The AI Drop

The AI Drop #5: Looking East – How Asia Is Writing Its Own AI Rules with Rohit Bhat

When it comes to technology, Asian regulators have seemed to follow the lead of their EU and US counterparts. No longer. “With AI, it is transformational, and jurisdictions in Asia are taking note and wanting to ensure that this technology is used for the greater good of their respective society,” says Rohit Bhat [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/b/bhat-rohit]. In this globe-trotting conversation with host Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna], he touches down in India, Singapore, and South Korea. Tune in for his insights about India, with its Information Technology Act that regulates synthetically generated information; Singapore, with its recent influential conference on agentic AI; and South Korea, with its risk-based AI Basic Act that regulates high-impact AI. At the end of the day, Rohit observes, AI is transforming the industry wherever you are on the global stage.   Connect and Learn More   ☑️ Rohit Bhat [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/b/bhat-rohit] | LinkedIn [https://sg.linkedin.com/in/rohitbhat]   ☑️ Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annagressel]   ☑️ Freshfields [https://www.freshfields.com/en]   ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ai-drop/id1893061401] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3FvU2cVUtIqH5uWEE0Nlix] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f77a8d88-e487-483d-9388-54bb8a72a68d/the-ai-drop]

The AI Drop #4: Pulling Back the Curtain on Agentic AI, with Geoff Schaefer

Geoff Schaefer, vice president of AI Strategy and Governance at Leidos [https://www.leidos.com/], returns to “The AI Drop” to unpack agentic AI strategy, the subject of his newest book. Host Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] leads off the conversation with a lightning round of questions such as the biggest surprises he’s seen, the number one skill that employees in an agentic workplace must have, and the value that AI agents are actually providing in the workplace. Tune in as he explains why Leidos’ hybrid org chart places human FTEs alongside agent FAEs (full-time agent equivalents), why it’s no longer wrong to anthropomorphize AI, and why a colleague at Leidos is building a “zero trust” architecture for AI – similar to zero trust principles in cybersecurity and organizational security. Connect and Learn More: ☑️ Geoff Schaefer | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffschaefer] ☑️ Leidos [https://www.leidos.com/] ☑️ Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annagressel] ☑️ Freshfields [https://www.freshfields.com/en] ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ai-drop/id1893061401] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3FvU2cVUtIqH5uWEE0Nlix] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f77a8d88-e487-483d-9388-54bb8a72a68d/the-ai-drop]

The AI Drop #3: Check Engine Light – What Every Board Needs to Know About AI Oversight with Doru Gavril

Freshfields [https://www.freshfields.com/en] partner Doru Gavril [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gavril-doru] remembers listening to the iconic radio show “Car Talk,” where the host would diagnose callers’ car problems. Host Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] takes the calls, and Doru diagnoses the caller’s AI ailment. Doru peeks under the hood to talk the callers through fixing their issues. Tune in to hear why – just like in “Car Talk” – the answer is often the "carburetor." And why companies and boards should think about diagnosing key AI considerations now. “You have time, but you also cannot wait,” he says. “You need to start thinking about it now, both strategically and operationally.” Connect and Learn More ☑️ Doru Gavril [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gavril-doru] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/doru-gavril-874351133] ☑️ Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annagressel] ☑️ Freshfields [https://www.freshfields.com/en]

The AI Drop #2: Planning in Quicksand: Strategy Under Radical Uncertainty with Geoffrey Schaefer

"A good AI strategy is analogous to rebar and concrete," says Geoff Schaefer, making the case that AI should strengthen a company's existing differentiation — not replace the strategy itself. Geoff is the vice president of AI Strategy and Governance at Leidos [https://www.leidos.com/], one of the largest companies operating at the intersection of defense, national security, and commercial technology. The conversation with host Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] opens with a lightning round where Geoff predicts that a small majority of companies will double in size with agents within two years and argues that waiting to see how AI develops puts companies in a structurally reactive — and disadvantaged — position. Anna and Geoff explore why AI disruption is categorically different from the Industrial Revolution, the danger of a "pilot mindset,” and why AI strategy must be co-designed across technical and non-technical parts of the organization. ...

The AI Drop #1: Of Bubbles and Busts - A Conversation on the Future of AI with Boris Feldman

Anna Gressel [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/g/gressel-r-anna] is joined by Boris Feldman [https://www.freshfields.com/en/find-a-lawyer/f/feldman-boris] to examine whether today’s AI boom represents a lasting transformation or a bubble, drawing key distinctions from the dot‑com era. They look ahead to what’s next for AI and explore what lessons history can teach us about the potential future of AI — and what is fundamentally new and different about the moment we are in now.