The Junction

Venn Technology
  • 5.0 (7)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Junction

The Junction explores the intersection of people, process and technology for SMBs and nonprofits. Co-hosts, Melissa Bell and Chase Friedman, unpack trending topics on automation and artificial intelligence to help business leaders learn how these new technologies can be applied now and in the future for growth at scale.

  1. MAY 31

    #28: The Good, The Bad, and The AI

    Days after we discussed Google's new AI Overview (SGE) feature, there's been news that it can provide false and misleading information. Some examples we've seen of these hallucinations are pretty wild, such as recommending how many rocks a person should eat per day or how to help cheese stick to pizza using non-toxic glue.  Now that you've lost your appetite (and maybe a little bit of your confidence in AI), have no fear. It's important to remember artificial intelligence is still fairly new to us—which gives us even more of a reason to learn what to be cautious of and how to leverage it for good.  In this episode, we dive into some interesting stories and give our takes on them, such as: • Airbnb's use of predictive AI to reduce disruptive parties during peak holidays• Elon Musk's $6 billion funding round for his AI company X.ai and his claim of achieving AGI by 2025• A predictive report stating that 50% of jobs could be replaced by AI by 2027 *** 🌐 Resources:  Article: Airbnb using AI to predict, block Memorial Day, July 4th parties in NJArticle: Google scrambles to manually remove weird AI answers in searchArticle: Top VC Kai-Fu Lee says his prediction that AI will displace 50% of jobs by 2027 is ‘uncannily accurate’Announcement: Elon Musk's xAI $6 billion funding roundX: Google's AI Overview Oopsie #1X: Google's AI Overview Oopsie #2 📱Connect with us on LinkedIn: Mel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabell-b2bmarketer/ Chase: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasefriedman/ 📧 We want to hear your thoughts on the latest AI products coming to market. Reach out at thejunction@venntechnology.com. As always, keep it automated!

    32 min

  2. MAY 24

    #27: Marketing's not dead, it's different with Jacob Schmeichel

    The way you reach your perspective buyers is changing because of AI. People are searching for what they need differently, and search engines like Google have already shaken up the SEO game with its new Search Generative Experience (SGE) concept. A recent study from Search Engine Land found that a number one ranked SERP could see a 20% drop in traffic (best case scenario) all the way up to a 64% drop (worst case scenario) due to Google's new AI search feature (SGE). This episode features Mel and special guest, Jacob Schmeichel, Product Marketing Manager at Venn. Jacob is an SEO enthusiast who's been following the latest trends in AI search, and he believes every marketer and business leader should be paying close attention. We dive into a ton of groundbreaking topics, including: Implications of AI on organic search traffic, content creation, and marketing strategiesEthical considerations around using AI in marketing and content productionShifting marketing strategies towards conversational, original contentConcerns around AI security and OpenAI's recent disband of its safety team *** 🌐 Resources:  Search Engine Land: How Google SGE will impact your trafficHarvard Business Review: Marketing Is Dead (2012)Futurism: CNET's Article-Writing AI Is Already Publishing Very Dumb ErrorsBig Think: Why great AI produces lazy humans 📱Connect with us on LinkedIn: Mel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabell-b2bmarketer/ Jacob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-schmeichel-ab01b2186/ 📧 We want to hear your thoughts on the latest AI products coming to market. Reach out at thejunction@venntechnology.com. As always, keep it automated!

    49 min

  3. MAY 17

    #26: OpenAI Takes on Google with New ChatGPT Features

    OpenAI made some pretty big waves this week after announcing the launch of its app with the latest ChatGPT updates—now offering interactive voice/text/video features. In this episode of The Junction, Mel and Chase break down how OpenAI's product release will democratize access to powerful AI tools while gathering valuable training data. It's clear that OpenAI has proven their position against rivals like Google. We want to hear your thoughts on the latest AI products coming to market. Reach out at thejunction@venntechnology.com. As always, keep it automated! *** Connect with us on LinkedIn:Mel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabell-b2bmarketer/Chase: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasefriedman/

    41 min

  4. MAY 3

    #25: Stripe Sessions, AI-Based Payments, and a GPT-2 Comeback?

    We're geeking out on this episode after an exciting week at Stripe Sessions 2024 🤩 Mel and Chase share a recap of their experience during Stripe's annual conference last week. There was a lot of discussion around payment innovations, fraud protection, AI for customer personalization, and cryptocurrency 💳💰 A big highlight of the week was getting to hear from guest speaker Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA. He shared his vision for AGI (artificial general intelligence) and the possibilities of using a number of AI agents. We dive into a lot more this episode, including: Rumors of ChatGPT-2's comebackOpenAI's quiet releases - upping the # of files to upload to AI assistants and the new JSON format for structured data outputsAI & automation strategies in the payments and eCommerce space*** Connect with us on LinkedIn:Mel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabell-b2bmarketer/Chase: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasefriedman/ Have questions or comments? Reach out to us at thejunction@venntechnology.com and as always, keep it automated!

    46 min

  5. APR 19

    #24: Artificial Intelligence in Business: Understanding AI, AGI, and Future Trends

    This episode of “The Junction” hits a little closer to home than any of us white collar paper pushers would care to ponder.  Going back and forth between optimism and skepticism, Mel and Chase reflect on AI’s growing capabilities, the fear mongering in the tech journalism space and real life cases where AI is encroaching on jobs.  What’s covered in this episode: A discussion on the complexities and nuances of taxes, both personal and corporate.An insightful conversation about the advances in AI and its distinctions from AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).Examination of the impact of automation on business efficiencies and the potential threats to jobs.Analysis of funds flow and the financial mechanics in different sectors like Uber, Stripe.Deliberation on the future of AI and automation and their implications on broader economics and individual careers.Overview of the experiences with automated systems and debates on their effectiveness and capabilities. Resources: Realizing the potential: Transforming tax and finance operating models3 Ways AI can elevate your tax workflowsBEPS 2.0: Future of international tax and what it means for business Connect with us on LinkedIn: Mel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabell-b2bmarketer/Chase: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasefriedman/ Have questions or comments? Reach out to us at thejunction@venntechnology.com and as always, keep it automated!

    40 min

  6. APR 12

    #23: AI Scams & How to Protect Yourself

    Unfortunately, as AI becomes more accessible, it provides a new avenue for scammers to target people in ways we've never seen before. In this episode of The Junction, Mel and Chase dive into the vulnerabilities associated with voice and image cloning, and how hackers can exploit these techniques. You've likely heard of these scams before. A random phone number calls someone you know and when they answer, they hear the sound of YOUR voice. But it's not you—it's a someone who's stolen your voice using AI. There's a potential for these scamming techniques to increase, so today's episode highlights a few tools and resources that can help individuals and businesses safeguard their data and assets. Resources: How to use AI while protecting your privacy: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-use-ai-tools-protect-privacy/How to keep AI from stealing your voice: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-keep-ai-from-stealing-the-sound-of-your-voice/#:~:text=AntiFake%2C%20on%20the%20other%20hand,voices%20from%20piracy%20and%20counterfeitingTools hackers are using: https://www.cisoplatform.com/profiles/blogs/dark-ai-top-7-ai-tools-assisting-hackers Applications discussed: AntiFake: https://sites.google.com/view/yu2023antifakeGlaze: https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/Snyk: https://snyk.io/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: Mel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabell-b2bmarketer/Chase: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasefriedman/Have a question or topic on AI or automation that you want to learn more about? We’re all ears—literally 🎧 Shoot us an email and let us know what we should talk about next: thejunction@venntechnology.com

    36 min

  7. APR 5

    #22: AI Empowerment: Enhancing Skills, Not Replacing Them

    Are AI tools making us lazy and complacent? In this episode, Mel and Chase touch on the risks of over-reliance on AI assistance. Does our dependence on the technology outweigh the need for subject matter experts? This is a topic that comes up, especially when discussing the potential for job displacement. Additionally, this episode explores:• An update on Venn Technology's internal AI projects• Benefits & concerns of using AI to self-solve issues• Risks of AI voice replication being used for scams• Potential for an uptick of AI-developed misinformation to occur around holidays & events (April Fool's Day and the upcoming solar eclipse) Have a question or topic on AI or automation that you want to learn more about? We’re all ears—literally 🎧 Shoot us an email and let us know what we should talk about next: thejunction@venntechnology.com

    43 min

  8. MAR 29

    #21: Artificial Intelligence's Speedy Progression: Do we trust it?

    And we're back! We've got a lot of catching up to do—especially in this fast-paced world of AI & automation. In this episode, Mel and Chase tackle the latest news & trends: Sam Altman’s return to OpenAI & his take on AI handling “95% of marketing work” Personal & work use of Claude 3 and other AI chat modelsImplications of OpenAI's new video generation tool, SoraAI’s impact on jobs and access to knowledge Have a question or topic you'd like to hear on the show? We’re all ears—literally 🎧 Shoot us an email and let us know what we should talk about next: thejunction@venntechnology.com

    43 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The Junction explores the intersection of people, process and technology for SMBs and nonprofits. Co-hosts, Melissa Bell and Chase Friedman, unpack trending topics on automation and artificial intelligence to help business leaders learn how these new technologies can be applied now and in the future for growth at scale.

Information

  • Creator
    Venn Technology
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Venn Technology
  • Show Website
    The Junction

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