AI Agents are becoming increasingly popular for several reasons, representing a significant advancement in artificial intelligence technology and offering numerous benefits for both businesses and individuals. Moreover, here’s a closer look at why AI Agents are gaining such traction:

1. Autonomous Action and Productivity Boost:

First and foremost, AI Agents can work independently, handling tasks without the need for constant human oversight. Consequently, this ability greatly enhances productivity by automating various processes. As Graham Wilkinson, Chief Innovation Officer at Kinesso, points out, “If I look at the volume of work that I put out personally now, it’s increased massively because I’ve got these agents that help me do work now.” Furthermore, these agents function like additional team members, enabling humans to concentrate on more complex and creative tasks.

2. Integration with Existing Systems:

Additionally, AI Agents can be smoothly integrated into current IT systems and workflows. Specifically, they can connect with various platforms and tools, transforming the architecture of the enterprise landscape. As a result, this integration facilitates more efficient operations across different departments and functions within an organization.

3. Natural Language Interface:

In addition, the emergence of large language models (LLMs) has simplified interactions with AI Agents using natural language. Consequently, this accessibility allows even non-technical users to take advantage of AI capabilities. For instance, as Shingai Manjengwa explains, “We can use an LLM as a natural language interface, and then the agent can use information from the LLM to go out on the web and create an itinerary for you.”

4. Versatility and Specialization:

Furthermore, AI Agents can be crafted for general purposes or specialized tasks. From customer service and sales development to HR functions and cybersecurity, these agents can be customized for specific domains. Thus, this versatility enables businesses to implement AI solutions across various departments and functions.

5. Continuous Learning:

Equally important, AI agents have the capability to learn and enhance their performance over time. As Stephen Foskett points out, these agents can access external data sources—whether it’s a calculator, a weather report, or a client list. Subsequently, they can identify these sources, understand their content, integrate the information, and take actions autonomously on your behalf. Ultimately, this ongoing learning process enables agents to become increasingly efficient and effective.

6. Cost Savings and ROI:

Moreover, implementing AI agents can result in substantial cost savings for businesses. By automating routine tasks and boosting efficiency, companies can lower operational expenses and potentially save billions of dollars. Hence, this prospect of a tangible return on investment (ROI) makes AI agents especially appealing to businesses.

7. Enhanced Customer Experience:

In addition to cost savings, AI agents are capable of providing round-the-clock support and tailored experiences for customers. Specifically, they can manage multiple interactions at once, which helps to minimize wait times and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

8. Adaptability to Unstructured Data:

Unlike traditional automation tools, AI Agents can handle unstructured inputs and generate well-formed outputs. Consequently, this capability makes them particularly valuable for processing complex data sets and adapting to unexpected scenarios.

9. Rapid Development and Deployment:

Furthermore, with the emergence of frameworks and toolkits for building AI Agents, companies can now deploy these solutions quickly. As Foskett notes, “There was no agentic AI last year at this time and this year at this time there are SaaS platforms that are being used by some of the biggest names in the industry.”

10. Potential for Future Innovation:

Lastly, AI Agents are seen as a step towards more advanced AI systems, potentially leading to artificial general intelligence (AGI). This potential for future innovation and capabilities makes them an exciting area for research and investment.

In conclusion, although there are challenges to address, including the necessity for effective governance and ethical considerations, the advantages and possibilities of AI Agents are propelling their swift adoption across various industries. As these technologies advance, we can anticipate even more creative applications and use cases for AI Agents in the coming years.

Hey, everyone! I’m here to share some insights from a fascinating chat I had with Jones Loflin, an expert in the art of juggling life’s endless tasks. Our conversation, full of light-hearted moments and profound advice, ventured into the realm of time management and productivity in today’s whirlwind of distractions.

Battling Distractions Head-On

Jones and I dove into tackling distractions, the beasts of our modern, connected lives. We pinpointed three villains: our inner chaos, the lure of technology and our surroundings, and the ever-mounting expectations from others. Jones shed light on a peculiar trend — the badge of honor that busyness has become, often confused with genuine productivity. He offered a golden nugget of advice: mastering the art of saying “yes,” “no,” or “yes, but…” to safeguard our precious time and focus.

Navigating the Work-from-Home Maze

The shift to home offices has blurred the lines between personal and professional life, nudging us towards a potential burnout cliff. We emphasized the crucial role of drawing clear lines in the sand to guard our work-life balance and ensure we don’t end up living at work. It’s about carving out space for work and life, without letting one overtake the other.

The conversation took a turn towards the flexibility in work styles and the peril of the silent resignation wave — when folks drift away, physically present but disengaged, due to vague expectations and misaligned tasks. Jones and I agreed on the power of prioritization and the courage to turn down what doesn’t align with our objectives, making space for what truly matters.

The Scent of Focus

Jones introduced an intriguing aspect of productivity — the influence of our environment, even down to the scent that fills our workspace. He shared his secret weapon: a diffuser puffing out white tea and thyme to sharpen his focus. We chuckled over my curiosity about a whiskey-scented version, pondering the personalized aromas that might boost our concentration.

As we wrapped up, Jones extended an invitation to continue the dialogue on LinkedIn, sharing more tips and strategies for conquering the chaos. I closed our chat by reminding everyone that time is our most valuable asset, and we must wield it wisely. Big thanks to Jones for the insights and to all of you for tuning in. Let’s keep striving to make every moment count, creating spaces that inspire focus and foster balance in this digital era.

In a world buzzing with gadgets and gizmos, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest tech trend. But what does it really take to lead in the digital age? I had the chance to chat with Geoff Blaisdell, a seasoned digital expert, and his insights were like finding a map in a tech jungle.

Tech Isn’t Just for Show

First, we discussed how businesses and technology are buddies. It’s not about having the flashiest tools but using tech to fix problems and add real value. Imagine a superhero duo where one is all tech-savvy, and the other knows exactly where to save the day. That’s how tech and business should work together.

Talking about digital transformation seems like a big, scary term that might mean robots taking over jobs. But it’s actually about making things connect better, streamlining work, and making the most out of data. Geoff put it simply: digital means getting things done faster and smarter.

Goals and Gadgets Should Get Along

We also chatted about ensuring tech efforts align with a business’s goals. It’s like planning a trip—you wouldn’t pack your bags without knowing your destination, right? The same goes for bringing in new technology.

Ah, the big question: Will AI steal our jobs? Geoff thinks it’s not just about job loss. It’s like giving a superhero a new gadget. It can make them do their job better, not replace them. He shared how AI can help investment managers make smarter decisions, like a chess grandmaster teaming up with AI to win the game.

In all this talk about technology, we agreed that keeping things human is crucial. Geoff mentioned a startup using AI to help sales teams but in a way that keeps personal interaction at the heart of it all. It’s a reminder that behind every screen, there’s a human being.

The Road Ahead: Transformations and Challenges

Looking into the future, Geoff sees a mix of small steps and giant technological leaps. He’s excited about things like self-driving cars that could change how we live by giving us more time for ourselves. But, he also worries about the ethical dilemmas, like using AI in courts. Could it be fairer, or could it go wrong?

Our chat also touched on the use of bots in business. The idea is to be clear about using them and not trick people into thinking they’re talking to humans. Plus, we pondered the ethical side of technology, like in the movie “Her,” where someone falls in love with a digital voice. It makes you wonder about the future of human and AI relationships.

Chatting with Geoff Blaisdell opened up a window into the importance of digital leadership in today’s business world. It’s about more than just jumping on the latest tech trend. It’s about solving real problems, staying aligned with your goals, and keeping the human connection alive in the digital age. In a way, leading in the digital world is about using technology not just to change the game but to make it better for everyone involved.

The Future of AI in Sales and Customer Support

Chat with Thomas Ryan, founder of the AI sales software company Bigly Sales, on my podcast. His perspectives on how artificial intelligence transforms sales and customer service revealed a technology that’s not just a fad but a valuable productivity tool. I wanted to share some of his compelling insights.

From Humble Beginnings to Cutting-Edge AI

Thomas traced how Bigly Sales pivoted from a primary sending platform to an AI powerhouse. What drove this change? Customer demand for more efficient outreach and lead gen. By incorporating AI, Bigly Sales offers tools that leave human capabilities in the dust when processing data and accuracy.

A common worry about AI tools is accuracy. Thomas put those concerns to bed. Bigly Sales’ AI is trained meticulously with specific data and instructions to deliver reliable, precise results. This precision inspires trust in the technology from sales teams integrating it into their workflows.

Enhancing the Customer Experience

Thomas highlighted how AI is upgrading customer support, too. AI-powered voice systems can slash wait times and improve experiences. Interactions fueled by AI can identify upselling opportunities much faster than human agents.

Thomas forecasted a future where early AI adopters in sales and customer support reap significant rewards: increased profits, reduced costs, and killer efficiency. These companies will offer better retention through top-notch support, gaining a competitive edge. Laggards may end up struggling or even facing buyouts by forward-thinking rivals.

It’s Not All About Tech

We also addressed the human aspect of adopting new technology. One positive or negative customer experience can make or break brand perception. AI promises consistently positive experiences, potentially turning customers into vocal brand champions. Meanwhile, one negative experience can disproportionately damage a company’s reputation.

The Future of AI Support

Before we wrapped, Thomas outlined Bigly Sales’ offerings. They’re pioneers in AI automation, with tools that can automatically respond to messages and emails. With voice capabilities coming, they’ll revolutionize call centers by efficiently handling high call volumes better than humans can.

Riding the AI Wave

My takeaway call to action is that businesses can’t ignore the coming AI revolution. Integrating AI can let teams achieve peak performance by freeing them from repetitive work to focus on strategy and creativity. My chat left no doubt — the future belongs to those who embrace AI now to enhance business practices for the better.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

How AI is Changing Content Creation

AI is shaking up the world of content marketing, and Cody Schneider is right at the center of it. As a Denver-based entrepreneur and digital marketer, he’s spent the last decade helping startups grow. He’s also the founder of Draft Horse, an AI-powered content platform that hit $10 million in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) in just one month—a success driven largely by viral growth.

I recently had the chance to chat with Cody about how AI is transforming content creation, what this means for marketers, and how businesses can use these tools to scale their efforts.

AI’s Big Leap in Content Marketing

Cody pointed out that July 2022 was a turning point. That’s when AI became powerful enough to generate content at scale, making it a serious tool for marketing.

He and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs began experimenting with AI for content creation. They quickly realized that AI wasn’t just a useful tool—it was a game-changer. AI could repurpose content, optimize it for SEO, and generate thousands of articles in a fraction of the time it would take a human team.

Take Draft Horse, for example. The platform allows marketers to input target keywords, and in minutes, the AI generates full blog posts. Instead of spending hours writing or hiring large content teams, businesses can now produce content faster and more efficiently.

Scaling Content Without a Massive Team

One of the biggest advantages of AI? It levels the playing field. Small teams can now produce as much content as big brands—without hiring an army of writers.

Cody shared an example of a startup that used AI to create 10,000+ articles on topics related to SMS and email marketing. While AI handled the writing, offshore teams took care of adding images, formatting, and calls-to-action. The result? A massive content library, built faster and at a lower cost.

But creating content isn’t just about volume—it’s about reaching people where they are. Cody stressed the importance of repurposing content into different formats. Some people prefer reading blogs, while others engage more with videos, podcasts, or social media snippets.

He recommended breaking down long-form content into bite-sized pieces for platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube Shorts. AI can even extract key insights from podcasts and turn them into multiple types of content, maximizing reach with minimal effort.

The SEO Shift: AI vs. Human-Written Content

One of the most surprising insights from our conversation was how Google’s algorithm treats AI content. Cody noticed that while some human-written blogs lost traffic, AI-generated content was actually performing better.

His take? Google still struggles to detect AI content accurately, especially when it’s well-optimized. But he made an important point: to truly stand out, original thought leadership is key.

His advice? Interview industry experts and use AI to structure content around their insights. That way, the content isn’t just optimized for SEO—it’s also valuable, unique, and engaging.

AI Isn’t Replacing Strategy—It’s Enhancing It

While AI makes content production faster and more efficient, it can’t replace strategy. Cody and I agreed that AI works best when paired with human insight.

Marketers should still set clear goals, define their audience, and build a strong content strategy. AI can assist in research, optimize distribution, and streamline workflows, but the real magic happens when humans and AI work together.

AI and the Future of Work

Beyond content creation, AI is also changing how businesses hire and scale.

Cody pointed out that AI allows companies to tap into global talent pools without worrying about language barriers. AI-powered tools can improve communication, enhance customer service, and streamline workflows—making offshore teams even more effective.
And as AI continues to evolve, new roles are emerging. Cody mentioned the rise of positions like “Director of Automation,” where professionals focus on streamlining operations and cutting costs through AI-driven efficiencies. Those who learn how to leverage AI effectively will become indispensable assets in their organizations.

Final Thoughts: Embrace AI or Get Left Behind

AI isn’t just the future—it’s already here.

Cody believes that marketers and business leaders need to embrace AI or risk falling behind. Those who learn to integrate AI into their workflows will have a massive advantage. Whether it’s content creation, automation, or global hiring, AI is changing the game.

The key takeaway? AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. If used strategically, it can help businesses scale, reach new audiences, and create better content—faster than ever before.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

We have often explored the conflicting views of salespeople. Sometimes they are loved, but often they are seen as pushy, unfriendly, and greedy. This negative connotation is often seen in movies and media. A prominent example is the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, in which the salespeople are portrayed as obnoxious, conniving, cheating, and constantly complaining about their leads.

Fear of Change

The same can be seen in views and portrayals of artificial intelligence. The positive views include all that AI could potentially do for us. The negative views come mainly from fear—many people are afraid of what AI might bring us.

AI is creating exponential and rapid change. We are realizing that we as individuals, communities, cities, and industries will also have to change. But change is also often feared.

One fear is that artificial intelligence exists in a black box and is uncontrollable. There are so many unknowns about where it might go—for example, maybe one day the cyborgs will become real and take over.

Another fear is that AI developers are more interested in the power it could have for machines than in how it could help humanity.

A major fear is that people will lose their jobs and be replaced by AI. There is an element of truth in this—one example is the function of paralegals. In the future, AI will perform this function much better than humans because it can conduct and compile research much faster. Paralegals would do well to start training for a different line of work.

Fear is usually irrational. On the positive side, there are also unrealistic expectations about what AI can do for us. On both counts, I want to stay within the realm of what we can currently expect from AI.

Innovation

15 years ago, I published a book called The IT Revolution and pointed out that this revolution was happening faster and faster. This is still true today. The cause of that speed, then and now, is the ever-increasing number of programmers involved in technological innovation. There’s a difference between thousands and millions of people involved.

I recently saw an interesting comment that in the 1980s, most of the top programmers would fit in one room. Today, over a hundred million programmers are using the GitHub platform alone. In addition, there are millions of others working on AI development. That means hundreds of millions of people are constantly innovating in this industry.

The Movement

How far have we come? We can use an analogy of movement.

Over the last few hundred years, we have focused on the speed of moving our bodies to different places. The first great leap was the railroad. The next was the automobile. Then came airplanes, and now we’ve moved on to rockets. In the 18th century, traveling from Vienna to Rome by foot, horse, or carriage could take weeks or even months. Now that trip can be made in 1 hour and 20 minutes by airplane. We have certainly succeeded in moving bodies.

What is happening today, in my opinion, is that we have gotten to the point of moving our minds. That is where artificial intelligence is taking us.

One of my earliest experiences in technology was along these lines. In the 1980s, I brought Apple computers to European universities, focusing on medical schools. One particular professor in a cardiology department was very enthusiastic about computers, and I set up a computer in one room and connected it via PhoneNET to another computer in another room. I was in the first room, and the professor was in the other. I sent a single file over the network from one computer to the other and told the professor, “Yell when the file has arrived!” He did, and it was an exhilarating moment.

Very soon, AI will have access to almost every file in the world. Projects are underway to digitize all books, all documents, all works of art and music. Everything that can be digitized will be. When many of us were young, we researched in a physical library. Before Wikipedia and the Internet, we had to sift through books to find the information we wanted. Today, all knowledge can be digitized and accessible right at our fingertips.

We’ve moved our bodies, and now we’re really moving our minds. This movement means there will be innovation of incredible solutions. It will no longer be predictable what humans will program.

Collaboration and Cooperation

The speed of innovation today is hampered by the distance between collaborating individuals. None of the major challenges facing our world can be solved by a single person. Every problem we face in the future will require collaboration and cooperation.

Here are three examples of issues that require this type of approach:

1. Global Immigration

Using Europe as an example, can one country really solve the problem? Even if the European Union got together and dictated immigration rules, the rules would be meaningless if Libya, Morocco, Egypt, or Turkey didn’t follow them. Of course, immigration is also a problem in the USA, Africa and Asia.

2. Worldwide Health Care

In a very short time, we learned from the COVID crisis how much of an issue health care is. During COVID, we were practically in prison, or some moved to Sweden and were free. This issue also requires intense cooperation and collaboration.

3. Environment

As long as the majority of some countries, or the majority of the population in countries like China, India and others, do not buy into sustainable environmental practices, there will be no real solutions. Clouds that bring vital rainfall do not stop at the borders of uncooperative nations and refuse to bring rain to them.

Use of AI

These and all significant issues require cooperation and coordination. I suggest that artificial intelligence could produce far more efficient decision-making processes and solutions than we as individuals could even imagine. This is because AI has access to all the data. This data includes all the empirical papers, documentation, and studies from universities around the world. For the first time in history, these can be accessed and used where needed without emotional attachment or bias because technology has none.

The more we export knowledge and make it available to artificial intelligence, the more we can reduce the biases generally involved in important decision-making processes. For example, in an international conference, every country has different interests. AI could help us solve many of the problems we face in the future with an unbiased global perspective.

Focus on the Positive

Between the positives and negatives of AI, I really think we should focus on the positives. We are a long, long way from artificial intelligence taking over the world. It’s far more realistic to focus on the current positive benefits that AI can provide.

Of course, as AI develops, we will need to put regulations in place. Just to go back to moving bodies, we have many regulations for all industries that involve flying or driving. It must be the same for AI in the future.

Let’s focus on the positive!

Technology is growing exponentially—faster than we can even comprehend. When my grandfather was a boy, everyone was mainly still riding horses. In 1919 right after WWI, he visited the relatives of his mother in Chicago.  A voyage he had to make first by ship from Rotterdam to New York and then by train from New York to Chicago. By the time he passed away in 1978, such trips were made in a matter of hours by air, and he was driving a brand-new luxury automobile. His lifetime saw the introduction of the car, the telephone, television, air travel, computers and much more.

But the rate at which technology is being adopted today is even more mind-boggling. Just look at the smartphone. The iPhone, which began the smartphone revolution, was introduced in 2007, and a 2013 survey across nine emerging economies found that one in four adults ages 18 to 34 owned a smartphone. By 2018, that number had grown to two-thirds for most countries.

For artificial intelligence, we could predict that adoption will be ten times as fast. Why? The majority of phone users worldwide already have a smartphone. But once you have the device you simply need to download and activate an AI solution. I feel this is one of the dangers of unregulated AI—it simply spreads everywhere super fast, almost instantly worldwide without any control or knowledge of risk to personal data.

Regulations

With this speed of innovation and development. We must reflect on the direction we want to go with AI and what kind of regulations should be placed upon it.

An example from another area would be skeet shooting, something I personally enjoy. Many regulations are associated with this sport, impacting how the shotgun is held, how ammunition is dispensed and cared for, and numerous others. Everyone participating expects and respects these regulations because they care for their own and others’ safety. If it weren’t for these rules and regulations, there would be many accidents, some most likely fatal.

We could take another example with the atomic bomb. It has been with us for around 80 years, and today is the biggest threat to our existence. Atomic weapon technology exists in many countries and, just as with AI, if it were to fall into the wrong hands it would spell disaster. There are many national and international regulations, as well as arms control, associated with nuclear weapons. So far these restrictions have prevented all-out global destruction.

In a similar way, we need to regulate artificial intelligence.

AI Threats

There are three areas in which AI could be a threat.

Government

The first would be the government. There is a term called “statism,” which means that the government has substantial centralized control over social and economic affairs. Control is the number one issue with AI because at some point, politicians would realize they could control it and lead society in any direction they like. This kind of control is what we have seen with Twitter and other social media in the last decade.

Politicians and private enterprises live in two different worlds. Show me one company that would lie as Congresspeople lie. These politicians tell lies, and we can do nothing about it. And it isn’t just one political party or the other—it’s both. They both serve one master, their own interests instead of the people’s interests.

Private Companies

The second threat would be from private corporations that make AI technology proprietary and utilize it in a way to manipulate people wrongly. Right now, AI is under the control of only two corporations, Microsoft and Google. Microsoft took control of OpenAI—originally non-profit, which has since become for-profit—and ChatGTP. The other company, Google, operates on the belief that AI could one day exceed humanity and eventually replace it.

As I explore in more detail below, I believe the only protection from this threat is to make AI completely open source.

Criminals

The third threat would come from criminals. AI in criminal hands could mean, literally, the wrecking of whole economic systems, not to mention threats of fraud to private citizens, their data and their finances, and private enterprise.

AI Regulations and Control

We would need experts to define AI regulations. I would go so far as to say that not only should the government not be responsible for regulating AI.  The government is not responsible for choosing the experts who would regulate AI. If the government chooses the experts, they would then pay these experts’ salaries. So the experts would tell the government what they want to hear.

Independent experts for defining regulations must be chosen from every field, experts not allied to any government or government agency. As covered fully below, control of AI should come from the community, not from the government or private companies.

Introduction of Bias

If experts for AI are not completely non-partisan, the door could be open to entering bias into AI code.

An example of bias could be (as is happening in several sectors of society currently) that a woman cannot be defined biologically, only through subjective gender identification. But how is a human being actually identified? When it is born, it is identified as a human because it has two arms and two legs. The same applies to other animals—a lion is a lion, not a tiger. An elephant is an elephant. And as 99 percent of other animals in nature, humans are either born male or female, identified as such by physical characteristics. For any other type of identification to be programmed into AI would be folly.

Open Source

In addition to choosing independent experts, the other crucial direction is to make AI utterly open source so that access is available to everyone. When AI becomes a closed box, completely proprietary, it can then be in control of governments or various corporations.

There are currently over 100 million open source programmers contributing to the open source repository GitHub, and many more millions of graduate schools every year. With the growing number of open-source programmers, we can leave control of AI where it belongs—in the hands of the community.

I have been a very vocal advocate for open source for many years. In 2001, I and my company Uptime put together and presented a report about how vital open source would become to programming and technology. I presented this report at the famous Cafe Landtmann in Vienna. Executives from Microsoft were with me on the stage, and their position was completely opposite, that open source would never have a place in computing. Of course, today Microsoft has totally reversed its stance, having purchased open source repository GitHub as well as OpenAI.

As covered earlier, the wrong experts chosen for AI could mean the introduction of bias. Bias could also be introduced if AI code is not open source and is proprietary only. It may not happen in the first code generation, but it will happen. We’ve seen this occur through algorithms in social media, and for it to happen in AI would spell disaster.

The Right Direction

With all the confusion in the world today, it’s impossible to predict where events will take us. If the wrong people—meaning governments, private corporate interests or criminals—take charge and control of artificial intelligence technology, we are doomed.

It is, therefore, our responsibility to assume control and define regulations for AI and keep it from going in the wrong direction.