In Episode 6 of AI with Kai, we break down the five biggest AI stories this week and then sit down with Gardner Malouf, owner and president of Malouf Furniture & Design, to talk about how AI is reshaping customer experience, operations, communication, and retail strategy.

Gardner shares how his Gulf Coast furniture company is using AI tools like Claude, ElevenLabs, AI receptionists, and custom data systems to improve both employee and customer experience without losing the human side of the business.

This episode is packed with practical insight for small business owners trying to move beyond disconnected AI experiments and toward real operational transformation.

The Rundown: 5 AI Stories You Need to Know

• Anthropic launches Claude for Small Business
• New research shows most SMBs are still stuck in AI experimentation
• OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT image generation
• AI-generated marketing and design tools keep improving
• Visita launches fully agentic AI for small business workflows

The Spotlight: Gardner Malouf, Maloof Furniture & Design

Gardner explains:

• Why employee experience comes before customer experience
• How COVID exposed communication problems in retail
• What it means to build an “AI operating system”
• Why most AI projects fail
• How they’re using ElevenLabs for voiceovers
• The future of AI-powered retail experiences
• Why he believes AI should empower employees, not replace them

Learn more about Maloof Furniture & Design:

Malouf Furniture & Design

The Playbook

Kai breaks down “argumentative prompting,” a practical prompting technique that helps AI challenge ideas instead of simply agreeing with you.

You’ll learn:

• Why AI tends to be overly agreeable
• How to make AI argue both sides of an idea
• How argumentative prompting improves decision-making
• Better ways to validate business ideas with AI

Visit AI with Kai for more episodes, tools, and practical AI insights for business leaders.

In Episode 5 of AI with Kai, we break down the latest AI stories business leaders should be watching, including what happens when AI agents are given too much access, how privacy filters could protect sensitive information, and why workplace AI agents are becoming more practical for teams.

Then Kai sits down with Marie Kline, a global tech HR executive at Amazon, trained Amazon Bar Raiser, founder of She Leads AI, and founder of a new AI startup called Client Intelligence. Marie shares her journey from Robertsdale, Alabama to working inside one of the world’s most important AI environments, and why she believes AI is not here to replace people, but to enhance what they can do.

🔹 The Rundown: 5 AI Stories You Need to Know

• A Claude-powered AI agent reportedly wipes a startup’s database and backups
• OpenAI releases a privacy filter model to help redact personally identifiable information
• ChatGPT Workspace Agents bring team-based agents closer to everyday business use
• ChatGPT Images 2.0 adds reasoning for more complex image creation
• Why AI agents need clear permissions, guardrails, and deployment hygiene

🔹 The Spotlight: Marie Kline, Amazon / She Leads AI

Marie works in global tech HR at Amazon supporting ads and core AI organizations. She is also a trained Amazon Bar Raiser and the founder of She Leads AI, a Lower Alabama community helping women, moms, business owners, and busy professionals learn how to use AI in practical ways.

In the conversation, Marie talks about:

• Her path from Robertsdale, Alabama to Amazon
• What an Amazon Bar Raiser does in the hiring process
• How AI is changing HR, hiring, onboarding, compliance, and productivity
• Why AI should be viewed as an enhancer, not a replacement
• How busy professionals can use AI tools to simplify their work and personal lives
• The story behind launching She Leads AI
• Why people who refuse to learn AI may be at a disadvantage

One of the strongest takeaways:

“You won’t be replaced by AI. You’ll be replaced by somebody who knows how to use AI.”

🔹 The Playbook: Map Your Data Sources

Before you try to add AI to your business, you need to know where your business information actually lives.

This week’s move:

• List every place your business stores data
• Include databases, spreadsheets, apps, CRMs, emails, project tools, documents, and internal systems
• Look for hidden or scattered sources of information
• Start thinking about what data AI would need in order to actually help your business

Most businesses think they have one main data source. Once they start looking, they often find many more.

That matters because AI is only as useful as the information it can access and understand.

🔗 Links & Resources

She Leads AI Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1346686614147749

She Leads AI on Instagram: @sheleadsai_

AI with Kai: https://www.aiwithkai.com/

🎯 Key Takeaway

AI is not just a tool for technical teams.

It can help with hiring, HR, compliance, business operations, productivity, and everyday decision-making.

The opportunity is not just in having access to AI.

The advantage goes to the people who actually learn how to use it.

In Episode 4 of AI with Kai, we break down the five biggest AI stories this week and then go beyond the headlines with Blake Martin, Director of Coaching & Performance at Telomere and Co-founder of Connexus Clinic.

Blake shares how he’s using AI inside a growing healthcare business to save time, clean data, and make better decisions without adding complexity.

🔹 The Rundown: 5 AI Stories You Need to Know

• Microsoft rolls out “vibe working” with Copilot agent mode
• Google makes Gmail and Drive searchable by conversation
• Salesforce adds AI to all SMB plans for free
• Microsoft Teams flags AI bots in meetings
• Shopify releases an open-source AI toolkit

🔹 The Spotlight: Blake Martin (Telomere / Connexus Clinic)

Blake is working at the intersection of health, performance, and data and using AI in practical ways that immediately save time.

Here’s how he’s using it:

• Running competitor analysis across multiple websites in minutes
• Cleaning messy spreadsheets instantly instead of hours of manual work
• Supporting marketing and decision-making with AI insights
• Testing tools like Claude vs ChatGPT to find what works best

One of the most practical takeaways:

“Instead of visiting 10 different websites… I’m plugging them into Claude and it’s doing the analysis for me, saving me hours.”

🔹 The Playbook: Use Projects (Game Changer)

If you’re asking AI the same thing over and over, you’re missing one of the most powerful features.

This week’s move:

• Create a Project in ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity
• Load it with context, documents, and goals
• Let AI build memory around your work

Examples:

• A podcast project (like this show)
• A business workflow
• Even a personal/home project

Once you start using projects, AI becomes far more useful and consistent.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Connexus Clinic: https://www.theconnexusclinic.com/
• AI with Kai: https://www.aiwithkai.com/
• Connect with Blake: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-martin-64087631/

🎯 Key Takeaway

AI isn’t about replacing people.

It’s about removing the repetitive work that slows you down.

The advantage goes to the people who actually use it.

You’ll hear how a CPA firm is using AI to speed up research, improve decision-making, and rethink how work gets done without needing to be “technical.”

If you’ve ever wondered how AI fits into industries like accounting or finance, this episode gives you a clear, practical look.

🔥 This Week’s Big 5 (AI News That Matters)

• Anthropic’s new model raises concerns after identifying software vulnerabilities faster than ever
• Slack rolls out 30+ new AI tools for paid users, including daily recaps and workflow features
• Visa introduces agentic commerce, preparing for AI to make purchases on behalf of users
• Microsoft Copilot pricing changes raise questions about ROI for businesses
• Google expands AI video and avatar tools inside Workspace for easier content creation

💡 Real Business Use Case: Micah Wheeler (Wilkins Miller)

Kai sits down with Micah Wheeler, partner at Wilkins Miller, to talk about how AI is being used inside a modern accounting firm.

Key takeaways:

• Moving from Google searches to AI conversations for faster research
• Using AI as a thinking partner, not just a tool
• Why organized data is becoming a major competitive advantage
• The importance of validating AI outputs with source information
• How AI is shortening the gap between question and answer
• Why security and data privacy are still slowing adoption

🛠️ The Playbook: Build Your Slide Deck as a Website

Still using PowerPoint or Keynote?

This week’s practical tip walks through a faster, more dynamic approach:

• Use AI to generate your presentation as a webpage
• Add interactive elements, transitions, and media
• Share it instantly with a simple link
• Skip the friction of traditional slide tools

Try it with tools like:

• ChatGPT (Canvas)
• Claude (Artifacts)

🌊 Learn More About This Episode’s Guest

Wilkins Miller

👉 https://www.wilkinsmiller.com

🔗 Links & Resources

AI tools mentioned:

• ChatGPT
• Claude
• Perplexity
• Microsoft Copilot
• NotebookLM

Learn more about the show:

https://aiwithkai.com (if/when live)

⚡ Quick Takeaway

You don’t need to be technical to use AI.

Start by using it as a thinking partner, ask better questions, and let it help you get to answers faster.

In the Spotlight, Lee Johnson, Vice President of External Affairs and Economic Development at Baldwin EMC, shares how he’s using AI right now as a department of one to build custom dashboards, track legislation in real time, generate leads, and support smarter economic development on the Gulf Coast.

Kai wraps up with a simple Playbook tactic: journal (or audio journal) your week to quickly spot where AI can remove the biggest points of friction in your work.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Welcome & intro
• 01:00 – The Rundown: Key AI stories for business leaders
• 01:30 – Oracle reallocates $8–10B via layoffs to fund AI efforts
• 02:45 – Bain Capital’s David Gross: Why CEOs are misapplying AI
• 03:45 – SHRM 2026 State of AI in HR: Compliance risks and Alabama notes
• 05:00 – AI reshaping campus-to-career paths: 47% of students considering major changes
• 07:00 – Spotlight: Lee Johnson on practical AI in economic development
• 19:00 – Playbook: Start a business journal this week
• 21:30 – Wrap-up

The Rundown – Five AI Stories You Need to Know

1. Oracle’s AI-Driven Layoffs — Oracle laid off thousands to reallocate $8–10 billion into AI infrastructure. → CNBC Report → The Next Web Coverage
2. Bain Capital on Misapplying AI — David Gross warns that treating AI like just another tool misses the real opportunity: redesigning workflows around it. → Bloomberg Interview
3. SHRM State of AI in HR 2026 — 19 large U.S. states have AI laws affecting hiring; only 57% of HR pros know them. Alabama relies on existing anti-discrimination rules. → SHRM Report
4. AI and the Future of College Majors — A new study finds 47% of college students have considered changing majors because of AI’s impact on entry-level jobs. → Gallup/Lumina Survey → Inside Higher Ed Summary

Spotlight Highlights – Lee Johnson, Baldwin EMC Lee explains how he uses AI to optimize government affairs, build real-time legislative dashboards, distill data for business recruitment, and treat AI as an extension of his team — all while navigating the growing demand for data centers and the associated power challenges on the Gulf Coast.

Guest Bio & Links Lee Johnson is Vice President of External Affairs and Economic Development at Baldwin EMC, Alabama’s largest electric cooperative. He brings 15+ years of experience in economic development and prior work at TVA.

→ Baldwin EMC Announcement → Baldwin EMC Website

This Week’s Playbook Journal everything you do for one week (or record quick voice memos). Highlight the annoying or time-consuming tasks, then ask an AI tool which ones it can help automate first. Tim’s tip: Voice memos + transcription keeps it easy.

If this episode gave you useful ideas, consider sharing it with another business leader or economic developer on the Gulf Coast. Subscribe to AI with Kai for more practical AI insights every week at aiwithkai.com.

In this first episode of AI with Kai, we break down the five biggest AI stories this week and then go beyond the headlines with a real-world example from the Gulf Coast.

You’ll hear how a vacation rental company is already using AI to save time, uncover insights, and improve operations without hiring developers or overcomplicating the process.

If you’ve been wondering where to start with AI in your business, this episode is your starting point.

🔥 This Week’s Big 5 (AI News That Matters)

• The White House proposes a national AI regulatory framework
• Anthropic vs. the Pentagon and what it means for AI adoption
• Xero + AI integration bringing financial data into AI tools
• The growing push toward AI inside small business workflows
• A proposed pause on AI data centers and the real-world impact on energy and local communities

💡 Real Business Use Case: Harris Vacations

Kai sits down with Brian Harris, CEO of Harris Vacations, to talk about how AI is being used inside a fast-moving service business.

Key takeaways:

• Turning 6,000+ customer reviews into actionable insights
• Using AI as a decision support tool, not a replacement
• The power of a “draft zero” mindset (just try it)
• How leaders can introduce AI without overwhelming their team
• A simple example that saved 30+ minutes instantly using AI on a lease document

🛠️ The Playbook: AI Video Avatars

Need to create a presentation without being on camera?

This week’s practical tip walks through:

• Creating a digital avatar version of yourself

Tools like:

• https://www.heygen.com/
• https://www.elevenlabs.io/

🌊 Learn More About This Episode’s Guest

Harris Vacations

👉 https://ourgulfshoresvacation.com/

🎯 Why This Podcast Exists

AI is moving fast, but most business owners don’t have time to sort through the noise.

This show is built to give you:

• The most important AI updates each week
• Real examples from real businesses
• One practical idea you can actually use

🔗 Links & Resources

AI tools mentioned:

• https://www.heygen.com/
• https://www.elevenlabs.io/

Learn more about the show:

• https://aiwithkai.com (if/when live)

⚡ Quick Takeaway

You don’t need to learn coding.

You don’t need a full strategy.

You just need to start with one task and try it.

AI with Kai is built for business owners who want to cut through the noise, understand what’s worth paying attention to, and start using AI in a practical way.

Each episode is built around three simple parts:

• The Rundown: the five biggest AI stories that impact your business
• The Spotlight: real conversations with business owners using AI right now
• The Playbook: one practical way you can start using AI this week

If you’re trying to figure out where AI fits in your business, you’re in the right place