What happens when a corporate professional discovers AI and decides to rebuild his entire career around it? In this episode, Leo Young talks with Nick Pope, better known as The AI Pope. After two decades at AT&T, Bank of America, and Comcast, everything changed when ChatGPT launched. Nick dove headfirst into AI and became a trusted guide for businesses trying to make sense of the AI revolution.
Today, Nick works with global brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Ace Handyman, while also helping local nonprofits and small businesses in New Hampshire embrace AI. His mission: to make AI practical, approachable, and transformative.
👉 Highlights from this conversation:
💡 Nick’s pivot from corporate America to AI entrepreneurship
📈 How he trained thousands at Fortune 500 brands on AI
🛠️ Why personal use is the key to unlocking AI adoption at work
🤝 The challenge of AI implementation inside organizations
⚡ The three stages of becoming “AI fluent”
🌐 The future of AI tools, wrappers, and workplace integration
📚 Nick’s top resources, podcasts, and books to learn AI faster
If you want to understand AI beyond the hype and see how to use it to save time, cut costs, and think differently, this episode is packed with insights.
//Timestamps//
00:00 Intro
01:07 Nick’s career path from corporate to entrepreneurship
03:29 Discovering ChatGPT and the early AI rabbit hole
04:52 First role as a fractional AI director
07:17 Launching The AI Pope and local AI initiatives
09:40 Curiosity, ADHD, and learning AI faster
13:50 How to talk to AI and prompt effectively
16:33 The three phases of AI adoption
18:53 Why AI jargon scares people unnecessarily
21:02 Finding your lane with AI as a non-technical professional
23:52 Why voice input is a game-changer
26:09 Navigating the noisy AI tool ecosystem
29:14 What makes a real AI company versus hype
33:54 Wrappers, model agnostic tools, and the risk of lock-in
34:14 Why 95% of corporate AI implementations fail
37:00 Building culture, policy, and literacy for AI success
41:00 Why companies must find their hidden “AI champions”
44:54 Training thousands at major companies and lessons learned
47:37 The #1 indicator of AI adoption success
49:47 Nick’s practical tool recommendations for immediate ROI
52:03 Overhyped AI use cases
52:37 Nick’s favorite podcasts and books on AI
53:31 How to connect with Nick Pope
👇 One Small Step to See What AI Can Do (from Nick): Book a free 30-minute consult and bring me one workflow or problem you’re stuck on. We’ll look at it together and I’ll show you exactly how AI can save you time and make life easier. https://calendar.app.google/zWDku2MvtertB9gT6
🤝 CONNECT WITH NICK
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickwpope/
TIKTOK: @theaipope
👋 CONNECT WITH LEO
1) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-young/
2) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leoyoungrealestate/
3) Want to invest with us? https://tidycal.com/leoyoungrealestate/investor-alignment-call
Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as such. All investments carry risk, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Any mention of investment opportunities is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. Offers, if any, will be made only through official offering documents and only to qualified, accredited investors in jurisdictions where permitted by law. Consult your own financial, legal, and tax advisors before making investment decisions.
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