The AI in Business Podcast

The consistency gap in enterprise AI represents a critical failure point where unpredictable system behavior outside of controlled demos threatens to derail executive sponsorship and regulatory compliance. In this episode, Amar Akshat, SVP & Chief Architect at Paysafe, examines how leaders can move beyond experimental shadow AI by embedding determinism and high-threshold guardrails directly into the production pipeline. The discussion outlines a rigorous evaluation framework centered on treating prompts as versioned intellectual property, implementing Know Your Agent (KYA) policy envelopes, and ensuring every agentic decision remains holistically auditable. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at https://go.emerj.com/partner

Legacy financial systems often trap organizations in "data swamps" where AI is mistakenly treated as a magic fix for fundamentally broken manual architectures. In this episode, Juan Orlandini, CTO of North America at Insight, outlines why senior executives must distinguish between statistical AI outputs and the mathematical precision required for financial compliance to avoid significant reporting risks. The conversation provides a roadmap for building a scalable operating layer by prioritizing data engineering and leveraging established vendor knowledge to protect long-term investment. This episode is sponsored by K1x. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at https://go.emerj.com/partner

R&D teams are starting to advance AI capabilities faster than they can translate them into measurable business value, creating mounting friction between scientific progress and operational reality. In this episode, Aziz Nazha, Global Head of AI Innovations Institute at Incyte Pharmaceuticals, examines how culture, talent, infrastructure, and expectation‑setting determine whether AI meaningfully improves drug discovery and development. He highlights the practical shifts required — from redesigning workflows to disciplined upskilling and targeted validation cycles — to ensure AI adoption accelerates cycle times rather than getting stalled by organizational bottlenecks. This episode is sponsored by Deloitte. Learn how brands like Deloitte work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

A recurring challenge for leaders is that the use cases they expect to automate rarely match what customers actually struggle with once large‑scale conversation data is analyzed. In this episode, Shezan Kazi, Head of AI Transformation and AI Products at Dialpad, examines how autonomous agents should take the first pass on high‑volume deterministic requests, when they must hand off to humans, and why confidence scoring and oversight models are essential for safe deployment. He highlights the practical steps leaders can take — from starting with low‑risk, high‑impact tasks to redesigning processes around real interaction data — to expand automation responsibly and improve customer outcomes over time. This episode is sponsored by Dialpad. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

A major shift is underway as enterprises move from lab‑ready computer vision to the far more complex reality of deploying visual intelligence across messy, variable, high‑stakes physical environments. In this episode, Joseph Nelson, Co‑founder and CEO at Roboflow, examines how dependable visual data, models tuned to real operating conditions, and integration with existing production and safety systems determine whether visual AI delivers meaningful value. He highlights the practical moves that matter most: securing consistent visibility into key processes, choosing a first deployment that proves impact, and scaling only once the operational foundations are in place. This episode is sponsored by Roboflow. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Today's guest is Aaron Demory, Senior Partner at Fearlus and Chief of Information Technology and Security at the FDIC. Fearlus is a strategic governance and risk innovation firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in 2024. They offer the Fearlus Risk Operating Model, a structured approach designed to help organizations align strategy, execution, and governance through cognitive infrastructure and decision clarity. Aaron joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello on today's show to share insight on how regulated institutions are approaching generative AI with caution and clarity, focusing on foundational governance, narrow pilot use cases, and maintaining public trust. The conversation highlights emerging best practices for evaluating large language models, implementing explainability frameworks, and balancing experimentation with accountability. If you find the episode useful, please leave us a five-star review on your preferred podcast platform. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at http://go.emerj.com/partner

Operational complexity in modern distribution centers is accelerating faster than most organizations can adapt, leaving leaders with fragmented data, static facility designs, and inefficiencies that compound across planning and fulfillment. In this episode, Jerod Hamilton, Director of 3PL Warehouse Strategy at Tyson Foods, joins Emerj's Marilie Fouche to examine how disconnected forecasting and warehousing systems limit real‑time decisioning and obscure the true sources of leakage inside large‑scale operations. He highlights the need for integrated planning signals and more adaptive warehouse systems that can adjust placement and movement decisions as demand shifts, rather than weeks after inefficiencies have already taken hold. This episode is sponsored by Easy Metrics. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Today's guest is Emma Vitalini, Head of Global Digital Health Technology Innovation at Amgen. Amgen is a global biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and delivering medicines for serious illnesses. Emma joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to examine how data and AI are reshaping patient recruitment, decentralized clinical trials, and compliance workflows in highly regulated healthcare environments. Emma also discusses practical ways AI can surface unstructured genomic and clinical data to improve patient identification, how API-based access supports hypothesis testing without large-scale data movement, and how modular consent and explainable AI frameworks help sponsors scale trial operations while maintaining regulatory trust and patient transparency. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Aging expertise, paper‑based instructions, and inconsistent onboarding are creating a widening execution gap on the factory floor as experienced workers retire and new operators expect real‑time digital support. In this episode, Antoine Bisson, CEO and Co‑Founder at Poka, examines how manufacturers can capture institutional knowledge and convert it into structured digital guidance that accelerates training and stabilizes performance. Poka is a connected‑worker platform for manufacturers. It digitizes work instructions and training, uses AI to convert legacy knowledge into structured content, and delivers contextual guidance to frontline teams in real time. The discussion highlights how AI‑generated instructions, contextual support, and focused early use cases help leaders reduce variability, strengthen continuity, and move teams toward more proactive operations. This episode is sponsored by Poka. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Tax processes remain constrained by document-based workflows that limit data accessibility, speed, and cross-system integration. In this episode, Neal Schneider, Co-Founder and CTO at K1x, and Ken Powell, Chief Revenue Officer at K1x, unpack how shifting to standardized, connected tax data enables more efficient processing, interoperability, and improved use of information across stakeholders. The discussion focuses on reducing manual data handling, progressing through stages of data maturity, and using centralized data to support faster processing and more informed client work. This episode is sponsored by K1x. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

The gap between customer expectations and operational delivery is widening as traditional reactive service models struggle with volume volatility and workforce attrition. In this episode, Philipp Heltewig, Chief AI Officer at NiCE, unpacks how enterprises can transition to a proactive, AI-first customer experience by rethinking core service processes for the age of automation. The discussion outlines the shift from measuring simple deflection to prioritizing resolution quality, alongside the technical requirements for structuring APIs and knowledge bases to support high-performance AI agents. This episode is sponsored by NiCE. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Enterprise legal departments are currently navigating a breakdown in AI adoption caused by scattered data, inconsistent global regulations, and a lack of clear governance for grading automated workflows. In this episode, Christo Siebrits, Senior Associate and General Counsel at AbbVie, outlines how a validated internal large language model environment combined with a forced-ranking strategy for use cases can mitigate risk while focusing technical resources on high-value initiatives. The discussion focuses on practical frameworks for cross-functional training, aligning with the EU AI Act, and integrating legal oversight into early-stage technical development to ensure scalable and compliant innovation. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert.for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Supply chains are being pushed to move faster while geopolitical volatility makes traditional planning cycles increasingly fragile for global enterprises. In this episode, Edmund Zagorin, Founding Chief Strategy Officer at Arkestro, and Mike Shin, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Trinity Rail Industries, join Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research, to examine how proactive, data‑driven procurement models help organizations balance cost, capacity, and continuity under these conditions. They highlight how offer‑driven sourcing, automated contract intelligence, and supplier‑alternative discovery shorten decision cycles, surface hidden risks, and strengthen collaboration across procurement and supply chain teams. This episode is sponsored by Arkestro. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

The collapse of traditional, static survey models at scale creates a systemic visibility gap that transforms multi-tier supply chain dependencies into boardroom-level risks. In this Aravo-sponsored episode, Carey Smith, former CIO and Chief Technology Innovation Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and President and CIO of XcelerateHealth, outlines how enterprises must transition to continuous, AI-enabled monitoring to achieve deterministic explainability in risk scoring. The discussion focuses on shifting from simple risk detection to operational resilience by automating remediation playbooks and segmenting vendor scrutiny based on business materiality Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Enterprises are facing an 80% failure rate for AI agents in complex tasks because these systems lack the deep understanding required to navigate established legacy environments and existing internal systems. In this episode, Eran Yahav, CTO and co-founder at Tabnine, outlines how an enterprise context engine acts as a persistent memory and mapping layer that onboards AI systems into specific business logic, security perimeters, and organizational dependencies. The conversation highlights how this infrastructure can double agent success rates and reduce token costs by 80% while allowing technical leaders to establish swim lanes that ensure agents operate reliably within complex software architectures. This episode is sponsored by Tabnine. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

AI adoption is forcing a shift from automating yesterday's processes to redesigning the enterprise for differentiation and growth. In this episode, Dan Diasio, Global AI Consulting Leader and Americas Consulting CTO at EY, joins Emerj's Matthew DeMello to unpack why leading organizations are reallocating AI gains toward workforce reinvention, new operating models, and competitive advantage rather than headcount reduction. The conversation distills how executives are reframing investment strategy, avoiding the visibility trap, and aligning mindset, skill set, and tool set to unlock enterprise‑level value. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast! Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

The contact center is shifting from a service channel to a primary point of fraud, where text‑based systems fail to catch the signals that surface only in live voice. In this episode, Mike Pappas, CEO & Co‑Founder at Modulate, joins Emerj's Nick Gertsch to examine how audio‑native, multi‑model analysis exposes social engineering and deepfake‑driven threats that traditional tools routinely miss. The discussion highlights how leaders can strengthen real‑time detection, limit downstream financial and regulatory impact, and evaluate voice‑AI systems based on accuracy, speed, and adaptability to evolving fraud tactics. This episode is sponsored by Modulate. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options atgo.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

A growing number of enterprises are discovering that early agent wins don't translate into scale because agents can connect but cannot yet share context or improve as a coordinated system. In this episode, Papi Menon, Vice President of Product Management and Chief Product Officer at Outshift by Cisco, joins Emerj's Matthew DeMello to unpack why the missing cognitive layer in multi‑agent environments limits progress and what it will take for agents to operate as a collective rather than isolated tools. He highlights how leaders can make meaningful headway by choosing low‑risk, high‑impact starting points and building on open, interoperable foundations that support future evolution. This episode is sponsored by Outshift by Cisco. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Financial institutions are finding that the primary bottleneck to AI adoption isn't the technology itself, but the inability to govern sensitive data with the precision required for enterprise-scale deployment. In this episode, Mark Crean, Regional Vice President of Sales from Securiti AI and James Dean, AI Specialist at Google Cloud, breaks down how fragmented data and access risks keep high-value use cases trapped in the pilot phase. They outline the shift toward disciplined data classification and the cross-team alignment necessary to transition AI into regulated, revenue-critical workflows. The conversation highlights why remediation and traceability have become the ultimate benchmarks for safety and ROI in the sector. This episode is sponsored by Securiti AI. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

A decade of stalled industrial AI efforts has given way to a new phase where agentic systems can finally handle complex, variable operational tasks without the brittle constraints of earlier automation. In this episode, Somya Kapoor, CEO at IFS Loops, joins Daniel Faggella Emerj CEO and Head of Research to examine how digital workers can be introduced as task‑specific assistants that learn from business instructions and progressively take on procurement, service, and back‑office responsibilities. She highlights the shift toward managing these agents alongside human teams, emphasizing focused adoption, measurable operational gains, and the need for built‑in oversight, auditability, and guardrails. This episode is sponsored by IFS. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!