Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the CEOs you should know. Podcast to UNVELP Porter,
say hello to Eric Wabrick, founder and CEO of Autology AI.
And you're in Washington, PA. Right, I'm in Washington, Ye
all right. And your bio Eric states that you help
organizations apply artificial intelligence in practical, results driven ways. Tell
me and tell our listeners what that means.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Sure, happy too, So you know, I'm sure as you know,
there's a lot of headlines, a lot of news coming
out about AI, and with all that hype and noise,
it could be overwhelming for businesses because they're hearing about it.
If they've seen these headlinesations, they just don't know where
to start how to actually make it drive real results.
So I founded AUTOLOGYI to solve that problem. We do
(00:46):
that with three core services. I do educational workshops. We're
all trained teams how to use AI and their day
to day operations. The strategic consultant, We're all deliver road
maps with our highest ROI use cases for specific companies.
And then I'll do custom built automations where I'll be
able to streamline repetitive manual type task to improve a
(01:08):
company's operations.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So in doing a little bit of research for this interview.
I looked over your LinkedIn profile, and you've worked in
real estate and you owned your own landscaping company for
ten years. This is a very different type of industry.
What led you to start atology AI?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, I guess the long story short was, I've always
been interested in technology, and I'll kind of keep track
of things. Being a long term public market investor, I
was always like had a pulse on things that were changing,
and you know, there's a lot of hype When chat
GPT's moment came out in November twenty two, you know,
(01:50):
I saw a lot of hype and I started playing
around with and I realized, Wow, this thing's really powerful.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
This is this is going to be something I should
pay attention to this. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So I just, you know, start playing around with it,
and you know, the more I used it, the more
I saw like where things were going. And in my network,
I saw a lot of people they were also excited
about it, but they just they didn't really know how
to apply it in their business. So I saw an
opportunity to help businesses, you know, realize how they could
(02:23):
implement this new technology in their business. And that's what
really led me to start the company.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
So was there a specific problem that you originally set
out to solve with autology AI and how has that
evolved over the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, So when I started the company, I was very
focused on building automations for companies. As I was doing so,
it became very clear to me over time that the
companies I'd be working with they didn't just need automations
build for them, they needed education, strategy, and guidance that
they could really trust. So that's when I recently explained
in my services and I saw to do in educational workshops.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
It's actually one.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of my favorite things of what I do. It's fun
to get up in front of people and lead these workshops.
It's something I enjoy doing. So with the expanded services again,
so I do the workshops. The consultant and automation bills
is still a big part of what I do.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
So you mentioned workshops. The workshops that you're doing, are
they with the companies that you're working with or can
the general public take a workshop like people like me
who know hardly anything about AI.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Both both would be the answer. I do specific workshops.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
A company will bring me in and those ones, I'll
be able to go deeper.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I'll do a lot of research ahead of time, and
I'll realize what their processes and pain points are, so
I could go deeper with a specific company. And then
I also do more of a general, high level workshop
open to the public.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So yeah, I enjoy both.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
So do you have a website where if people want
to for one of these workshops they can find out
more information about them and more information about your company. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
My website's autologyai dot com and it's actually being rebuilt
right now, but you're happy to check it out in
the meantime, and I will be one of the news
pages that I'm going to be creating on the website
will have some of my upcoming workshops.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Great.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So in the meantime, you can find me on LinkedIn
and Facebook. I'm pretty active on social media, and I'll
be posting about a workshop that I have coming out.
My plan is it's tentative right now, but early March
I'm going to be hosting a public workshop in Washington, MPa. Now,
I've been working closely with a business incubator at my
(04:42):
alma mater, Washington and Jefferson College, and that's where I
plan on hosting this public workshop in early March.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Great, well, we'll look forward to that. What are the
kinds of things AI can do in the workplace and
can artificial intelligence be adapted for any or all work places?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Now? Yeah, it's it's best at handling repetitive, time consuming tasks,
so things like organizing information, draft and content, data entry,
streamline and workflows in almost every workplace can benefit, but
not every problem needs AI. The key is knowing where
it actually adds value.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So how does your company impact Pittsburgh in the local area?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, great question. So I'm born and raised Pittsburgh. I
grew up in Cannonsburg in just south of Pittsburgh, and
as a as a local guy, I built this company
specifically for this reason. It's actually a how I'm different
because I have a focus on the local economy here
(05:46):
and most mostly the companies I'm working with are local.
When I found out, you know, through my conversations with them,
they really appreciate that because they could we can meet
in person. That's something you know, they have a question
and they're able just to get a hold of me.
It's they appreciate me being local and they could.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Not somebody who's all the way across the country and
you're right here in the community exactly.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, people have really appreciated that.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And I feel good about helping the local economy because
I'm helping businesses, you know, become more efficient, more profitable,
and it's really strengthening our companies here in the local region.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So why is your company so important right now?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Great question to that, I would say, AI it's not
a future concept anymore. It's already changing how work's getting
done today. So right now, businesses face one of two risks.
They could wait too long and fall behind, or they
could rush into it without a clear plan and end
up creating chaos. So this moment, it calls for a thoughtful,
(06:49):
measured approach and I help organizations move forward with this
technology without wasting time and money just trying to figure
it out alone, which is important because this is my belief.
But in five years, I believe that businesses they're going
to fall into one of two categories, those that are
using AI successfully and those that are scrambling just trying
(07:11):
to catch up.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
So I have a two part question, Sure, what do
you think people are overestimating about AI? Right now, and
what do you think people are underestimating.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, say they're overestimating how quickly AI is going to
replace jobs. There's a lot of fear about that, a
lot of talk about job replacement, and I think it's
going to take longer than people are expecting. And I'm
optimistic even if there is change, and there will be
change in the workforce, but as jobs do get replaced,
(07:44):
they're going to be creation of new jobs. So I
think it will be exciting time for jobs. So people
are definitely overestimating that one. Now, as far as underestimating,
I think people are really underestimating the speed of progress
with AI. So there's three key dimensions that the changes happening,
(08:06):
and that's what the models themselves. We started with the
basic LM chatbots where you ask a question, it gives
you an answer. Then we went to reasoning models where
they were able to reason and do deep thinking. And
then the latest kind of direction that the models are
going is with the agenic AI, where yeah, I could
actually perform task for you. After the models, then you
(08:28):
got the chips, and depending on exactly how you want
to measure it, each generation of chips is about three
to four times better than the previous one. And of
course you got an a video leading the way there,
and they're releasing chips about twice per year now, which
is really increased recently. And then you got the data centers.
They're scaling up rapidly, So you put all three of
(08:50):
those changes together and then you got exponential curve of change.
That's it's people are underestimating it's going to happen quick.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So you mentioned the possibility of job loss. Now, LinkedIn
recently posted a list of the fastest growing jobs in
the US, and three of the top five jobs were
AI related jobs. What would you say to someone who
is afraid they may lose their job because of AI?
What can they do to get ahead of that.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
There's a couple of ways to approach that, and it
depends on the person. Now, if you're set on keeping
the job, you like the job that you have, I
would suggest using AI in your job and not allowing
it to get past.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
You, just maybe experimenting a little bit with the different
ways you could use it as part of your job exactly.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Yeah, you want to be experimenting and see if it
could improve the way that you do your job because
other people.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Are going to be using it.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Now there's a common catchphrase that that could say about jobs,
and they say AI is not going to take your job,
but someone that's using AI will. So the person that
is able to use AI is you know, getting the
reps in and growing and learning with it. That puts
(10:09):
you in a good spot. So I would just encourage
someone to be experimenting with AI and see if it
could help, you know, help what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
So you mentioned that you have a workshop that you're
planning for the beginning of March. If somebody is listening
who is not within driving distance of Washington, PA, what
can somebody do to learn AI to get comfortable with
AI so they are marketable in the job market.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Yeah, I would just be experimenting with it and just
trying things and just seeing where it helps you. They're
happy to be happy to have a conversation if they're
you know, listening to this, anyone to reach out, I'm
happy to I always love talking AI with people and
helping them, you know, see where it can help them.
So that's something I enjoy doing. They're more welcome to
(10:56):
reach out to me on LinkedIn or Facebook, and you know,
I would just again just be an experiment and just
trying things. There's plenty of YouTube channels. I was making
videos there for a while, and I do plan on
bringing that back. I'm a little bit of a hiatus
with the videos, so that's my video editor. Oh no,
but I'm working to get another one now, so hopefully
(11:16):
that'll that'll pick back up soon. But in the meantime,
you know, there's there's plenty of information out there on
on YouTube or.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
You know, just search.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
You can even ask chet GPT itself or whatever your
your LM that you prefer. Just ask it and you know,
just experiment and you'll there's just a lot of information
you'll you'll you'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
So if I go to chat GPT and ask how
do I use AI, will it tell me?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Yeah, I'll tell you exactly how to use it.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah, it could tell you whatever you need to know,
and that's including yeah, how to use it itself.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
You know what one thing that does freak me out
about it is if you ask it a question, it
will respond like a person like it says, that's a
great question. I'm so glad you're thinking about that. Yeah, really,
it is kind of like talking to a person.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Uh yeah, that's how it's designed user friendly.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Yeah, yeah, and you could what's kind of interested in
is you could some people like that and some people don't,
so you could actually adjust the way that it will
respond to you in the sentence. So it's just something
to play around with. And if you want it to
be more personal and some people more like it more
just dry.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Just give me the answer. I don't want the fluff.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Give me the facts, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
So what's the most important question about artificial intelligence? People
are not asking right now.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
That's an interesting question, you know. So I would say
people are asking, you know, what can AI do?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
What can it do for me?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Where I think that they really need to be asking
is what can I do that AI can't? Because as
we automate, as we use artificial intelligence more and more,
we need to be very intentional about preserving the human connection,
the critical thinking. But this human experience is that the
algorithm just just doesn't have, you know, So the value
(13:07):
you know, in the future, as artificial intelligence becomes more
and more prevalent, I think that the value of human
interaction and human experiences is going to become even more
and more.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Important, Eric, tell us again your website.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
The website's AUTOLOGYAI dot com.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
And your workshop that you're planning for March. You'll put
that on all your socials and everything to let people know.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
That'll be on my socials. Yeah, but most active on LinkedIn.
You can find me there and Facebook. And I don't
know if the website will be done in time, but
we're hoping. We're hoping it will be. But yeah, i'd
love to have you. It'll be It'll be an exciting Uh.
Workshops are a lot of fun. I really enjoy them
and everyone enjoys it too.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Yeah, I may sign up for that one.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
So love you.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
You might see me again.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Be great.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Eric Wabrick, founder and CEO of Autology AI, thank you
for joining me today. This has been the CEO. You
should note podcasts showcasing businesses and organizations that are driving
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we serve. Thank you for listening.