterprise AI deserve to be heard. The guests here are the practitioners, researchers, and executives actually making decisions inside organizations, not summarizing trends from the sidelines. Every episode is a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping work, leadership, and business strategy in real time. Whether you are leading an AI initiative, advising your organization, or just trying to cut through the noise, this is your space to think clearly, lead confidently, and stay ahead.

Information

  • Creator
    Samuel Boulanger
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Samuel Boulanger
  • Show Website
    The AI Frontier Playbook

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