In this episode of AI Heroes & Headaches, host Vivienne Wei talks with Anant Kale, CEO of AppZen, an Artificial Intelligence platform for modern finance teams. With over 15 years of experience in developing complex software and a background spanning engineering, finance, and product, Anant discusses how unstructured data creates massive bottlenecks in business processes. He shares his journey from corporate planning to founding his company to solve the problem of unstructured data in finance, emphasizing the shift from automation to autonomy with AI agents. 🔑 Expect to Learn Why unstructured data is the primary bottleneck where "any process, any work, stops" in finance. How AI agents are designed to execute work autonomously, moving beyond mere assistance. The strategic value of AI for the CFO goes beyond cost savings to maximize human potential across the entire organization. How the AI Agent Studio converts existing manual work instructions (SOPs) into deployable AI agents. Anant Kale's advice to CFOs: Focus on use cases with a time to value of "weeks" and run a pilot for no more than two months.   ⌛ Episode Breakdown with Timestamps [00:00:00] - Unstructured Data, The Bottleneck: Introduction to Anant Kale and the core problem of unstructured data stopping business processes. [00:01:46] - Anant's Journey & Motivation to Start: Discussing Anant's transition from structural engineering and corporate finance (Fujitsu) to founding an AI company. [00:07:48] - Building Trust in AI for Finance: The challenge of introducing nascent AI technology to a risk-averse finance organization and the importance of increasing compliance. [00:09:20] - Strategic Advantage, Beyond Cost Savings: Discussing how AI augments capability, saves money, and, more importantly, gives back time to highly compensated employees (engineers, sales). [00:14:45] - The Mental Load of Process and Policing: How AI removes the "policing" work, allowing high-value employees to focus on their core tasks and innovation. [00:16:20] - The AI Agent Studio Explained: Diving into the new Studio, which allows finance managers to convert their existing manual work instructions into autonomous AI agents. [00:22:49] - AI Agents in Finance, Accuracy and Guardrails: The need for domain-expert models (Zen realm models), deep enterprise integrations, and absolute guardrails to avoid mistakes and hallucinations in finance. [00:27:48] - Managing the AI-Native Hybrid Team: Navigating the workforce impact, creating the "AI Agent Boss" role, and setting a top-down vision to inspire transformation. [00:30:49] - CEO Recognition & The Power of Inspiration: The story of a practitioner who was called out by the CEO for leading AI agent deployment, setting an example for other teams. [00:33:17] - Final Advice: Short Time-to-Value is Key: Anant's single piece of advice to CFOs: look for areas of low risk/high ROI, and insist on a pilot with a time to value measured in weeks.   🔗 Follow the guest, Anant Kale:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anantkale/🔗 Follow AppZen:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/appzen/👉 Website: https://www.appzen.com/ 🔗 Follow the host, Vivienne Wei:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weivivienne/👉 Website: https://www.theviviennewei.com/👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivienne.c.wei 🔗 Listen to AI Heroes & Headaches on your favourite platform:👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theviviennewei #AIAgents #FinanceAutomation #CFOLeadership #UnstructuredData #DigitalCoworker #FintechAI #AgentStudio #BusinessTransformation You will love this podcast if you like shows such as Founders, Acquired, Diary of a CEO, Joe Rogan and topics surrounding Elon Musk, Sam Altman, ChatGPT.

In this episode of AI Heroes & Headaches, host Vivienne Wei talks with Alex Schmelkin, Founder and CEO of Sixfold, the AI platform built for insurance underwriters. Alex dissects how the wave of generative AI is forcing the traditionally slow-moving insurance industry to modernize quickly. He explains the shift from traditional risk assessment to near-autonomous underwriting agents, and why boards are asking tough questions about competitive threats. Beyond the technology, Alex emphasizes the importance of balancing AI adoption with maintaining a healthy, enjoyable work culture - stressing that fun, music, and community connection are vital for generating the creative ideas needed to navigate the AI era. 🔑 Expect to Learn Why insurance is one of the most AI-disruptible industries today. How Sixfold’s AI underwriting agents are transforming productivity for insurers. The importance of CEO involvement in successful AI transformations. How AI can be both a threat and a partner in workforce transformation. Key mistakes and lessons in rolling out AI systems within large enterprises. ⌛ Episode Breakdown with Timestamps [00:00:00] - Opening Thoughts: The Insurance Industry & AI's Tipping Point: Intro to the insurance sector's risk of stagnation and the need for transformation.[00:02:05] - Alex's Journey from Fashion to Insurtech: How Alex moved from public policy and e-commerce into founding an AI startup focused on underwriting.[00:03:30] - Founding Sixfold: The $7 Trillion Opportunity: Insight into Sixfold’s inception, vision, and mission to modernize underwriting with AI.[00:09:00] - AI Agents in Action: From Copilots to Doers: The shift from analysis-only tools to AI agents that autonomously handle underwriting tasks.[00:12:15] - Measuring Impact: Efficiency & Premium Growth: The key business metric - gross written premium per underwriter - and how Sixfold boosts it.[00:15:00] - Aging Workforce & AI as a Talent Multiplier: How AI addresses the challenge of 30% of senior underwriters retiring in the next five years.[00:17:33] - Leading Change: CEO Buy-In Is Non-Negotiable: The pivotal role of executive leadership in driving successful AI transformation.[00:20:00] - Mistakes & Learnings: Why Accuracy Measurement Matters: The early misstep of not quantifying AI accuracy and how that changed.[00:22:17] - Elevating Underwriting Managers with AI: How mid-level leaders use AI for real-time portfolio strategy and guidance.[00:25:50] - Final Thoughts: One Thing You Must Do as a Startup CEO: Alex’s top advice for AI founders and how to bring fun and balance into startup life. 🔗 Follow the guest, Alex Schmelkin:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmelkin/🔗 Follow Sixfold:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sixfold-ai/👉 Website: https://www.sixfold.ai/ 🔗 Follow the host, Vivienne Wei:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weivivienne/👉 Website: https://www.theviviennewei.com/👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivienne.c.wei 🔗 Listen to AI Heroes & Headaches on your favourite platform:👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theviviennewei👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VdE8SqhZhhLHexxzx3gfB?si=f74b0ad0bf2549e4👉 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-heroes-headaches/id1832607443 #AIInInsurance #Insurtech #GenerativeAI #StartupLeadership #UnderwritingRevolution #AITransformation #VerticalAI #FutureOfWork

What really drives AI transformation: technology or people? In the latest episode of AI Heroes & Headaches, I sat down with Rosanne Werner, CEO of XcelerateIQ, to unpack what truly drives transformation inside global enterprises. Rosanne has led data and culture change at Coca-Cola and now helps organizations turn AI resistance into adoption, and data into a movement. Here are a few insights that stopped me in my tracks: 1️⃣ Data is contagious. Real transformation spreads through people, not programs. A five-minute habit can start a movement. 2️⃣ Change is psychological. Four parts of the brain resist disruption — the leaders who design for safety, not fear, build faster adoption. 3️⃣ Beware “watermelon metrics.” Ninety-percent adoption may look good on a dashboard, but engagement tells the real story. 4️⃣ AI can amplify inclusion. Used thoughtfully, it gives more voices a seat at the table and helps leaders bridge personality and communication gaps.Rosanne’s perspective is a reminder that technology alone doesn’t create intelligent enterprises. Trust, curiosity, and people do. Because transformation is about more than technology: it’s about people. Listen to Episode 7 of AI Heroes & Headaches now.

What happens when a serial entrepreneur, DJ and father decides to reinvent education for the AI age?   This week, I sat down with Alan Smithson, founder of Unlimited Awesome and Metavrse. From spinning records to building companies that redefine how we learn and connect, Alan’s career is a study in what happens when creativity meets exponential technology.   Here are three insights that stood out: Creativity is the ultimate human edge. As AI gets faster and smarter, imagination and emotional intelligence will become our most valuable skills. The next education revolution will be experiential. Alan envisions learning that’s immersive, AI-driven, and accessible to everyone, not limited by geography, privilege, or traditional systems. Technology should create equality, not widen the gap. His mission with Unlimited Awesome is to build an economic system where innovation lifts communities rather than leaving them behind.   Alan’s story reminds us that the future of AI is anbout amplifying what makes us human.  

AI isn’t magic. It’s business. And according to Vin Vashishta, it's like electricity in the 1900s.   On the latest episode of AI Heroes and Headaches, I sat down with @Vin Vashishta, author of Data to Profit, to explore how leaders can unlock the true value of AI.   Here are a few takeaways that stood out: - From physics to AI thought leader: Vin’s journey shows how technical expertise becomes powerful when paired with business leadership. - The Data to Profit mindset: AI only matters when it creates and captures measurable business value. - Why AI is like electricity in the 1900s: the organizations that figure out how to integrate it everywhere will be the ones that win.  

When it comes to your AI initiatives, is your company playing chess, or checkers? Recent reports share that only 5% of AI initiatives are successful. Why is that? According to Brian Evergreen, most companies don’t yet have a playbook for leadership in the AI era. This week on AI Heroes & Headaches, I sit down with Brian Evergreen, President of the Future Solving Club. Brian went from being an internationally competitive chess player to advising Fortune 500 CEOs on AI strategy. He has been recognized on the @Thinkers50 Radar list. His discipline and systems thinking show up in the way he frames the AI leadership challenge. In this full episode, we break down: Why incrementalism kills AI strategy The systems thinking that Brian took from chess into his professional career What an AI-first vision is, and how leaders can build it to rally their teams If you’re a leader navigating AI adoption, this conversation is full of practical lessons and bold insights.

From Military Discipline to AI Leadership. 95% of AI pilots stall. Only 5% scale. Keith McCormick knows why. Before teaching over 1M learners on LinkedIn Learning, Keith served in the military, a foundation of discipline and clarity that he now brings to AI adoption. In Episode 3 of AI Heroes & Headaches, Keith shares why most organizations don’t fail on technology, they fail on culture. Highlights you’ll hear: - Why 95% of AI pilots stall, and what the 5% get right - Messy data = messy AI (no shortcuts here) - Culture, governance, and upskilling > hype and tooling

What do you actually learn running a $1.8B global brand that helps when you launch a new frontier in AI? That’s the journey of Amit Shah, Founder & CEO of InstaLILY AI and former President of 1-800-Flowers.com. 🌸 In Episode 2 of AI Heroes & Headaches, Amit and I dive into: - How scaling one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands prepared him for AI entrepreneurship - The tension between founder mode and coach mode as leaders navigate transformation - Why personalization is the real unlock, and what it means for the future of AI-powered customer connection Every hero has a headache. In AI, the two always come together.

In AI, the hardest code to crack isn’t the tech. It is leadership. For our very first AI Heroes & Headaches episode, I couldn’t have asked for a better guest than Muralidhar Krishnaprasad (MK), President & CTO of Salesforce’s Unified Agentforce Platform, one of the most authentic, game-changing leaders I’ve ever worked with. Three months ago in Hakone, Japan, I needed yen to buy a blessed souvenir. Without hesitation, MK walked hundreds of steps down to an ATM, and back up, with me. It wasn’t about money. It was about trust, respect, and showing up for people when it counts. In this episode, MK and I dive into: Why he's known as the Chief Test Officer by our team. The principle he brings from his spiritual life into his leadership. (MK and I have been to temples around the world together!) Why authenticity is a strategic advantage in the AI era. A recent rabbit hole that MK went down, just for the joy of learning. The message he wants all leaders to know. "We’re in the agentic AI era, and that’s what’s going to make the next level of transformation possible.” -MK

I’ve seen AI deliver million-dollar breakthroughs and I’ve seen it crash and burn.I’m Vivienne Wei, COO of Salesforce Unified Agentforce Platform. I’m pulling back the curtain on the wins, the flops, and the leadership calls that make or break AI transformation.Each episode, I sit down with executives and builders in the trenches of AI from unicorn founders to Fortune 100 CTOs. They’ll share what worked, what failed, and what they’d never do again.No hype. No doomscrolling. Just the unfiltered playbook for leading—and surviving—in the age of AI.Your next AI hero story or headache might be right here.