AI in Focus with Stephen Robles

Microsoft's VP of AI on Why Coding Is No Longer the Skill That Matters | AI in Focus

In this episode of AI in Focus, Marco Casalaina, VP of Products for Core AI at Microsoft, reveals how the democratization of AI building is rewriting the rules of work and why planning, not coding, has become the most valuable skill of the AI era. Since 2011, Marco has been at the forefront of AI product development. Today he leads the teams building Microsoft's next generation of AI agents — the same systems now reshaping how millions of people work. He pulls back the curtain on what's actually happening inside enterprise AI right now, why the role of IT is being rewritten in real time, and the specific workflows he uses every day to save hours of work. What's covered in this episode: Why planning has replaced technical skill as the highest-leverage ability in the AI era How to know when to trust AI with real work — and when to keep a human in the loop  The exact workflows Marco uses to automate email, travel, document scanning, and 200+ question RFPs For anyone whose work touches AI — CIOs, operators, engineers, or professionals figuring out what to learn next — this conversation reframes the next 12 months of change. This episode is brought to you by SaneBox: the AI-powered email tool that has been ending inbox overload since 2010. Works with Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and more. Save 3–4 hours a week and get a $25 credit with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required: https://www.sanebox.com/focus [https://www.sanebox.com/focus] Subscribe to AI in Focus for weekly conversations with the thinkers, founders, and authors shaping how we live and work with AI. New episodes every week. If this episode helped you, hit Like, Subscribe, and drop a comment with the ONE distraction you're going to eliminate this week.

The AI tools every real estate agent needs in 2026 | Ryan Coyne (SERHANT.) | AI in Focus

In this episode, Ryan Coyne, Chief Experience Officer at Serhant, reveals how his team uses AI personality profiling and agentic workflows to predict hires, simulate the next 36 months of business outcomes, and increase agent commission by 144%. We dig into why 70% of AI workflows fail, where AI breaks down in luxury real estate, the supply chain story nobody's watching, and the careers AI won't replace anytime soon.

Nir Eyal: AI Isn’t Making You Distracted, THIS Is | AI in Focus

In this episode, bestselling author Nir Eyal (Hooked, Indistractable, Beyond Belief) joins Stephen Robles to break down why focus is the most valuable skill of the AI era and exactly how to reclaim it. If you feel hijacked by your phone, drowning in email, or anxious that AI is melting your brain, this episode is the playbook. Nir wrote Indistractable in 2019 before ChatGPT, before TikTok dominance, before Sora (RIP). Six years later, the psychology hasn't changed, but the stakes have. In this conversation, he explains why distraction has plagued humans for 2,500 years (Plato called it akrasia), why blaming Big Tech is a losing strategy, and the 4-step framework that helped over 500,000 readers take back their time.

Hiten Shah: AI burnout, Google's death, and why smart people aren't worried (yet) | AI in Focus

In this episode, our host Stephen Robles sits down with Hiten Shah to break down how AI is reshaping productivity, focus, and the way we work. From AI burnout and constant context switching to the illusion of efficiency, they explore where these tools are helping and where they’re quietly making things worse. They also get into Hiten’s hands-on approach to building with AI, why most productivity tools create more noise than value, and how founders and operators can create real leverage without losing control of their time, attention, and what actually matters. Connect with Hiten Shah: Website: https://www.hiten.com [https://www.hiten.com] Newsletter: https://www.producthabits.com [https://www.producthabits.com] This episode is brought to you by SaneBox: the AI-powered email tool that has been ending inbox overload since 2010. Works with Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and more. Save 3–4 hours a week and get a $25 credit with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required: https://www.sanebox.com/focus [https://www.sanebox.com/focus] Subscribe to AI in Focus for weekly conversations with the thinkers, founders, and authors shaping how we live and work with AI. New episodes every week. If this episode helped you, hit Like, Subscribe, and drop a comment with the ONE AI tool you're going to try this week.