AI Adoption

Radi8 is better than Higgsfield!! …more

The revolution of independence is starting. For most of my career, building a successful business required assembling a company. Employees. Departments. Agencies. Specialists. Today, AI is changing that equation. One founder with expertise, good judgment, and the right tools can now create leverage that used to require an entire team. That's a massive shift. But it creates a new challenge. If expertise is no longer scarce, what is? Trust. Visibility. Reputation. The ability to consistently show up and demonstrate how you think. I believe we're entering an era where reputation becomes one of the most valuable business assets a person can own. Not because everyone needs to become a creator. Because everyone who sells expertise needs to become discoverable. Consultants. Advisors. Founders. Coaches. Fractional executives. The future belongs to people who can turn what they know into trust. That's the shift I'm watching most closely. …more

Attention restaurant owners. Santa Cruz Works is hosting an invitation-only luncheon on May 13 at the Cocoanut Grove. It's a private introduction to AIO, an AI platform built specifically for restaurant operations. If you run a restaurant in the Santa Cruz area, this is worth exploring. Here's why: most restaurant owners are dealing with the same operational challenges. Scheduling, inventory, customer communication, order management. The tools built for enterprise operations don't fit the way small restaurants actually work. And generic AI platforms require too much setup to be useful when you're already stretched thin. AIO was designed for restaurant operations from the ground up. The luncheon offers a chance to see how it works, ask questions directly, and evaluate whether it solves problems you're dealing with right now. You'll also get insight into Launchpad 2026, Santa Cruz County's largest job fair. If hiring or talent retention is on your radar, that's a second reason to attend. This isn't a public event. It's invitation-only, which means smaller group, direct access, and real conversation with the people building the platform and the local business community showing up to learn about it. If you're in the area and you want to evaluate tools that could streamline how you run your restaurant, this is a solid opportunity to do that in person. Check the Santa Cruz Works site for details and how to request an invitation. https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/luncheon-brings-restaurant-leaders-together-for-a-look-at-aio …more

Brian Solis argued at SXSW that augmentation is the new productivity: most people use AI to do what they already know. For founders this matters because the biggest gains come from changing how decisions are made, not just automating tasks. Three practical steps I use with startups: 1) Map core decisions and the inputs that drive them. 2) Prototype one augmented workflow in two weeks and measure decision speed and quality. 3) Standardize prompts, tests, and handoffs so the capability scales. If you want templates or pilot intros, send me a message. #AI https://briansolis.com/2026/03/worth-magazine-covers-brian-solis-keynote-at-sxsw-2026-augmentation-is-the-new-productivity/ …more

AI isn’t killing SaaS. It’s rewriting buyer budgets. Founders I talk to say their product is better and still relied on, yet deals slow, expansions stall, and seats disappear. The gap is buyer priorities, not product. Three quick moves: 1. Reframe messaging to quantify time and cost savings versus AI alternatives. 2. Offer short, low-friction pilots or outcome-based trials. 3. Publish 30-day ROI case studies to shorten evaluation cycles. Radi8 helps founders create these assets faster and at lower cost than hiring consultants. Send me a message and I’ll reach out. https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/ai-isnt-killing-saas-its-rewriting-the-budget #SaaS …more

GTC 2026 will convene AI and accelerated computing leaders March 16-19 in San Jose. As a founder building applied AI, my practical lesson is to prioritize production concerns early: efficient inference, observability, and developer tooling. Those three levers reduce friction between prototypes and pilots. If you are tackling deployment or infrastructure tradeoffs, send me a message. #GTC2026 http://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-and-global-technology-leaders-to-showcase-age-of-ai-at-gtc-2026 …more