Skip to content
Artwork for AI Outcomes

AI Outcomes

Ben Drakes

AI Outcomes—the podcast that brings you real-world customer stories and data points on how companies are using artificial intelligence to drive business outcomes. If you’re in B2B sales, consulting, or any role that involves talking to clients about AI—at a business rather than a technical level—then this podcast is for you. 

Play
  • 20 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 36 min
  • English
  • S1 · E51
    Sunday · 31 min

    Ep51 Cancer Vaccine Breakthrough | Bots Overtake Humans | Rickard Hansson

    Moderna and Merck have reported the first positive Phase 3 result for a personalised cancer vaccine — an mRNA therapy built for one patient at a time, given alongside Keytruda in high-risk melanoma. The market moved 162% on it in a month. Rickard Hansson makes the point almost nobody else is making: the AI doing the work here is not the AI you think it is. It's a ranking model, frozen in 2021, and regulation means it cannot be improved mid-trial. It didn't make a better drug. It changed the cost curve of designing one. Then the other story. Agentic traffic on OpenRouter has reached a seven-day average of 7.3 trillion tokens — close to five times what humans generate, and up roughly 14x since February. Nobody asked for that. Sub-agents did, and they spend your budget without asking. Ben and Rickard get into what "34 markers" actually means, why output tokens are the ones that hurt, why legal is the fastest-growing group using AI at work, and what happens when the software decides how much of your money it spends. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and Agenda 01:30 AI Cancer Vaccine Breakthrough 03:40 Biotech Market and AI Impact 05:03 Trial Results and Stock Surge 07:22 How the AI Model Works 09:51 Regulation and Update Limits 14:28 Timeline to Approval 16:28 Bots Overtake Humans 17:52 Sub Agents and Token Costs 24:59 Enterprise Usage by Function 25:52 EU AI Act and Legal Risks 27:02 Measuring ROI and Wrap Up 30:36 Closing and Next Topics 🔗 SOURCES AND LINKS The Phase 3 result https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/merck-and-modernas-personalized-cancer-vaccine-slows-recurrence-ph-3-trial The earlier Phase 2b data (KEYNOTE-942) https://www.merck.com/news/moderna-and-merck-announce-mrna-4157-v940-an-investigational-personalized-mrna-cancer-vaccine-in-combination-with-keytruda-pembrolizumab-met-primary-efficacy-endpoint-in-phase-2b-keynote-94/ Token usage by type — the chart we discuss https://openrouter.ai/rankings The a16z chart pack https://a16z.news/subscribe EU AI Act, Article 50 — the transparency rules mentioned https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/50/ Rickard Hansson on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickardh/ Ben Drakes on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes/ 👤 GUEST Rickard Hansson is the founder of Gainable, building internal applications from enterprise data rather than prompts. He previously founded Weavy and Incentive, and works with organisations from the Fortune 50 to NATO. 🎙️ ABOUT The AI Outcomes Podcast, hosted by Ben Drakes. Conversations with the people actually putting AI to work in enterprise sales and go to market. New episodes weekly, with this AI news strand every fortnight. #AIOutcomes #EnterpriseAI #AIinHealthcare #mRNA #AIAgents #AIStrategy

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E50
    August 24 · 44 min

    Why Enterprise AI Fails | Home Depot | Klarna | Walmart with Ben Pickett Ep50

    Klarna replaced around 700 support people with one AI agent, then started hiring humans back. Walmart had the same technology and redrew the work instead. Home Depot had AI in 600 stores six weeks after ChatGPT launched, and it wasn't a chatbot. Ben Pickett joins Ben Drakes for the first of a new fortnightly strand on what's actually happening inside enterprise AI rollouts — the ones that went wrong, and the ones that quietly went right. Five stories, and one thread running through all of them: the difference between the company that got hurt and the company that didn't was never the technology and rarely the budget. It was whether one person had been named to own the work. 00:00 Live Test and Episode 50 01:35 Agenda and Guest Intro 06:02 Home Depot AI at Scale 10:10 Adoption Lessons and Human Loop 13:16 Anthropic Security Breakout 20:29 Klarna vs Walmart AI Strategy 27:41 Shadow AI in the Workplace 34:44 Amazon and AI Deployment Risks 42:36 Wrap Up and Subscribe Ben Pickett writes Enterprise Field Notes and is Co-Founder and COO at Swa. Free worksheets, no signup: benpickett.com/aio Ben Pickett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpickett/ Ben Drakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes/ Website: https://bendrakes.com

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E49
    August 14 · 46 min

    Ep49: Why "Open" AI Models Aren't Free For Enterprise: The $30k a Month Reality | Rickard Hansson

    The subsidised token era is ending and the bill is landing. Rickard Hansson joins Ben Drakes for the first of a new fortnightly AI news strand — no pitch, no sales, just the AI news that matters if you run a business. Why your Claude context window disappears faster than it used to, how Ben accidentally became his own model router, what OpenRouter and Goose actually do, and the uncomfortable truth about "open" models: only the weights are open, and hosting one yourself starts around $30,000 a month. 00:00 Token Maxing Ends 00:59 Summer Catch Up 02:01 Reality Check On Costs 03:12 Claude Pricing Squeeze 06:47 Task Based Model Switching 09:33 OpenRouter And Routing 12:03 Open Models Hosting Myths 15:36 Enterprise Self Hosted LLMs 18:20 Escaping Walled Gardens 22:37 Goose Harness Vs OpenRouter 23:43 Claude Memory Myth 26:20 Probabilistic vs Deterministic 28:10 Claude Design IP Fears 31:33 Model Commoditisation Distillation 32:56 Enterprise Workflow Moat 34:39 Chip Race GPUs to NPUs 40:22 Pricing Politics Predictions 45:00 Wrap Up and Where to Find Rickard Hansson https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickardh/ Ben Drakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes/ Website: https://bendrakes.com

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E48
    July 7 · 42 min

    KPMG's Withdrawn AI Report: What UBS, the NHS and TfL Disputed | with Ben Pickett Ep48

    KPMG withdrew its flagship agentic AI report after UBS, NHS Greater Manchester, Swiss Federal Railways and Transport for London disputed case studies about them, and researchers found only 5 of its 45 citations matched their sources. Not an AI problem. Not a people problem. A process problem. Ben Pickett is Co-Founder and COO of Swa, a former Global Director of Site Reliability Engineering at Nike, and writer of Enterprise Field Notes, the newsletter on why most companies are bad at buying and implementing AI. In this episode we get into what the KPMG story really teaches, and it is not "AI is unreliable." 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:52 Ben and Newsletter Origin 04:29 KPMG Report Retraction 07:10 Fixing AI Workflows 13:49 Cross Checking Models 16:11 Personas and Hard Stops 19:43 Nike to AI Strategy 22:56 Jobs and AI Speed 26:57 Adoption Tips and Training 31:25 AI Washing and Costs 35:16 Smart Spend Case Studies 39:47 Where to Find Ben 40:42 Final Advice and Wrap Ben Pickett's: Enterprise Field Notes newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7444358963539828736 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpick/ Listener hub: https://benpickett.com/aioutcomes AI scorecard + try Swa: https://swa-ai.com/aioutcomes KPMG article (with sources): https://medium.com/@goshawk_55282/kpmg-forgot-to-check-its-own-work-dcdb0ebffd31 Walmart blueprint article: https://medium.com/@goshawk_55282/what-walmart-understood-that-the-other-95-didnt-16c75da2ac15 Uber article: https://medium.com/@goshawk_55282/dear-andrew-coo-of-uber-3f3c968cfe08 News coverage of the KPMG story: https://www.finance-monthly.com/kpmg-ai-report-hallucinations-ubs-nhs-transport-for-london/ https://www.internationalaccountingbulletin.com/news/kpmg-drops-ai-report-after-false-case-studies-exposed/ Connect with Ben Drakes: Website: https://bendrakes.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes Newsletter: https://substack.com/@bendrakes Book a call: https://calendly.com/bendrakes/30min

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E47
    June 25 · 43 min

    Can SaaS Survive AI? Inside SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow & NVIDIA | Thomas Odenwald | Ep47

    The biggest SaaS giants are scrambling to survive the AI era. Ben Drakes sits down with Thomas Odenwald, ex-SAP and ex-HPE, to ask the question every enterprise leader is quietly asking: can SaaS survive AI? They unpack how SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow and NVIDIA are each making their move, who really owns the new "control plane" for enterprise AI, why business AI still lives or dies on determinism, and what the Mythos and Fable 5 shutdown reveals about the risk of relying on US frontier models. If you lead, sell, or buy enterprise technology, this is the map of where the value is shifting. Chapters: 00:00 AI Disrupts SaaS Giants 01:09 What Year of Inference Means 03:18 Enterprise AI Needs Determinism 04:53 Salesforce Agentforce Push 07:39 SAP Joule and ServiceNow Now Assist 12:21 Control Plane Battle Slack Copilot 18:37 ERP Reality and Agent Workflows 26:23 NVIDIA and Model Partnerships 28:10 Token Costs and Enterprise ROI 32:49 Mythos Fable 5 Security Shock 37:34 Geopolitics and Europe Wake Up 42:59 Wrap Up and Next Steps Discover EQ You x AI, Ben's program for turning the AI tools your team already has into qualified pipeline: https://bendrakes.com Subscribe for more straight-talking conversations on enterprise AI outcomes. #AI #EnterpriseAI #SaaS #SAP #Salesforce #ServiceNow #NVIDIA #Agentforce

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E46
    May 26 · 38 min

    Ep46 Two AI Extinction Moments Coming for Enterprise Sales | EQ You × AI

    92% of companies are increasing AI investment. 1% of their leaders think they're ready to deploy it. That's the AI readiness gap. And it's about to claim two casualties in enterprise sales. In this solo episode, Ben breaks down the two extinction moments coming for sales teams in 2026. The CRO who buys an AI tool but never embeds the workflow. And the seller who refuses to use the AI to bring real value to the customer. Both extinctions are avoidable. Both are already happening. He also introduces the rebrand. EQ You × AI. The program for revenue leaders and sellers who want to orchestrate AI rather than be replaced by it. First Outreach to Qualified Pipeline. The rep stays in charge. AI does the homework. CHAPTERS 00:00 Two Sales Extinctions 00:29 CRO Tool Trap 02:10 Sellers Who Ignore AI 04:55 Strategic Advisor Mindset 05:44 Customers Need Workflow 07:54 Human vs AI Division 08:47 Limbic System Wins 13:12 Prefrontal Cortex Boost 19:46 Two Layer AI Stack 23:12 Orchestrator Execution 27:55 Stop Buying Tools 31:44 AI Slop Warning 33:43 EQ You Times AI 37:53 Final Prediction Wrap LINKS: Book a 30-minute call with Ben: https://calendly.com/bendrakes/30min Subscribe to the AI Outcomes newsletter: https://substack.com/@bendrakes Website: https://bendrakes.com Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes/ ABOUT BEN Ben Drakes is the Founder of Ben Drakes University and creator of EQ You × AI. He has closed over $2BN in new business in the business process outsourcing sector, leads Advanced Hunting for AI globally at HPE, and hosts the AI Outcomes Podcast. He trains enterprise sales teams across North America, the UK, the Middle East, and APAC. #EQYouAI #AIinSales #EnterpriseSales #SalesLeadership #SalesEnablement

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E45
    April 30 · 50 min

    AI Compresses, Humans Decide–Why Your Brain Still Beats AI at Real Decisions | Gini Holden | Ep45

    Most boardrooms are buying AI like they're buying a grand piano and announcing they've got a concert hall. They've skipped the hard part: humans don't decide logically–they decide cognitively. In Episode 45 of the AI Outcomes Podcast, Ben Drakes is joined by Virginia (Gini) Holden–the show's first cognitive strategist–to unpack what most AI strategy gets wrong. Our brains are not logical processing units. They're archeological artifacts: predictive engines layered with millions of years of heuristics, group-value programs and tacit knowledge that no AI is trained to handle. Gini explains why "AI compresses and routes information; humans assign meaning and consequence" is the only AI strategy that actually works in the enterprise and what happens when leaders forget it. What you'll learn: - Why your team hides best practice from each other (and how AI breaks the internal-competition trap) - The customer service call AI couldn't make — "I can't get my mom out of bed" and why tacit knowledge still wins - Cognitive heuristics like "thick is strong" and "group value" — the invisible programs running every decision in your business - Why AI is "a 4-year-old with the biggest library in the world" — and where that breaks down - How to train internal AI on tacit knowledge, cultural memory, and the way humans actually expect information to be surfaced - The four measurable wins of AI augmentation in customer services: shorter calls, more calls, faster mean time to fix, higher CSAT - Why AI written outreach gets a 0.2% response rate — and the limbic + AI combination that actually works Chapters: 00:00 Cold open: "Buying AI is like buying a grand piano" 00:38 What is a cognitive strategist? 02:54 Why humans don't decide logically 04:40 Your brain as a predictive engine 05:30 Cognitive heuristics: "thick is strong" 07:33 Why teams hide best practice (the group-value heuristic) 15:08 Case study: the customer service call AI couldn't make 20:10 The thesis: AI compresses, humans decide 21:22 The four measurable wins of AI augmentation 30:54 When AI lies: Ben's Claude flight-booking story 39:45 Tacit knowledge, cultural memory & what AI can't learn 41:05 Strategic AI vs tactical AI 44:37 Limbic + AI: the winning combination 49:15 Where to find Gini — Connect with Virginia (Gini) Holden — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-holden/ Email: info@virginiaholden.com — About the AI Outcomes Podcast — Hosted by Ben Drakes. Conversations with the founders, leaders and thinkers shaping how AI actually creates value in the enterprise. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. #AIOutcomes #CognitiveStrategy #AIStrategy #HumanInTheLoop #AIInBusiness #EnterpriseAI #DecisionMaking #AIAdoption #FutureOfWork #LimbicAI #Leadership #AIPodcast

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E44
    April 13 · 39 min

    Create an AI Clone of Yourself! | Rob LoCascio URAI | AI Outcomes Podcast Ep44

    In this episode of the AI Outcomes Podcast, Rob LoCascio — founder and CEO of URAI and the man who invented live chat on websites in 1997 — shares his contrarian vision for the future of AI. After running LivePerson for 28 years, taking it public, scaling to 3,000 employees and over half a billion in revenue, and landing the #1 spot on Fast Company’s 2022 AI companies list (ahead of OpenAI), Rob walked away from enterprise SaaS to build something different. He’s on a mission to put humans first with personal AI avatars (Human Life Models) that clone your voice, stories, expertise, and decision-making style — giving you massive leverage while keeping your data private and under your control. Rob explains why giant LLMs trained on everyone’s data without consent aren’t the endgame. Instead, URAI creates individual AIs that augment you, not replace you — from writing sales emails and pitch decks in your exact tone to doctors reviewing X-rays or accountants analyzing P&L statements in real time. You’ll discover: ✅ How to build and monetize your own AI twin ✅ Why data ownership matters more than ever ✅ Multimodal AI that goes far beyond the chat window (voice, video, thoughts) ✅ The emotional trust factor when you literally talk to yourself Whether you’re a founder, sales leader, doctor, accountant, or knowledge worker, this conversation shows how to turn your expertise into scalable leverage in the age of AI. Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro & Rob LoCascio’s LivePerson legacy 2:45 – Why he left SaaS to build URAI 6:30 – Big LLMs vs. Individual Human-First AI 12:15 – The Human Life Model explained 17:40 – How URAI clones your voice, knowledge & stories 23:00 – Real use cases: sales coaching, medicine, accounting 28:50 – Data ownership & why you must control your AI 33:10 – Multimodal power: voice, video, thoughts & beyond chat 38:45 – Talking to your own AI (emotional trust & support) 43:20 – Entrepreneur mindset: never quit + discernment 47:00 – Closing & how to join the URAI waitlist Build your AI twin today → https://www.uare.ai/ Mention “AI Outcomes Podcast” when you sign up and Rob will move you to the front of the waitlist. Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rlocascio/ If you enjoyed this conversation, hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and turn on notifications — new AI strategy episodes drop every week. Available on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Buzzsprout | Google Podcasts #PersonalAI #AIAvatar #BuildYourAITwin #HumanFirstAI #URAI #RobLoCascio #AIDataOwnership #AIClones #FutureOfAI #SalesAI #AIForEntrepreneurs #HumanLifeModel #AIVoice #MultimodalAI #AIaugmentation #ConversationalAI

    • Transcript
    • Chapters
  • S1 · E43
    March 28 · 44 min

    Jensen's GTC Keynote DECODED: Vera Rubin, OpenClaw & the End of SaaS | AI Outcomes Podcast EP43

    Jensen Huang just dropped a 2hr 20min GTC keynote and we've cut it down to what actually matters for enterprise. Ben is joined by Thomas Odenwald (Silicon Valley-based enterprise AI strategist) to react to the biggest moments: Vera Rubin as an AI factory (not just a chip), why every SaaS company is about to become an AgaaS company, OpenClaw's explosive rise as the fastest-growing open source project in history, and what NeMo Claw means for enterprise security. If you're selling into, buying, or building enterprise IT — this one's essential viewing. 00:00 Introduction 02:06 Vera Rubin: Jensen's Keynote Clip 08:03 Breaking Down Vera Rubin 17:02 CUDA, Structured Data & Enterprise Stack 17:54 Open Claw: Jensen's Keynote Clip 19:40 Open Claw Reaction & Analysis 30:08 Enterprise IT & the AaaS Shift 34:12 NeMo Claw: Enterprise Security for Agents 40:09 NVIDIA Open Models 43:26 Final Thoughts #NVIDIA #GTC2025 #JensenHuang #OpenClaw #EnterpriseAI #AIAgents #ArtificialIntelligence #VeraRubin #AIOutcomesPodcast #NeMoClaw #SalesTraining #AIStrategy #AaaS #Inference #LLM #AIFactory #EnterpriseTech #BenDrakes #AILeadership #FutureOfWork

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E42
    March 13 · 28 min

    Block Cut 40% of Staff. Meta & JPMorgan Show Why More May Be Next? Ep42

    The world's biggest banks and tech companies are mandating AI adoption across their workforces. JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, BNY Mellon and Meta are all reporting hard numbers. And Block just showed us what can happen next — 40% of the workforce gone, dressed up as an AI transformation. This episode covers the stories that aren't making the mainstream AI headlines. Real companies. Real outcomes. Real numbers. In this episode: 00:00 AI Layoffs Wave — setting the scene 01:39 Block ⚡ — Jack Dorsey cuts 40% of staff and calls it AI. But is it AI-washing? 04:37 AI Washing and Worker Reality 07:02 📉 US, UK & Eurozone jobs reports — growth and jobs are starting to decouple 07:56 JPMorgan Chase 📊 — 6% more accounts per employee, fraud costs down 11% 12:45 BNY Mellon 🏦 — $550 million in savings, every single employee now on AI 18:14 Goldman Sachs 🤖 — AI software engineer deployed across 12,000 developers 21:37 Meta 📋 — first major company to tie performance reviews directly to AI usage 25:07 IRS 🏛️ — tax court case time cut from 10 days to 30 minutes 27:20 What It Means for 2026 Website: 🎓 Ben Drakes University: bendrakes.com 🐦 Follow Ben on X: https://x.com/ben_drakes 💼 Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes/ SOURCES: Block / Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com JPMorgan Chase: https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/02/264113-jamie-dimon-says-ai-is-actively-transforming-jpmorgan-chases-workforce/ BNY Mellon Earnings: https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2026/01/15/bny-mellon-bk-q4-2025-earnings-call-transcript/ BNY Mellon CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/09/digital-employees-ai-bootcamps-americas-oldest-bank-spends-billions-on-tech.html Goldman Sachs / Devin: https://www.financialcontent.com Meta: https://bloomberg.com IRS: https://diginomica.com Jack Dorsey Wired Interview: https://www.wired.com/story/jack-dorsey-explains-block-layoffs/ US Jobs Report: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm UK Jobs Report: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/february2026 Eurozone Jobs Report: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-euro-indicators/w/3-04032026-ap #AIOutcomes #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #FutureOfWork #AIJobs #BlockJackDorsey #JPMorganChase #BNYMellon #GoldmanSachs #Meta #AITransformation #AIAdoption #JobsReport #Productivity #AIStrategy #BenDrakes

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E41
    March 7 · 31 min

    Ep41 Tesla Shareholder Uncertainty: SpaceX xAI Merger, Elon Moon Base Pivot

    Join Ben Drakes and Thomas Odenwald (Tech Exec ex-HPE, ex-SAP, Advisor & Podcaster) for a no-BS breakdown of the biggest Musk empire story in 2026: SpaceX's acquisition of xAI (creating the $1.25T+ XAIX entity) and what it means for Tesla shareholders. As a Tesla investor, Ben shares real opportunities–Robotaxi rollout, Optimus humanoid robots, energy storage synergies–alongside serious concerns: rumoured reverse merger risks, SpaceX's defence-contractor realities (Starlink in conflicts), and Elon's hard pivot to Moon Base Alpha as priority #1 for satellite factories and orbital data centres. From Tesla's manufacturing edge over competitors to founder-operator lessons (Elon vs. Jensen Huang), this is essential listening for anyone tracking Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, or AI investment outcomes. 00:00 Musk Mega Merger Tease 01:24 Epstein Files and Accountability 03:14 AI Debt Crisis Pitch 04:20 Sponsor Break and Return 05:06 SpaceX XAI Tesla Entanglement 08:29 Investor Ethics and Defense Concerns 12:10 Space Data Centers Reality Check 14:12 Moon Base Alpha Debate 17:00 Robots Robo Taxis and Timelines 20:41 Innovation Versus National Debt 22:54 UBI and Global AI Divide 25:48 AI Market Wars and Profitability 27:09 Founder Operators and Team Execution 29:43 Wrap Up and Next Topics 31:13 Final Sponsor Outro #Tesla #SpaceX #xaio #ElonMusk #MoonBaseAlpha #OrbitalDataCenters #TeslaMerger #AI #ThomasOdenwald #aioutcomespodcast

  • S1 · E40
    February 14 · 33 min

    AI Game Changer: OpenClaw–My Autonomous AI Assistant That Runs My Life | EP 40

    In this solo episode of the AI Outcomes Podcast (EP 40), I share my unfiltered journey with OpenClaw – the viral open-source autonomous AI agent that's completely changed how I work. This isn't just another chatbot. OpenClaw is proactive, has PhD-level memory, knows my business inside out, and actually takes action: monitoring emails, managing my calendar, handling to-do lists, researching ideas, and even running weekly "team meetings" with me. As a non-dev, it took me 15-20 hours of Terminal hell to set it up safely on a remote server (Hetzner, €3.80/month). I cover the security nightmares (prompt injection, anyone?), how I mitigated them, choosing Claude Sonnet as its brain, connecting via Telegram (my bot is named "Bot Botter"), and the mind-blowing results. I also discuss the bigger picture: Claude Coworker, the SaaS apocalypse, and why this is the future of agentic AI. If you're excited (and a little terrified) about truly autonomous AI assistants, this episode is for you. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Welcome to Episode 40: The AI Game Changer 02:10 – What is OpenClaw? (Not your average AI) 06:45 – Creator Peter Steinberger & the lobster origin story 11:20 – Why regular LLMs feel frustrating 15:30 – The security wake-up call (prompt injection explained) 21:45 – My safe setup: Remote server solution 28:10 – Picking the AI brain (Claude Sonnet + token costs) 34:50 – Setting up communication: Telegram + naming my bot 41:20 – Training the bot & first proactive wins 48:10 – Email & calendar monitoring that actually works 55:40 – Tactical vs. Strategic tasks + research via Brave 1:03:20 – Weekly team meetings with my AI (agenda included!) 1:11:50 – Recent AI agent explosion (Claude Cowork, Purify, Wealth AI) 1:19:30 – Final thoughts: Scary, exciting, and worth it? RESOURCES: • OpenClaw (official): https://openclaw.ai/ • GitHub: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw • All episodes + newsletter signup: https://bendrakes.com/ai-outcomes Starting the AI Outcomes Newsletter soon – sign up at bendrakes.com to get weekly AI insights straight to your inbox (my bot will probably handle the signups!). Leave a comment: Would YOU set up OpenClaw? What's your biggest fear/excitement? Subscribe & hit the bell for more real-world AI adoption stories. Thanks for 32K+ subs and the download spike! #OpenClaw #AIAgent #AutonomousAI

  • S1 · E39
    February 4 · 42 min

    Ep39 Why AI Sales Tools Keep Failing (And What Actually Works) | Nathan Hulcoop from Helm AI

    Sales tools have promised magic bullets for years, but are they actually helping sellers close deals, or just creating more noise? In this episode, I sit down with Nathan Hulcoop, CRO at NedTech and Helm AI, to discuss why most AI sales tools get it wrong and what genuinely moves the needle. We dig into why activity metrics have become vanity measures, the critical difference between automation and augmentation, and how AI should reduce cognitive overload rather than replace human judgment. Nathan shares insights from building Helm, an AI workforce platform designed specifically for SMEs who need amplification, not replacement. If you're tired of tools that make you busier without making you better, this conversation is for you. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction and catching up with Nathan 1:45 - The landscape of sales tools: more noise than value? 4:12 - Why activity-based tools miss the point 6:30 - AI should augment outcomes, not just increase busyness 8:45 - People buy from people they trust and respect 10:20 - What AI gets wrong about sales: judgment and trust 13:15 - How Helm AI approaches workflow automation differently 16:40 - The Founding 50: building with SME founders 19:30 - Email marketing and social media automation challenges 24:00 - The hidden costs of multi-platform social media 28:15 - Where NedTech and Helm are heading in 2026 31:00 - How to connect with Nathan and Helm AI Connect with Nathan Hulcoop here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhulcoop/ Helm AI: https://wearehelm.ai/ Connect with me: 🎓 Sales training and courses: https://bendrakes.com 💼 AI Catalyst consulting: https://bendrakes.com/ai-catalyst 🎧 Use code SAVE20 for 20% off any training #AIinSales #SalesTools #B2BSales #AIOutcomes #SalesTraining #SME #StartupSales

  • S1 · E38
    February 4 · 34 min

    Ep38: Claude Code vs Lovable: The AI Coding Explosion Reshaping Enterprises with Weavy CEO Episode

    In this powerhouse episode of the AI Outcomes Podcast, host Ben Drakes sits down with Rickard Hansson, CEO and Co-Founder of Weavy, to explore the biggest shift in software development today: AI-powered coding tools. We dive deep into Claude Code vs Lovable—comparing capabilities, speed, cost savings, and real-world enterprise impact. Discover how developers are building apps faster, distributing micro-SaaS products, and navigating token economics in 2026. Whether you're a developer, CTO, or business leader adopting AI tools, this episode delivers practical insights on productivity gains, community reactions, and the future of coding jobs. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction - AI Coding and Enterprise Applications 07:14 Ad Break - Ben Drakes Training 08:17 Claude Code vs Lovable - Developer Perspective 13:42 Building Apps Fast - Real World Examples 18:23 Distribution and Micro SaaS 23:29 Cost Analysis - Token Usage and Savings 27:58 Developer Community Response 30:59 Impact on Jobs and Consulting 33:35 Outro - Ben Drakes Promotion Connect on LinkedIn: Ben Drakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes Rickard Hansson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickardh Explore more: https://www.gainable.dev/ https://www.bendrakes.com/ Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Buzzsprout. Subscribe now and turn on notifications! #ClaudeVsLovable #AICoding #AIExplosion #EnterpriseAI #LovableAI #ClaudeAI #DeveloperTools #MicroSaaS #AIPodcast #AIOutcomes #BenDrakes #RickardHansson #Weavy

  • S1 · E37
    Dec 24, 2025 · 43 min

    Ep37 AI Bubble? Orbital Data Centers, Massive Investments, and the Future of Inference | with Thomas Odenwald

    In Episode 37, host Ben examines the AI bubble debate with tech executive Thomas Odenwald (HPE, Orbit Fab, SAP). They recap Star Cloud's orbital Nvidia H100 launch, discussing space data centers' challenges like heat dissipation, jurisdiction, and launch costs. The core focus: Is AI in a bubble? They analyze inflated valuations, massive capex (e.g., Sam Altman's gigawatt plans), circular investments (Oracle-OpenAI-Nvidia), ROI hurdles, the shift to inference, OpenAI's $12B losses, open source rises (DeepSeek), quantum computing threats, AI layoffs (Salesforce's 10K cuts), and job market advice—upskill in AI to adapt. Essential for tech leaders and investors eyeing 2026 shifts in robotics, autonomy, and beyond. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the AI Bubble Discussion 00:10 Recap of Last Week's Episode with Philip Johnston 01:39 Star Cloud's Orbital Data Centers 03:39 Challenges of Space-Based Data Centers 06:01 Heat Dissipation in Space 09:14 Jurisdiction and Security Concerns 11:15 Commercial Viability and Launch Costs 16:32 The AI Bubble Debate 23:07 Understanding Productivity Metrics 23:44 Challenges in Measuring AI ROI 24:50 AI Adoption in Commercial Sectors 25:32 Investment Concerns in AI 26:35 Inference: The Future of AI 27:32 Market Reactions and Financial Engineering 29:46 Oracle's Strategic Overextension 32:13 OpenAI's Financial Struggles 33:43 The Role of Open Source in AI 34:47 The Future of AI and Quantum Computing 36:38 Impact of AI on Job Market 39:35 Preparing for an AI-Driven Future Subscribe for weekly tech insights on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Buzzsprout. Like, comment on the AI bubble, and share. For sponsorships or Google Ads tips, visit our site. #AIBubble #OrbitalDataCenters #AIFuture #TechInvestments #InferenceAI #QuantumComputing #AIJobs #StarCloud #OpenAI #Nvidia #PodcastEpisode #TechPodcast #BusinessTech #AIEthics #FutureOfWork

  • S1 · E36
    Dec 16, 2025 · 21 min

    Ep36 First GPU trains & inferences in space! With Starcloud CEO, Philip Johnston

    The first data-center-grade @NVIDIA H100 just spoke from orbit (and Elon Musk FOMO’d in with a retweet). This is the exclusive first interview with @starcloud-inc co-founder & CEO Philip Johnston, recorded hours before today’s press release. Philip reveals: - Gemini’s first words + Shakespeare LLM live from orbit - Submerging the H100 motherboard in phase-change wax - Radiation testing at Brookhaven particle accelerator - Exact roadmap to 40 MW orbital data centers - Why “we’re basically a radiator company in space” #AISpeaksFromSpace #GreetingsEarthlings #Starcloud #ElonMusk #OrbitalAI #H100inSpace #DataCentersInSpace #Breaking

  • S1 · E33
    Dec 4, 2025 · 19 min

    Ep33 Orbital Data Centers: Starcloud NVIDIA Chip In Space | Bezos/Musk Predictions

    In this episode, I cover Starcloud's groundbreaking launch of the first NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit, exploring how space-based data centers could solve AI's massive energy crisis. From heat dissipation innovations to real-world use cases like battlefield monitoring and shipping lane analytics, we break down the challenges, advantages, and future prospects. Plus, insights from industry titans Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk on gigawatt-scale orbital clusters and AI scaling in space. Whether you're in tech, business, or just fascinated by the final frontier, this solo deep-dive uncovers why AI is heading off-planet—and what it means for sustainability and compute power. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Star Cloud's Satellite Launch 02:03 Challenges and Advantages of Space-Based Data Centers 03:53 Energy and Environmental Considerations 05:29 Use Cases and Business Outcomes 09:17 Technological Innovations and Future Prospects 17:14 Industry Insights from Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos 19:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 🔗 Resources: Starcloud Official Website: https://www.starcloud.com/ Philip Johnston (Starcloud CEO) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipjohnst0n Subscribe for more episodes on AI frontiers, space tech, and business innovation—available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Buzzsprout. Like, comment your thoughts on orbital AI below, and hit the bell for notifications! What excites you most about data centers in space? #SpaceDataCenters #OrbitalAI #StarcloudLaunch #NVIDIAinSpace #BezosPredictions #MuskAI #AIScaling #SpaceTech #DataCentersFuture #PodcastTech

  • S1 · E35
    Dec 4, 2025 · 38 min

    Ep35: Cold email is dead (Yay!) OneMob Founder/CEO Reveals How Top Reps 10x Replies with AI + Video

    Cold, prospecting emails are dead (this is good news btw!). The reps crushing quota right now are using real human video supercharged by AI to get replies when everything else gets ignored. Sati Hillyer, Founder & CEO of OneMob, joins Ben for a no-BS breakdown of exactly how he’s helped thousands of sellers dominate prospecting–and how AI is now making it 10x faster and more effective. In this episode you’ll learn: 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:29 The Evolution of Video Prospecting 04:46 Challenges and Overcoming Barriers 06:52 Building Trust in Prospecting 15:11 Leveraging AI in Sales 20:04 AI Solutions for Teleprompter and Background Issues 20:32 AI Enhancements in Audio and Video Recording 21:01 Challenges and Responses to AI in Enterprises 22:21 Humanising Sales in the Age of AI 23:42 Leveraging AI for Efficient Sales Processes 27:23 AI Agents for Content and Customer Interaction 31:57 The Future of AI in Sales and Prospecting 34:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 🔗 LINKS → Start free with OneMob: https://www.onemob.com → Build your AI sales clone (YouNMe): https://younme.ai → Connect with Sati on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satihillyer/ #AISales #VideoProspecting #B2BSales #SalesTips #RevenueGrowth #SalesEnablement #OneMob #FutureOfSales #SalesProspecting

  • S1 · E34
    Nov 27, 2025 · 31 min

    Ep34: How AutoGenAI Helps You Win Multi-Million $ RFPs 10x Faster with AI Sean Williams, Global CEO

    In Episode 34, Sean Williams (Founder & CEO of AutoGenAI) pulls back the curtain on how specialist AI is transforming the RFP and bid management world. You’ll discover: 00:00 Introduction & the $50M+ RFP problem most teams still lose 00:50 Sean’s career journey – from proposal writer to AI founder 01:47 Discovering LLMs in 2022… and launching BEFORE ChatGPT 02:56 Why ChatGPT and generic AI fail miserably at bids & proposals 03:48 The hidden pain points in enterprise proposal writing 05:41 Building AutoGenAI – specialist linguistic engineering meets defense-grade security 07:23 The untold truth about prompt engineering that actually wins deals 10:57 The exact end-to-end workflow top teams now use (step-by-step breakdown) 16:43 Real results: 42 chaotic SharePoint sites → instant compliant answers 30:01 Final thoughts + how to get started today If you’re a bid manager, proposal professional, sales leader, or anyone responsible for winning high-stakes contracts, this episode is pure gold. 🔗 Try AutoGenAI free → https://www.autogenai.com 📩 Connect with Sean on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanwilliams-autogenai/ 📅 Book a 15-min demo → https://www.autogenai.com/demo #RFP #ProposalWriting #BidManagement #AIforSales #WinMoreDeals #SalesAI #GovernmentContracts #EnterpriseSales

  • S1 · E32
    Nov 8, 2025 · 31 min

    Ep32: AWS & Azure Outages | Huge Losses Caused | How To Mitigate Impact

    Just one hyperscaler outage can erase revenue and trust overnight-let alone two. Episode 32 analyses the October-November 2025 AWS and Azure failures—15-hour DNS crashes, thermal shutdowns, and worldwide fallout—then arms business owners with proven risk mitigation strategies to strengthen resilience now. 🔥 Chapters 00:00 Introduction & Overview 00:38 AWS and Azure Outages: What Happened 01:29 Personal Experiences & Immediate Impacts 02:00 Technical Causes: DNS and Change Management 03:03 Major Brands and Services Affected 04:10 Ripple Effects and Global Impact 05:10 Financial Impact and Insurance 06:21 True Costs: Business Losses & Customer Behavior 07:08 Critical Systems & Mitigation in Healthcare 07:48 Cloud vs. On-Premise: Is There a Solution? 08:34 Multi-Region, Multi-Cloud, and Cost Calculations 09:47 Market Share: The Three Major Hyperscalers 10:36 What Should Businesses Do? 11:16 Solutions, Recommendations, and Chaos Drills 12:32 Service Level Agreements & Business Strategy 13:50 Outage Statistics & Trends 15:24 Final Thoughts, Takeaways & Outro 🔗 LinkedIn: Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-drakes/ Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasodenwald/ 🌐 AI Catalyst: https://www.bendrakes.com/ai-catalyst #CloudOutage #BusinessContinuity #RiskMitigation #MultiCloudStrategy #AWSOutage #AzureDown #ChaosEngineering #ITResilience #DowntimePrevention #SLA #DisasterRecovery #CloudCostOptimization #TechForCEOs #BusinessRisk

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes