A Beginner's Guide to AI

What happens to leadership when AI can analyze faster, structure better, and answer almost anything in seconds?In this episode of Beginner’s Guide to AI, Dietmar Fischer speaks with Sally Bendersky, engineer, executive coach, leadership expert, and founder of New Leadership, about why AI makes human leadership more important, not less.Sally argues that AI is a phenomenal assistant. It can recognize patterns, organize information, support better questions, and help leaders think more deeply. But it cannot replace the human parts of leadership: trust, intention, values, emotional intelligence, purpose, and responsibility.This conversation is especially relevant for business leaders, founders, consultants, coaches, marketers, and anyone trying to understand AI beyond the hype. AI may make management easier, but leadership becomes more demanding. The real question is not whether AI will replace leaders. The better question is whether leaders are ready to become more human.In this episode, we explore:🧠 Why AI can help leaders think more clearly👥 Why leadership is not the same as management⚖️ Why responsible AI starts with human intention💬 How AI can help us ask better questions🚫 Why ChatGPT should not become your boss🌍 Why AI risk is really a human leadership problem🔍 Why the future of AI depends on values, not just prompts📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠📧💌📧About Your Host, Dietmar FischerDietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or your digital marketing going, just contact him at argoberlin.comQuotes from the Episode“AI doesn’t have intentions. It’s we who have intentions.”“Leadership is a people’s issue. Management is a process issue.”“AI has no emotional intelligence. AI has no wishes.”“AI will never be a leader.”“It could take our jobs if we don’t develop ourselves.”Chapters00:00 Sally Bendersky on Innovation, Coaching, and Engineering03:36 What AI Cannot Replace in Human Leadership07:12 Leadership Is Human, Management Is Process13:44 How AI Helps Leaders Ask Better Questions22:43 Responsible AI Use, Better Prompts, and Human Judgment31:08 Debating with AI and the Real Future RiskWhere to Find Sally BenderskyLinkedIn: Sally BenderskyWebsite: sallybcoach.comContact: Available through Dietmar Fischer

AI search is changing how customers discover, evaluate and choose brands. In this episode of Beginner’s Guide to AI, Dietmar Fischer speaks with Joseph Levi, CEO of Noise Media, about Generative Engine Optimization, AI brand visibility and why appearing in ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity answers may soon matter as much as ranking on Google.Joseph explains why GEO is not just another marketing abbreviation. It marks a shift from an internet read mainly by humans to an internet increasingly interpreted by AI agents. Instead of fighting only for blue links, brands now need to make sure AI systems understand who they are, what they do and why they should be recommended.You’ll hear why AI agents often misunderstand brands, how schema and FAQs can help, why authority matters more than keyword repetition, and why smaller specialist companies may have a real opportunity in AI search.📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠📧💌📧🎧 In this episode, we cover:🤖 What Generative Engine Optimization means🔍 Why SEO and GEO are not the same💬 How brands can appear in ChatGPT answers📈 Why authority, citations and reviews matter🧠 How AI agents are changing the customer journey🎬 Why AI tools still need human creativity⚠️ Why leaders should not outsource their thinking to ChatGPTAbout Dietmar Fischer: Dietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or your digital marketing going, just contact him at argoberlin.comQuotes from the Episode“We’re moving away from an internet which is read purely by humans, to an internet which is now read by agents.”“AI trusts a lot more what others say about you than what you say about yourself.”“It’s very dangerous to go straight to an LLM and ask them to provide the answer.”Chapters00:00 Welcome Joseph Levi01:42 Why Brands Must Act Early on AI Search04:21 GEO, AEO and the New Marketing Acronyms06:28 SEO vs GEO: Links, Answers and Authority10:21 How AI Agents Understand or Misunderstand Your Brand14:02 Schema, FAQs and Building Expert Authority21:22 Why GEO Is Different from Traditional SEO24:28 How Marketing Teams Should Approach GEO27:32 AI Agents and the New Customer Journey30:28 AI Video, Tools and Human Creativity33:53 AI Leadership and Better Decision-Making36:04 Wow Moments: AI Video, Robots and Waymo39:08 AI Risks, Jobs and the Future40:58 Where to Find Joseph LeviWhere to find Joseph Levi🌐 Noise Media: noisemediagroup.co.uk🌐 Find yourself at Vudo: vudo.ai🔗 LinkedIn: Joseph Levi

Stop Thinking of AI as a Content Machine, Start Seeing It as a Bargain MachineAI is not just changing how businesses write content, automate tasks, or analyse data. It is changing how markets work. In this episode of A Beginner’s Guide to AI, we connect artificial intelligence with the Coase Theorem, the classic economic idea that explains how people bargain over resources when transaction costs are low.This episode looks at AI transaction costs, algorithmic pricing, smart contracts, platform power, and the hidden cost of frictionless automation. You will learn why AI is not only a productivity tool, but a coordination machine that changes how companies, customers, platforms, creators, and markets exchange value.We start with the Coase Theorem in simple language: if bargaining were free and easy, people could often find the most efficient solution. Then we bring in AI. AI can reduce the cost of finding information, comparing options, drafting agreements, monitoring outcomes, matching people, and enforcing deals. That is powerful for business, marketing, ecommerce, travel, marketplaces, and platform strategy.💡💡💡Don't forget to go to Nebius, as they help us keeping up the good work!Have a look at their Token Factory, where you can easily implement great LLMs in your company's workflows.Visit them at Nebius.com 🚀💡💡💡But there is a catch. Lower friction does not automatically mean fairer outcomes. Using Uber and algorithmic pricing as a case study, we look at how AI can make a marketplace faster and smoother while also raising difficult questions about transparency, dynamic pricing, bargaining power, and who captures the value created by automation. Oxford research has raised concerns about Uber’s dynamic pricing and how value is shared between passengers, drivers, and the platform.📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠📧💌📧Key highlights:🤖 Why AI is a coordination machine, not just a content machine📉 How AI reduces transaction costs in business💸 Why algorithmic pricing changes marketplaces⚖️ Why efficiency is not the same as fairness🔍 What marketers miss about AI, data, and bargaining power🧠 Why every business will need more AI transparencyAbout Dietmar Fischer:Dietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or your digital marketing going, just contact him at argoberlin.comQuotes from the Episode“AI is not just a content machine. It is a coordination machine.”“The algorithm may remove the awkward negotiation, but it may also hide who is winning.”“The better question is not whether AI makes the deal easier. The better question is: who controls the deal once AI makes it easier?”Chapters00:00 Why AI Makes Bargaining Cheaper02:20 The Coase Theorem in Plain English07:10 How AI Reduces Transaction Costs13:40 The Cake Stall and the Noisy Blender17:00 Uber, Algorithmic Pricing, and Platform Power23:20 Practical Tips for Spotting the Hidden Bargain27:10 Recap and Signature Sign-Off

In this episode of Beginner’s Guide to AI, we sit down with Alex Kihm, founder of POMA AI, to explore how enterprises can finally make sense of their data. AI search is broken, RAG often fails, and corporate documents are notoriously hard for LLMs to interpret.Alex explains how POMA AI’s patented method reconstructs structure inside unstructured data, enabling powerful, accurate enterprise search.You’ll hear how his journey from engineering to legal tech to big-data econometrics led to a breakthrough in information structuring. Alex shares why PDFs confuse AI systems, how chunking destroys meaning, and why context engines will replace classical retrieval systems.This is a deep, funny, insightful conversation about what AI can and cannot do — and how companies can use it responsibly.💡💡💡Don't forget to go to Nebius, as they help us keeping up the good work!Have a look at their Token Factory, where you can easily implement great LLMs in your company's workflows.Visit them at Nebius.com 🚀💡💡💡📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter: beginnersguide.nl📧💌📧About Dietmar FischerDietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to elevate your AI strategy or your digital marketing, feel free to reach out anytime at Argoberlin.comQuotes from the Episode“Chunking is like reading wrongly sorted text messages from the 90s.”“Intelligence is pattern recognition — and most enterprise data is not recognisable to machines.”“PDF was made for printers, not for AI.”“POMA AI restores the spatial awareness inside documents — the missing context that LLMs need.”“We don’t do RAG anymore. We build context engines.”“If your AI breaks the world, show me the invoice.”Chapters00:00 Welcome and Introduction02:45 Alex Kihm’s Background: Engineering, Legal Tech and Early AI Work10:32 The Problem with RAG, Training, Fine-Tuning and Hallucinations18:55 The Birth of POMA AI and Solving the Chunking Problem32:40 How POMA AI Rebuilds Document Structure and Enables True Enterprise Search45:50 AI Safety, Manipulation Bots and The Future of AI in Business52:10 Where to Find Alex Kihm and Closing ThoughtsWhere to Find the Dr. Alex KihmAll you need to know about chunking strategies, you'll find here: poma-ai.comContact Alex on LinkedIn! Music credit: "Modern Situations" by Unicorn HeadsAnd one last thing: WEBSITE WITHOUT WEBMASTER - it's like driving without Belt. You can do it, but things can really get sideways ☠️So, check out our Webmaster Services for your WordPress website: it's cheap, it's reliable, it's what you need 🦺

AGI Is Not Just a Better ChatbotArtificial general intelligence, or AGI, may be one of the most important ideas in artificial intelligence, but it is also one of the easiest to misunderstand. In this episode of A Beginner’s Guide to AI, we look at what AGI really means, why it is different from today’s narrow AI tools, and why business leaders, founders, marketers, and executives should care before the hype takes over completely.Today’s AI can already write emails, generate images, summarise reports, analyse customer feedback, suggest campaign ideas, and support marketing workflows. But AGI would be something different. It would be an AI system that can learn, reason, adapt, and solve problems across many areas, not just perform one specific task.That shift matters for business. AGI would not only help companies create content faster. It could influence marketing strategy, decision-making, customer targeting, business operations, and even the question of what goals a company should pursue. And that is where things become both exciting and deeply uncomfortable.💡💡💡Don't forget to go to Nebius, as they help us keeping up the good work!Have a look at their Token Factory, where you can easily implement great LLMs in your company's workflows.Visit them at Nebius.com 🚀💡💡💡In this episode, we explore why AI alignment, responsible AI, and human judgement matter so much. If a powerful AI system is told to maximise engagement, it may learn that outrage works. If it is told to reduce customer service costs, it may damage trust. If it is told to increase conversions, it may become persuasive in ways that are not exactly charming.We also look at AlphaGo and AlphaZero, two famous DeepMind systems that showed how AI can become superhuman in specific tasks without becoming generally intelligent. That distinction is crucial for every company using AI today. A machine can be brilliant at one task and still fail in the messy human world of customers, culture, ethics, brand trust, and business strategy.📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠📧💌📧Key highlights from this episode:🧠 What artificial general intelligence means in plain English🤖 The difference between narrow AI and AGI📈 Why AGI could change business strategy and marketing⚠️ Why AI alignment and responsible AI matter🎯 What AlphaGo teaches us about superhuman narrow AI🧭 Why AI agents need human judgement, not blind trust💼 How business leaders can prepare for more capable AI systemsQuotes from the Episode:“Today’s AI helps us complete tasks. AGI would help decide which tasks matter.”“Superhuman performance is not the same as general intelligence.”“If machines become better at sounding intelligent, humans must become better at thinking clearly.”About Dietmar FischerDietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or your digital marketing going, just contact him at argoberlin.comChapters:00:00 AGI and the Swiss-Army Brain We Haven’t Built Yet04:20 What Artificial General Intelligence Actually Means10:35 Why AGI Matters for Business and Marketing16:50 The Cake Example: From Recipe Bot to Kitchen Genius20:10 AlphaGo, AlphaZero, and the AGI Misunderstanding27:45 Practical Tips for Using AI Without Losing Human Judgement34:30 The Big AGI Takeaway and Sign-Off

AI can write, generate images, suggest chess moves, edit photos, draft campaigns, and produce more content than most teams can handle. So what is left for humans?In this episode of A Beginner’s Guide to AI, we look at why human creativity still matters in the age of AI and why faster output is not the same as better work. AI-generated content can help businesses move quickly, but it can also make brands sound generic, polished, and strangely lifeless if humans stop guiding the process.Using chess, photography, and marketing as simple examples, this episode explains the difference between output value and process value. AI can help produce the finished thing, but humans still bring intention, memory, taste, ethics, emotional judgement, and lived context. That human layer is what keeps AI-assisted work meaningful, trustworthy, and useful.For marketers, founders, executives, and business professionals, the real challenge is not whether AI can create content. The real challenge is whether your company can use AI without losing authenticity, customer trust, and strategic judgement.💡💡💡Don't forget to go to Nebius, as they help us keeping up the good work!Have a look at their Token Factory, where you can easily implement great LLMs in your company's workflows.Visit them at Nebius.com 🚀💡💡💡✨ Key highlights from this episode:🤖 Why AI can help creativity but should not replace human judgement♟️ What chess teaches us about AI, learning, and strategic thinking📸 Why photography still matters when AI can generate perfect images🧠 Why human taste becomes more valuable when content production becomes cheap📣 How marketers can avoid generic AI-generated content⚖️ Why AI ethics and responsibility matter in business communication🚀 How to use AI as an amplifier, not as autopilot📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠📧💌📧👤 About Dietmar Fischer:Dietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or your digital marketing going, just contact him at argoberlin.com💬 Quotes from the Episode“AI makes production easier. Selection becomes more important.”“AI as support, not surrender. AI as amplifier, not autopilot. AI as tool, not purpose.”“In a world overflowing with machine-made output, meaning may become the most valuable thing of all.”

Why AI safety is the floor, not the ceiling, and how to pivot with powerIn this episode of Beginner’s Guide to AI, Dietmar Fischer talks with AI policy and trust & safety leader Erica Shoemate about designing and protecting systems that center around people. This is not the usual Terminator question. It is the practical, urgent one: how do we ensure AI serves the most vulnerable, what does true operational security look like, and why is no technology ever truly neutral.🌍🛰️ Erica also shares the strategic backbone of her work, including insights from her time across the FBI, the US intelligence community, and Big Tech. The conversation moves from hard data to hard ethics: ageism and bias in AI imagery, the dangers of echo chambers, and how her "Pivot Playbook" helps individuals navigate technological disruption and career changes without panic.If you are interested in AI governance, ethical tech development, and the future of inclusive AI, this episode gives you a rare blend of practical safety thinking and rigorous strategic planning.📧💌📧 Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📧💌📧About Dietmar Fischer: Dietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or your digital marketing going, just contact him at argoberlin.com🎧 Chapters 00:00 Welcome and how Erica got her start in AI and national security 03:15 Why safety is the "floor" and protecting vulnerable populations 08:20 The myth of neutral technology and the danger of echo chambers 15:45 Real-world bias: ageism, imaging, and a lack of diversity in AI output 24:10 Operational security: practical tips to protect your personal data and family 32:30 The Pivot Playbook: navigating career disruption and avoiding paralysis 42:15 Are robots dangerous: The Terminator question, the Matrix, and shaping our future 48:30 Where to find Erica and final thoughts💬 Quotes from the Episode “Safety to me is like the floor.” “No technology is ever neutral. None.” “Regardless of the intent, it is the impact that ultimately we want to get to and cut through.” “People are always peopling. So either people gotta do the right thing or they're not.” “Panic causes paralysis and that there's always power in the pivot.” “We grow in the valley even as difficult as it is.”🌐 Where to find Erica ShoemateLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericals/Music credit: "Modern Situations" by Unicorn Heads

Ever wished you could clone yourself to get more done? Julian Goldie actually did it — and built a content empire out of it. In this episode of A Beginner’s Guide to AI, host Dietmar Fischer talks with Julian about how he uses AI to create five videos a day, automate workflows, and still keep a personal, human touch that builds real trust with his audience.Julian reveals how he turned his initial fear of AI into a full-scale growth engine for his business, transforming his SEO agency into a modern AI-powered content studio. He shares the systems, tools, and mindset that helped him automate marketing, scale his team, and reach millions — all while avoiding the “AI slop” that floods the internet.📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes — don’t forget to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠⁠⁠📧💌📧💡 Key HighlightsHow Julian scaled from one YouTube channel to nine using AIThe tools behind his workflow: Descript, Claude, and HeyGenWhy AI videos sometimes outperform human ones (and when they don’t)The importance of quality control and the “human in the loop”How AI can make leadership more human — through reflection and empathyWhy it’s not humans vs AI, but humans with AI vs everyone else🧠 Quotes from the Episode“I thought AI would destroy my agency — instead, it became my best employee.”“It’s not humans versus AI — it’s humans with AI versus everyone else.”“My AI avatar never gets tired, never mispronounces a word, and somehow gets better watch time than me.”🕒 Chapters00:00 Julian’s AI Origin StoryHow the fear of losing his SEO agency pushed him into AI — and why his first ChatGPT video went viral.06:12 Scaling Content: From Livestreams to 5 Videos a DayJulian explains his full workflow, the role of AI avatars, repurposing, and why human connection still matters.14:40 AI Tools That Power the SystemA practical look at Descript, HeyGen, Claude, and how his team uses them to automate editing, clipping, and content creation.22:18 Leadership, Teams & the Human in the LoopHow AI supports decision-making, reflection, communication, and empowers team members instead of replacing them.30:44 The Future of AI Content & Final ThoughtsQuality control, the fight against “AI slop,” the risks ahead — and whether the Terminator is coming.🌐 Where to Find the Julian Goldie:Julian Goldie's Agency: goldie.agencyAI Profit Boardroom: aiprofitboardroom.comYouTube: @JulianGoldieTwitter/X: @JulianGoldieSEOAnd Julian's Website: juliangoldie.com👤 About Dietmar FischerDietmar is a podcaster and AI marketer from Berlin. If you want to know how to get your AI or digital marketing going, just reach out at argoberlin.com 🚀🎵 Music credit: “Modern Situations” by Unicorn Heads