The AI Guys

What does it really take to build an AI native business right now? In this episode of The AI Guys Podcast, Rich and Lee sit down with Devin Kearns, founder of CustomAI Studio, to unpack the real state of AI agents, why so many early AI products got wiped out fast, and what businesses are still getting wrong as they try to adopt this technology. It is a grounded, honest conversation about where the space is today, and where it is actually headed next.

They dig into the difference between true agents and basic automation, why companies still judge AI more harshly than human employees, and how legacy systems, messy internal data, and weak documentation are slowing adoption down. The conversation also explores AI readiness, the growing importance of capturing unstructured business knowledge, the shift from traditional SaaS thinking to AI native operations, and the rising debate around model pricing, open source models, Chinese AI labs, and token costs as a new form of labor spend.

If you are trying to understand how AI will reshape real businesses, this episode is packed with practical insight and big picture thinking. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments, and subscribe for more conversations that make AI easier to understand.

Custom AI Studio (CAIS) is a custom AI consulting and engineering firm that designs, builds, and deploys production AI systems for mid-market and enterprise companies. Unlike off-the-shelf SaaS, every system is built for a single client, who owns all the code, models, and IP outright, with no vendor lock-in and no multi-tenant platform. Since 2024, CAIS has shipped 60+ production deployments.
Website: https://www.customaistudio.io
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoAnMAQvxQDJ3Wtl3oMLF5Q
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/custom-ai-studio
Devin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-kearns-15895a42/
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What does it actually take to launch AI successfully inside a business? In this episode of The AI Guys Podcast, Lee Dickson and Rich Swier break down the four essential roles every company needs to move AI projects from idea to execution. If your team has been treating AI like a side project, this conversation shows why that approach usually falls apart.
Lee and Rich unpack the functional expert, the technical agent builder, the integration and IT lead, and the agent power user. They explain how each role contributes to building smarter agents, securing system access, improving adoption, and creating feedback loops that help AI tools get better over time. The episode also explores why so many AI initiatives stall before launch, and how the right team structure can dramatically improve your chances of success.
If you are planning to build AI agents in your business, this episode gives you a practical framework to start with. Subscribe for more conversations that make AI easier to understand and easier to implement.

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What happens when AI adoption goes up, but business results do not? In this episode of The AI Guys Podcast, Lee and Rich break down why so many companies are pouring money into AI tools, burning through tokens, and still struggling to connect that spend to real outcomes. They unpack the shift from basic tool adoption to a more agentic, centralized approach that actually gives businesses visibility, control, and a path to ROI.

The conversation centers on four key lenses businesses should use to evaluate AI: dependency, cost, outcome, and scalability. Lee and Rich dig into vendor lock in, the rising reality of token spend as the new cloud bill, the danger of duplicated work across teams, and why centralized AI infrastructure beats letting disconnected tools run wild at the edge of the company. They also explore why faster coding does not automatically mean faster shipping, and why AI usage without accountability can quickly turn into expensive noise.

If your team is trying to become AI native without losing control of cost, workflow, or strategy, this episode is for you. Subscribe for more conversations that make artificial intelligence easy to understand, and check out the links below for more resources.

00:00 Introduction
00:17 The Evolution of AI in Business
00:50 Understanding AI Deployment Lenses
03:53 Control and Functionality in AI Usage
06:51 Dependency and Cost Management in AI
09:49 Navigating AI Vendor Relationships
12:14 Navigating the SaaS Trap
15:12 Control and Integration in AI
18:43 Shared Organizational Intelligence
21:32 Cost Management in AI Deployment
27:13 Scalability and Future-Proofing AI Strategies
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AI is moving fast, maybe too fast. In this episode of The AI Guys Podcast, Lee and Rich break down why the current AI boom is starting to look a lot like a bubble, and what that means for businesses trying to keep up. From hype-driven valuations to real-world adoption lag, this conversation gets into the growing gap between what AI promises and what companies are actually using in production.

Lee and Rich dig into the bigger market signals shaping the space, including government pressure on frontier models, the strange logic behind massive AI acquisitions, and why pricing, token burn, and overvaluation are becoming impossible to ignore. They also unpack the difference between AI being widely used versus truly adopted, especially inside large organizations with legacy systems, tight budgets, and real operational risk. If your team is experimenting with AI but struggling to measure value, this episode will hit close to home.

If you are trying to separate signal from noise in the AI market, this is the episode for you. Subscribe for more honest conversations on where AI is headed, what businesses should actually pay attention to, and how to avoid getting swept up in the hype.
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Salesforce Acquisitions: Validation or Consolidation?
02:57 SpaceX and the AI Landscape
06:10 Comparative Analysis of AI Acquisitions
10:49 The AI Regulatory Landscape
13:38 The Speed of AI Development
16:45 Business Adaptation to AI
19:40 Valuation and Market Dynamics
22:42 The Reality of AI Adoption
25:38 Measuring AI Impact
28:43 The Future of AI and Consumer Behavior

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What happens when AI lets you build faster than your business can actually adapt? In this episode of The AI Guys, Lee and Rich unpack the gap between rapid AI-powered development and real-world business readiness. They explore why speed alone does not create ROI, and why launching AI products without the right support systems can create more chaos than value.

The conversation digs into the hidden infrastructure behind successful AI adoption, from documentation and legacy code support to training, ticket handling, and operational alignment. Lee and Rich also break down the mindset shift required to become truly AI-native, including motivating teams to use AI, finding practical use cases tied to real pain points, and embracing the messy learning curve that comes with experimentation. This episode is a sharp look at why businesses need more than fast prototypes, they need a full AI ecosystem.

If you’re thinking about how AI fits into your company, this episode will challenge the way you approach adoption, scale, and transformation. Subscribe for more practical AI conversations, and check out these links for more content from The AI Guys.

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Apple: https://lnkd.in/epYT2GSi