The AI Why with Liam Lawson

Upscaile Partnered with Stanford to Teach a 90-Minute AI for Creativity Masterclass — From Prompting Fundamentals to Full AI Short Film ProductionIn this full Stanford class recording, Arturo Ferreira walks students through the complete creative AI workflow — from foundational prompting techniques to producing a short sci-fi film using only AI tools. The session covers everything from how tokenization and probability engines actually work to building consistent characters and visual styles across an entire production.Arturo demonstrates how he created a multi-character, fully narrated sci-fi short film in just 48 hours using ChatGPT, Sora, Runway ML, 11 Labs, and Final Cut Pro. Students follow along with hands-on exercises, learning the exact prompting frameworks used to go from basic one-line prompts to production-quality AI video output.Key Topics CoveredThe difference between artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AIWhy AI is a probability engine, not a thinking machine, and why that matters for promptingThree pillars of effective prompting: clarity, context, and specificityHow tokenization works (word-based, character-based, and phrase-based)Using temperature settings to control AI creativity and determinismHashtag prompting technique to create signposts and organize complex promptsRetrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) for uploading references and refining outputTree of Thought technique for generating multiple creative options simultaneouslyCharacter Lock, Style Lock, and Camera Controls for visual consistency across scenesBuilding a complete AI short film workflow from storyboard to final edit in 48 hoursEpisode Timestamps00:00 - Introduction and course overview at Stanford04:18 - How smart is AI? Why AI is fast, not smart06:20 - Tokenization explained: word-based, character-based, phrase-based07:40 - Hallucinations are a feature, not a bug09:59 - Three pillars of prompting: clarity, context, specificity16:41 - Temperature settings for controlling AI creativity21:46 - Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) explained27:00 - Hashtag prompting technique for advanced prompt organization32:52 - Tree of Thought technique for multiple creative solutions38:23 - Hands-on with Sora: creating AI video from prompts52:56 - Hashtag prompting vs basic prompting: side-by-side video comparison1:02:37 - Full AI short film reveal: 48-hour sci-fi production1:05:15 - Character Lock, Style Lock, and Camera Controls1:18:46 - Runway ML workflow for reference-shot-to-video production1:19:31 - Using 11 Labs for AI audio and sound effects1:23:09 - System prompts, custom instructions, and persistent memoryAbout Liam LawsonArturo Ferriera is an AI educator and creative technologist who teaches enterprise-level AI training and creative AI workshops. He partnered with Stanford to deliver this masterclass on AI for creativity, covering prompting fundamentals through advanced AI filmmaking techniques. Liam specializes in making generative AI accessible for creative professionals at all skill levels.About UpscaileUpscaile delivers enterprise AI training designed to help teams integrate generative AI into their creative and professional workflows. The company partners with leading institutions like Stanford to provide hands-on AI education that bridges the gap between technical capability and practical creative application.Resources MentionedChatGPT (OpenAI)Sora by OpenAIRunway ML11 LabsFinal Cut Pro / iMovie / Adobe PremiereTree of Thought and Chain of Thought prompting techniquesRetrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)Partner LinksBook Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe-theaireport-youtube#AIFilmmaking #StanfordAI #GenerativeAI #AIforCreatives #PromptEngineering #ChatGPT #Sora #RunwayML #ElevenLabs #AIVideo #AICreativity #AITools #AITraining #Upscaile #ContentCreation

In this episode, Peter Swartz, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Altana, reveals how the company's AI-powered supply chain knowledge graph has helped stop hundreds of millions of dollars in forced labor goods from crossing borders and contributed to some of the largest counter-narcotics seizures in investigators' careers. Peter shares the real-world impact Altana is making across both the public and private sectors.Peter breaks down how Altana's multi-tier supply chain visibility works to trace forced labor cotton through global networks, how dual-use chemicals are being diverted into fentanyl production, and how the platform helps governments and enterprises collaborate to avoid billions of dollars in trade disruptions while saving hundreds of millions in tariff fees.Key Topics Covered- How Altana blocked hundreds of millions of dollars in forced labor goods at U.S. borders- The role of AI knowledge graphs in mapping multi-tier global supply chains- How Altana supports CBP enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act- Product passports and how they expedite legitimate goods through customs- The difference between forced labor entering legit supply chains vs. legit goods entering illicit ones- How logistics companies use Altana to prevent their networks from being misused- Proactive vs. reactive approaches to supply chain risk using probabilistic AI models- Scenario modeling for geopolitical disruptions including Taiwan and global conflicts- Saving billions in supply chain disruptions and hundreds of millions in tariff feesEpisode Timestamps00:00 - Introduction and overview of Altana's real-world impact00:41 - Understanding forced labor as a multi-tier supply chain problem03:09 - Hundreds of millions in forced labor goods stopped at borders03:45 - How the AI knowledge graph maps global supply chain connections04:15 - Working with CBP on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act04:35 - Product passports and expediting goods through customs04:51 - Counter-narcotics and the dual-use chemical problem05:45 - Helping logistics companies stop network misuse06:27 - From alert to action and the system handoff process06:49 - Responsible AI and the role of human-in-the-loop decisions07:33 - Proactive vs. reactive supply chain intelligence08:08 - Scenario modeling for geopolitical disruptions and resiliencyAbout Peter SwartzPeter Swartz is Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Altana. He has spoken on global trade, supply chains, and machine learning at the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the National Academies of Medicine. Previously, Peter was Head of Data Science at Panjiva, listed as one of Fast Company's most innovative data science companies in 2018 and later acquired by S&P Global. He holds patents in machine learning and global trade, and completed his education at Yale, MIT, and EPFL.About AltanaAltana is the world's first Value Chain Management System, providing AI-powered supply chain intelligence to governments, enterprises, and logistics providers. The platform is built on a proprietary knowledge graph comprising more than 2.8 billion shipments, tracking over 500 million companies and 850 million facilities globally. Altana covers more than 50% of global trade, making it the most comprehensive and accurate supply chain map available.Resources Mentioned- Altana Atlas platform and AI knowledge graph- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)- Product passports for cross-border compliance- Altana's disruption and tariff scenario modeling toolsPeter's Socials:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgswartz/Partner LinksBook Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/

📢 This Week in AI: ChatGPT Ads, Data Center Freezes & Lunar FactoriesAI isn’t slowing down—it’s changing how we search, build infrastructure, and even think about space. This week: OpenAI switches on ads inside ChatGPT, U.S. states move to freeze new AI data centers, Elon Musk pitches a lunar AI satellite factory, China turns to AI to hunt corruption, and Anthropic raises a massive $30 billion war chest. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:[0:00] - Intro [0:15] - OpenAI Puts ADS in ChatGPT ][2:00] - States Hit Pause on AI Data Centers[3:45] - Elon Musk’s Lunar AI Factory[5:30] - China Uses AI to Catch Corrupt Officials[7:10] - Anthropic Raises $30 BILLION at $380B Valuation🎯 WHY THIS MATTERS:These aren’t just tech headlines—they’re signals about how AI business models, infrastructure, regulation, and capital flows are shifting in real time. Whether you’re planning AI deployments, managing risk, or just trying to stay ahead, understanding these moves is critical.💡 ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:AI News in 5 breaks down the week’s most important AI developments in under 5 minutes. No hype, no fear‑mongering—just clear analysis of what’s happening and why it matters to you.

📢 Trillion-Dollar Mergers, Software Selloffs & the UK's First AI TownAnthropic drops Opus 4.6 and triggers a stock selloff, Microsoft's Copilot faces a user crisis, Musk merges SpaceX with xAI in a $1.25 trillion deal, and the UK government turns Barnsley into a tech town. 4 major AI stories in under 5 minutes.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Intro0:15 - Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 4.61:15 - Microsoft Copilot Loses Ground to ChatGPT2:15 - Musk Merges SpaceX & xAI in $1.25T Deal3:25 - UK Names Barnsley Its First Tech Town4:30 - Wrap-up📰 SOURCES & ARTICLES:Anthropic Claude Opus 4.6: https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-4-6Microsoft Copilot Challenges: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/microsofts-pivotal-ai-product-is-running-into-big-problems-ce235b28SpaceX-xAI Merger: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/03/musk-xai-spacex-biggest-merger-ever.htmlBarnsley Tech Town: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/barnsley-becomes-uks-first-government-backed-tech-town💡 ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:AI News in 5 breaks down the week's most important AI developments in under 5 minutes. No hype, no fear-mongering—just clear analysis of what's actually happening and why it matters to you.🎙️ THE AI REPORT PODCASTWeekly deep-dive conversations with AI operators building the future.Subscribe for full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@the-AI-report-with-liam-lawson/featured📬 STAY CONNECTEDNewsletter: https://newsletter.theaireport.ai/subscribeEnterprise Training: https://www.upscaile.com#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #OpenAI #Anthropic #Microsoft #Copilot #SpaceX #xAI #ElonMusk #TechNews #AINews #FutureOfWork #ChatGPT #Claude #WeeklyAI #TechTrends2026 #Barnsley #TechTown #UKTech

Louis Shulman on Building a 15-Person Newsletter Agency, Taking 300 Sales Calls in One Year, and Why Email Marketing Is the Most Overlooked Growth Channel. Louis Shulman, founder of Orbit Marketing, returns to the show to reveal how he built a newsletter agency from scratch, scaled to 15 team members, and took over 300 sales calls in a single year. In this candid conversation, Louis shares why most B2B businesses are leaving massive opportunities on the table by ignoring email marketing.From running paid ads directly to newsletters to building full-funnel lead generation systems, Louis breaks down the exact playbook his agency uses to generate qualified meetings for clients. He also discusses the mindset shift from chasing revenue to obsessing over client results—and why that change transformed his business.Key Topics Covered:- Why email marketing remains the most overlooked channel for B2B businesses- The newsletter funnel strategy: running Facebook and Instagram ads to newsletter opt-ins- How to use surveys and Go High Level to qualify leads automatically- Transitioning from commodity service provider to fractional CMO- The difference between "founder growth hires" and "clone hires" when scaling- Why vanilla content gets ignored and opinionated writing drives responses- Building systems and playbooks that make agency work scalable- Using AI to overcome entrepreneurial fears and mental blockers- The shift from chasing client count to producing case studies- How Orbit Flows software was built as an internal tool then monetized- Why incentive alignment is the key to delivering client resultsEpisode Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction and catching up with Louis Shulman01:17 - What Orbit Marketing does and how the business evolved03:51 - Why every B2B business should have an email presence05:13 - Converting sales call rejections into future clients07:23 - Training writers to create opinionated, high-converting content08:47 - B2B vs DTC clients and strategic positioning11:16 - The "sawdust" strategy: monetizing byproducts of your business12:28 - Becoming a full-service marketing agency vs staying specialized16:35 - Finding intrinsic motivation beyond revenue growth20:32 - Is the agency model actually scalable?24:46 - Using AI to overcome fears and mental blockers27:06 - Hiring strategies: patience vs startup chaos mode30:31 - Orbit Flows: building software from internal toolsAbout Louis Shulman:Louis Shulman is the founder of Orbit Marketing, a newsletter agency that helps B2B companies generate qualified leads through email marketing and paid newsletter funnels. He also runs Orbit Metrics, a data and analytics consultancy for e-commerce brands spending $2M+ annually on ads, and Orbit Flows, a content creation and project management software built for newsletter teams.About Orbit Marketing:Orbit Marketing is a full-service newsletter agency specializing in B2B lead generation. The company writes and manages newsletters for dozens of clients, runs paid acquisition campaigns to newsletter opt-ins, and builds complete funnel systems using tools like Go High Level. With a team of 15, Orbit Marketing has written several hundred newsletter issues for clients across industries including finance, e-commerce, and professional services.Resources Mentioned:- Orbit Flows (content creation software)- Go High Level (funnel and CRM platform)- Facebook Ads Manager- Kai Bax (agency scaling strategies)- Alex Hormozi (business growth frameworks)Partner Links:Book Enterprise Training — https://www.upscaile.com/Subscribe to our free newsletter — https://www.theaireport.ai/subscribe-theaireport-youtube#NewsletterMarketing #EmailMarketing #B2BLeadGeneration #AgencyGrowth #LouisShulman #OrbitMarketing #NewsletterAgency #PaidAds #ContentStrategy #Entrepreneurship #MarketingStrategy #FractionalCMO #StartupGrowth #AIinBusiness #EmailFunnels

This week in AI and tech: Google removes medical AI overviews after controversy, Anthropic launches Claude for Healthcare, Slackbot becomes a full AI agent, OpenAI signs a $10 billion deal with Cerebras, and Trump announces 25% tariffs on AI chips.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro00:30 Story #1: Google Pulls Medical AI Overviews04:15 Story #2: Anthropic Launches Claude for Healthcare08:45 Story #3: Slackbot Becomes AI Agent13:20 Story #4: OpenAI's $10B Cerebras Deal18:00 Story #5: Trump's 25% AI Chip Tariff22:30 Final Thoughts📰 STORY BREAKDOWN🔴 GOOGLE PULLS MEDICAL AI OVERVIEWSFollowing a Guardian investigation revealing misleading health advice, Google has removed AI Overviews from certain medical queries. The move raises questions about AI reliability in healthcare information and the challenges of deploying generative AI for health-related searches.🏥 ANTHROPIC LAUNCHES CLAUDE FOR HEALTHCAREAnthropic announced Claude for Healthcare, targeting administrative burden reduction in medical settings. The specialized version of Claude aims to help with clinical documentation, patient communication, and workflow optimization while maintaining HIPAA compliance.💬 SLACKBOT BECOMES AI AGENTSalesforce announces general availability of the new AI-powered Slackbot, transforming it from a simple bot into a personal AI agent for work. The upgraded Slackbot can handle complex tasks, answer questions using company knowledge, and automate workflows across Slack channels.💻 OPENAI'S $10B CEREBRAS DEALOpenAI partners with Cerebras Systems in a deal worth over $10 billion to leverage their wafer-scale AI chips. This massive partnership could make ChatGPT exponentially faster by utilizing Cerebras's revolutionary chip architecture, which houses millions of cores on a single wafer.🇺🇸 TRUMP'S 25% AI CHIP TARIFFPresident Trump imposes 25% tariffs on certain advanced AI chip imports while simultaneously clearing the way for Nvidia H200 sales to China. The policy creates a complex landscape for semiconductor trade with significant implications for AI development and US-China tech relations.📚 SOURCES & LINKSStory #1: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/05/google-ai-overviews-misleading-health-adviceStory #2: https://www.anthropic.com/news/healthcare-life-sciencesStory #3: https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/slackbot-personal-agent-work/Story #4: https://openai.com/index/cerebras-partnership/Story #5: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/14/trump-nvidia-h200-china-ai-chips.html🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly AI and tech news coverage💬 What story surprised you most? Comment below!#AI #TechNews #Google #OpenAI #Anthropic #Salesforce #Slack #Trump #Tariffs #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #Claude #MachineLearning #Technology #WeeklyNews

Discover the latest in AI developments as OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, integrating medical records with privacy safeguards. Amazon rolls out Alexa+ for web, transforming how we interact with household devices. The partnership between UMG and NVIDIA aims to innovate music discovery using AI tools. Plus, Google reimagines email with AI-generated summaries in Gmail's new inbox. All these updates are packed into a quick yet informative five-minute recap!

In this engaging conversation, Eric Jorgenson, CEO of Scribe Media and author known for his insights on long-term investing, shares his visionary approach to business and technology 30 years ahead. He discusses the importance of a long-term perspective and how it shapes investment decisions and startup evaluations. Eric highlights the role of energy as a currency and examines the transformative potential of AI across various fields. He emphasizes the need for judgment over mere technical skills in the evolving AI landscape, encouraging listeners to focus on cultivating discernment and meaningful contributions.

Andrew McNamara, Shopify's Director of Applied Machine Learning, shares insights from his 15-year journey in AI, emphasizing the evolution from basic assistants to sophisticated LLMs. He discusses how Sidekick has transformed into a proactive AI co-founder that democratizes data for merchants. Andrew introduces Sidekick Pulse, highlighting its ability to uncover critical business insights, and explains SimGym, which allows merchants to A/B test with AI shoppers without risking live traffic. The conversation touches on 'vibe entrepreneurship' and the exciting future of AI in e-commerce.

Jason Eubanks, Founder and CEO of Aurasell, brings his wealth of experience scaling startups like Twilio and Meraki to the table. He reveals how Aurasell raised $30M in just 28 hours to tackle the outdated go-to-market tooling space. Jason discusses the 'desert of innovation' in CRM, emphasizing how modern sellers are bogged down by tool sprawl, spending just 28% of their time selling. He shares insights on Aurasell's AI-native approach to unify and automate sales workflows, aiming to replace up to 15 tools with a single intelligent platform.