Generative AI 101

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a16z 5th Edition Pt.2: Googlezilla Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

The AI hype machine is cooling off, fewer shiny new toys, more serious contenders. In this episode, hostess with the mostest (of something) Emily Laird breaks down the latest a16z rankings, why the product flood slowed down, and how Google’s been quietly building an AI empire under everyone’s nose. Gemini’s rising, Grok’s flirting in anime, and Meta’s assistant accidentally aired its dirty laundry. We’re talking metrics, mobile surges, and the slow death of sketchy chatbot apps. Think of it as AI market analysis with a side of sarcasm and, as always, zero buzzwords.
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Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about a16z's top GenAI apps, the August 2025 edition.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

The Nerd Billboard 100: a16z’s AI Hit Parade Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

Venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, aka a16z, because vowels are apparently optional in Silicon Valley, has been quietly shaping the generative AI boom with its biannual “Top 100” ranking of AI-first apps. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down how a16z went from a $300 million moonshot to a $46 billion kingmaker, why they’re tracking AI startups like it’s the Billboard charts, and what wildcards like DeepSeek are doing to dethrone the usual suspects. If you’ve ever wondered who’s really calling the shots in AI, spoiler: it’s the folks with the money, and they’ve got a list.
Join the AI Weekly Meetups
Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about a16z's top GenAI apps, the August 2025 edition.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

The Go Series Pt. 4: Your Move, Human Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

AlphaGo didn’t just beat a Go champion, it rewrote the rules of competition. In this episode, host Emily Laird discusses Lee Sedol’s post-match arc, the rise of AlphaZero (a machine so next level it mastered three games in a day), and how that same AI playbook is coming for your office job. From coders and lawyers to journalists and teachers, the AlphaGo moment is already happening. But there’s hope, your creativity, your “Move 78,” still matters. Just don’t expect a standing ovation if you’re clinging to your typewriter.

Watch the AlphaGo Documentary
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Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about AlphaGo.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

The Go Series Pt. 3: Humanity's Last Flex Aug 25, 2025

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AlphaGo may have crushed Lee Sedol, but the aftermath wasn’t just about losing, it was about what humans still bring to the table. In this episode, host Emily Laird traces Sedol’s pivot from humiliation to adaptation, the birth of AlphaZero (the algorithm that mastered Go, Chess, and Shogi in a day), and how that same playbook is rewriting your workplace, from coding and law to journalism and academia.

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The Go Series Pt. 2: Move 37 & the God Move Aug 20, 2025

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AlphaGo vs. Lee Sedol wasn’t just a board game, it was humanity staring down its algorithmic doppelgänger and wondering who gets the last laugh. In this episode, host Emily Laird continues her exploration of the 2016 Go showdown that shocked pros, spawned memes, and gave us two immortal moves: AlphaGo’s eerie, alien “Move 37” and Sedol’s legendary “God Move.” From overconfident predictions to existential gasps, we trace how a quiet Go board in Seoul turned into a global stage for the question: what happens when human intuition meets machine precision and loses?

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The Go Series, Pt. 1: The Game That Broke the Board Aug 19, 2025

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Go isn’t just old, it’s ancient, intimidating, and smarter than it looks. For decades, it stood as the Everest of board games, the one thing AI couldn’t conquer without looking like a confused intern at a philosophy lecture. That is, until Google's DeepMind came along with AlphaGo, a Frankenstein of neural nets, reinforcement learning, and sheer digital obsession.

In this episode, host Emily Laird rewinds to the moment when AI stopped being a party trick and started playing mind games, literally. We unpack how Go became AI’s final boss, why brute force wasn’t enough, and how AlphaGo flipped the script by teaching itself to win. Spoiler: it crushed a European champion like he was playing with oven mitts.

From ancient Chinese tea houses to the labs of Google DeepMind, this is the story of the game that broke the board and changed how we think about machines and intelligence forever.

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Mixture of Experts: The Wu-Tang Clang of AI Aug 18, 2025

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What do trivia night, jazz bands, and IKEA furniture have in common? They all make more sense once you understand Mixture of Experts. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down how LLMs are using conditional computation to get smarter and cheaper, without frying your GPU like a budget toaster. We’re talking expert networks, gating systems, and why the future of AI might look more like a five-star kitchen than a power-hungry robot army.
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Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Mixture of Experts.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

ChatGPT's Study Mode: Homework’s Plot Twist Aug 13, 2025

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Is ChatGPT here to help you ace the test or just do your homework for you? In this episode, host Emily Laird unpacks OpenAI’s new Study Mode, a feature that turns the AI from vending-machine answer bot into a never-tired tutor who actually makes you think. From math problems that fight back to privacy concerns and its big debut in schools via Canvas, we cover why teachers, parents, and even students are warming up to the idea. It might just be the first AI tool that raises grades and consciences.
Join the AI Weekly Meetups
Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Study Mode.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

What’s the Difference Between AGI and Superintelligence? Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

AGI can do anything you can, write, reason, crack jokes, without being told how. Superintelligence can do all that and make you look like a potato with Wi-Fi. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the real meaning of these two buzzwords, why even the experts can’t agree, and how the biggest AI players, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Meta, and xAI, are racing to build them. Whether it’s curing cancer, boosting productivity, or accidentally turning off the internet, we’re here to separate hype from reality before the machines do it for us.
Join the AI Weekly Meetups
Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about AGI vs Superintelligence.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

The One About ChatGPT-5 Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

OpenAI’s GPT-5 isn’t just an upgrade, it’s a whole crew of AIs working together. One’s fast, one’s a deep thinker, and a couple work the cheap shifts, all coordinated by a smart “router” that picks the right brain for the job. It’s breaking records in math, coding, and reasoning, slashing hallucinations, and even scheduling your meetings. The Pro version handles monster problems in seconds, while all versions get built-in web search, vision, and real task execution. The model menu is gone, GPT-5 just figures it out for you.
Join the AI Weekly Meetups
Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about OpenAI's GPT-5.

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

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