Here's the thing about AI content right now: it's designed to confuse you.
Every day, another "AI expert" drops a 47-slide deck about "leveraging synergistic paradigms for exponential optimization." Another guru promises "revolutionary breakthroughs" using terms that sound impressive but mean absolutely nothing.
This isn't accidental. It's gatekeeping by design.
The AI industry has a vested interest in making this stuff sound impossibly complex. Because if you think you need a PhD to use ChatGPT, you'll pay someone else to do it for you.
That's exactly where Early Adoptr comes in.
We're startup founders ourselves – we've been in the trenches building companies, not just theorizing about them. We cut through the intentional confusion with the kind of practical, no-BS guidance the AI industry doesn't want you to have.
Instead of theoretical frameworks and buzzword bingo, we give you the real breakdown: Which tools actually work (and which ones are just hype), step-by-step implementation guides that don't require a computer science degree, and honest breakdowns of what's worth your time versus what's just Silicon Valley noise.
Because the dirty secret of the AI world? Most of these "revolutionary" tools are just fancy calculators. And you don't need a PhD to use a calculator effectively.
Your competitors are already building their unfair advantage. Isn't it time you joined them?
Check out Early Adoptr - Making AI Your Unfair Advantage
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Here's the thing about AI content right now: it's designed to confuse you.
Every day, another "AI expert" drops a 47-slide deck about "leveraging synergistic paradigms for exponential optimization." Another guru promises "revolutionary breakthroughs" using terms that sound impressive but mean absolutely nothing.
This isn't accidental. It's gatekeeping by design.
The AI industry has a vested interest in making this stuff sound impossibly complex. Because if you think you need a PhD to use ChatGPT, you'll pay someone else to do it for you.
That's exactly where Early Adoptr comes in.
We're startup founders ourselves – we've been in the trenches building companies, not just theorizing about them. We cut through the intentional confusion with the kind of practical, no-BS guidance the AI industry doesn't want you to have.
Instead of theoretical frameworks and buzzword bingo, we give you the real breakdown: Which tools actually work (and which ones are just hype), step-by-step implementation guides that don't require a computer science degree, and honest breakdowns of what's worth your time versus what's just Silicon Valley noise.
Because the dirty secret of the AI world? Most of these "revolutionary" tools are just fancy calculators. And you don't need a PhD to use a calculator effectively.
Your competitors are already building their unfair advantage. Isn't it time you joined them?
Check out Early Adoptr - Making AI Your Unfair Advantage
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The agentic shopping wars are here. And nobody's paying attention yet.
Amazon just sued Perplexity. Google just launched agentic shopping. OpenAI is rewriting how commerce works...all of it is aimed at the holiday season, and all of it means something fundamental about e-commerce is about to shift.
But here's what's getting lost in the headlines: this isn't just about the tech. It's a legal story about who owns your customer relationship, amd a business model story about who controls the data. It's a fork in the road for SMBs between two very different futures - one where they're dependent on platforms, and one where they might finally level the playing field.
The narrative says conversational commerce is the future of shopping. But what the platforms are really fighting about is whether you'll shop within their walls or whether you'll shop with an agent that can see everywhere. The winners won't be decided by technology. They'll be decided by who wins the lawsuit and who controls the infrastructure.
In this episode:
Timestamps:
00:00 What We've Been Up to This Week
07:53 Welcoming Nathalie to the podcast
09:36 Shopping at the Point of Inspiration: What Conversational Commerce Actually Means
13:52 When AI Becomes Your Personal Shopping Assistant
14:11 Why Now? The Timing of Conversational Commerce
15:34 The Death of Shopping Friction
18:00 Follow the Money: Who Profits When AI Owns the Customer Relationship
19:31 Amazon vs. Perplexity: The Lawsuit That Could Reshape Retail
24:56 Walled Gardens vs. Open Rails: The Fork in the Road for Commerce
31:27 How Products Get Discovered Without Paid Ads
37:23 Google's Hybrid Approach to Shopping
40:53 Understanding the Two-Tier Internet
45:04 Navigating the New Landscape for SMEs
48:26 AI News: Yann LeCun's Departure from Meta
51:47 AI News: OpenAI Finally Fixes the Em Dash
55:52 AI Gone Wrong: When JPMorgan Let AI Judge Your Performance
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The narrative is everywhere: AI is coming for your job. But here's what nobody's talking about. The data shows AI can't even complete 3% of professional tasks yet.
So why are companies laying people off left and right? In this episode, Jess and Kyle untangle the messiest contradiction in tech: the gap between what AI companies claim their systems can do and what actually happens when they hit real work.
This isn't a doomscroll episode about the end of work. We're looking at what's *actually* happening behind the headlines...the failed pilots, the rehiring sprees, the experts being paid record rates to train the AI systems that might replace them. And most importantly, it's about what *you* can do to position yourself for a world where AI is reshaping every role, not eliminating them.
AI isn't ready for complex professional work yet. But companies are behaving as if it is. The winners will be professionals and organizations that understand this gap and use it strategically - investing in people, not cutting them, and building workflows where AI handles the repeatable and humans handle the judgment calls.
If you're worried about AI taking your job, stop. Start worrying about how to work *with* it instead.
**In this episode:**
- The Mercor paradox: Why ex-surgeons and investment bankers are being paid premium rates to train their own replacement
- What the Remote Labor Index actually revealed
- Why Amazon is laying people off despite AI not being ready for prime time
- The incentive misalignment that's tanking AI pilots everywhere
- Why being "the person who verifies AI output" might be the most valuable skill in 2025
- Three actionable quick wins you can implement this week - whether you work for yourself or someone else
- What the Amazon Rufus vs. Perplexity Comet battle reveals about the future of commerce
- How a hockey coach used AI so badly it might explain why his team is 3-14
**Chapters:**
00:00 What We've Been Up to This Week
04:26 The Question Everyone's Asking: Will AI Take My Job?
08:06 The Paradox: Paying Professionals to Train Their Own Replacement
10:42 The CEO Narrative vs. Reality: Why Companies Lay Off Before AI Is Ready
12:56 The Remote Labor Index: What AI Actually Can't Do (Yet)
14:31 Layoffs Without the Capability to Back Them Up
21:53 When Good Intentions Meet Bad Incentives: Why AI Pilots Fail
22:07 The AI Gap: How Executives' Vision Clashes With Workers' Reality
23:32 How Successful Companies Actually Use AI
28:27 AI as an Advantage, Not Your Replacement
37:22 Building Your Personal AI Stack: The Tech Stack Every Professional Needs
39:40 The Irreplaceable Human: Why Judgment Still Beats Algorithms
41:12 AI News of the Week: Amazon's Rufus v Perplexity's Comet
47:30 AI Gone Wrong: When Sports Data Goes Bad
51:33 Quick Wins for the Week: AI Isn't Going Away - Here's Your Move
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Your entire e-commerce experience is about to change. OpenAI's "Buy with ChatGPT," introduced at the end of September, isn't just a shopping feature. It's the beginning of a complete overhaul of how digital commerce works.
For the past 20 years, discovery, curation, and transaction have been fragmented across platforms, but now all of that is collapsing into one place.
In this episode, Jess and Kyle break down what the two-tier internet actually is, why it won't replace human browsing (yes, you'll still shop for furniture), and why the old rules - "who can pay more" - are being replaced by new ones: "who's structured better." They also unpack why Walmart's participation signals a genuine tipping point for mainstream adoption, and what you need to do right now to prepare for a world where agents handle transactions instead of humans.
In this episode:
- What conversational commerce actually means (and why it's different now than before)
- The two-tier internet explained: Human browsing layer vs. agent transaction layer
- How "Buy with ChatGPT" works technically and where the friction actually is
- Why Walmart joining changes everything
- The agentic commerce protocol (ACP) and what "simple integration" really means
- Discoverability on ChatGPT: The algorithm nobody understands
- The privacy issues around Buy with ChatGPT
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the Victory Lap (Yes, the Dodgers Won)
04:23 Happy 25th Episode to Us!
06:30 Conversational Commerce: What It Actually Means (And Why It's Not New)
06:53 Buy with ChatGPT is Here (And Walmart Knows What's Up)
11:22 Introducing the Two-Tier Internet: Your New Reality
15:41 The Agent Internet (What's About to Happen)
16:06 Browsing vs. Buying: Two Different Worlds
20:54 When Agents Take Over Your Shopping Cart
24:01 Under the Hood: How Buy With ChatGPT Actually Works
33:29 The Privacy Trap: Your Entire Life, One Conversation
39:06 What Do You Need to Do (Starting Today)
40:26 The Attribution Problem Nobody's Talking About (But Should Be)
41:52 The Brand Story Problem: Humans Want Drama, Algorithms Want Data
42:22 AI News of the Week: Wharton's New Report & a Pregnant AI?!
47:20 The Real Bottleneck: It's Not the AI, It's Your Team
49:43 AI Gone Wrong: Grok Goes Wrong (Again)
📲 FOLLOW EARLY ADOPTR
Email: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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AI browsers are here, and they could completely reshape how we use the internet.
OpenAI’s Atlas just launched, instantly putting Google on defense and kicking off Browser Wars 2.0. But this time, it’s not about speed or design—it’s about who controls your digital gateway and the data that powers it.
In this episode, Jess and Kyle break down how Atlas works, what it means for privacy, the rise of agent-based browsing, and why your business can’t afford to ignore the shift toward AI-native interfaces.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro and Apologies to Mariners Fans
03:50 The Gatekeeper Problem: Why Your Browser Matter More Than You Think
08:09 Understanding Atlas: OpenAI's New Browser
11:40 Market Dynamics: OpenAI vs Perplexity
17:37 Future of Browsing: Context and Memory
18:15 Browser Memories and User Behavior
20:42 Agent Mode: The Next Step in AI Browsing
23:25 Exploring Agent Mode and Autonomous Actions
26:20 The Impact of AI on Business Efficiency
27:23 Privacy and Data Security Concerns
30:17 The Broader Tech Landscape and Google's Threat
35:22 Behavioral Shifts in Internet Usage
38:28 Practical Advice for Business Owners
41:03 AI News of the Week
45:32 The Value of Human-Created Content
46:35 Understanding LLM Brain Rot
49:45 AI Gone Wrong: The South Korean Textbook Disaster
54:14 The Pressure to Adopt AI Quickly
54:20 Quick wins and wrapping up for the week
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From LinkedIn posts about abandoned pilots to earnings calls where CEOs walking back their AI promises on earnings calls, are we witnessing the crash after the hype? Welcome to the Trough of Disillusionment – and it might be the best thing that's happened to AI.
This isn't the death of artificial intelligence. It's the birth of something sustainable. While media headlines turn negative and executives panic, the real builders are taking advantage of the chaos. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes: today's AI trough is creating the similar opportunity for businesses willing to play the long game as the Dot Com boom.
This episode unpacks why the AI trough is an opportunity: it's a chance to build with intention rather than FOMO. We discuss the five tactical strategies that will position you to dominate when AI reaches its next growth phase, and why the current trust crisis requires a fundamental reset in how we communicate AI's capabilities.
We also cover the shocking Pew Research poll showing Americans deeply distrust tech companies to develop AI responsibly, Claude's new "Skills" infrastructure that enables specialized tool use, and the hilariously practical AI that solves our collective avocado ripeness problem. Plus, we break down the $290,000 Deloitte Australia scandal where AI hallucinations in a government report led to fabricated court cases and non-existent academic papers - an important reminder of why the human oversight layer still matters.
00:00 What We've Been Up to This Week
04:27 The Backlash Against AI Slop Begins
06:59 Welcome to the Trough of Disillusionment
07:31 The Trough of Disillusionment: There's the Opportunity
10:05 The Gartner Hype Cycle: A Lord of the Rings Journey Through Technology
17:33 Dot-Com Déjà Vu: The Tech Crash Pattern Playing Out in AI
22:53 Skepticism in AI: When Promises Meet Reality
27:58 User Adoption vs. Hype: The Reality of AI Usage
30:06 The Trough of Disillusionment: Opportunities for Growth
31:57 Understanding AI's Real Capabilities and Limitations
33:53 The Importance of Those Little Wins in AI Implementation
37:15 The AI Trust Crisis: Consumer Skepticism and Expectations
44:05 Trust Repair: Building Credibility in AI Solutions
44:58 How to benefit from the Trough
45:08 Tactical Strategies: Navigating the Trough of Disillusionment
49:36 AI News of the Week: Pew Research, Avocado AI and Claude Skills
55:02 AI Gone Wrong: Deloitte's Very Bad Week
58:40 That's a Wrap: Where to Find Us
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The internet is drowning in AI-generated garbage. From Meta's Vibes to Sora 2 to that clearly ChatGPT generated email from your colleague, businesses are losing an estimated $9 million per 1,000 employees annually to low-quality AI content cluttering their workflows.
This isn't about AI being bad. It's about automation without oversight creating an exponential pollution problem that's actively degrading the internet, tanking workplace productivity, and threatening the future training data for AI models themselves. There's no doubt that AI can generate impressive content. The quality of text, images, and video from tools like Sora is legitimately good. So why is there so much slop? Because quality isn't the problem - quality control is. When humans skip the editing, validation, and value-add steps, you get automation without judgment. And at scale, that's disastrous.
Welcome to the world of "AI Slop" - and if you're using AI tools (which you should be), you need to understand the difference between AI-assisted content that adds value and automated garbage that's making everything worse. We also cover a major update from Google that flew under the radar (and why it matters for AEO), a major AI scam running on Spotify, and (even more) big news from OpenAI's Dev Day 2025.
What You'll Learn:
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Poker Face & Getting Our Heads Straight
06:05 AEO Update: Google Just Changed Everything (Again)
16:04 AI Slop Defined
19:53 Sora 2 & Meta's Vibes: The TikTok-ification of Synthetic Media
24:17 Three Ways AI Slop is Breaking the Internet (And Future AI Models)
30:02 WorkSlop: The $9 Million Productivity Black Hole
37:55 The Anti-Slop Framework
44:29 AI News of the Week: OpenAI Dev Day Breakdown
48:03 AI News: What AI Hardware Could Look Like
49:31 AI News: Democratizing AI Fine-Tuning for SMBs
53:23 AI Gone Wrong: When 6,000 Students Got Falsely Accused by Turnitin
57:27 Key Takeaways: Navigating AI Challenges
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OpenAI just launched "Buy It in ChatGPT" - letting users complete purchases without ever visiting your website. If you're not cited by AI engines, you don't just lose traffic. You lose the entire sale.
This is Part 2 of our Answer Engine Optimization series. Last week we covered why AEO matters. This week, we're getting tactical. We break down the exact three-pillar framework you need: on-site optimization, off-site citation building, and measurement strategies that actually work.
The timing couldn't be more urgent. With OpenAI's September 29th announcement, conversational commerce is here. Etsy sellers can now sell directly in ChatGPT. Shopify merchants are next. The entire discovery-to-purchase journey happens in one AI conversation - and if you're not in that conversation, you're invisible.
What You'll Learn:
We also cover Claude's new Slack integration, Sora 2's TikTok-style feed, and why AI-generated music almost broke Spotify's royalty system.
Timestamps:
Key Resources:
The businesses that master AEO in 2025 will have an unfair advantage. The ones that wait will be fighting for scraps. Which side do you want to be on?
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60% of searches now end without a click. If you're still optimizing for Google rankings while your competitors are getting cited by ChatGPT, you're already behind.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) - also known as GEO, GSO, AIO - is fundamentally changing how customers find businesses. Instead of ranking #1 on Google, you need to become the source that AI engines quote when someone asks a question. This isn't SEO 2.0. It's a complete shift in how search works.
What You'll Learn:
Kyle and Jess break down the technical mechanics behind AI search, explain why conversational queries are killing traditional keywords, and reveal the end game: purchases happening entirely inside ChatGPT with zero website visits.
We also cover this week's AI infrastructure news - OpenAI's massive Nvidia partnership and what it means for tool accessibility - plus product launches from Amazon, Google, and Perplexity that signal where commerce is heading.
Part 1 of 2. Next week, we get tactical with implementation frameworks, measurement strategies, and specific actions you can take immediately.
Timestamps:
00:00 What We've Been Up To This Week
04:05 What is AEO and How is it Different from SEO?
08:20 The Zero-Click Era: How AI Answers Killed the Blue Link
12:36 Getting Cited, Not Ranked: The New Rules of Visibility
17:17 Behind the Algorithm: What Makes Content Citation-Worthy to AI
21:22 Spam Meets AI: Why Answer Engines Are About to Get Messy
22:13 How People Actually Talk to AI (And Why It Matters for Your Business)
23:14 The Shift to Conversational Search
26:22 Why AI Search Skips the Top of Your Funnel
28:59 Target vs. Traditional SEO: A Real-World AEO Success Story
32:32 The End Game: When Purchases Happen Inside ChatGPT
34:55 If You're Not in the AI Conversation, You're Invisible
36:04 Tracking the Untrackable: Measuring Citation Optimization
40:03 AI News: The OpenAI-Nvidia Partnership & What It Means for You
44:43 AI News of the Week: Amazon Seller Assistant, Google AI Summaries & Perplexity's Email Agent
49:10 AI Gone Wrong: How ChatGPT Leaked Private Email Data
53:37 Key Takeaways: Why Early AEO Adopters Will Dominate
57:35 Wrap Up & Next Week's Tactical Deep Dive
The search landscape is shifting faster than most businesses realize. Share this with founders and marketers who need to understand where traffic is actually coming from now.
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess tackle the elephant in the room that's sabotaging AI implementations everywhere: AI hallucinations. If you've ever wondered why ChatGPT confidently tells you complete nonsense, or why that "perfect" AI-generated content turned into a business nightmare, this episode breaks down exactly what's happening under the hood and gives you tips and strategies to help minimise the risk of hallucinations.
We also cover YouTube's new AI creator tools, a new movie studio lawsuits, how people are actually using ChatGPT, Italy's groundbreaking AI legislation, and Meta's spectacular demo failure where they accidentally crashed their own presentation.
Key Takeaways:
Glossary:
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess continue their deep dive with data veteran Eric Callahan, exposing the truth about how most businesses actually handle their data. It's messier than you think, and that's exactly why your AI initiatives keep failing.
Eric talks us through his "duct tape analogy" - a brutally honest take on why most companies are digital Frankensteins, we get real about technical debt, data hygiene nightmares, and why throwing AI at bad data is like putting premium gas in a broken engine.
We also discuss how Spotify turned simple data modeling into viral marketing gold with Spotify Wrapped, why Albania just made history by swearing in an AI advisor, and we have an update to our Anthropic lawsuit settlement from last week.
What You'll Learn:
Chapters:
00:00 Intro, Tube Strikes, Furniture Nightmares, Camping and Missing Fingers
03:10 You Have More Data Than You Think: Destroying the "Not Enough Data" Myth
07:26 Welcome back to Eric Callahan
08:44 Why Many Businesses are Held Together with Digital Duct Tape (And How Netflix Avoided This)
13:32 Red Flags: How to Spot When Your Data Processes Are Actually Broken
16:08 Why Your Data is Messier Than You Realize
26:02 Sorry to Break It to You: AI is Not Magic (And Why That's Actually Good News)
29:04 The Secret Behind Spotify Wrapped: How Good Data Creates Viral Moments
34:12 Your Homework: Create a "Wrapped" Experience That'll Make Customers Obsessed
35:53 McDonald's AI Gone Rogue: The Job Application Bot That Exposed Everyone's Data
39:52 Why Spotify Can Launch AI Features Overnight (While Your Competitors Can't)
42:39 AI News of the Week: Anthropic's Settlement Rejected & Albanian AI Advisor
50:03 Your 5-Minute Data Audit: Find the Duct Tape Before It Breaks Everything
53:43 Wrapping Up for the Week!
Glossary:
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In this episode of Early Adoptr, Kyle and Jess bust the biggest AI myth of all: “We don’t have enough data.” The truth? You’re already swimming in it. From emails to spreadsheets to customer conversations, every business has more than enough information to start building AI-powered insights.
To prove it, they bring in data veteran Eric, who’s spent 15+ years cleaning up messy data for startups and enterprises alike. Eric shares why even Fortune 500s are struggling with data quality, how to avoid AI hype traps, and why the “hot dog story” from his kid’s PTA is the perfect metaphor for every business owner’s data nightmare.
You’ll also hear why dashboards break, what “Shift Left” really means, and how to spot untapped data hiding in plain sight. Plus: the latest AI news, from Anthropic’s billion-dollar copyright settlement to sneaky YouTube AI editing.
04:00 Welcoming Eric Callahan
07:52 Why Everyone’s Data Is a Mess and Why It Matters for AI
14:10 Big Data, AI FOMO, and Business Reality Checks
20:28 Emails, Funnels, and the Hidden Data You Already Own
23:56 The Hot Dog Example: Data Engineering for Normal People
32:42 Shift Left: Fixing Data Quality Before It Breaks Everything
42:21 Following the Data Trail: How Actions Become Insights
44:55 Key Takeaways to Make Your Data Work for AI
47:30 AI News of the Week: Anthropic Lawsuit & Data Training, ChatGPT's Parental Controls
59:43 AI Gone Wrong: YouTube Changes Content Without Consent
Get in touch: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess tackle the biggest myth in AI adoption: "I don't have enough data." The reality? Every business owner is sitting on a goldmine of untapped information - they just don't know how to see it or use it. From email threads to customer support tickets to that "Bible spreadsheet" you've been updating for three years, your business is generating incredible amounts of data every single day.
We break down the three types of data your business already has, explain how to actually extract it from your systems without needing a computer science degree, and show you exactly what AI does with all that information once it gets its hands on it. Plus, we dive into the practical side - how connecting different data types can finally prove whether your marketing campaigns actually drive sales, not just open rates.
Whether you're drowning in spreadsheets, wondering how to make sense of years of customer emails, or ready to turn your data into your competitive advantage, this episode will change how you think about every business interaction you have.
What You'll Learn:
Data Terminology:
API (Application Programming Interface) - A documented doorway that lets different software systems ask each other for specific information securely and automatically.
CSV (Comma Separated Values) - A simple file format that stores data in rows and columns, like a basic spreadsheet that any system can read.
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) - The three-step process of pulling data from different places, cleaning it up, and putting it somewhere useful.
JSON - A standardized format that systems use to exchange data in a way that's both human-readable and computer-friendly.
LLM (Large Language Model) - AI systems like ChatGPT or Claude that can read, understand, and generate human-like text.
Mapping - The process of matching data fields from one system to another (like making sure "email" doesn't end up in the "first name" column).
MCP (Model Context Protocol) - An emerging standard that lets AI systems directly access live data from your business tools without manual exports.
Metadata - "Data about data" - information like timestamps, file sizes, who created something, or when it was last modified.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) - How AI finds the right pieces of information from a large collection of documents to answer your questions.
Semi-Structured Data - Information that has some organization but isn't perfectly clean - like that messy spreadsheet with random notes and merged cells.
Structured Data - Information organized in neat rows and columns, like your CRM records or accounting software.
Unstructured Data - Messy information like emails, documents, audio recordings, and PDFs that doesn't fit into neat categories.
Webhooks - Event triggers that automatically push data from one system to another when something specific happens (like a new customer signup).
If this episode helped you realize you're not data-poor after all, share it with another business owner still thinking they need enterprise-level infrastructure to compete with AI.
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess are completely overhaul their most popular episode on prompt engineering, because GPT-5 isn't just faster than GPT-4 - it's fundamentally different. It follows instructions with "surgical precision," handles 800 pages of context at once, and will get confused if you give it contradictory prompts that older models would just ignore. Not to mention there's been a whole host of other updates to prompt engineering that deserve attention too.
We dive deep into why role prompting (like "act as a marketing expert") is largely ineffective according to new research, introduce the game-changing 4C Framework that actually works with GPT-5's precision, and show you how few-shot prompting can boost accuracy from 0% to 90%.
Plus, we break down the shocking MIT report showing 95% of AI pilots are failing - and why that's actually great news for small businesses.
Whether you're frustrated with generic AI responses, wondering why your old prompts don't work as well anymore, or ready to master the communication skills that'll give you a massive competitive advantage, this episode is your roadmap to prompt engineering mastery in 2025.
What You'll Learn:
00:00 Intro and a special surprise from CatBus
05:00 Revisiting Prompt Engineering - Why It Matters
08:16 Prompt Engineering: How Is GPT-5 Different?
17:53 Updating Commonly Held Beliefs About Prompt Engineering
19:58 WTF is Shot Prompting and How Does It Help Write Better Prompts?
21:45 Why You Need to Prioritze Your Context in Prompt Engineering
22:36 Decomposition and Self-Criticism in Prompt Engineering
25:32 Introducing the 4Cs Framework (+P) of Prompt Engineering
34:23 Applying the 4C Framework in the Real World
42:34 AI News of the Week: Bad News for Enterprise AI Projects
50:19 AI Gone Wrong: A Cautionary Tale
56:09 Quick Wins for Effective Prompt Engineering: Updated
If this episode helped you finally get consistent results from ChatGPT-5, share it with other business owners still struggling with generic AI responses.
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess get hands-on with Small Language Models (SLMs) - showing you exactly how to set up your own private AI that runs entirely on your laptop. If last week was the "why," this week is all about the "how," complete with real business use cases and a step-by-step quick win you can try today.
We dive deep into LM Studio, walk through analyzing business documents without sending data to the cloud, and show you how to create content that actually sounds like you wrote it. Plus, we cover ChatGPT's inevitable move to ads, Perplexity's audacious Chrome acquisition bid, and Meta's absolutely inexcusable chatbot scandal that every parent needs to know about.
Whether you're tired of hitting Claude's rate limits, worried about data privacy, or just want an AI assistant that doesn't cost you per query, this episode gives you the practical roadmap to your own local AI setup.
What You'll Learn:
* How to set up LM Studio and download your first small language model in 15 minutes
* Why local AI might actually be faster and more reliable than cloud-based solutions
* The privacy advantages that make SLMs perfect for sensitive business data
* Why ChatGPT's upcoming ads change everything for business decision-making
* Critical red-teaming questions every business owner should ask before launching AI features
Chapters:
00:00 Intro, What We've Been Up to This Week and Chipmunk Cheeks
09:01 Recap: WTF are Small Language Models (SLMs)?
13:16 What Are the Benefits of a Small Language Model for a Small Business?
16:54 Small Language Models: Real World Use Cases
31:17 Comparing Small Language Models to Large Language Models
37:29 Jargon Busting: Why You Should Consider a SLM
40:10 AI News of the Week: ChatGPT Ads, Perplexity Wants to Buy Chrome, Illinois & AI Therapy Regulation
48:14 AI Gone Wrong: Meta's "How Did This Get Approved?" Moment
53:33 Quick Wins: How to Build a Local AI
Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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If this episode convinced you to try building your own local AI, share it with other business owners who are tired of AI subscriptions and rate limits.
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess explore the world of Small Language Models (SLMs) - the focused, cost-effective AI alternatives that might be perfect for your small business. While everyone's talking about expensive enterprise AI solutions, we dive into why smaller, specialized models could be the smarter choice for most business owners.
We break down what Small Language Models actually are (hint: think specialist vs. generalist), explore real-world use cases from customer support chatbots to internal knowledge bases, and give you practical tools you can try today. Plus, we cover Switzerland's groundbreaking open-source AI initiative and why Elon Musk's latest deepfake controversy matters for every business owner.
Tools We Talk About:
- Chatbase.co - https://www.chatbase.co/?via=early-adoptr (If you sign up using this link, we'll earn a small commission at no extra cost!)
- Helpjuice: https://helpjuice.com/
- Slite: https://slite.com/
- LM Studio: https://lmstudio.ai/
- Ollama: https://ollama.com/
What You'll Learn:
Why Small Language Models are like hiring a brilliant specialist instead of an expensive generalist
The real cost differences between SLMs and large enterprise AI solutions
How to build a customer support chatbot in 15 minutes with no coding experience
Why privacy and local deployment make SLMs perfect for sensitive business data
ChatGPT-5 vs Switzerland's new open source model
Practical tools for content generation, email sorting, and employee onboarding using SLMs
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & What We've Been Up To This Week
04:03 WTF is a Small Language Model
08:35 Small Language Models: Open Source vs Open Weight
11:11 Why Would You Use a Small Language Model?
12:36 Small Language Models: What's the Catch? Challenges and Limitations of SLMs
16:43 Small Language Models: Use Cases & Examples
21:43 How Small Language Models Are Great for Data Privacy
24:22 What's the Cost of a Small Language Model vs an LLM?
26:46 Pitfalls to be Aware of With Small Language Models
28:15 Frameworks to Help You Get Started With A Small Language Model
30:05 AI News of the Week: ChatGPT-5 & Switzerland Launches an LLM for the Public Good
43:52 The Future of AI: Open Source Models
49:29 AI Gone Wrong: Grok's New "Spicy" Mode
53:26 Quick Wins of the Week for Small Language Models
56:48 Small Language Models: Wrapping Things Up
Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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If this episode helped you understand Small Language Models and find affordable AI solutions for your business, please share it with other entrepreneurs and small business owners who need practical AI guidance.
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In this episode, Kyle and Jess dive deep into OpenAI's much-hyped ChatGPT Agent feature - and spoiler alert: the reality doesn't quite match the marketing. After Kyle spent a week testing everything from flight booking to DMV appointments, we deliver our take on what works, what doesn't, and why you probably shouldn't connect your email just yet.
We also cover some critical AI news that affects every business owner: YouTube's controversial AI-powered age detection system and Microsoft's internal list of jobs they believe AI will transform. Plus, two concerning privacy stories from OpenAI that validate everything we've been saying about being careful with sensitive data.
Whether you're curious about AI agents, concerned about privacy, or trying to separate AI hype from reality, this episode cuts through the noise with practical insights you can actually use.
What You'll Learn:
Chapters:
Intro & What We've Been Up to This Week
03:43 ChatGPT Agent - Our Honest Review
05:42 AI Agents: A Quick Review & the Ladder of Autonomy
10:38 ChatGPT Agent: How It Works
18:09 ChatGPT Agent: How Does It Handle Tasks?
22:39 ChatGPT Agent: Pros & Cons
24:39 ChatGPT Agent: The Reddit Verdict
29:50 ChatGPT Agent: More Pros & Cons
32:50 What Does the Internet Look Like in a World of Agents?
35:18 ChatGPT Agent: When SHOULD You Use It?
40:57 ChatGPT Agent: Final Impressions
41:35 AI News of the Week: YouTube AI-Powered Age Verification and Microsoft Jobs Report
51:12 AI Gone Wrong: OpenAI Privacy Concerns
56:42 Quick Wins of the Week
Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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If this episode helped you set realistic expectations for AI agents and navigate privacy concerns safely, please share it with other founders and entrepreneurs who need this reality check.
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In this episode, it's the final part of our three-part series with Sean Bhardwaj from Breakthrough Growth Partners. If you missed parts one and two, we highly recommend going back to listen - they set the foundation for today's practical framework.
This week, we're diving into the solution: how to actually create an AI policy framework that protects your business while enabling confident AI adoption. Sean introduces his "Minimum Viable AI Policy" (MV(AI)P) - a simple, one-page document that answers four critical questions every business needs to address before implementing AI tools.
We also cover Amazon's acquisition of the $50 Bee wearable device that listens to everything you say, and the White House's new AI Action Plan that could reshape how entrepreneurs access and use AI technology.
Plus, our AI Gone Wrong segment features a jaw-dropping story about an AI coding agent that completely ignored explicit instructions and deleted an entire production database - a perfect example of why having proper guardrails isn't optional.
Whether you're a founder, entrepreneur, or business owner who's been experimenting with AI tools, this episode provides the practical framework you need to use AI safely and strategically.
What You'll Learn:
Get in touch with Sean:
Website: https://breakthroughgrow.com/
Email: sean@breakthroughgrow.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanbhardwaj/
Sean is offering complimentary 30-minute strategy sessions for Early Adoptr listeners - just mention the podcast when you reach out.
Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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If this episode helped you understand the importance of AI policies for your business, please share it with other founders and entrepreneurs who could benefit from this framework.
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In this episode, it's part two of a three-part series with Sean Bhardwaj from Breakthrough Growth Partners. If you missed part one, we highly recommend going back to listen - it sets the foundation for today's discussion.
This week, we're tackling the uncomfortable truth about AI adoption: why most AI initiatives fail (it's usually not because of the technology itself!). Sean breaks down the five major pitfalls that consistently trip up businesses, no matter how big or small your business is, and provides practical guidance on how to avoid these costly mistakes.
We also cover some notable AI news developments, including OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent, Mistral AI's latest updates, and an entertaining follow-up to our Atari chess story that you won't want to miss.
Whether you're a founder, entrepreneur, or business owner trying to navigate AI adoption thoughtfully, this episode provides actionable frameworks you can implement immediately.
What You'll Learn:
Why 80-90% of AI pilots fail and how to avoid being part of that statistic
Sean's five-pitfall framework for successful AI implementation
How to identify and address shadow AI usage in your organization
Strategies for building team confidence in AI tools without overwhelming busy schedules
How to determine if your company is ready for AI adoption
Chapters:
04:04 The Pitfalls of AI and How to Avoid Them
05:53 Pitfalls of Implementing AI and How to Avoid Them
07:29 Pitfall #1: Ready, Fire, Aim - Misaligned Goals
13:36 Pitfall #2: Weak Leadership or Team Support
18:44 Pitfall #3: Data Quality & Tech Foundations
29:55 Pitfall #4: Ethics & Compliance Gaps
35:54 Pitfall 5: Underdeveloped Skills & Culture
40:52 How to Avoid AI Pitfalls
43:42 How to Rebuild Trust When Things Go Wrong
45:35 Are Some Companies Just Not Ready for AI?
53:23 AI News Gone Wrong
01:00:07 AI Gone Wrong: Atari vs Gemini
Get in touch with Sean:
Website: https://breakthroughgrow.com/
Email: sean@breakthroughgrow.com
Get in touch with Early Adoptr:
hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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If this episode provided valuable insights for your AI strategy, please share it with other business owners who could benefit from this practical approach to AI adoption.
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Jess and Kyle are joined by their first guest, Sean Bhardwaj from Breakthrough Growth Partners! This is part one of a two-part series that dives deep into AI transformation and policy fundamentals, and honestly, it's the conversation every business owner needs to hear right now. Spoiler alert: your team is already using AI tools whether you know it or not, and it's time to get strategic about it.
Sean brings some serious wisdom about why AI isn't just another productivity hack - it's a foundational shift that requires intentional leadership. He shares why we're not actually late to the AI party (despite what the hype suggests), how this technological shift compares to everything from the printing press to the internet, and why the companies that master "proficiency before efficiency" will dominate the next decade.
Plus, we tackle some major AI news that'll affect your business: the EU AI Act is going live way sooner than expected (August 2nd, not 2026!), there's surprisingly good environmental news, and Grok had such a spectacularly bad week.
Fair warning: Sean's insights will completely change how you think about AI adoption. This isn't just about tools - it's about transformation, culture change, and building the infrastructure for responsible AI use before you desperately need it.
00:00: Intro and Welcome Sean!
04:37: Your Team's Secret AI Addiction (And Why You Should Care)
09:38: We've Seen This Movie Before: Why This Time Is Different
20:50: Can I Touch That AI? Timelines to AI Transformation
27:25: The Rogue Intern: Why AI Needs Context
37:02: Stop Sending More Emails: The Real AI Transformation
47:44: AI Policy Takeaways
48:51: AI News of the Week: EU AI Act & Renewable Energy for AI
58:21: AI Gone Wrong: Grok's No Good, Very Bad Week
01:05:07: Wrap Up & Top Tips
Get in touch with Sean:
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Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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Meet the hosts of Early Adoptr, Jess and Kyle. We're here to make AI your unfair advantage.
Get in touch with Early Adoptr: hello@earlyadoptr.ai
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