AGI 4th Quarter Kickoff - AI First Movers May Take All

AGI - Advance, Grow, and Innovate with AI (Podcast) - Building the future, one human-AI collab at a time.

Episode Summary:

Quarter four belongs to the bold. Steve Iskander, fintech founder and AI-first mover, breaks down why waiting on AI adoption isn't strategy—it's surrender. This isn't your typical AI hype conversation. It's a hard look at velocity, risk, and the competitive moat being built right now by organizations that refuse to hesitate.

Guest Steve Iskander, Founder & CEO at Intrepid Finance | Transforming Financial Services Through Enabled AI Tech | Fintech Entrepreneur | Finance Veteran

Guest LinksSteve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveiskander

/Intrepid Finance

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intrepid-finance-venture/

Website: https://intrepidfinance.io/

Key Timestamps:

[00:30] - Intrepid Finance's AI-powered lending model and industry-agnostic approach

[03:45] - Funding the first AI company in 2022 before the hype cycle

[08:20] - Government shutdown implications and AI-driven efficiency opportunities

[12:15] - Why AI forces every business owner to audit their operations

[16:40] - The nonprofit sustainability crisis and over-dependence on grants

[19:30] - First movers take all: Why this isn't like early dot-com failures

[24:10] - 95% of employees already using AI whether you know it or not

[28:45] - The hidden liability of unregulated employee AI usage

[32:20] - Privacy paradox: We share everything with apps but fear AI

[36:50] - Sock 2 and ISO 27001 certifications: Building trust before regulation hits

[41:15] - Context engineering and ambient listening devices in business[45:30] - Training AI to mirror executive decision-making and remove bias

[49:00] - Quantum computing as the next poker chip investment

[52:10] - Robotics, dark factories, and the coming labor market disruption

[55:40] - Education's AI revolution: Adaptive learning for every student

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