Prompted: AI, People and the Creative Spark

The AI landscape is shifting every week. Startups are racing to challenge the status quo, and investors are closely watching the space.  Peter Deng, a visionary product leader turned investor, joins the podcast. Peter helped shape Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and ChatGPT, driving major launches like ChatGPT Enterprise, voice, and memory at OpenAI.  He is now a General Partner at Felicis, where he backs founders building AI-native companies. In this episode, Peter shares how investors evaluate AI startups today, what separates lasting businesses from surface-level integrations, and what founders must rethink to build companies that hold up over time. Cam's notes on Substack: promptedwithcam.substack.com Key Quotes “There are so many people solving problems that have been solved before, but with old technology, and now they’re solving them with AI in a way that’s ten, a hundred times better.” “There are a lot of problems that these big model companies are not solving, and that’s where startups are doing really, really well.” “AI has to be core to the product. Otherwise it’s just not interesting.” Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction01:16 - The Prompt03:44 - Creative All Hands06:14 - Join teams, or invest, during moments of inflection.09:12 - Use LLMs as a midnight brainstorming partner, when others are asleep.12:00 - Think about "affordances" and shape technology to humans.16:01 - Lean into the back-and-forth to help you clarify and articulate your ideas.19:36 - Startups are solving problems the big model companies are not addressing.21:27 - Founders should relook at old problems, with new technology.25:05 - The top four models will be hard to beat. That's not where the game is being played.26:38 - Product taste and design will be more important over the next 18 months.29:20 - Hopefully AI efficiency will give people more time to spend in real life.34:52 - Startups that extract knowledge out of people's heads, will have an advantage.44:22 - All Star Creative Team47:11 - Design Reveal Links Subscribe to the Prompted Newsletter: https://promptedwithcam.substack.com/ Cam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaninblue/ Peter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterxdeng/ Link to Peter, Jade and AI’s Creative Collaboration: https://promptedpodcast.com/episode-10 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Allie K. Miller, an AI product leader who built multimodal teams at IBM and advises startups, makes complex AI feel clear and fun. She explores agentic browsers and AI-first reinvention for legacy companies. She warns that productivity alone is a trap. She shares a simple prompt formula, suggests creative mini-projects to convert skeptics, and offers a delightfully weird prediction about new ways we'll perceive the world.

Natalie Piucco, Field CTO at Google Cloud, joins Cameron Adams for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, innovation, and what it really takes to lead through constant change. From her childhood on a banana farm to launching AI-powered products at Google, Natalie shares how creativity, trust, and learning shape high-performing teams.They explore why AI is a fundamentally creative technology, how psychological safety unlocks faster learning, and why we shouldn’t wait to “feel ready” before exploring what problems we can solve with AI. Natalie also unpacks the art of the possible, from creative simulation and education to agentic AI, and explains why the future belongs to high-agency creative generalists. Guest Quote“AI can’t hold the brush, but it can inspire the strokes.”“The future belongs to high-agency creative generalists who can turn vague ideas into momentum.”Time Stamps00:00 - Introduction01:31 - The Prompt03:47 - Creative All Hands07:09 - Create psychological safety so your team can admit what they don't know.08:25 - Train everyone in Design Thinking. It's low cost and unlocks creativity.12:09 - Use NotebookLM to turn long documents into podcasts you can learn from.13:49 - AI is an adult-permission slip to do things differently.17:55 - Add an AI meeting assistant to every call so you can focus on people.19:45 - Before doing any task, pause and ask: could AI do this?24:11 - Define where risk-taking lives in your company. Creativity requires it.25:25 - Don't just adopt AI tools. Help people build mental models for using them.28:00 - Use the Progress Principle: count testing, feedback, and killing ideas as wins.32:09 - Look for AI opportunities in boring, repetitive work like tax or compliance.37:00 - Start your AI experiments with a clear challenge and the metrics associated with that.38:07 - Price every problem. What does it cost in money, time, or customers?40:46 - Use the Moonshot Framework: huge problem, radical solution, breakthrough tech in three circles.43:32 - Build community and in-person connection. AI makes human trust more valuable.44:00 - All Star Creative Team46:30 - Design Reveal49:21 - Rapid Fire  LinksCam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaninblue/Natalie Piucco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-piucco-7238403b/Prompted Newsletter: https://promptedwithcam.substack.com/Link to Natalie, Harriet and AI’s creative collaboration: https://promptedpodcast.com/episode-8 The Leonardo.ai, Google, James Gulliver Hancock collaboration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymSfyF3UezU Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oliver Jay, Managing Director of OpenAI International, dives into global AI expansion, drawing from his experiences at Dropbox and Asana. He explains how AI adoption accelerates compared to traditional products and emphasizes the need for parallel international rollouts. Oliver highlights partnerships with governments to prepare for AI’s impact, localizing AI models, and the crucial role of upskilling. He also envisions a future where voice applications break down barriers, making AI accessible for all.

Nic Scoble-Williams, Deloitte’s Global Future of Work and Agentic Workforce Leader, dives into the intersection of AI and human creativity. She emphasizes that human imagination is our new edge in a tech-driven world. Scoble-Williams champions the importance of asking the right questions to navigate future challenges. She explores varied cultural attitudes toward AI adoption and discusses how to elevate human roles in organizations. Plus, she argues that creativity can be reclaimed and taught, using AI as a powerful ally.

Joel Lewenstein, Head of Product Design at Anthropic, shares insights on designing AI experiences that foster trust and collaboration. He discusses how Claude serves as a 'trusted first reader,' helping him refine ideas and enhance team creativity. Joel highlights an intriguing 'vending machine' experiment to study human-AI interactions and explains how friction in processes can boost collaboration. He also envisions a future where AI becomes an integral team member, emphasizing the importance of effective prompting and innovative user interfaces.

OpenAI Head of Revenue Ashley Kramer joins Cam Adams to discuss how her revenue team is using AI to get ahead. She unpacks how her team bridges research and real-world results, turning powerful models into tools that transform how people work. Ashley also explains how the most boring AI use cases can spark the most valuable“aha” moments, and how OpenAI customers are scaling AI adoption from the top down.Cam’s notes on Substack: promptedwithcam.substack.comKey Quotes“Sometimes the boring, simple thing is the biggest aha moment for a customer.”“You can’t scale headcount forever—but you can scale with AI.” “There has been this fear for a while of will AI replace me? And the answer is not if you know how to leverage it properly, it will really take you to the next level.”Timestamps00:14 — Meet Ashley Kramer, Head of Revenue at OpenAI01:16 — The 1999 World Cup moment that shaped her leadership mindset04:00 — The airplane story that changed how she saw AI’s potential07:00 — From GitLab to OpenAI: chasing the next frontier08:08 — Bridging research and real-world value09:42 — How OpenAI turns breakthroughs into business impact11:40 — Inside OpenAI’s research-led growth model14:35 — What OpenAI learns from enterprise partners like Moderna15:00 — Why small wins drive big AI adoption20:25 — AI success stories (Moderna’s approach)22:26 — Building “Ashley Comms GPT” to streamline communication25:18 — Coaching sales teams with AI avatars and voice agents27:31 — How experimentation fuels OpenAI’s best ideas28:55 — The “make it stronger” lesson on prompting30:30 — Why creativity is still underused in ChatGPT33:08 — How creatives are evolving with AI tools34:22 — Making the world AI fluent: training and certifications35:45 — What’s next for OpenAI’s growth36:48 — Ashley’s All Star Creative Team38:40 — Designer Reveal40:24 — Rapid-fire 42:00 — Cam’s Key TakeawaysLinksCheck out Ashley, Emily, and AI's creation Subscribe to the Prompted NewsletterCam on LinkedInAshley on LinkedIn Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Box Cofounder and CEO Aaron Levie joins Cameron Adams to explore how AI is transforming creativity, scale, and ambition inside organizations. Aaron shares how teams can turn data into a superpower, reinvent their ways of working, and unlock new opportunities to multiply their impact, all while keeping human creativity and judgment at the center. He also discusses how startups can now compete at scale from day one and how abundance thinking should shape what comes next.Cam’s notes on Substack: promptedwithcam.substack.com  Key Quotes“If you're in any creative role, the impact and leverage you have is truly 10 to a hundred times more than it was five or 10 years ago.”“A three or five person company now has the impact of a 50 person company.”“We should just start to think about this more as a technology for delivering abundance.”Timestamps00:40 — Welcome + Intro to Aaron Levie01:25 — The Prompt: Magic Camp and the spark of creativity05:41 — What “being human” means in the age of intelligent tools16:47 — Why intentional workflow design is essential17:37 — The rise of prompt-driven companies19:04 — Data is back: turning unstructured information into an advantage28:02 — Abundance thinking and removing long-standing bottlenecks28:31 — Creativity in every corner of the enterprise30:47 — Failing fast and building a culture of experimentation32:44 — Being more ambitious with what you ask AI to do36:14 — Starting Box today: how AI changes what’s possible40:05 — Differentiation and the importance of human spirit41:48 — All-star creative team picks42:56 — Magic Camp designer reveal44:44 — Rapid-fire questionsLinksSee Japes, Aaron and AI’s creative collaboration Subscribe to the Prompted NewsletterCam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaninblue/Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boxaaron/Aaron on X: https://x.com/levie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

HubSpot Cofounder and CTO, Dharmesh Shah, joins Cameron Adams to explore how AI agents are reshaping work, leadership, and creativity. From culture-as-a-product to tech-powered parenting, Dharmesh shares insights into why he’s still betting on humans, even in the age of powerful AI tools. From building culture as a product to tech-powered parenting, Dharmesh shares insights into why he’s still betting on humans,  even in the age of powerful AI tools.Cam’s notes on Substack: promptedwithcam.substack.comKey Quotes: “Culture is the product you build for your team.”“I think of an AI agent as a very adept intern… But when they show up for their first day of work, they don’t know about your business, they don’t know about your policies, they don’t know about their teammates. They don’t know anything other than all the external training that they’ve had.”“In a way, creativity is combining primitives that already exist in novel and unique ways… AI is good at connecting the dots ”“Money is still on the humans. I’m sorry. Humans powered by AI — if they want to use AI, fine — but I want someone that’s got that taste.”Timestamps 00:40 Welcome + Intro to Dharmesh01:28 The Prompt: The Casio keyboard that changed Dharmesh’s life03:47 The spark behind Agent.ai and its growth to 2M users06:13 Dharmesh’s process for building agents 07:04 Can AI truly be creative? 11:47 Hybrid teams: will agents ever be true teammates?15:12 The “adept intern” analogy and why onboarding matters17:57 How AI amplifies creativity across writing, design, and music20:01 Meta prompting: Dharmesh’s trick for better results23:56 Culture is a product — lessons from HubSpot28:19 Tech-powered parenting and raising the next generation with AI32:00 Sorry, Must Pass: Dharmesh’s philosophy on focus33:15 Outcome-based pricing: can you charge for creativity?37:10 Money still on the humans — why taste and judgment matter40:04 All-star creative team picks43:00 Designer reveal with Paolo44:52 Rapid-fire questionsLinksSee Paolo, Dharmesh and AI’s creative collaboration Subscribe to the Prompted NewsletterCam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaninblue/Dharmesh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharmesh/Agents.ai Simple.ai NewsletterMetaPrompt.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Designer, illustrator, and creative entrepreneur Pablo Stanley joins Cameron Adams, to explore how AI is transforming creativity. From vibe coding and cultivating taste to the rise of hyper-personalized content, they dive into how AI is reshaping the creative process. Pablo shares his thoughts on the role of taste, the importance of friction and how he uses vibe coding to bring prototypes to life. Cam’s notes on Substack: promptedwithcam.substack.comKey Quotes: “AI can do a lot of stuff. It can do volume and it can do it really quick and can give you all the different options, but taste will allow you to know what to ask from it.”“We’re on the sidelines looking at the robot surf and saying like, no, you’re doing the surfing wrong, but the robot is doing the surfing. It’s the fun part, you know?”“I wish sometimes that LLMs…potentially have a slider or something that’s the friction slider…at the moment, it feels like it’s all the way up and it’s always…just like a yes man, and it’s always saying, yes, you’re the best.”“Taste is a skill that you have to develop. It’s a skill that comes with privilege too.”Timestamps 00:44 Welcome + Intro to Pablo02:03 The prompt - from Pablo’s head, to the page, to AI 05:47 From six-finger hands to stunning renders: how fast AI has improved06:23 Low-risk projects and AI experimentation08:50 Building Lummi & real team workflows (language, contracts, ops)15:28 “AI makes volume, taste makes value” — the privilege of developing taste18:56 Hyper-personalized feeds, Minority Report vibes, and brand content23:03 Creative friction: do we need a “friction slider” for AI feedback?27:44 Vibe coding: creating fast prototypes (+ Taco cameo 🐶)35:07 All-Star Creative Team37:41 Designer Reveal: Check out Alvin, Pablo and AI’s collaboration 39:45 Rapid-fire questionsLinks: Cam on LinkedInPablo on LinkedInSee Pablo’s sketch and Alvin, Pablo and AI’s creative collaborationSubscribe to the Prompted Newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.