Shows
AI, ActuallyOpen AI’s Playbook for Scaling AI, Why Generalists Are Winning, and Revenue-Driven ROIThe old IT playbook is officially dead. Quarterly release cycles, endless approval committees, and throwing requirements over the wall? None of that works when AI models evolve every few weeks. In this episode, Pete Reilly sits down with Jim Johnson, Alon Goren, and Shanti Greene to unpack OpenAI's new white paper, "From Experiments to Deployments: A Practical Path to Scaling AI," and share what they're seeing on the ground with enterprise clients.This isn't theory—it's a frontline report from teams who are helping Fortune 500 companies navigate the messy reality of AI adoption. The conversation ta...
2025-12-1635 minAI, ActuallyGoogle's Gemini 3 Breakthrough and Bold AI Predictions for 2026The race for AI dominance just shifted. Google's Gemini 3 launch was a coordinated ecosystem play that could reshape how enterprises think about AI infrastructure. In this episode, Pete Reilly sits down with Andy Sweet, Shanti Greene, and Stew Chisam to dissect what Gemini 3 really means for enterprise adoption, where the technology is genuinely improving, and where marketing hype obscures practical limitations.The conversation moves beyond surface-level benchmarks to tackle the uncomfortable reality facing IT leaders: foundation models are converging on performance, but the real competitive advantage lies in how you architect solutions on top of...
2025-12-0236 min
The AI in Business PodcastTurning Consumer Goods Data into Real-Time Business Decisions - with Michael Finley of AnswerRocketToday's guest is Michael Finley, Chief Technology Officer at AnswerRocket. Founded in 2013, AnswerRocket builds enterprise AI agents delivering measurable outcomes for Fortune 2000 clients across consumer goods, financial services, construction, real estate, and beyond. Finley joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how enterprises can move beyond AI experimentation toward scalable, agent-driven systems that deliver measurable business value. Finley also explores what makes AI agents truly enterprise-ready — from data governance and tool integration to deployment and iteration. This episode is sponsored by AnswerRocket. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more in...
2025-11-1926 minAI, ActuallyWhat’s Actually Working in Enterprise AI: Business Value, Success Predictors, and Agent OpsAre most AI projects really failing, or are we just too early to judge? In this episode, we cut through the headlines to talk about what's actually happening with enterprise AI adoption. Our team tackles the disconnect between AI hype and business reality, exploring why the "easy button" mentality is holding companies back and what it actually takes to succeed.We discuss why treating AI like magic instead of a project dooms initiatives from the start, how mid-market companies have a unique advantage to leapfrog their larger competitors, and why someone needs to supervise your...
2025-11-1836 min
The AI in Business PodcastCPG Data Challenges to Business Value with Agentic AI - with Jim Johnson of AnswerRocketToday's guest is Jim Johnson, President at AnswerRocket. Founded in 2013, AnswerRocket builds enterprise AI agents delivering measurable outcomes for Fortune 2000 clients across consumer goods, financial services, construction, real estate, and beyond. Johnson joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how consumer packaged goods companies can overcome data complexity and accelerate decision-making with emerging agentic AI capabilities. The conversation also examines how CPG teams can shorten analysis cycles, reduce dependence on manual reporting, and uncover new revenue opportunities by pairing existing human expertise with continuously learning AI agents. This episode is sponsored by AnswerRocket. Interested in putting your AI...
2025-11-0526 minAI, ActuallyThe Decade of the Agent, Enterprise AI Reality, and Why Waiting Will Cost YouAndrej Karpathy just dropped a reality check: 2025 isn't the "year of the agent,” it's the decade of the agent. But does that mean enterprises should hit pause on their AI initiatives? Not even close.In this episode, the AI, Actually crew tackles the gap between AI hype and enterprise reality. Pete Reilly, Alon Goren, Mike Finley, and Jim Johnson break down why current LLMs aren't perfect, why that doesn't matter for ROI, and how smart companies are capturing value right now versus waiting ten years. From coding agents that ship features overnight to the organizational ch...
2025-11-0437 minAI, ActuallyOpenAI Dev Day Reactions and What It Takes to Get Agents in ProductionOpenAI's Dev Day dropped some major announcements this month, but is AgentKit really revolutionary or just another "me too!" moment? The AI, Actually crew shares their reactions to the latest OpenAI releases, and digs into how to successfully implement AI agents in the real world.In this episode, Jim Johnson steps in as host alongside Mike Finley, with special guests Nicole Kosky (who leads AnswerRocket's AI Business Transformation Practice) and Reilly Carrolll (Senior AI Solutions Consultant). Together, they tackle the practical, nitty-gritty challenges of bringing agents to life for enterprise clients—from gathering requirements th...
2025-10-2133 minAI, ActuallyBreaking Down Nate B. Jones' 6 Engineering Principles for AI AgentsTired of AI agents that forget context mid-conversation or drift subtly off course in production? You're not alone. In this episode, the AI, Actually crew unpacks six critical engineering principles for building reliable AI agents—principles that separate proof-of-concepts from production-ready systems.Pete, Mike, Andy, and Stew break down insights from AI expert Nate B. Jones, translating technical concepts into business-focused guidance. They explore why AI memory isn't just about storage, how to bound uncertainty without killing creativity, and why monitoring AI systems requires a completely different approach than traditional software.This ep...
2025-10-0743 minAI, ActuallyThe $10T AI Opportunity, Forward Deployed Engineers, Year of the Agent Check-In, and Replit Agent 3Sequoia says AI is a $10 trillion opportunity. But how do you actually capture it? In this episode, the AI, Actually crew tackles the gap between AI's promise and its practical deployment in the enterprise. From bold predictions about agent automation to Palantir's forward deployed engineer model, we explore what it really takes to move beyond ChatGPT licenses to actual business transformation. The discussion gets real about the current state of AI agents—including why they'd rather fake your data than admit they're stuck—and examines the critical role of specialization in making AI work for spec...
2025-09-2338 minAI, ActuallyKimi, Shadow AI, Machine Learning vs. LLMs, Prompt vs. Context Engineering, and Local ModelsThe AI Actually crew tackles the pressing concerns keeping enterprise leaders up at night: shadow AI infiltrating organizations, the crucial distinction between machine learning and LLMs, and why context engineering matters more than prompt engineering. Jim Johnson takes the moderator chair, joined by regular Mike Finley and special guests Andy Sweet (Advanced Models Practice Lead) and Shanti Greene (Head of Data Science and AI Innovation).Topics covered:Shadow AI: Why employees bypass IT to use personal AI toolsMachine Learning vs LLMs: Understanding when each technology winsPrompt vs Context Engineering: Moving beyond moving commasLocal...
2025-09-1655 minAI, ActuallyAI Pilot Failures, Agent Disruption, and the AI Talent WarThe MIT study claiming 95% of AI pilots fail has everyone talking—but what's really behind these failures? In this episode, the AI, Actually crew tackles the hard truths about why enterprises struggle with AI implementations and what separates the toys from the tools. The conversation kicks off with AnswerRocket CEO Alon Goren sharing his journey from pre-PC era computing to building AI solutions that actually work. The gang dives deep into the current state of AI agents in the workforce. Are they the new interns who need constant training, or are they about to trigger th...
2025-09-0947 minAI, ActuallyWhy 95% of AI Pilots Fail, Building Effective Agents, Computer Use, and MCPIs your enterprise AI pilot part of the 95% that's failing? MIT's latest research just confirmed what many suspected: almost all enterprise AI initiatives are floundering. In this episode, we dig into why companies are hemorrhaging money on AI that never delivers real value, and what the successful 5% are doing differently.Forget vendor promises and get ready for some uncomfortable truths about why your text-to-SQL dreams might be nightmares waiting to happen.In this episode, we cover:The MIT Bombshell: Only 5% of companies achieve real revenue acceleration from AI...
2025-09-0250 minAI, ActuallyVibe Coding, Enterprise AI Struggles, and GPT-5Is your company's AI strategy stuck in the sandbox? You're not alone. Despite the endless hype, many large companies are finding their AI projects are stuck in the experimental stage. In this episode, we get real about why organizations are struggling and what you can actually do about it.Forget the hype and join us for a candid discussion on the real-world challenges and opportunities of enterprise AI. We cut through the noise to give you a practical playbook for moving forward.In this episode, we tackle:The "Vibe Coding" T...
2025-08-2550 min
InsideAnalysisThe Final Mile: Merging AI Models with Business RealityJoin this episode of Inside Analysis as host Eric Kavanagh dives into the dynamic intersection of traditional machine learning and modern LLMs with guest Michael Finley from AnswerRocket. Learn about the strategic acquisition of Cognitive Spark, the crucial role of deterministic models in enterprise AI, and the importance of accuracy, testing, and human-in-the-loop systems. Whether you're into cutting-edge tech or just appreciate a well-crafted Repo Man reference, this conversation is packed with insights. Tune in to hear how hybrid AI architectures are reshaping the future of intelligent software.
2025-05-0554 min
Deconstructing DataAI, Enterprise Transformation & the Future of Intelligent SystemOn this episode of Deconstructing Data, we are getting into AI-driven enterprise transformation with Mike Finley, CTO and Co-Founder of AnswerRocket.Mike shares his journey from physics to AI, the evolution of intelligent systems, and how businesses can leverage AI agents to make smarter decisions. We discuss:→ AI and Agency – What defines AI as an agent and why that matters.→ AI in Enterprise – How companies are using AI to transform processes.→ GenAI Roadmap – What businesses should prepare for next.→ Tech Stack Insights – The most powerful tools in AI today....
2025-02-1749 min
The InformationWeek PodcastIf Everyone Uses AI, How Can Organizations Differentiate?As AI saturates the market, what becomes of its competitive advantages? Does it become a basic, digital commodity in the background?
As InformationWeek kicks off “The Cost of AI series,” this episode of DOS Won’t Hunt brought together Andy Boyd, chief product officer with Appfire; Amol Ajgaonkar, CTO of product innovation with Insight; Mike Finley , CTO and co-founder for AnswerRocket; Kashif Zafar, CEO of Xnurta; and James Newman, head of product and portfolio marketing for Augury.
The podcast panel discussed what happens if companies start to look like they are just copying each other when they use AI...
2025-01-3133 min
What's Up with Tech?Democratizing Analytics with Gen AI: AnswerRocket's Innovative Solutions, LLM Agnosticism, and Transformative Impact in Healthcare and RetailInterested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.comUnlock the potential of Gen AI-powered analytics with insights from Michael, the CTO of AnswerRocket. Discover how this pioneering company, founded in 2013, is transforming database interactions by enabling natural language conversations. At the forefront of innovation, AnswerRocket has adopted an agentic approach to model decision-making, steering clear of the pitfalls of pre-trained data inaccuracies. Michael discusses the significance of being LLM agnostic, which empowers users with flexibility and cost efficiency. As AI token costs fall, this adaptability becomes even more impactful, making AI solutions more accessible...
2024-10-2328 minInsideAnalysisAnswer Me This, Max! Your Own Personal LLMYou've surely heard about Large Language Models by now, so-called LLMs such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard, Databricks' Dolly or GitHub's Co-Pilot. But how do they work, exactly? And what can you do with them? Find out on this episode of InsideAnalysis as Host @eric_kavanagh interviews Mike Finley of AnswerRocket! They'll get into the nuts and bolts of connecting LLMs to your traditional BI and Analytics program.
2023-07-0344 min
Digital CxO PodcastDigital CxO Podcast Ep. 39 - Efficient Data AnalysisIn this interview, Amanda Razani speaks with Pete Reilly, co-founder and COO of AnswerRocket, about artificial intelligence and how to utilize it for more efficient data analysis.
2023-07-0115 min
DM RadioAugmented Analytics: The Best of Both WorldsGuests: Shawn Rogers, TIBCO Sean Zinmeister, Thoughtspot Pete Reilly, AnswerRocket Analytics drives the Information Economy, and now that we see "augmented" analytics coming into the picture, life will surely get better! But what, exactly, is augmented analytics? Check out this episode of DM Radio to find out! Host @eric_kavanagh will interview several guests to explore this fascinating new field!
2020-02-1351 min