Shift AI Podcast

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Gordon Evans, CMO of Commerce Cloud at Salesforce, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy live from Dreamforce in San Francisco for a conversation on how AI agents are reshaping commerce across both B2C and B2B.Gordon breaks down the full scope of Salesforce’s commerce portfolio—from the well-known B2C platform powering brands like Pandora and L’Oréal, to B2B commerce, order management, and the recently acquired PredictSpring point-of-sale capability. Together, these pieces deliver what Salesforce calls unified commerce: the same product, inventory, and customer view whether you’re engaging online or in-store.The conversation dives into how AgentForce Commerce is bringing AI-powered personalization to retail. Gordon shares how Pandora’s Gemma agent has driven a 10% increase in NPS by handling customer service with the nuance of a knowledgeable store associate, and how Williams Sonoma’s Olive agent helps shoppers plan everything from Thanksgiving dinner to table decor. The discussion explores why great data is the foundation for effective agents, how B2B buyers deserve the same seamless experience as consumers, and why natural language interfaces are collapsing the technical barrier between businesses and their customers.Boaz and Gordon also examine the evolving trust dynamic around AI in commerce—how the pandemic accelerated consumer willingness to trade data for speed and convenience, and how that same value exchange is now driving adoption of AI agents. Gordon shares how his own team uses internal LLMs and Slack bots to move faster, and why learning to ask the right questions is becoming the most important professional skill.This episode is essential listening for commerce leaders, retail strategists, and product teams who want to understand how AI agents are moving beyond customer service into full shopping experiences—and why conversation and context are the two words that define what comes next.Chapters[00:00] What It Means to Be CMO of Commerce at Salesforce[02:15] AgentForce Commerce and the Unified Commerce Vision[03:37] PredictSpring, Point of Sale, and Bringing It All Together[04:20] Personalization Powered by Data and AI Agents[05:58] Why B2B Buyers Deserve the Same Experience as Consumers[07:30] First Job, Worst Job with Gordon Evans[09:30] How AI Tools Are Changing the Daily Work of Marketing[11:20] Pandora, Williams Sonoma, and the Rise of Brand Agents[13:50] Trust, Credit Cards, and the Speed-Convenience Value Exchange[15:00] Two Words for the Future of Work: Conversational and ContextConnectConnect with Gordon EvansLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonmevans/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Nadia Hansen, Global AI Go-To-Market Leader and Industry Advisor for Public Sector at Salesforce, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy for a live conversation recorded at Dreamforce in San Francisco on how AI agents are fundamentally reshaping government services.Nadia shares her unconventional career journey—from serving as the Chief Information Officer for Clark County in Las Vegas overseeing 2.3 million residents and 10,000 employees, to leading public sector go-to-market strategy at Salesforce. From there, the discussion dives deep into how today’s government agencies are navigating digital transformation with resilience, experimentation, and a growing openness to AI-driven innovation.The conversation explores how AgentForce and agentic AI are enabling government agencies to deliver seamless digital front doors for residents—automating intake processes, streamlining permit requests, breaking down departmental silos, and providing multilingual access to public services. Nadia explains why voice technology is poised to become the next major interface for government, how co-creating AI use cases with employees drives real adoption, and why the biggest barrier to transformation is mindset, not technology.Boaz and Nadia also examine the growing challenge of shadow AI in government, why bottom-up adoption workshops outperform top-down mandates, and how cities like Kyle, Texas are experimenting with AI in safe, compliant environments. The episode closes with Nadia’s powerful two-word vision for the future of work: revolutionary mindset.This episode is essential listening for public sector leaders, civic technologists, and anyone who wants to understand how AI is moving beyond individual productivity gains to transform the way government serves its communities.Chapters[00:00] From Home Depot to the C-Suite: Nadia’s Career Journey[04:07] Landing at Salesforce and Repositioning CRM for Government[07:50] First and Worst Jobs: Lessons from Selling Manure[10:22] The Digital Front Door: Seamless Government Services[12:37] Selling to Government: Speak in Outcomes, Not Products[15:03] AgentForce and the Rise of Voice-First Government[17:24] Augmentation Over Replacement: Addressing the Fear of AI[19:47] Bottom-Up Adoption: Co-Creating AI Use Cases with Employees[21:13] Public Safety, Multilingual Access, and the World Cup[23:30] The Future of Work: Revolutionary MindsetConnect with Nadia HansenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiakhansen/Newsletter: Hack to the Future (on LinkedIn)Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Scott Roberts, CISO at UiPath, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy for a deep dive into how agentic AI is reshaping enterprise security and automation—both for customers and inside UiPath itself.Scott shares his 25-year security journey spanning Microsoft’s early Security Response Center days (including the era that produced Patch Tuesday and the Security Development Lifecycle), product security work across Windows and Xbox, time at AWS, and leadership roles at Google where he helped build the Android Security Assurance and Pixel Security teams and the Android Monthly Security Update process. He also discusses his work in security standards across IPsec, HTML5 encrypted media, GSMA device security, and most recently, contributions to emerging agentic AI security standards.The conversation then explores UiPath’s evolution from traditional RPA into a unified platform that combines deterministic automation with agentic workflows. Scott walks through a real-world healthcare billing example where agentic automation increased deduplication accuracy dramatically by handling complex, variable inputs that classic RPA struggled with—while still keeping humans in the loop and feeding outcomes back into the system to improve over time.Boaz and Scott go deep on what’s changed for CISOs in the post-LLM world: the need for guardrails, identity and entitlements for AI agents, and the challenge of end users copying sensitive information into consumer AI tools. Scott explains UiPath’s approach: enable adoption while using nudges and policy controls to redirect sensitive workflows into enterprise-safe environments rather than relying solely on blocks.The episode closes with an eye-opening look at UiPath’s internal “agentic threat analyst” system—an orchestration of 60+ agents that can investigate SIEM alerts end-to-end, generate structured incident writeups, and compress hours of analyst work into roughly a minute and a half. Scott’s future-looking takeaway: as AI models evolve beyond “read-only” into potentially “read-write” systems that can update their foundational knowledge, the acceleration could be truly mind-blowing.This episode is essential listening for security leaders, enterprise operators, and automation teams trying to understand how agentic systems change not just productivity, but the entire security operating model.Chapters[00:01] Scott’s Security Journey: Microsoft, Google, Coinbase, UiPath[01:33] Security Standards Work: From IPsec to Agentic AI Standards[04:08] What UiPath Does: Process Orchestration, RPA, and Enterprise Automation[06:28] RPA vs Agentic Automation: A Healthcare Billing Deduplication Example[09:17] The Agentic Stack: Canvas, Guardrails, and the AI Trust Layer[10:31] How LLMs Change Security: Data Controls, Access, and Governance[12:14] Internal Adoption at UiPath: AI Tooling by Persona (Legal, Finance, Engineering)[13:13] Code Velocity and Security: Agents Generating Code, Agents Verifying It[15:53] Two AI Security Worlds: Orchestration Platforms vs End-User Chat Interfaces[17:11] Securing End Users: Enterprise LLMs, Nudges, and Browser-Based Controls[19:07] Sovereign AI and Data Boundaries: Keeping Data in the Right Region[21:00] Over-Permissioning Meets Agents: Why AI Makes Old Problems Obvious Fast[22:21] The Next Wave: AI Transforming the Entire SDLC End-to-End[24:53] Security Pitfalls in Agentic SDLC: Misaligned Incentives and Permissions[26:02] UiPath’s Agentic Threat Analyst: 60+ Agents, SIEM to Writeup Automation[30:07] What Changes for Humans: Faster “Time to Truth” and Higher-Leverage Work[32:09] Two-Word Future: “Mind Blowing” and Read/Write ModelsConnect with Scott RobertsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottroberts6/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Casey Mulligan—former Chief Economist of the White House Council of Economic Advisers and current Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration—joins Boaz Ashkenazy for a timely conversation on how AI is reshaping small businesses, regulation, and the broader labor market.Casey shares his path from University of Chicago professor to serving in two presidential administrations, where he introduced automated reasoning tools into economic policy work well before the rise of large language models. He explains how his office now uses AI to review thousands of federal regulations and ensure small business voices are represented in Washington.The discussion explores accelerating AI adoption among small firms, the recent surge in new business formation, and why smaller companies may benefit more from AI than large incumbents. Casey also addresses concerns about job displacement, drawing lessons from past waves of automation and outlining why he believes the long-term impact will be increased productivity and opportunity.The episode closes with a forward-looking perspective on education, entrepreneurship, and why the “human touch” will remain a critical advantage in the future of work.Chapters[00:00] From University of Chicago to the White House[03:05] Advocating for Small Businesses in Washington[07:29] AI and the Labor Market: Lessons from Economic History[12:14] The Startup Surge and Small Business Formation[13:48] Using AI Inside the Federal Government[17:20] Vibe Coding, APIs, and Custom Productivity Tools[18:07] Automated Reasoning and Microsoft’s Z3[21:23] AI in Education and Learning[24:31] Two Words for the Future of Work: Human TouchConnect with Casey Bryant MulliganLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-bryant-mulligan/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Patrick Supanc, Chief Product Officer at Coursera, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy for an in-depth conversation on how AI is transforming education, workforce skills, and lifelong learning at a global scale.Patrick shares his deeply personal and unconventional journey—from growing up as the son of two educators and immigrating to the U.S., to working in public policy at the World Bank, having a formative experience in a rural classroom in Brazil, and ultimately transitioning into education technology. The conversation dives into how baseline AI literacy is rapidly becoming essential for everyone, not just technologists. Patrick explains how learner demand on Coursera has surged, with AI enrollments accelerating and shifting from introductory content toward more advanced topics like agentic AI, orchestration, and role-specific application of AI tools.Boaz and Patrick explore how large language models are being integrated directly into learning experiences through Coursera Coach—an AI-powered tutor designed to deliver personalized, efficient, and high-integrity learning. Patrick outlines why memory, contextual relevance, fast feedback loops, and verified assessments are critical for adult learners who need to upskill quickly while balancing real-world constraints.Finally, the episode looks ahead to the future of education and work, touching on global access, AI-powered translation and dubbing, voice-based interaction, role-play simulations, and the potential role of avatars. Patrick closes by framing the future as “skills-first and accessible,” underscoring Coursera’s mission to ensure that verified, job-relevant skills are available to learners everywhere.This episode is essential listening for founders, operators, educators, and professionals who want to understand how AI is reshaping not just productivity, but the entire learning and workforce ecosystem.Chapters[00:00] From Educators to EdTech: Patrick’s Journey to Coursera[04:24] AI Literacy as the New Baseline Skill[07:18] The Rapid Rise of AI Learning Demand on Coursera[08:17] From Intro to Agentic AI: How Learner Needs Are Evolving[11:22] Tracking Skills at Scale with Coursera’s Career Graph[14:31] Coursera Coach: AI Tutors, Personalization, and Memory[17:32] Learning by Doing: Role Play, Labs, and Real-World Practice[19:41] Anxiety, Relevance, and the Need for Continuous Upskilling[21:31] Helping Learners Navigate an Uncertain Career Future[24:31] Global Access: Translation, Dubbing, and Emerging Markets[26:21] Voice, Avatars, and New Interaction Models in Learning[28:49] Andrew Ng’s Influence on Coursera and AI in Education[30:26] The Future of Work and Learning: Skills-First and AccessibleConnect with Patrick SupancLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricksupanc/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Alex Waddell, Chief Information Officer at Adobe Population Health, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy live from Dreamforce in San Francisco for a deep dive into AI adoption in one of the most highly regulated—and most impactful—industries: healthcare.Alex shares his unconventional journey from Salesforce administrator to CIO, and how Adobe Population Health built a custom electronic medical record (EMR) on the Salesforce platform to support population health case management long before it became an industry buzzword. The conversation explores why traditional EMRs often get in the way of care—and how AI can help remove friction so clinicians can focus on patients, not paperwork.Together, Boaz and Alex unpack how AI is being applied today to reduce clinician burnout, automate documentation, improve quality assurance, and deliver the right data at the right time. Alex also explains why “augmented intelligence,” not full automation, is the future of healthcare—and why humans will always remain at the center of care delivery.The episode closes with a thoughtful discussion on AI adoption, clinician trust, and why involving end users directly in building AI workflows is essential for success.This episode is a must-listen for healthcare leaders, technologists, and operators who want to understand how AI can drive real-world outcomes—not just efficiency metrics.Key Themes & TakeawaysWhy population health required building a custom EMR from scratchThe hidden cost of documentation and clinician burnoutHow AI can get “the system out of the way” of patient careUsing AI for chart summarization, note generation, and QA auditsOvercoming fear and resistance to AI in regulated environmentsWhy adoption—not technology—is the real challengeThe future of healthcare as augmented intelligenceChapters[00:00] Welcome & Live from Dreamforce[01:30] Alex Waddell’s Journey: From Admin to CIO[03:39] Building a Custom EMR for Population Health[05:45] Data, Interoperability, and MuleSoft[06:45] Reducing Clinician Burnout with AI[08:24] Voice, Automation, and the Future of Admin Work[09:30] Using AI for Quality Assurance at Scale[10:49] AI’s Real Impact on Patient Outcomes[12:20] “Augmented Intelligence” and the Future of Work[14:00] Adoption, Trust, and Bringing Clinicians Along[16:00] Learning More & Closing ThoughtsEpisode Quote“An EMR doesn’t change lives. The human interaction does. AI’s job is to get out of the way so clinicians can actually care.”Connect with the GuestsAlex WaddellChief Information Officer, Adobe Population HealthWebsite: https://www.adobepophealth.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-waddell-066bb914a/Boaz AshkenazyHost, Shift AI PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Adam Alfano, Global Head of SMB at Salesforce, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy for a wide-ranging conversation on how AI agents are fundamentally reshaping small and medium-sized businesses.Adam shares his unconventional career journey—from growing up in a steel town outside Toronto to building a global sales career and now leading Salesforce’s SMB organization. From there, the discussion dives deep into how today’s SMBs are navigating constant macro change with resilience, optimism, and an increasingly innovative mindset.The conversation explores how agentic AI is enabling small teams to operate with enterprise-level reach—automating frontline sales development, customer service, onboarding, and even complex workflows traditionally reserved for large organizations. Adam explains why CRM platforms are becoming the operating system for human–AI collaboration, how structured data is the foundation for effective agents, and why managing AI agents increasingly looks like managing employees.Boaz and Adam also examine the growing sense of overwhelm SMB founders feel around AI tooling, why “just help me set it up” is becoming the winning go-to-market strategy, and how natural-language interfaces are collapsing the technical barrier to adoption. The episode closes with a forward-looking discussion on avatars, workforce orchestration, and why the future of work is best described as “limitless potential.”This episode is essential listening for founders, operators, and product leaders who want to understand how AI is moving beyond individual productivity gains to unlock entirely new operating models for small businesses.Chapters[00:00] From Steel Town to Salesforce: Adam’s Career Journey[04:24] The State of SMBs: Resilience, Innovation, and Opportunity[07:18] What Defines an SMB—and Why Size Matters Less Than Ever[08:17] Agentic AI in Practice: Sales, Service, and Infinite Reach[11:22] Why CRM Is Becoming the OS for Human–AI Collaboration[14:44] Data as the Foundation: Structuring Information for AI Agents[17:32] Lowering the Barrier: Natural Language, Vibe Coding, and Usability[19:41] The AI Tool Overload—and How SMBs Actually Want Help[21:31] Where AI Delivers the Biggest Near-Term Impact[24:31] Avatars, AI Teammates, and New Interaction Models[28:48] The Future of Work: Limitless PotentialConnect with Adam AlfanoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-alfano-60ab329/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Arnab Bose, Chief Product Officer at Asana, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way teams collaborate and get work done. Bose shares his journey to becoming CPO at Asana and the company's ambitious vision for human-AI collaboration, including their groundbreaking AI Teammates and AI Studio products.From the early days of smartphones reshaping work behavior to today's AI agents that can automate the "toil aspects" of project management, Bose offers a compelling look at where workplace productivity is heading. The conversation dives into how Asana is building a structured approach to work that enables AI agents to seamlessly collaborate alongside human teammates, what customers are actually asking for when it comes to AI tools, and how to build defensible enterprise products through security, governance, and simplicity. If you're interested in understanding how AI is moving beyond individual productivity gains to transform entire team workflows, what it takes to build competitive moats in enterprise software, and what the future holds for managing AI agents in the workplace, this episode offers invaluable insights from a product leader at the forefront of the AI-powered future of work.Chapters[00:00] Journey to Asana: Embracing AI Collaboration[06:22] Transformations in Work: AI's Impact on Productivity[11:50] Asana's Vision: Human and AI Collaboration[17:26] Industry Insights: Customer Needs and AI Adoption[22:25] Building a Moat: Strategies for Competitive Advantage[25:26] Future Predictions: The Evolution of Work and AIConnect with Arnab BoseLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abosesf/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazyEmail: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Eilon Reshef, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Gong, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy to explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing revenue operations and transforming the future of sales teams. Reshef shares the decade-long journey of building Gong from a data-driven conversation platform into what they call an "AI OS for Revenue Teams," serving Fortune 10 companies and pioneering the use of AI in go-to-market workflows.From capturing customer conversations to deploying AI agents that can automate mundane tasks, Reshef offers a compelling vision of where sales productivity is heading. The conversation delves into how AI is making revenue teams more efficient and effective, the transformation of traditional sales roles, and why the biggest shift isn't just in technology but in how quickly organizations can execute and adapt. If you're interested in understanding how enterprise AI is moving beyond hype to deliver measurable productivity gains, how unstructured data creates competitive advantages, and what the future holds for revenue professionals in an AI-driven world, this episode offers invaluable insights from someone building the infrastructure that's reshaping B2B sales.Chapters[00:00] Introduction and Welcome[02:15] Eilon's Background and Journey to Gong[05:30] The Origin Story: Starting Gong 10 Years Ago[08:45] First and Worst Jobs[11:00] The ChatGPT Moment and AI Acceleration[14:30] Gong's Unfair Advantage with Unstructured Data[17:00] Three Pillars of AI Transformation[21:15] The Rev Ops Revolution[24:00] Enabling Sales Teams with AI[27:30] What's Hype vs. Reality in AI for Revenue[31:00] The Future of Sales Roles and Team Structure[33:45] The Platform Strategy and Integrations[36:30] Security and Trust in Enterprise AI[39:00] Gong's Growth Trajectory and Future Plans[41:30] Voice Agents and the Future of Customer Interaction[45:00] Two Words for the Future: Efficient and Exciting[48:00] Connecting with Eilon and Hiring at GongConnect with Eilon ReshefLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/eilonreshefConnect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazyEmail: info@shiftai.fm

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Rob Lloyd, Chief Technology Officer of the City of Seattle, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy to discuss Seattle's groundbreaking approach to implementing artificial intelligence in municipal government. Lloyd shares his journey from serving multiple cities across America to spearheading one of the nation's most progressive urban AI initiatives, revealing how Seattle is transforming public services through thoughtful technology adoption.From traffic safety innovations to permitting process overhauls, Lloyd offers a candid look at the successes and failures of Seattle's AI pilots, including the surprising revelation that 80% of initial experiments didn't stick. The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Joe Nguyen, Director of Commerce for Washington State, joins to discuss statewide AI efforts, creating a rare dialogue between city and state technology leaders. If you're interested in understanding how government can responsibly deploy AI to serve communities better, this episode provides practical insights from leaders navigating the complex intersection of public service, technology, and trust.Chapters[00:00] Introduction and Rob's Journey to Seattle[03:30] Career Path Through Multiple Cities[06:45] Growing Up in a Military Family[09:15] First Jobs and Character Building[12:00] Seattle's AI Plan Genesis and Evolution[16:30] Policy Framework and Community Trust[20:15] Pilot Programs: Success and Failure Rates[24:45] Traffic Safety and Game Theory Applications[28:00] Permitting Process Transformation[32:30] Special Guest: Joe Nguyen from Washington State[35:15] State-Level AI Implementation at Commerce[38:45] Cultural Shifts and Future VisionConnect with Rob LloydLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/rob-lloyd-cto-seattle/Connect with Joe NguyenLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/meetjoenguyen/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy Email: info@shiftai.fm