Using AI at Work: AI in the Workplace & Generative AI for Business Leaders

69: Using AI at Work with Peter Swimm: From SaaS to Conversational Workflows

39 snips

Sep 15, 2025

Discover how conversational AI is reshaping the workplace with personalized, voice-driven automation. Peter Swimm shares insights from his experiment running a business entirely through AI, showcasing its impact on productivity. The discussion emphasizes a future of modular, API-driven apps that prioritize personal data ownership. Topics include how AI can help small businesses navigate challenges and the importance of ethical tech choices. Entrepreneurs will find valuable strategies for harnessing AI to improve efficiency and communication in a post-pandemic world.

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ADVICE

Codify Repeated AI Conversations Into Tools

Capture state and review AI conversations to create reusable tools and scripts.
Turn repeated useful exchanges into codified scripts or 'tools' to reduce noise and duplication.

ADVICE

Use AI To Control Notifications And Focus

Use your AI assistant to control notifications and schedule to protect focus.
Instruct the system to only interrupt for true emergencies and enforce defined work routines.

INSIGHT

Local Models Are Becoming Viable

Local models on modern laptops are becoming performant enough for most business tasks.
This enables privacy-preserving, personal AI that reduces dependence on cloud providers.

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Chris Daigle sits down with Peter Swimm, founder of Toilville, to explore how conversational AI and local models are transforming the way we work. With over 25 years in tech, including time at Microsoft designing Copilot products, Peter shares how he built an AI-first workflow that replaced dozens of SaaS tools with personalized, voice-driven automation.

He talks about his week-long experiment of running his business entirely through conversational AI, what it taught him about productivity, and why the future of apps may be modular, API-driven, and built on personal ownership of data. From helping small businesses adopt AI responsibly to envisioning a post-SaaS world where you own your own tooling, Peter explains how leaders can think in AI and find competitive advantages without falling into the tech hype.

This conversation is packed with insights for founders, executives, and teams curious about what practical, day-to-day AI adoption looks like when built with sustainability, ethics, and real business needs in mind.

🔎 Find Out More About Peter Swimm and Toilville
Peter Swimm on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterswimm
Toilville - https://www.itstoilville.com/

🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Claude by Anthropic - https://claude.ai/
ChatGPT - https://openai.com/chatgpt
Notion - https://www.notion.com/

📌 Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to Peter Swimm
02:05 - From Microsoft to Building Toilville
03:42 - What Conversational AI Really Means
09:11 - Why Apps as We Know Them Are Dying
12:23 - Running a Business with Voice-Only AI
14:45 - Regaining Control of Notifications and Workflow
17:13 - Building Custom Tools with Claude
23:04 - The Case for Open Sharing and Local Models
26:09 - Reimagining Workflows Beyond SaaS
34:12 - Running Lean Teams with AI
36:21 - Rethinking Work Paradigms and Productivity
42:21 - The Future of Apps and Personal Data Control
44:27 - How to Connect with Peter Swimm

Episode tags:

AI in the workplace, Conversational AI, Voice AI productivity, Small business AI adoption, Local AI models, Replacing SaaS with AI, Real-world AI applications, Building with Claude, Executive AI strategy, Future of apps, AI for small teams, AI workflow automation