AI Isn’t Magic. It’s a Tool. Here’s Why That Matters
Automated Podcast 44:37
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The most interesting work around AI doesn’t occur at the height of the hype cycle.
Kence Anderson has watched promising ideas overperform in demos, underperform in reality, and eventually re-emerge as something more modest and more useful. This episode focuses on that middle ground, where engineering judgment replaces speculation and progress looks slower than the headlines suggest.
An engineer who led autonomous systems work at Microsoft and now runs AMESA, Kence brings that experience into A3’s Designing Industrial AI Agents course. https://www.automate.org/ai/designing-industrial-ai-agents
Key Moments:
00:00 Startups, demos, and why showing matters
01:32 Teaching, stamina, and explaining AI clearly
04:47 Why engineers are skeptical of AI hype
06:47 Is this AI cycle actually different?
07:48 The disillusionment phase — and who builds what lasts
09:26 The inefficient way technology gets built
11:24 Venture capital, bubbles, and long shots
12:38 Research labs vs product pressure
14:54 When AI becomes a hammer looking for nails
16:10 Growing up an engineer — systems thinking early
22:17 Confidence, credentials, and innovation
24:00 Why startups live and die by the demo
26:13 Hiring outsiders and fast learners
29:06 Analogies, categorization, and how Kence thinks
31:16 Gatekeeping, “unwritten rules,” and innovation
33:54 Bias, AI governance, and ethical tradeoffs
37:12 What AI should — and shouldn’t — be used for
39:18 Self-driving cars, tools, and different standards
41:23 Edge cases and expert behaviors
42:25 Why unorthodox thinking unlocks breakthroughs
43:21 Closing thoughts
Learn more about Amesa: https://www.amesa.com/
Connect with Kence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kence/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org.
You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-podcast-brian-heater.
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
Kence Anderson has watched promising ideas overperform in demos, underperform in reality, and eventually re-emerge as something more modest and more useful. This episode focuses on that middle ground, where engineering judgment replaces speculation and progress looks slower than the headlines suggest.
An engineer who led autonomous systems work at Microsoft and now runs AMESA, Kence brings that experience into A3’s Designing Industrial AI Agents course. https://www.automate.org/ai/designing-industrial-ai-agents
Key Moments:
00:00 Startups, demos, and why showing matters
01:32 Teaching, stamina, and explaining AI clearly
04:47 Why engineers are skeptical of AI hype
06:47 Is this AI cycle actually different?
07:48 The disillusionment phase — and who builds what lasts
09:26 The inefficient way technology gets built
11:24 Venture capital, bubbles, and long shots
12:38 Research labs vs product pressure
14:54 When AI becomes a hammer looking for nails
16:10 Growing up an engineer — systems thinking early
22:17 Confidence, credentials, and innovation
24:00 Why startups live and die by the demo
26:13 Hiring outsiders and fast learners
29:06 Analogies, categorization, and how Kence thinks
31:16 Gatekeeping, “unwritten rules,” and innovation
33:54 Bias, AI governance, and ethical tradeoffs
37:12 What AI should — and shouldn’t — be used for
39:18 Self-driving cars, tools, and different standards
41:23 Edge cases and expert behaviors
42:25 Why unorthodox thinking unlocks breakthroughs
43:21 Closing thoughts
Learn more about Amesa: https://www.amesa.com/
Connect with Kence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kence/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org.
You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-podcast-brian-heater.
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
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