What does it actually look like to use AI tools in the real world, beyond the usual chatbot prompts and hype?

In this episode of AI-Curious, Jeff Wilser shares five AI tools and workflows that are shaping how he works right now, from Claude Code and personalized news briefings to NotebookLM, multi-model prompting, and using AI to write more closely in your own voice. The goal is not to offer a comprehensive list of every AI product on the market, but to show how these tools can be used in practical ways that expand capability, streamline research, and create new workflows.

We explore how vibe coding and AI agents can help non-coders build useful internal tools, why personalized AI news feeds may become increasingly common, and how NotebookLM can synthesize large amounts of information across transcripts, documents, and YouTube videos. We also look at the benefits of using multiple AI models together instead of relying on just one, and why feeding AI much richer context can dramatically improve writing outputs.

Throughout the episode, we return to a core idea: using AI to empower, not eliminate. Rather than treating AI only as a cost-cutting tool, we examine how it can help individuals and businesses do more, think more creatively, and build smarter systems around the work that matters most.

Key topics we cover

• 3:15 — Claude Code, vibe coding, and why non-coders should be paying attention
• 6:01 — Building a custom AI-powered conference outreach and research tool
• 11:05 — “AI to empower, not eliminate” as a guiding philosophy
• 16:16 — Personalized AI news briefings and the future of customized information
• 21:58 — How NotebookLM helps synthesize transcripts, documents, and YouTube content
• 27:04 — Why a “polymodel” approach can be better than relying on one chatbot
• 31:15 — Using AI to write more closely in your own voice through deeper context

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What happens when AI stops being a productivity tool and starts reshaping the structure of work itself?

In this episode of AI-Curious, we talk with Kelly Monahan, a future of work and AI advisor, about what AI may actually do to the workplace over the next few years, and why the reality is likely to be messier than both the hype and the fear suggest. We dig into the tension between using AI for augmentation versus automation, why so many companies are still struggling to prove ROI, and how AI agents could transform business workflows while also creating major governance, accountability, and implementation challenges.

We also explore what this means for knowledge workers, middle managers, and enterprise leaders trying to adapt in real time. Along the way, we discuss why small businesses may have an advantage over large organizations, how workers can focus on higher-value contributions, and why the future of work may require not just new tools, but a new mindset.

Guest

Kelly Monahan — Future of Work and AI Advisor

Key topics we cover

• 2:49 — Kelly’s optimistic and pessimistic theses on the future of work
• 5:15 — Where AI is overhyped, and the disconnect between leaders and workers
• 6:35 — Why generative AI adds complexity inside organizations
• 10:05 — What the research says about AI ROI
• 12:54 — Where AI is delivering real wins today, especially for freelancers and small businesses
• 16:27 — Advice for leaders and middle managers inside large organizations
• 18:39 — Why curiosity, learning, and experimentation need to be rewarded
• 19:02 — AI agents, the hype cycle, and why the excitement may still be justified
• 22:25 — Why enterprises are struggling to keep pace with the speed of AI change
• 29:18 — What the future of work may look like over the next 3 to 5 years
• 30:02 — Why white-collar work could face major disruption
• 33:37 — The “elevator to skyscraper” analogy for how AI should reshape work
• 35:08 — Predictions for AI adoption, governance failures, and labor market shifts
• 39:00 — How Kelly uses AI in her own work and business

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For anyone interested in Jeff’s AI Workshops for their company:

Reach out directly at jeff@jeffwilser.com

What happens when a business school decides AI isn’t a bolt-on elective, but the operating system for how students learn marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, and leadership?

In this episode of AI-Curious, we’re back with David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business, to see what changed after his earlier promise to become the country’s first AI-first business school. We dig into what “AI-first” actually means in practice, what worked (and what failed), and how a culture of experimentation turned AI adoption from a handful of pilots into a school-wide shift.

We also tackle the most unavoidable issue in education right now: cheating. David shares Kogod’s approach to disclosure, ethics, group work, oral exams, and why “blue books” may be making a comeback. From there, we zoom out to the bigger stakes: the existential threat AI poses to universities, how the higher ed business model may change, and what skills still matter when AI can generate content on demand.

Guest

David Marchick — Dean of Kogod School of Business

Key topics we cover

• 3:56 — The “tipping point”: how AI moved from experiments to 90% of faculty using it
• 7:16 — What “AI-first business school” really means: AI + fundamentals + “power skills”
• 10:32 — Cheating and assessment: disclosure statements, prompts, oral exams, blue books
• 16:51 — A prompts-only entrepreneurship course and what personalized learning could become
• 22:06 — Non-technical students building apps and graduating with an AI-driven portfolio
• 23:38 — Practicing negotiations against AI counterparts with different personalities
• 25:04 — Agentic workflows as a management tool, not just a technical novelty
• 29:13 — The university headwinds: demographic cliff, international enrollment, funding, AI
• 38:58 — Leadership lessons: top-down AI culture plus bottom-up workflow redesign
• 40:42 — How David uses AI personally, including Tour de France route training plans

Follow AI-Curious on your favorite podcast platform:

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For anyone interested in Jeff’s AI Workshops for their company:

Reach out directly at jeff@jeffwilser.com