Generative AI 101
Welcome to Generative AI 101, your go-to podcast for learning the basics of generative artificial intelligence in easy-to-understand, bite-sized episodes. Join host Emily Laird, AI Integration Technologist and AI lecturer, to explore key concepts, applications, and ethical considerations, making AI accessible for everyone.
Episodes

Monday Feb 03, 2025
Who Runs the World? Agents.
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
AI agents aren’t just scheduling your meetings—they might be running the whole office soon. In this episode, we’re breaking down the biggest players in the AI agent space: Salesforce’s Agentforce 2.0, Google’s Gemini 2.0, Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, Amazon’s Bedrock Agents, and NVIDIA’s NeMo (because of course, Jensen Huang had to be here). These aren’t just digital assistants—they’re reasoning, learning, and making your “lol, forgot” moments a thing of the past.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 companies leading in AI Agents than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Wednesday Jan 29, 2025
DeepSeek: The Cool Kid Giving Silicon Valley an AI Panic Attack
Wednesday Jan 29, 2025
Wednesday Jan 29, 2025
Let's unpack the rise of DeepSeek, the scrappy Chinese AI lab that’s making waves and giving Silicon Valley sleepless nights. From handing out free code-generating models to launching a budget-friendly reasoning powerhouse, DeepSeek is proving that you don’t need deep pockets to shake up the AI game. Host Emily Laird explores their tech wizardry—think Mixture-of-Experts and FP8 Mixed Precision Training—and their bold open-source approach that’s both celebrated and criticized. 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 Deepseek than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
OpenAI's Operator Agent: Beta Mode, Big Hype, and a Dash of Hallucinations
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Another day, another OpenAI advancement - Emily Laird explores OpenAI’s latest innovation: the Operator Agent. Picture this—a virtual assistant with Sherlock Holmes-level observation skills that not only takes your commands but also clicks, scrolls, and types its way through the web on your behalf. From booking your dream vacation to crafting the perfect grocery list, Operator promises to save you from the mundane. But does it deliver, or is it just another overhyped AI experiment? Emily unpacks the good (like its ability to "see" websites), the bad (those pesky hallucinations), and the downright intriguing potential of this digital assistant-in-training. 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 Operator Agent than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Monday Jan 27, 2025
The Stargate Project: America’s $500 Billion AI Flex
Monday Jan 27, 2025
Monday Jan 27, 2025
Let's breakdown The Stargate Project—a $500 billion initiative aimed at turning the United States into the global epicenter of artificial intelligence. Think Silicon Valley meets the Manhattan Project (minus the nuclear fallout). With major players like OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, Nvidia, and Microsoft at the helm, this project promises to revolutionize everything from national defense to healthcare. But it’s not all smooth sailing—Emily explores the funding skepticism, environmental concerns, and the looming shadow of an AI arms race. Is this the future of innovation, or just another sci-fi fever dream? 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 The Stargate Project than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Wednesday Jan 22, 2025
Office Space Meets Terminator: AI Agents and the Future of Work
Wednesday Jan 22, 2025
Wednesday Jan 22, 2025
Let's unpack how AI agents are reshaping the workplace—faster than your boss can figure out Slack. From automating boring tasks like scheduling meetings to teaming up with humans for game-changing results, these digital assistants are more than just tools—they’re coworkers who don’t need a paycheck. Learn how companies like JPMorgan Chase, Pfizer, and Sephora are using AI agents to save time, uncover insights, and stay ahead of the curve. Plus, we tackle the big questions: job displacement, security risks, and whether it’s time to practice your “I welcome our robot overlords” speech.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 AI Agents than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
In this episode of Generative AI 101, host Emily Laird explores the bold new world of next-gen AI agents—autonomous, personalized, and ready to collaborate like the ultimate overachiever. From managing your business trip to customizing your dinner plans, these digital assistants are poised to reshape everything from customer service to scientific discovery. But with great power comes great questions: Will AI agents steal jobs, perpetuate bias, or just know a little too much about your midnight pizza habits?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 AI Agents than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Monday Jan 20, 2025
The Rise of the Agent (But with Better Customer Service, Hopefully)
Monday Jan 20, 2025
Monday Jan 20, 2025
Let's talk AI Agents! Host Emily Laird explores the world of AI agents—the brainy, adaptable, and slightly intimidating tech that's reshaping how we work, create, and solve problems. These aren’t your grandma’s chatbots; they’re smart, autonomous problem-solvers capable of planning logistics, crafting content, and even outdoing you in productivity. From Google DeepMind’s breakthroughs to OpenAI’s generative powers, Emily unpacks how AI agents are transforming industries and maybe even plotting to outshine us all.
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 AI Agents than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu! Making Latency Disappear
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
In the thrilling finale of our latency series, host Emily Laird takes you to the cutting edge of speed in AI. Let's explore quantum computing—the rebellious prodigy promising near-instant problem-solving—and 5G, the Beyoncé of mobile networks, slashing latency to milliseconds. From self-driving cars that react faster than your reflexes to AI-enhanced 5G networks zapping bottlenecks, this episode explores the tech destined to make "waiting" obsolete.
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 latency than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Wednesday Jan 15, 2025
The Need for Speed: Fixing AI Latency
Wednesday Jan 15, 2025
Wednesday Jan 15, 2025
In this episode host Emily Laird trades her podcast mic for a virtual toolbox to tackle one of AI’s biggest headaches: latency. From turbocharged processors to algorithmic magic, we’ll explore how to trim those maddening milliseconds that make your chatbot stutter or your self-driving car hesitate. Whether it’s GPUs juggling calculations like circus performers or edge computing serving up fresh data faster than takeout, this episode serves up a buffet of strategies to help your AI hit warp speed.
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 latency than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Latency in AI: Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
In this episode of we're exploring latency—the tiny delays that can make your chatbot feel more like a bored teenager than a seamless conversationalist. Host Emily Laird unpacks why milliseconds matter, from dodging pedestrians with self-driving cars to avoiding rage-quits in battle royale games. Whether it’s network latency (data stuck in traffic) or compute latency (your AI’s brain lagging on the math), these hiccups can kill the magic of generative AI faster than you can say “Alexa, stop buffering.” 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 latency than you did before!
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

Lecturer + Speaker
Transform your business with Emily Laird's captivating presentation on Generative AI. An AI expert and dynamic speaker, Emily breaks down complex concepts with ease and entertainment. Perfect for businesses and organizations eager to discover AI's potential.