The AI in Business Podcast

A decade of stalled industrial AI efforts has given way to a new phase where agentic systems can finally handle complex, variable operational tasks without the brittle constraints of earlier automation. In this episode, Somya Kapoor, CEO at IFS Loops, joins Daniel Faggella Emerj CEO and Head of Research to examine how digital workers can be introduced as task‑specific assistants that learn from business instructions and progressively take on procurement, service, and back‑office responsibilities. She highlights the shift toward managing these agents alongside human teams, emphasizing focused adoption, measurable operational gains, and the need for built‑in oversight, auditability, and guardrails. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Enterprise AI is outpacing the operating models built to support it, forcing leaders to reconcile rapid iteration with safety, governance, and real‑world scale. In this episode, David Glick, SVP of Enterprise Business Services at Walmart, examines how stopwatch‑speed prototyping, nano‑agent architectures, and evolving security processes are reshaping enterprise delivery. The discussion highlights shifts from monoliths to federated agents, faster iteration cycles, and the emerging need to build the machine that builds the machine. Executives shaping real AI outcomes are invited to contribute their lessons to a curated peer audience. Learn more at go.emerj.com/expert to be considered for a future 'AI in Business' episode. Align your brand with the executives defining the enterprise AI agenda—partner at go.emerj.com/partner

The traditional focus on supply chain efficiency has created brittle networks that break under modern volatility and shifting global trade consensus. Optilogic provides an AI‑native platform for supply chain design, where autonomous agents build models, generate scenarios, and evaluate network tradeoffs. In this episode, Don Hicks, CEO at Optilogic, unpacks why enterprise leaders must run supply chain planning and design as parallel, symbiotic processes to move beyond current network constraints and build for long-term resilience. The discussion outlines a framework for using AI to automate routine tactical decisions while leveraging human-led what-if simulations to architect future-state competitive advantages. This episode is sponsored by Optilogic. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner

The reliance on historical data and manual CRM entry has created a significant gap between internal strategy and the real-time signals driving today's complex medical technology market. In this episode, Mike Monovoukas, CEO and Co-founder, and Alex Wakefield, CRO at AcuityMD, examine how operationalizing AI through proactive market signals and field-based insights can drive revenue growth by increasing representative effectiveness. The discussion outlines frameworks for achieving 10x efficiency gains by integrating voice-driven workflows and predictive data to accelerate territory onboarding and eliminate administrative burdens. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? This episode is sponsored by AcuityMD.

In today's episode sponsored by K1x, the accounting sector faces a critical inflection point as a deficit of 300,000 professionals intersects with escalating regulatory complexity and a doubling of alternative investment data. Ken Powell, Chief Revenue Officer at K1x, examines how sophisticated tax technology is facilitating a transition from experimental pilot programs to the institutional deployment of automated workflows that neutralize the limitations of manual compliance. The discussion outlines a strategic framework for implementing straight-through processing to extract intricate, non-standardized data from supplemental disclosures, effectively compressing a week of manual labor into several hours. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Enterprise data estates often optimize for platform expansion over decision velocity, producing reporting layers that signal activity but fail to accelerate strategic outcomes. In this episode, Barry McCardel, CEO at Hex, examines how leading organizations can compress the gap between executive questions and decision-grade insight to materially increase the enterprise value of data. The discussion focuses on tightening feedback loops, operationalizing collaborative and AI-augmented analysis, and redefining data ROI around adoption, trust, and measurable business impact rather than production metrics. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Today's guest is Ylan Kazi, Chief Data and AI Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. With deep experience leading enterprise AI strategy in regulated healthcare, Ylan brings a grounded perspective on how organizations can innovate responsibly with emerging technology. Ylan joins Emerj Emerj Client Narrative & Content Strategy Lead Nick Gertsch to discuss how healthcare leaders can approach AI adoption through clear organizational posture, strong governance, and a focus on measurable customer and operational value. Ylan also shares practical takeaways, including balancing build-versus-buy decisions, embedding explainability and auditability into workflows, and prioritizing AI use cases that reduce friction in the patient experience while delivering sustainable ROI. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Customer service leaders face rising pressure to resolve more interactions faster, while maintaining high-quality experiences — and many legacy systems and processes can't keep up. In this episode, Craig Walker, CEO of Dialpad, joins Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research, to break down how AI can augment human agents to handle routine requests like order status and password resets, freeing teams to focus on complex issues. He shares actionable strategies for enterprise leaders, from cleaning knowledge bases and analyzing ticket patterns to running controlled pilots and scaling AI agents across the organization. Craig also explains how AI can coach agents in real time and surface insights for managers, creating a continuously improving support system that drives measurable ROI. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1 Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

The critical bottleneck in small commercial pricing is no longer the actuarial model itself, but the operational friction and administrative stagnation that occurs during the transition from indication to production deployment. In this episode, Barbara Stacer, Vice President and Head of Small Commercial Underwriting and Underwriting Operations at Utica National Insurance Group, unpacks how carriers can eliminate premium leakage and accelerate speed-to-market by implementing standardized operational infrastructure to automate versioning, documentation, and governance. The discussion outlines a practical framework for mapping pricing lifecycles to identify specific deployment delays and transitioning to a governed environment where audit trails are synchronized with rate adjustments. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? This episode is sponsored by Akur8.

Today's guest is Carey Smith, Former President and CIO of XcelerateHealth and Chief Technology Innovation Officer (CTIO) of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. XcelerateHealth is a health-tech startup and business unit of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, focused on AI-driven digital products to transform healthcare insurance experiences. Carey joins Emerj's Nick Gertsch to discuss how leaders can structure talent and workforce AI so decisions are consistent, reviewable, and aligned with organizational controls. Smith also shares practical steps for tightening decision rights, improving data readiness, and designing workflows where AI accelerates hiring and mobility without increasing risk. This episode is sponsored by Eightfold AI. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Commercial life‑sciences teams are facing a widening gap between strong brand strategy and fragmented real‑world execution, driven by misaligned workflows, static targeting, and an inability to act at the speed patients move through their therapeutic journeys. In this episode, Philip Poulidis, CEO and Co-founder of ODAIA, unpacks how AI can close that gap by connecting brand intent to real‑time execution, enabling teams to prioritize the right HCPs, orchestrate engagement, and measure impact through outcomes rather than activity metrics. He highlights the practical shifts required to get there — from cross‑functional adoption and workflow‑embedded insights to attribution modeling, efficiency gains, and focused pilots that prove value quickly. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Today's guest is Raghu Ahobilam, Global Director of Inventory and Assets at NOV. Raghu brings global leadership experience across inventory management, asset strategy, and operational transformation in the energy and industrial manufacturing sector. Raghu joins Daniel Faggella Emerj CEO and Head of Research to examine how enterprise data foundations and emerging AI capabilities are reshaping maintenance, asset utilization, and cross-functional decision-making in complex, legacy environments. Raghu also shares practical approaches to building KPI-driven dashboards, prioritizing predictive use cases, improving asset deployment across regions, and strengthening business cases for ROI across supply chain, manufacturing, and operations. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? If you're interested in unlocking our AI best practice guides, frameworks for AI ROI, and specific resources for AI consultants, visit emerj.com/p1

Enterprise risk leaders are currently struggling to move beyond static, episodic checklists while managing the data "fire hose" generated by continuous monitoring. In this episode, Dean Alms, Chief Product Officer, and Eric Hensley, Chief Technology Officer at Aravo, break down how AI-native orchestration transforms fragmented risk data into a holistic, board-level resilience strategy. They examine practical shifts toward exception-based monitoring, the automation of rote tasks like document ingestion, and the necessity of governing "responsible AI" practices within the vendor ecosystem. This episode is sponsored by Aravo. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?

Eliminating the friction caused by fragmented customer context is a primary mandate for enterprise operations leaders. Joe Atamian, Vice President at Comcast, joins the program to discuss the transition to an AI-first operating model — where AI acts as the connective infrastructure that maintains history and intent across IVR, chat, and live agents. This briefing explores how the Fortune 500 can move human teams away from system navigation and toward high-value judgment, empathy, and resolution. This episode is sponsored by Atlan. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/media_kit

Today's guest is Hemant Banavar, Chief Product Officer at Motive. Hemant leads product strategy for AI-driven systems that bring real-time visibility and decision support to safety-critical physical operations. Hemant joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to unpack what changes when AI moves from after-the-fact reporting to edge-based, real-time detection and feedback — where accuracy and low latency determine whether insights actually prevent incidents. Hemant also shares practical takeaways on replacing lagging indicators with frontline feedback loops, combining video and operational telemetry to surface actionable risk signals, and building an ROI case through fewer incidents, lower insurance and fuel costs, and more consistent operational performance. If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show. Episode Notes: 12:33 - 12:50: Since January 1, 2023, Motive estimate that the Motive AI Dashcam is estimated to have helped prevent over 170,000 accidents and saved 1,500 lives 12:46: Based on an internal study of customers with 150 or more active monthly vehicles and at least 90% AI Dashcam adoption for at least 12 months. Some of the AI Dashcam Plus features like hands-free communication aren't available until later in 2026.

Today's guest is Umesh Rustogi, General Manager of Dragon for Nursing at Microsoft Health & Life Sciences. An expert in applying AI to clinical workflows, Umesh joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to explain how healthcare organizations are moving AI from pilot programs to real-world adoption. Umesh also shares practical strategies for reducing nurse documentation burden, improving accuracy and compliance, and turning AI deployments into measurable operational and patient-care impact. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at https://go.emerj.com/media_kit.

Today's guest is Dan Keto, President and Co-founder at Easy Metrics, where he focuses on helping warehouse and distribution teams turn fragmented transactional data into a unified "single pane of glass" that supports faster diagnosis of variance and more defensible decision-making. Dan joins Emerj's Matthew DeMello to explore what a solid data foundation looks like in warehouse networks — and why it matters before teams attempt to layer AI on top. He also shares practical takeaways on how enterprises can align stakeholders around a common data language, avoid costly "AI-first" missteps, and use repeatable investigations and alerts to surface real cost drivers. This episode is sponsored by Easy Metrics. If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today's guest is Nishtha Jain, AI Innovation Leader. Nishtha leads enterprise data and AI strategy in the biopharma sector, focusing on aligning advanced analytics and AI systems with real-world clinical, regulatory, and operational workflows. Nishtha joins Emerj Client Narrative & Content Strategy Lead Nick Gertsch to examine why most enterprise AI pilots fail to scale, how unrealistic expectations and poorly defined use cases undermine ROI, and what it takes to design human-centered AI systems that fit how teams actually work in regulated environments. Nishtha also breaks down practical frameworks for measuring value beyond headcount reduction, including return on employee experience and long-term capability building, along with concrete approaches to faster experimentation, customer-driven use-case prioritization, and building flexible operating models that adapt as technology and market conditions evolve. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today's guest is Stephen Wolfram, Founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. Wolfram is a pioneering computer scientist and physicist, best known for creating Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha, and for decades of work on complexity, computation, and the foundations of how systems evolve. Stephen joins Emerj CEO and Head of Research Daniel Faggella to explore how simple computational rules can give rise to complex, unpredictable systems, and what that means for the future of intelligence beyond biological life. The conversation examines concepts like computational irreducibility, adaptive evolution, and "bulk orchestration" at the molecular and digital level, framing how AI systems, biological organisms, and even physical processes can be understood as part of a broader computational universe. Stephen also shares practical perspectives on how these ideas translate into real-world AI development, including why coarse, outcome-driven objectives often outperform overly rigid design in machine learning, how enterprises can think about building systems that evolve rather than simply execute, and what leaders should understand about the limits of predictability, governance, and control as AI becomes more deeply embedded in business workflows. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today's guest is Naveen Kumar, Head of AI Governance at TD Bank. With extensive experience in AI risk management and governance, he provides actionable strategies for secure AI scaling in regulated environments. Naveen joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss foundational challenges blocking AI adoption in banking, including data leakage, prompt injection, shadow AI, and hallucinations. Naveen also shares practical takeaways, such as role-based AI guardrails for data access, safe sandboxes for experimentation, hybrid deployments to protect sensitive data, and treating AI agents as de-risked employees with human oversight for compliance and ROI. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers?