AI Applied: Covering AI News, Interviews and Tools - ChatGPT, Midjourney, Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic
Jaeden Schafer and Conor Grennan
Welcome to the AI Applied podcast, hosted by Jaeden Schafer and Conor Grennan. Get your weekly dose of the latest AI news, trends, and discussions in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence.
From ChatGPT and computer vision to robotics and natural language processing, we cover the most exciting developments in the field of AI. We also discuss ways to apply it to your career, job, workflows, and life.
Join us as we delve into the cutting-edge of AI research, understand its impact on our world, and explore the future of this rapidly growing field.
From ChatGPT and computer vision to robotics and natural language processing, we cover the most exciting developments in the field of AI. We also discuss ways to apply it to your career, job, workflows, and life.
Join us as we delve into the cutting-edge of AI research, understand its impact on our world, and explore the future of this rapidly growing field.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 12, 2026 • 14min
Anthropic's DoD Battle & NVIDIA's Investment Pullback
A legal clash between Anthropic and the Department of Defense, and how that label reshaped public perception and app-store rankings. The debate over Anthropic’s limits on military use and how those principles affect business positioning. NVIDIA’s pullback in funding and the political and strategic reasons behind its investment shift.
8 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 13min
OpenAI Launches GPT-5.4 with Mid-Response Steering
They break down GPT-5.4’s standout features like mid-response steering, million-token context, and native computer use. Conversation covers real-time correction UX, first-hand impressions of mid-steering, and concerns about models being overly cautious. They also tackle regulatory debates around AI in regulated industries and compare OpenAI’s approach to competitors such as Anthropic and Gemini.
Mar 6, 2026 • 15min
Anthropic's Fluency Index, Vercept Acquisition, and DoD Standoff
They break down Anthropic’s new AI fluency index and what behaviors mark a power user. They unpack Anthropic’s Vercept acquisition and how screen-controlling agents could automate everyday tasks. They dig into the tense standoff with the Department of Defense over safeguards, surveillance, and military uses. Conversation covers potential outcomes and multi-vendor strategies.
Mar 4, 2026 • 14min
AI Mindset Course Revised and Re-launched
Conor Grennan, founder of AI Mindset and former NYU Stern chief AI architect, now trains organizations on behavioral change for AI adoption. He discusses why he left academia to focus full-time on this work. The relaunch of his AI Mindset course, frameworks that rewire how people approach LLMs, and practical tools that boost real-world productivity are highlighted.
Mar 2, 2026 • 12min
Is AI Making Us Lonelier?
A conversation about whether AI increases loneliness and who is most affected. They debate AI teammates replacing coworkers and the tradeoffs for productivity and creativity. The rise of flattering or companion bots and the ethical boundaries around AI relationships are examined. Practical tips on drawing personal lines between tools and real human connection are discussed.
17 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 13min
Anthropic's SONNET 4.6: Cheaper, Faster, and Smarter
They unpack Anthropic’s SONNET 4.6 release and how it stacks up against prior models. Discussion covers much lower model costs and the ripple effects for apps and integrations. They highlight stronger computer-use abilities and real-world task automation. Security gains and reduced prompt-injection risk for enterprise deployments are examined.
Feb 26, 2026 • 23min
Google Launches Nano Banana 2 with Logan Kilpatrick
Logan Kilpatrick, a Google product and engineering leader behind Nano Banana and Gemini work. He breaks down Nano Banana 2’s speed, 4K and aspect-ratio boosts, and image search-powered generation. Conversation covers virtual try-on and startup opportunities, watermarking and safety tradeoffs, and how faster models shape AI coding and product rollouts.
7 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 13min
Google's AI Week: Gemini 3.1 Pro, Lyria & Pomelli
They unpack Gemini 3.1 Pro’s performance leap and what it means for competing models. They demo Lyria, Google’s new music generator, and compare it to other creative tools. They explore Pomelli, a product photography tool that turns simple shots into ad-ready images. Practical adoption tips and how these tools affect business workflows round out the conversation.
Feb 20, 2026 • 13min
Amazon's New Marketplace Will Change Content Licensing
A deep dive into Amazon's new marketplace that lets publishers license content to AI companies. Discussion covers why big tech seeks licensed training data and how Amazon's access to books, video, and music gives it an edge. Conversations about creators monetizing their work, the risk of low-quality synthetic content, and whether companies might buy publishers for data.
16 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 13min
Is Something Big Happening in AI?
They dig into a viral blog arguing AI is accelerating like a pandemic and threatening screen-based jobs. Recent model releases and agent swarms are highlighted as forces that speed AI development. The conversation covers how AI tooling can rapidly replace tedious SaaS and how company adoption will shape who wins and loses.
