The AI Divide in 2025: Leaders Who Learn Fast vs. Those Who Fall Behind

In this episode of AI with Bry, we explore what leadership really looks like in 2025 as AI rapidly reshapes how work gets done, teams operate, and businesses compete. AI is no longer something leaders can afford to ignore or delegate away. The divide is growing between leaders who are actively learning and applying AI with intention, and those who are falling behind by waiting for clarity that will never come. This conversation dives into why understanding AI is less about mastering tools and more about rethinking productivity, responsibility, and human potential.

I am joined by Todd Merrill, host of Tales from the Sky Lounge, longtime CTO, and deeply thoughtful business leader who has spent decades navigating major technology shifts. Todd brings a grounded, experience-driven perspective on how AI fits into real organizations, real workflows, and real leadership challenges. Rather than chasing hype, Todd focuses on practical AI literacy, personal productivity, and helping teams level up without fear-based management.

Todd and I unpack what 2025 has already taught us about AI adoption, why no one truly understands AI completely, and why that should not stop leaders from engaging with it right now. We discuss why AI is best treated as an assistant rather than a replacement, how crawl-walk-run adoption begins with individual productivity, and why AI magnifies both good and bad leadership. From coding acceleration and rapid product development to meeting intelligence, voice tools, and workflow automation, this episode shows what it looks like to leverage AI without abandoning sound strategy or human judgment.

Whether you are a founder, executive, or team leader trying to make sense of how AI fits into your organization, this episode will help you rethink AI as a capability you learn, leverage, and lead with—while preserving trust, clarity, and humanity.

What You Will Learn in This Episode

• Why no one fully understands AI yet—and why that’s okay
• Why AI adoption starts with personal productivity before scaling to teams
• How AI magnifies leadership quality instead of replacing it
• Why fear-based leadership fails in the AI era
• How to think about AI as an assistant, not a silver bullet
• Why solving the right problem matters more than picking the right tool
• How AI accelerates coding, research, and business validation
• Why leaders must model AI usage instead of delegating learning
• How AI can create headroom for better work, not more burnout
• Why learning to think differently is the real AI skill
• Resources, Tools and Platforms Mentioned

AI Models and Platforms

• ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com
• Claude: https://claude.ai