What’s the BUZZ? — AI in Business

Hosted by Andreas Welsch

Business Management ScienceInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

115

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

“What’s the BUZZ?” is a live format where leaders in the field of artificial intelligence, generative AI, agentic AI, and automation share their insights and experiences on how they have successfully turned technology hype into business outcomes. Each episode features a different guest who shares their journey in implementing AI and automation in business. From overcoming challenges to seeing real results, our guests provide valuable insights and practical advice for those looking to leverage the power of AI, generative AI, agentic AI, and process automation. Since 2021, AI leaders have shared their perspectives on AI strategy, leadership, culture, product mindset, collaboration, ethics, sustainability, technology, privacy, and security. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your efforts to the next level, “What’s the BUZZ?” is the perfect resource for staying up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in the world of AI and automation in business. ********** “What’s the BUZZ?” is hosted and produced by Andreas Welsch, top 10 AI advisor, thought leader, speaker, and author of the “AI Leadership Handbook”. He is the Founder & Chief AI Strategist at Intelligence Briefing, a boutique AI advisory firm.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 8, 2026Episode 1528 min

Three Agentic AI Success Factors Beyond Technology (Sebastian Wernicke)

AI agents are everywhere in the headlines, but successful agentic AI is about much more than deploying the latest technology. The organizations that succeed will be the ones that build the right foundation across data, culture, and strategy. In this episode of “What’s the BUZZ?”, Andreas Welsch welcomes Sebastian Wernicke, author of Data Inspired , to explore what it takes to turn AI ambition into business outcomes. You will learn why data alone is not enough, why organizations need to become data-inspired rather than simply data-driven, and how leaders can create the culture and strategy required for AI agents to deliver real impact: The three critical success factors for agentic AI: data, culture, and strategy How data-inspired organizations use information to drive innovation and competitive advantage Why culture and technology conversations must happen together How AI agents will reshape organizational decision-making What leaders should do today to prepare their organizations for an AI-powered future Whether you are exploring AI agents, building an AI strategy, or leading organizational change, this conversation provides practical guidance for moving beyond AI hype and creating meaningful outcomes. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

July 25, 2026Episode 1424 min

Why Agentic Commerce Needs Contracts (Nitin Badjatia)

When your AI agents start transacting on your behalf, who’s protecting your interests — and how do they prove it? In this episode, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Nitin Badjatia, enterprise software veteran and board member of Customer Commons, to explore one of the most consequential and least-discussed gaps in agentic AI adoption: the absence of enforceable, machine-readable contracts between autonomous agents and the commercial web. Together, they unpack why the digital commerce infrastructure we’ve built on surveillance and click-through consent is fundamentally incompatible with a world where agents act, negotiate, and commit on our behalf — and what the emerging IEEE 7012 “My Terms” standard proposes to do about it. Discover the strategic and governance foundations that responsible agentic commerce requires: Recognize that consent is not a contract — and build your agentic governance accordingly. The terms of service paradigm grants vendors expansive rights users never meaningfully agreed to. As agents multiply, that exposure compounds. IEEE 7012 proposes human-readable, machine-executable contract templates as the foundation for agent-to-agent and agent-to-vendor interaction. Model your digital interactions on physical-world norms. You wouldn’t share your financial strategy with an uncredentialed stranger, and you wouldn’t accept lifetime tracking as the price of entry at a grocery store. Yet that’s the standard your agents are operating within today. Bridging that gap is both an ethical imperative and a governance requirement. Understand the five contract tiers the My Terms standard introduces — from simple transactional exchanges (no data retained beyond the transaction) to more complex arrangements — and identify which tier is appropriate for each agent interaction in your commercial stack. Build toward a neutral, nonprofit contract infrastructure, analogous to how Creative Commons standardized licensing for creative works. The goal is a library of pre-negotiated, legally coherent templates that agents can carry into transactions — giving both parties a verifiable, auditable “legal receipt” for what was agreed. Treat data quality as a governance outcome. A surveilled customer shares guarded context; a customer operating under a mutual contractual arrangement shares richer, more accurate data willingly. Organizations that adopt contract-first agentic models early will generate a higher-fidelity customer signal — not just reduced legal exposure. Whether you’re a Chief Digital Officer designing your agentic commerce strategy, a privacy or legal leader trying to get ahead of regulatory exposure, or an AI architect determining what rights your deployed agents should carry, this episode reframes the agentic opportunity through the lens that matters most: who is actually accountable when the agent acts? Tune in now to understand why the infrastructure of trust — not the sophistication of the model — will determine which organizations can scale agentic commerce with confidence. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

July 11, 2026Episode 1329 min

How AI is Accelerating the Speed of Business (Doug Shannon)

How fast is AI really moving, and what does that mean for your business strategy? In this episode, host Andreas Welsch reconnects with Doug Shannon, an intelligent automation and generative AI leader, to explore the accelerating pace of AI innovation and what it means for organizations navigating this transformation. Together, they discuss why the speed of change has become almost impossible to predict, how companies should approach the build-versus-buy decision, and why your competitive advantage lies not in technology, but in what your organization does best. Key insights from this conversation include: Understanding scaled intelligence: AI isn't just getting faster because of better tools—it's because we're deploying intelligence at scale, which compounds the pace of innovation exponentially. This means your eight-week roadmap may already be outdated. The build-versus-buy paradox: While buying off-the-shelf solutions offers speed and vendor expertise, staying agnostic to specific models and platforms protects you from lock-in. Leverage what you need, when you need it, without becoming beholden to any single provider. Governance meets velocity: The solution isn't to choose between speed and safety—it's to create internal sandboxes and centers of intelligence where teams can experiment safely. Enable your people to build, but within guardrails that keep your organization secure and your data protected. The human element remains critical: Don't fire people to cut costs; instead, empower them with AI tools to become 10X more productive. Context and institutional knowledge walk out the door when you lose experienced team members, and that's a cost you can't easily recover. Orchestration is the future: Single agents are yesterday's news. Multi-agent systems and orchestration—where AI coordinates across different specialized agents—represent the next evolution. This is where enterprises will find their competitive edge. Small and medium-sized companies have an unexpected advantage: Without legacy systems, legacy data, and legacy processes, they can move faster than large enterprises. The real question isn't whether to adopt AI, but how quickly you can. Whether you're a business leader grappling with AI strategy, an IT professional managing governance, or a team member wondering how AI will change your role, this episode offers practical perspectives on navigating the fastest-moving technology shift in modern business. Tune in now to discover how to harness the momentum of AI innovation without losing sight of what makes your organization truly unique. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

June 27, 2026Episode 1224 min

Beyond AI Hype: Building Governance-First Systems (Joseph X Ng)

What if the real competitive advantage in AI isn't about having the biggest models, but about building systems that can be trusted, audited, and governed at scale? In this episode, host Andreas Welsch explores the convergence of AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing with Joseph Ng, Chief Strategy Officer at GeneGenius and author of "The Hybrid Mind: The Human-AI Convergence." Together, they challenge the prevailing narrative around the AI race and reveal why most organizations are solving the wrong problem. Joseph shares critical insights on why companies must shift from treating AI as a tool deployment challenge to redesigning their entire decision-making architecture: Capability is scaling faster than control. Organizations are deploying AI systems without understanding how they behave, how they're exposed, or how they can be influenced—creating exponential risk that compounds across interconnected agents and workflows. The real differentiation won't come from model size or compute power. It will come from organizations that can build systems where intelligence, oversight, and human authority are embedded into the architecture from day one—what Joseph calls Cognitive AI and Native Architecture (CANA). Quantum computing isn't a distant threat. The "harvest now, decrypt later" approach means sensitive data collected today could be compromised once quantum becomes viable, making cryptographic hardening and governance redesign urgent priorities for leaders. For mid-sized organizations without large AI centers of excellence, Joseph recommends a phased, modular approach: audit your current systems, identify breaking points, and integrate AI incrementally while building governance into execution—not policy documents. Whether you're a business leader navigating the AI landscape or a technology executive preparing for what's next, this conversation cuts through the noise to reveal what actually matters: building institutions that can operate intelligence responsibly, visibly, and at scale. Tune in now to discover how to move beyond AI hype and build the governance-first systems that will define competitive advantage in the years ahead. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

June 13, 2026Episode 1126 min

Navigating AI's Ethical Nightmare Challenges (Reid Blackman)

What happens when AI moves faster than your ability to govern it safely? In this episode, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Reid Blackman, founder and CEO of Virtue and author of "The Ethical Nightmare Challenge," to explore the critical ethical risks that emerge as AI evolves from narrow systems to generative and agentic solutions. Reid brings a philosopher's perspective to the business challenges of AI deployment, discussing how organizations can avoid the reputational, regulatory, and legal pitfalls that come with increasingly autonomous systems. Discover why traditional approaches to responsible AI governance are breaking down and what you need to do instead: Understand the escalating complexity of AI risk as systems become more autonomous and interconnected. Cascading failures, emergent risks, and the loss of meaningful human oversight create a perfect storm of potential disasters that move at unprecedented speed and scale. Recognize that the standard top-down, policy-driven approach to AI ethics is fundamentally broken. Enterprise-wide policies take years to implement while technology leaps ahead, leaving organizations perpetually chasing yesterday's problems with tomorrow's tools. Shift from abstract values to concrete nightmare scenarios. By identifying organizationally relevant ethical nightmares—discriminatory outcomes at scale, hallucinated reports, unforeseen system failures—you create actionable strategies that everyone across your organization can understand and collaborate on. Prioritize rapid, scalable governance solutions that move at the pace of AI innovation. Whether you adopt Reid's Ethical Nightmare Challenge framework or another approach, your risk management must be nimble enough to keep pace with deployment, not slow it down. Whether you're a business leader deploying AI systems, a risk officer concerned about governance, or a technologist grappling with ethical complexity, this conversation reveals why facing AI's challenges head-on is the only path to capturing its genuine opportunity. Don't miss this essential discussion on turning AI hype into responsible, sustainable business outcomes. Tune in now to learn how to navigate the ethical minefield of modern AI deployment. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

May 30, 2026Episode 1026 min

From Task Automation to Talent Evolution: Multi-Agent Systems in HR (Kris Saling)

What happens when you deploy multi-agent systems into your HR operations—and how do you ensure they elevate your workforce rather than replace it? In this episode, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Kris Saling, Senior Data Science Leader working on AI integration for personnel management at scale, to explore the critical foundations needed for successful multi-agent deployments in human resources. Together, they discuss how to identify where agents truly add value, the importance of governance without stifling innovation, and why domain expertise matters as much as technical capability. Discover the strategic framework that transforms agent implementation from a technology exercise into a business outcome: Use the eliminate, simplify, automate, elevate framework to determine which tasks genuinely benefit from intelligent automation versus simple RPA solutions. Not every workflow needs a sophisticated multi-agent system—sometimes the best solution is far simpler. Build governance structures that encourage citizen development while maintaining visibility into what agents are doing, who built them, and when they were last validated. Think of it as traffic laws that keep innovation flowing safely, not bureaucratic red tape. Shift HR's role from transactional processing to full-spectrum talent management. Create a "Waze model" for your workforce where employees can see their skills, available opportunities, and career pathways as automation evolves their current roles. Prioritize domain knowledge alongside technical training. As automation removes the foundational "toil" that traditionally teaches new employees how systems work, you must intentionally preserve that learning pathway. Recognize that AI will transform jobs, not eliminate them—if you keep elevating your human workforce into the work only humans can do. The future belongs to organizations that master this balance. Whether you're an HR leader navigating AI integration, a business executive building multi-agent systems, or a technologist curious about enterprise-scale deployment, this episode offers practical insights and a refreshing perspective on how to turn AI hype into sustainable workforce outcomes. Tune in now to discover how to build multi-agent systems that strengthen your organization's most valuable asset—your people. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

May 16, 2026Episode 926 min

How MLOps and LLMOps Drive Consistent Results (Kristen Kehrer)

AI is moving quickly from experimentation to deployment, but what does it actually take to operationalize AI successfully? In this episode of “What’s the BUZZ?”, host Andreas Welsch speaks with Kristen Kehrer about the operational realities behind deploying AI, LLMs, and agentic systems in enterprise environments. Three key insights stand out: Production AI requires more than a successful demo Many organizations underestimate the complexity of moving AI systems into production. Reliable deployment requires monitoring, governance, iteration, and collaboration across business and technical teams. Clean data and knowledge bases remain essential Even advanced AI systems depend on high-quality documentation and structured information. Weak knowledge bases often lead to unreliable outputs and poor user experiences. LLMOps introduces a new operational layer Managing prompts, retrieval pipelines, evaluations, and interaction quality has become critical as organizations scale customer-facing AI systems and AI agents. A practical reminder: successful AI adoption is not about deploying the newest model first. It is about building reliable systems, strong operational processes, and the right collaboration between people and technology. Listen to the full episode for a grounded perspective on what it takes to operationalize AI at scale. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

May 2, 2026Episode 825 min

Accelerating Document Processing with AI (Ariana Smetana)

AI is getting a lot of attention, but where does it actually create measurable impact? In this episode of “What’s the BUZZ?”, host Andreas Welsch speaks with Ariana Smetana, CEO of AccelIQ Digital, about how finance teams can move from experimentation to real outcomes using AI in document processing and reporting. Three key insights stand out: - Start with the bottleneck, not the technology Many finance teams still rely on manual spreadsheets to assemble and validate data. The real opportunity lies in addressing these operational constraints and enabling faster, more proactive decision-making. - Balance probabilistic AI with deterministic accuracy In finance, “almost right” is not acceptable. A layered approach of combining human validation, deterministic calculations, and AI-driven summarization ensures both speed and trust. - Keep humans in control to build trust and adoption AI should augment, not replace, domain expertise. Embedding human oversight across the process is critical to ensuring accuracy, security, and confidence in outputs. A practical reminder: successful AI adoption is not about doing everything or about doing something flashy. It is about solving the right problem, in the right way, with the right level of control. Listen to the full episode for a grounded perspective on applying AI where precision truly matters. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

April 18, 2026Episode 725 min

Evolving Executive Leadership with Agentic AI (Elise Neel)

What if you could get your executive's feedback before your big presentation to them (with zero effort)? Agentic AI makes it possible. In the latest episode of “What’s the BUZZ?”, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Elise Neel, SVP of Global Strategy and Strategic Partnerships at Panasonic, to explore what it really takes for executives to lead in an era of Agentic AI. This conversation goes beyond the hype and gets into a far more important question: How does leadership evolve when intelligence is no longer scarce? Catch the BUZZ: - Why the best leaders are the best orchestrators - How Agentic AI reshapes operating models in addition to productivity - Why executive leaders need hands-on experience beyond theoretical understanding - How sparring agents scale executives’ time and feedback Leaders looking to move from AI curiosity to real organizational impact find examples and inspiration in this episode to evolve their own leadership approach. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter

April 3, 2026Episode 626 min

How to Set Up Your AI Governance and Risk Program (Walter Haydock)

What does it actually take to build AI governance that enables innovation instead of slowing it down? In this episode of “What’s the BUZZ?”, host Andreas Welsch sits down with Walter Haydock, CEO of StackAware, to break down how leaders can move from reactive AI usage to structured, scalable governance without killing momentum. Together, they discuss why most organizations get AI risk wrong, where governance efforts typically fail, and how to design a program that balances speed, security, and business value. He shares practical insights on defining risk appetite, simplifying policies, and avoiding the extremes that derail AI adoption. Highlights you’ll get from the conversation: Why most companies fall into two traps—“ban AI” or “anything goes”—and how to find the middle ground. The three risks every AI leader must address: data confidentiality, IP ownership, and reputation. What ISO 42001 actually provides and how it helps operationalize AI governance at any scale. The only four ways to handle risk—and why AI doesn’t change these fundamentals. How to define risk appetite in real business terms to guide faster, better decisions. Why overly complex data classification policies fail—and what to do instead. The #1 mistake organizations make when implementing governance programs: unrealistic timelines. If you want a clear, practical approach to managing AI risk while still moving fast, this episode delivers actionable guidance you can apply immediately. Listen now to learn how to turn AI governance from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage. Questions or suggestions? Send me a Text Message. Support the show *********** Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers. Level up your AI Leadership game with the AI Leadership Handbook ( https://www.aileadershiphandbook.com ) and shape the next generation of AI-ready teams with The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge ( https://www.humanagenticaiedge.com ). More details: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com All episodes: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/podcast Get a weekly thought-provoking post in your inbox: https://www.intelligence-briefing.com/newsletter