Human First, AI Enhanced

Human First, AI Enhanced

On this episode, I sit down with Steve Bevilacqua, Principal Consultant at Cella by Randstad Digital, for a candid conversation about what AI is actually doing inside marketing organizations today. We dig into the gap between executive expectations and real-world adoption, why leaders need to be hands-on with AI instead of simply directing others to use it, and how marketing teams can avoid creating bland, homogenized content. Along the way, we share a few laughs about six-fingered AI images, caveman prompting, and why AI should be viewed as a powerful tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. It's a practical, entertaining look at where AI delivers value today and where marketers still need to keep a human in the loop.

Engineering the Outcome in an AI-Driven Open Web

On this episode of AI: Machine Made Marketing, Ivan Doruda, Global CEO at MGID, joins the show to discuss how AI is changing search, publishing, and performance marketing across the open web. From the shift away from traditional SEO to the growing importance of monetization, contextual intelligence, and generative engine optimization, Ivan shares a grounded look at where the industry is headed and why human expertise still matters in an increasingly automated world.

Making AI Work Without the Fear Factor

In this episode, Daniella Harkins, SVP of Product GTM at LiveRamp shares a practical, grounded look at making AI actually useful inside marketing teams. From starting with simple use cases and leaning into trusted partners, to building stronger first party data foundations and using AI to improve decisioning, optimization, and measurement, this conversation is less about hype and more about what helps marketers work smarter, think more strategically, and move forward with confidence.

AI Can Generate Anything. Taste Is the Real Competitive Advantage

On this episode of AI: Machine-Made Marketing, we sit down with Nick Valenti, CEO of Mādin, to unpack why AI isn’t replacing creativity — it’s raising the bar for what actually matters. Nick explains how Mādin uses AI as a creative collaborator rather than a creative director, accelerating ideation, testing, and execution while doubling down on the human elements machines still can’t replicate: taste, empathy, judgment, and cultural intuition. The conversation explores how AI is collapsing the gap between instinct and proof of concept, why the future of agencies belongs to smaller high-taste teams instead of bloated organizations, and how brands can avoid drowning in “AI-generated sameness.” Nick also shares why Rick Rubin’s philosophy on creativity has become required reading inside Mādin, how AI is democratizing high-level creative production for startups, and why strategy and storytelling are becoming more important — not less — in the age of generative media.

Creative Strategy in the Age of AI: Getting to Better Work, Not Just Faster

In this episode of AI: Machine Made Learning, Leslie Walsh, GM & Head of Strategy at RYA, joins the show to talk about why speed alone is not the goal in an AI-driven world. From the risk of “AI slop” to the importance of human taste, cultural nuance, and proprietary data, Leslie breaks down how marketers can use AI to elevate creative—not dilute it. The conversation explores the balance between machine efficiency and human judgment, and what it really takes to produce work that resonates and stands out.