The AI Chopping Block

David Stepania
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Learn what works in AI right now and future-proof your business or your career so you don't end up on the AI chopping block.Right now, AI is used for less than 1% of the problems it can solve. We're here to change that.Every week, we interview industry insiders & the builders behind game-changing AI-powered companies to uncover practical insights you can implement in your business or career to get ahead.Hosted by David Stepania with tech veterans Ben Smokovic & Derek Skinnell, these conversations cut through the hype to show how real businesses are leveraging AI's untapped potential.

  1. Scaling 3000 Sites With 1 AI Agent

    2D AGO

    Scaling 3000 Sites With 1 AI Agent

    In this episode, Mark Michael, founder of DevHub, breaks down what it really looks like to scale a non–AI-native company in the age of AI agents. DevHub powers thousands of franchise and multi-location websites, and instead of chasing hype, Mark explains how his team is using AI where it actually works from internal knowledge agents and developer copilots to agent-driven website updates across hundreds or thousands of locations. We dive into: - How DevHub manages 300–3000 websites with minimal human overhead - Why AI agents are quietly replacing entire workflows (not just roles) - The reality of AI in hiring, SDRs, project management, and engineering - Why small teams under 100 people are in the strongest position right now - How internal AI knowledge bases are eliminating meetings and bottlenecks - Why brand, not product, may be the only thing AI can’t replace - The uncomfortable truth about what AI is doing to humanity inside companies Mark also shares hard-earned lessons from 18+ years of building DevHub, including pivots, buying the company back from investors, expanding into Latin America, and why he believes we’re living through the real “Roaring 20s” of tech right now. If you’re a founder, operator, or leader wondering how to use AI without destroying your culture or your edge, this conversation is a must-watch. Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    49 min
  2. Nonprofits Are Saving 12 Hours a Week With AI — But That’s Not the Real Breakthrough

    JAN 22

    Nonprofits Are Saving 12 Hours a Week With AI — But That’s Not the Real Breakthrough

    Nonprofits are uniquely positioned to benefit from AI — yet most are still struggling to adopt it. In this episode, Remy Reya, Director of AI and Thought Leadership at Compass Pro Bono, breaks down how nonprofits are actually using AI today, what’s holding them back, and why AI adoption in mission-driven organizations looks very different from the for-profit world. Remy shares how Compass Pro Bono rolled out enterprise AI tools internally and helped their team save 10–12 hours per week, not by hiring expensive AI engineers, but by thoughtfully integrating large language models into existing workflows like grant writing, social media, thought leadership, program design, and internal operations. We dive deep into: Why nonprofits are paradoxically perfect candidates for AI — yet slow to adoptHow AI can reduce burnout instead of accelerating the “impact treadmill”The real risks of AI in social impact, including bias, data ethics, and human displacementWhat responsible, human-first AI adoption actually looks likeWhy AI literacy and change management matter more than technical skillHow leaders should think about the time AI gives back — and what to do with itThis is a must-watch conversation for nonprofit leaders, AI builders, social impact founders, and anyone curious about how AI can scale impact without sacrificing mission, trust, or humanity. Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    52 min

  3. JAN 15

    AI Hiring From 60 days to 2 Hours

    Hiring shouldn’t take 60 days. In this episode, Alex an AI recruiter designed to interview everyone, summarise every conversation, and help employers and staffing firms move from “endless screening” to “fast, skills-based hiring.” Alex isn’t just a chatbot. It has its own interview link, calendar, email, and phone number, can run interviews over phone or video (Zoom-style), and plugs into your ATS to write back notes, ping hiring managers, and keep workflows moving.  The wild part: From 60 Days to 2 Hours its Interviewing 5,000 Candidates a Day, stack-rank them, generate shortlists per role, and even draft reject emails while also helping teams reduce risk with recorded interactions and third-party bias reviews. If you’re a recruiter, HR leader, or staffing firm dealing with high-volume applicants (including AI-generated resumes and “spray and pray” submissions), this conversation breaks down what hiring at scale looks like when your first-round screening becomes software. Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    43 min
  4. AI is changing startup immigration, how? (Gale, YC-backed)

    12/18/2025

    AI is changing startup immigration, how? (Gale, YC-backed)

    In this episode, David Stepania talks with Haokun and Rishabh, founders of Gale, an immigration service provider bringing more tech into the U.S. visa process so employers, beneficiaries, and vetted lawyers can collaborate with shared context without endless email threads.  They share how Gale supports startup-friendly pathways like O-1, EB-1, NIW, and H-1B, and where “AI” fits today: mostly on the backend to help lawyers draft parts of petitions and support letters faster, with everything scrutinized through lawyer review.  The founders also break down H-1B compliance workflows (like LCA posting and maintaining a public access file) and how Gale helps teams stay on top of the details.  Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    32 min
  5. No Job Is Safe Anymore | What Cleanlab’s CEO Revealed Shocked Me

    12/11/2025

    No Job Is Safe Anymore | What Cleanlab’s CEO Revealed Shocked Me

    In this episode, Cleanlab CEO Curtis Northcutt shares a perspective few leaders are willing to say publicly: “I don’t even think my job is safe.” We discuss the exponential acceleration of AI, how machines are improving faster than humans can understand, and why we’re entering a future where AI evaluates AI—because humans simply won’t be able to. Curtis also explains: Why no job (including CEOs) is safe from AIWhy we now “talk to computers that talk back”Why enterprises struggle with AI hallucinations and riskHow Cleanlab built a real-time “self-awareness layer” for AI agentsWhy human labeling won’t survive the next 2–5 yearsThe biggest moat in AI (and why OpenAI can’t build it internally)Where AI works today vs where it still spectacularly failsWhy startups must use AI everywhere to surviveHow his journey from rural Kentucky to MIT shaped Cleanlab’s missionOne of the clearest, most grounded explanations of what the next few years of AI will look like for companies, workers, and society. If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show for more founder perspectives on building responsibly with AI.  Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    44 min
  6. Your Data Labeling Job is Going to Zero: AI Disruption & Web3 Data Revolution

    11/27/2025

    Your Data Labeling Job is Going to Zero: AI Disruption & Web3 Data Revolution

    AI & Web3 are killing data labeling jobs – Sapien CEO Rowan Stone reveals how blockchain quality control and human-in-the-loop methods reshape AI data pipeline. In this hard-hitting episode titled “Your Data Labeling Job is Going to Zero,” we confront a stark reality: AI and Web3 are rapidly eliminating traditional data labeling roles and rewriting how we prepare data for intelligent systems. Guest Rowan Stone, CEO of Sapien, pulls no punches explaining why those low-value, repetitive labeling tasks are quickly becoming obsolete. The message is urgent, adapt now or be left behind, as automation and blockchain technology upend the old way of doing things. Stone reveals how Sapien is replacing outdated workflows with a decentralized, blockchain-driven “proof of quality” protocol that ensures only the highest-caliber, human-verified data fuels the next generation of AI. From cutting out valueless micro-tasks to empowering specialized human-in-the-loop contributors, this conversation charts the imminent shift from mundane labeling to complex, high-stakes data curation for enterprise AI systems. This episode is a must-listen for AI practitioners, Web3 builders, enterprise tech leaders, and any knowledge worker concerned about staying relevant in the AI era. AI eliminating data labeling jobs, Data labeling jobs going to zero, Low-value data tasks obsolete, Future of data labeling work, Human-in-the-loop AI systems, Decentralized data labeling platform, Blockchain-based data quality control, AI job disruption, Web3 data infrastructure, Data curation for next-gen AI Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    57 min
  7. One-Click Mortgages: How Approval AI Automates Home Buying

    11/13/2025

    One-Click Mortgages: How Approval AI Automates Home Buying

    First-time homebuyers and refinancers, meet Approval AI (now Clevy), the AI-powered mortgage marketplace turning tens of hours of rate shopping, paperwork, and lender negotiations into a streamlined, secure experience. Co-founder Arjun Lalwani breaks down how three purpose-built agents (buyer assistant, loan processing, lender outreach) translate your financials, simulate underwriting, and negotiate with banks like Wells Fargo and Chase to save you time and real money, all while keeping sensitive data encrypted and human-verified.  Hosted by David Stepania, this episode dives into product strategy, go-to-market for a $2T industry, YC lessons, and the bold vision for a true “one-click mortgage.” We also cover trust with real estate partners, why incentives matter more than “great customer service” pitches, and the metrics that define success from funded loan volume to NPS and average savings per loan. Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    41 min
  8. Will AI Replace Engineers? The Future of Software Roles

    11/07/2025

    Will AI Replace Engineers? The Future of Software Roles

    Bind AI co-founder Amogh Mundhekar (ex-Intuit/Mailchimp) breaks down how “developer-less” development lets technical founders ship full-stack apps from a chat, image, or GitHub repo—complete with live preview and one-click deploy. We dig into Bind’s traction (≈14,000 users), multi-model agent approach, and GitHub integration that helps teams enhance existing codebases, accelerate MVPs, and reduce time-to-production from months to days.  Amogh also maps the road ahead for engineering: leaner teams, faster iteration, and why AI augments—not replaces—great builders. We cover where AI excels (front-end scaffolding, refactors, tests, docs), where humans still lead (product design, architecture), and emerging trends like specialized domain agents and voice interfaces—from Claude for finance to Grok in cars. If you’re a founder, PM, or hands-on builder, this is a playbook for shipping smarter with AI. #BindAI #AmoghMundhekar #AIEngineering #AIAgents #AppDevelopment #StartupBuilders #MVP #GitHub #LLM #DeveloperTools #ProductManagement #NoCode #LowCode #HomebaseAI #TheAIChoppingBlock Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email: hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here

    40 min
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About

Learn what works in AI right now and future-proof your business or your career so you don't end up on the AI chopping block.Right now, AI is used for less than 1% of the problems it can solve. We're here to change that.Every week, we interview industry insiders & the builders behind game-changing AI-powered companies to uncover practical insights you can implement in your business or career to get ahead.Hosted by David Stepania with tech veterans Ben Smokovic & Derek Skinnell, these conversations cut through the hype to show how real businesses are leveraging AI's untapped potential.

Information

  • Creator
    David Stepania
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The AI Chopping Block
  • Show Website
    The AI Chopping Block