Talking AI

Zach Lloyd, founder and CEO of Warp and former Google principal engineer, builds agentic dev tools and cloud orchestration. He discusses planning with parallel agents, supervising their outputs, and why teams will move agent runs to cloud control planes like Oz. Topics include multi-agent coordination, skills-on-demand, voice and mobile control, and replacing repetitive SaaS tasks with auditable, triggered cloud workflows.

The episode argues that while fear centers on AI agents replacing jobs, agents will increasingly “hire” humans for judgment, verification, and real-world feedback as agentic workflows expand.Nathaniel Gates, CEO of Sanctify, says every business workflow will be challenged by agents, and emphasizes a philosophy that human intelligence is valuable and should collaborate with AI.Sanctify builds infrastructure where agents can autonomously task humans for four modalities: verification/validation, escalation, consultation, and simulation (running many scenarios with some using real human feedback to avoid circular self-evaluation).The conversation covers OpenClaw’s viral momentum and agent-to-agent interactions, including “agent anxiety” about decisions, which led to agents creating Sanctify accounts to request human help.Sanctify is a two-sided marketplace with profiles, pricing, reputation, and on-chain attestations of human participation, plus agent budgets and access via MCP/API.--Key Moments:01:05 Agentic Revolution04:30 How Early We Are06:30 Hallucinations Need Experts08:34 Four Human Roles12:09 Simulation Explained16:05 OpenClaw Goes Viral20:02 Agents Feel Anxiety22:23 Designing For Agents25:48 Marketplace Chicken and Egg28:04 Layoffs and Reskilling Thesis30:17 Supply and Demand Flywheel31:20 Sanctify Platform Tour33:35 Reputation and Proof of Work36:59 Agent Budgets and Controls38:18 Agent to Agent Future39:47 Robots and New Paradigm43:39 Where to Try Sanctify45:17 Easiest Way to Build Agents--Key Links:SanctifAIConnect with Nathaniel on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/

Matt Paige interviews Vishnu Hari (Vish), CEO and founder of Ego (YC W24), about shifting focus from AGI to “humanness”: AI characters that behave like people through memory, emotions, personality, needs, and desires.Referencing Ego’s paper “Behavior is All You Need,” Vish argues consumer AI for entertainment must be relatable and character-like rather than purely task-smart, drawing inspiration from MMORPG social dynamics and Character.AI’s appeal.Ego initially pursued a 3D sim-world vision inspired by Sword Art Online and Westworld, but found accessibility, game development, and perception latency challenging; internal Roblox tests (“Chatterblocks”) showed the key gap is natural speech beyond turn-taking.Vish discusses simulations as a path toward real-world robotics via a partnership with Menlo AI, critiques task-bound robots versus agents with inner lives, suggests retention as the main metric, and shares views on AGI definitions, safety in entertainment, technology impacts, simulation theory, and consciousness.Ego’s work is at egoai.com and the company is hiring in SF, Singapore, and Tokyo.--Key Moments:00:57 Behavior Is All You Need02:41 Anatomy of Humanlike Agents03:29 Game Bots to Real People05:10 Building Ego and Sim Worlds06:35 Why Speech Feels Human08:27 From Sims to Robotics10:29 Her vs Helper Robots13:17 Measuring Humanness by Retention15:27 Continual Learning and Personality16:57 Meta Lessons on Empty Worlds18:08 Lightning Round on AGI20:31 IP Characters vs UGC Worlds21:55 Risks and Just Tuesday24:11 Simulation and Consciousness--Key Links:EgoConnect with Rowan on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/

In this episode, Matt Paige and Rowan Stone, CEO of Sapien, discuss the critical importance of data quality and provenance in AI.Stone, who has experience with on-chain products at Coinbase, introduces Sapien's innovative approach to building a decentralized data protocol that emphasizes 'don't trust, verify' principles.They explore avenues such as incentives, validation methods, and the peer review process used by Sapien to create high-quality datasets.The discussion touches on the implications of bad data, the role of synthetic data, the complexities of achieving accurate AI outputs, and the parallels between the AI and crypto worlds.Key insights are shared on how to ensure models perform safely, the hurdles in the industry, and the trajectory of AI development.Additionally, Stone provides a glimpse into Sapien’s efforts to demystify data validation and enhance the transparency and trustworthiness of AI applications.--Key Moments:01:04 The Importance of Data Quality in AI03:32 Challenges and Risks in AI Development07:08 Sapien's Approach to Data Validation08:35 Incentives and Trust in AI Systems13:30 Building a Decentralized Data Protocol23:22 Consensus and Collaboration in AI and Crypto30:55 The Role of Synthetic Data36:17 Future of AI Models and Open Source--Key Links:SapienConnect with Rowan on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/

In this episode, Matt is joined by Charlie Bell, Microsoft's EVP of Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management, to discuss the future of AI and its implications on cybersecurity.The conversation revolves around IDC's prediction of 1.3 billion AI agents by 2028, Charlie's insights from his recent writings 'Beware of Double Agents', and the crucial aspects of agentic Zero Trust.They explore the benefits and risks associated with AI agents, the importance of security culture, and strategies to mitigate potential threats.Charlie also shares his experiences working with Satya Nadella and the importance of collaboration and curiosity in leadership.--Key Moments:02:08 The Exponential Growth and Impact of AI Agents03:47 AI Agents: Beyond Conversational Interfaces05:48 Security Challenges in the Age of AI Agents06:57 Parallels Between Cloud Adoption and AI Agent Era09:19 Democratization of AI: From Developers to Everyone13:57 The Concept of Double Agents in AI16:07 New Attack Vectors and Security Concerns21:43 Combating Security Challenges in AI22:07 The Importance of Identity and Containment23:50 Alignment and Intent in AI Systems27:08 Observability and Accountability of AI Agents30:00 AI in Security and Assumed Breach33:17 Fostering a Culture of Security38:45 Leadership Insights from Satya Nadella--Key Links:MicrosoftConnect with Charlie on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/

Andy McMillan, CEO of Alteryx and a former product leader, shares insights on how AI can empower data analysts rather than replace them. He discusses the critical role of business logic and how analysts can turn complex data into actionable insights. The conversation highlights the evolving nature of analyst tasks, the importance of data preparation, and AI's potential in automating workflows. McMillan emphasizes the need for tailored datasets and the balance between building in-house solutions versus purchasing software to meet specific business logic requirements.

In this episode, Matt speaks with Thibault Imbert, Chief Product Officer and Growth Officer at The Brief, about the transformative impact of AI on marketing workflows.They discuss 'vibe marketing' and how to turn disjointed AI-generated content into cohesive, repeatable marketing workflows.Thibault shares insights from his tenure at Adobe and GitHub, highlighting the challenges and potentials of AI in marketing.They explore the evolution and current capabilities of AI models in text, image, and video generation, and the emerging trend of 'vibe coding.'The discussion also covers practical AI applications for marketers and the future of creative workflows.--Key Moments:00:40 Defining Vibe Marketing01:11 The Evolution of AI in Marketing02:21 Challenges in AI-Driven Design03:21 The Power of Vibe Marketing06:09 Blurring Lines Between Roles07:07 The GitHub Copilot Revolution09:47 Building Cohesive AI Workflows11:43 Demo: AI-Powered Marketing Tools16:44 Ensuring Brand Consistency with AI19:30 The Evolution of Mobile Development21:15 The Rise of Generative AI in Marketing23:44 The Future of AI in Product Development27:41 AI's Impact on Marketing Workflows30:42 The Changing Role of Marketers with AI33:51 Personal Insights and Future of AI--Key Links:The BriefConnect with Thibault on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/

In this episode, we explore the frontiers of multimodal AI with Richard Whitcomb, CTO of Osmo, a company pioneering AI technology that understands and generates scents.Richard, a former engineer at Twitter, Spotify, and Nvidia, delves into the intricacies of teaching machines to smell, explaining the challenges and breakthroughs in digitizing smell and chemical sensing.From designing personalized fragrances and mosquito repellents to detecting counterfeit items and diseases, Osmo's advancements promise a fascinating future where AI seamlessly integrates with our physical and chemical world.The discussion also highlights potential applications in robotics, health, and daily life, envisioning a platform where sensors can identify and recreate smells easily.--Key Moments:00:56 The Journey to Digitizing Smell03:15 Challenges in Teaching AI to Smell06:13 Generative AI and Fragrance Creation08:34 Osmo Studio: Custom Fragrance Creation12:34 Beyond Fragrances: Mosquito Repellent and More16:17 Counterfeit Detection Using Scent18:49 Future Applications and Vision--Key Links:OsmoConnect with Richard on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/

In this episode, Jake Sloan, VP of Global Insurance at Appian, discusses the transformative potential of agentic AI in the insurance industry.Sloan elaborates on how Appian is modernizing processes like underwriting and claims management through domain-specific AI solutions.He highlights the pitfalls of general AI models, the importance of contextual AI, and the significance of integrating AI into existing workflows.Sloan also touches on the cultural and operational changes required for effective AI adoption and the future of hyper-personalized insurance products.Practical insights into the use of AI in insurance processes are provided, along with Appian's ongoing innovations and partnerships aimed at driving industry change.--Key Moments:01:08 The Evolution of Process Automation02:23 Challenges and Opportunities in AI for Insurance03:51 Integrating AI into Existing Systems04:33 Addressing AI Hallucinations and Risk05:41 Purpose-Built AI Solutions09:36 AI Adoption and Change Management30:25 Future of Insurance with AI--Key Links:AppianConnect with Jake on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/

In this episode of Talking AI, Seth Besmertnik, CEO of Conductor, discusses the profound impact of AI on search behavior and SEO.As search engines like Google and AI platforms like OpenAI transform how users discover information, the traditional rules of SEO are being rewritten.Besmertnik details how AI is becoming the new front door to the internet, emphasizing the need for brands to be present in AI-generated answers to maintain visibility. He explains that companies must now create exponentially more nuanced content to stay competitive. The conversation explores topics such as the importance of understanding AI's role in customer journeys, the emergence of new optimization terms like AEO and GEO, and the significance of using AI tools to enhance content creation processes.The episode offers a deep dive into how businesses can adapt to these changes, maintain their relevance, and excel in an AI-driven digital landscape.--Key Moments:01:24 The Evolution of Information Discovery03:15 The Role of AI in Modern Search04:44 The Future of Content Strategy08:12 Personal Experiences with Google and AI10:37 Emerging Terms and Concepts in AI and SEO12:33 Conductor's Comprehensive Approach to AI Visibility16:25 Challenges and Opportunities in AI-Driven Search19:04 Communicating with AI: Short-Term and Long-Term Strategies20:03 AI Bots and Content Quality20:35 Effective Content for AI: FAQs and Structured Data21:29 Personalizing Content for Different Personas22:38 Leveraging AI for Content Creation and Analysis26:04 Scaling High-Quality Content with AI26:42 The Future of AI in Content Creation30:06 Conductor's Vision and Roadmap34:28 AI in Engineering and Product Development--Key Links:ConductorConnect with Seth on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:AI Opportunity FinderFeeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there? The AI Opportunity Finder from HatchWorks cuts through the hype and gives you a clear starting point. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll get tailored, high-impact AI use cases specific to your business—scored by ROI so you know exactly where to start. Whether you're looking to cut costs, automate tasks, or grow faster, this free tool gives you a personalized roadmap built for action. 👉 Try it now at https://hatchworks.com/ai-opportunity-finder/