November 18, 2025 • 25 mins
Miami isn’t just having a moment. It has become one of the fastest growing AI hubs in the world, and this episode breaks down the real reason why.
In this conversation, I sit down with Burhan Sebin, Chief AI Officer at eMerge and the creator behind Miami AI Hub. Burhan has supported more than 500 startups, helped scale a community from a handful of builders to thousands, and has a front-row seat to Miami’s rise as a global center for AI, robotics, and applied innovation.
We talk about the forces pulling founders and technologists into Miami, the cultural momentum shaping the city, and what the next year of AI adoption will look like across agents, automation, and the physical AI wave.
You’ll also get an inside preview of the Tech Basel Miami AI Summit and the vision behind Miami AI School, the hybrid program helping professionals build and apply AI in real time.
This episode is for anyone curious about where AI is heading, why Miami is leading, and what opportunities are opening for builders in 2026.
Topics We Cover:
- What’s fueling Miami’s rapid AI growth and global attention
- How community-led adoption accelerates innovation faster than tools alone
- Why founders, creatives, and engineers are relocating to Miami
- The shift from chatbots to AI agents to physical AI
- How Miami AI School is helping professionals upskill and build
- What to expect at Tech Basel Miami AI Summit and eMerge Americas
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Burhan
LinkedIn: Burhan Sebin
Ready to cut through the AI overwhelm?
- Explore all my resources in one place → https://stan.store/BRXSTUDIO
Free AI Guide • 45-Minute AI Audit • AI Community • Custom GPT - Step into The Collective’s 7-Day Free Trial and unlock instant access to our AI Mastery Challenge, a vault of high-level trainings, and recordings from our most mind-shifting webinars.
If you enjoy this episode, please rate and review the show. Sharing it with a friend who’s AI-curious helps this growing brand reach more people.
More About Brooke:
Website: brookex.com
LinkedIn: Brooke Gramer
More About the Podcast:
Instagram: howiai.podcast
Website: howiaipodcast.com
"How I AI" is a concept and podcast series created and produced by Brooke Gramer of EmpowerFlow Strategies LLC. All rights reserved.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Burhan Sebin (00:00):
Miami had all the ingredients already, like great
(00:02):
talent, capital was in flowinghere.
Geographically, it has the bestlocation, super close to Latin
America.
And also it's five hours fromLondon.
And also people here are like,they're entrepreneurs.
When you are in the city, youfeel that like everyone is a
builder here.
We are not here just for thebeautiful weather like we are
(00:24):
here to build.
Brooke (00:25):
Welcome to How I AI the podcast featuring real people,
real stories, and real AI inaction.
I'm Brooke Gramer, your host andguide on this journey into the
real world impact of artificialintelligence.
For over 15 years, I've workedin creative marketing events and
business strategy, wearing allthe hats.
(00:46):
I know the struggle of trying toscale and manage all things
without burning out, but here'sthe game changer, AI.
This isn't just a podcast.
How I AI is a community, a spacewhere curious minds like you
come together, share ideas, andI'll also bring you exclusive
discounts, and insiderresources, because AI isn't just
(01:09):
a trend, it's a shift, and thesooner we embrace it, the more
freedom, creativity, andopportunities will unlock.
Have you just started exploringAI and feel a bit overwhelmed?
Don't worry, I've got you.
Jump on a quick start audit callwith me so you can walk away
with a clear and personalizedplan to move forward with more
(01:30):
confidence and ease.
Join my community of AI adopterslike yourself.
Plus, grab my free resources,including the AI Get Started
Guide.
Or try my How I AI companionGPT.
It pulls insights from my guestinterviews along with global
reports, so you can stay aheadof the curve.
Follow the link in thedescription below to get
(01:52):
started.
Miami is having a tech hubmoment right now, and my guest
today is someone who has helpedshape the pulse of the city's
tech scene.
Burhan Sebin is the Chief AIofficer at eMerge and the force
behind Miami AI hub.
He's worked with more than 500startups, helped build the
community from the ground up,and sees firsthand what makes
(02:14):
this city such a magnet forglobal builders.
In our talk, he shares what hefirst saw when he landed in
Miami, and why he knew it wasthe perfect place to create an
AI ecosystem.
He talks about the rise oftalent, the flood of investment,
the energy of founders here, andwhy Miami feels more like a
launchpad than a city.
(02:34):
This is a grounded, inspiringlook at where the tech scene is
headed here.
And if you care about innovationcommunity, or what the future of
tech looks like at the streetlevel, you'll get so much out of
this interview.
Alright, let's dive in.
Welcome Burhan.
I'm so happy to have you todayand welcome to How I AI.
Burhan Sebin (02:54):
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me.
I, I feel like this is gonna begreat.
Brooke (02:59):
Yes, we're gonna get into a good conversation today,
and I really just wanna startand open the floor you've had
such a fascinating career arcand you're doing such exciting
things for the city of Miami.
Um, could you share a little bitabout yourself and how you ended
up to where you are today?
Burhan Sebin (03:16):
For sure.
So Burhan Sebin.
I'm originally from Turkey.
I started my career in Turkey atProctor and Gamble as a brand
manager, and then, after quitesome time, I quit, start my own
business, moved to New York, uh,and that was where I started to
(03:37):
use machine learning Calgaryteams.
That's how I met with AI whiledoing my CS Master in New York
and building my company and thenMicro Globe.
Back in that time we were sayingautomated influencer marketing
platform.
If I built Micro Globe rightnow, I would say AI agents for
(03:58):
influencer marketing.
So that's how I met with ai.
And then during the pandemic Imoved to Miami, just like other
hundred thousand people and andbuilt AI hub here, work with
City of Miami and mayor, andalso had a chance to work with
(04:19):
over 500 startups, you know,have a chance to help them.
And then after the acquisition,now I'm part of the eMerge team.
I'm leading all the AI relatedstuff internally and also
leading our AI initiatives asChief AI Officer at eMerge.
Brooke (04:39):
Incredible.
You got right to work.
When you got to Miami, youwasted no time.
Let's dive in first with, your,uh, work with the Miami AI Hub.
I think it's amazing the workthat you do for startups and
incubators and what reallyinspired that creation?
And if you could share a littlebit about the impact that it's
(04:59):
had on the local tech communityhere in Miami.
Burhan Sebin (05:03):
Definitely, I mean, when me start Miami, AI
Hub Miami had all theingredients already, like great
talent capital was in flowinghere.
Geographically, it has the bestlocation, I think like super
close to Latin America.
It's door to Latin America andalso it's very like five hours
from London.
(05:23):
And also like people here arelike, they're entrepreneurs.
When you are in the city, youfeel that like everyone is a
builder here.
It's not just, we are not herejust for the beautiful weather,
like we are here to build.
And you feel that when you go tothese events, when you go to
these programs and when we startMiami AI hub, like literally, we
(05:47):
were just five to 10 peopletalking about ai, and now we
have over 5,000 members.
So I think that shows the impactof AI Hub and ai.
So not all credits the AI hub,of course, a lot of builders, a
lot of community leaders hereworking on AI adoption in Miami.
(06:09):
So basically at AI Hub, what weare doing is trying to make
Miami as an AI hub and increasethe AI adoption through events,
programs, initiatives.
And since then, we host dozensof startups.
We host a lot of big techcompanies like NVIDIA, Apple,
(06:32):
AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, like youname it.
And I think Miami AI have becomethat meeting point for all the
builders, investors, operatorsin AI in Miami, and that's so
like nice to see it.
Brooke (06:49):
Yeah, it's really nice to see it.
I agree.
There is such a strong LatinAmerican influence.
You know, it's very bilingualhere in Miami and it brings a
lot of diversity and culture tothe play.
Um, I'm sure you see a lot ofreally dynamic startups, come
out through the initiatives andevents that you put through.
(07:10):
My next question for you, sinceyou have been in this space for
quite some time and, have suchvast knowledge from everything
you've done at Red Bull andProctor and Gamble, what do you
see the future happening?
I always say that 2025 was theyear of the AI agents.
What do you see from all of yourexperience and, and being so
(07:32):
close to these startups andcreative spaces?
What do you see coming throughfor 2026 for any AI trends?
Burhan Sebin (07:42):
You are definitely right.
I think 2025 was a year for AIagents, like when this
generative AI trends start.
So it was only chat bots, solike it was super reactive.
So you ask a question, you get areply, like you get an answer.
Brooke (08:00):
Mm-hmm.
Burhan Sebin (08:00):
and then these AI models become better.
And now eventually AI agents,now they can take actions.
So it's not just reactive now,it's, it can be a proactive
model when you integrate with,like when you engage with ai.
So the next step, I believe it'sgonna be physical ai.
(08:25):
We're gonna see more roboticsapplications.
We are gonna see more roboticsuse cases.
Because when you look at theinnovations, so like for
example, like mobile apps,right?
If smartphones wouldn't be, youknow, in everyone's hands,
probably mobile applicationrevolution wouldn't become a
(08:48):
thing, right?
It wouldn't be adopted bymasses.
So I believe AI needs somethinglike that, like something in
hardware, like something inrobotics, probably to adopt by
masses.
Brooke (09:05):
I just saw a couple weeks ago they announced that
robot Neo to be in your home andtidy up after you and put your
laundry away.
What do you think about that?
Do you want a neo in your house?
Burhan Sebin (09:19):
I mean.
Probably that will be so helpfulfor the, for the things you
don't wanna do at home, right?
Like to iron your shirt, likewash your dishes, et cetera.
So I believe they're gonna beeverywhere.
Eventually I.
Brooke (09:36):
Yeah.
I agree.
I think that robotics is justgonna explode in the next year
as well.
So, exciting things ahead.
My next question for you, sincethe acquisition of eMerge, um,
acquired Miami AI hubs and,you're working very closely
together to bring this reallyexciting event coming up in
(09:57):
Miami, I'm really lookingforward to it, the Tech Basel
Miami AI Summit.
I know that you're alreadybringing together leaders from
meta, hugging face, microsoft,Google, cast ai.
if you could share more andtease a bit more of what's
coming through this December forthis summit, what do you really
(10:19):
hope this year's conversationswill accomplish?
Burhan Sebin (10:22):
That's, that's wonderful.
So.
This partnership with eMerge.
I mean that that was a great fitfor AI Hub because AI Hub was
trying to make Miami as a globalAI hub and eMerge was working on
that like for over 12 yearsalready.
And they did amazing job andimpact in the community in
Florida here.
(10:42):
And now it's becoming a globalconference and global meeting
point for the builders I mastersand operators.
So.
After this partnership, welaunched a couple of new
initiatives, and that's Miami AISchool, where we teach people
how to integrate AI to theirbusiness operations, their daily
life.
(11:03):
And we were already organizingour monthly events where we host
a lot of big tech companies andstartups and entrepreneurs.
That's how it grew from, youknow, thousands of people to
thousands of people throughthese monthly events.
And another initiatives that weannounced is Miami AI Summit,
(11:24):
and I'm super excited for that.
Literally because AI Summit iswe are merging all the efforts
together.
What we did for the monthlyevents because for those monthly
events, we usually chose atheme.
Like for example, like onemonth, it's AI in healthcare, AI
(11:46):
in finance, AI in nationalsecurity, AI in robotics.
So we did all of that and now weare merging all those topics
into one event.
It's an all day event.
We are gonna host amazingspeakers.
Like Clem from hugging face,Leon from cast ai, speakers from
Meta, Google, Microsoft, andNVIDIA like JP Morgan and a lot
(12:10):
of great AI startups, local AIstartups and global AI startups.
You will hear them.
We have keynote panels andworkshops.
So like similar to AI school,the idea, you know, what builds
it.
AI school.
We are, uh, also teaching peoplelike how to build AI products,
(12:33):
AI applications, and automationsat AI Summit because everyone
talks about ai, but reallythat's my favorite part, to show
people how they can use, likehow they can use AI actually in
their business operations anddaily life.
Brooke (12:49):
Absolutely.
I actually got a chance toattend one of the eMerge
workshops that they're puttingon throughout the city, um, for
small businesses in partnershipwith Rebrand X, who I know was a
speaker at last year's eMergeconference, so that was really
cool.
A free local community workshop.
(13:09):
I can only imagine with a jampacked week of events that
you're gonna have things likethat
Burhan Sebin (13:14):
definitely, that's one of the events that you don't
want to miss.
Brooke (13:18):
Um, speaking of eMerge Conference, I know it happens
every April, here in Miami.
Maybe you can tease a little bitabout that conference coming up.
It'll be here soon.
Before we know it, um, anyoneconsidering attending, if you
could just share a little bitabout that conference and expo
and who it's really for and whyit's such an important moment
(13:42):
for the tech community here inMiami.
Burhan Sebin (13:44):
So just like Miami AI Summit, right?
So we have keynotes, panels,workshops, imagine hundred X of
that, and that's EmergeAmericas.
So Emerge is focusing on mainlyfour verticals, ai.
National security, healthcareand finance, and the attendees
(14:06):
will see there will be a unique.
Stage for each of theseverticals.
There will be AI stage, therewill be AI pavilion, there will
be AI workshops, deep techworkshops, and then same thing
with other verticals as well.
And also there will be a mainstage where previously we host
City Wozniak, Eric Schmitz,Palmer Lucky, or Tom Brady,
(14:30):
Pitbull, like celebrities inboth verse creative industries,
sports industry, mainly techindustry.
So it's an experience, I wouldsay.
It's not just you go and youknow, listen some speeches,
listen some keynotes, and thentake some notes and leave it.
(14:50):
It's an experience thatliterally will change part of
your life.
So I try to attend every eMergesince I moved to Miami for the
last five years.
And every time I attend theemerge, literally part of my
professional life changed.
I made a lot of great friends.
Um, I mean, I found a lot of,you know, great companies to
(15:12):
work with, investors to workwith.
So.
I usually say like it's a bigfamily wedding that you see
everyone there.
If someone works in tech in,they're gonna be there, so you
should be there too.
Brooke (15:30):
Beautiful.
Yes.
In my personal experience ofwalking the expo floor last year
is when I first got to learnabout their startup accelerator
program.
And everybody that I know that'sin the tech founder space, I've
been sharing those details toapply to that program, which I
think is just phenomenalopportunity.
(15:51):
I also, last year got the chanceto attend Pitbull's talk and he
is such an incrediblemotivational speaker.
And to your point, there is justelectric energy and it's fun.
It's not your average, you know,expo conference.
It's got that Miami flair to it.
Burhan Sebin (16:11):
Definitely.
Definitely.
Brooke (16:13):
How I AI is brought to you in partnership with the
Collective AI, A space designedto accelerate your learning and
AI adoption.
I joined the collective and it'scompletely catapulted my
learning, expanded my network,and showed me what's possible
with ai.
Whether you're just starting outseeking community or want done
(16:34):
for you solutions, TheCollective gives you the
resources to grow your businesswith AI.
Amazing.
I would love to open the floorand share any personal insights
that you want to have listenersas your final key takeaway as we
wrap up this conversation.
Or anything that you want toshare more about further.
Burhan Sebin (16:56):
So I wanna like one step back and talk about
little bit like why we startedMiami AI hub in the beginning
and why people, you know, shouldlearn more about AI and attends
our events.
So there is something I calledreaction to innovation, like we
(17:19):
innovate first, then we fear andwe learn, and then we grow
together.
So what AI Hub and Emerge AIfocusing on actually the
learning and growing togetherpart because imagine like when
AI first came, everyone thoughtthey're gonna lose their jobs.
(17:40):
It's the end of the world forpeople.
And then we started to learn howto use ai and then literally we
are growing together.
It was just a chat bot.
Now it's AI agents.
Now we are thinking, you know,it's gonna be, robotics will be
everywhere and we will find away to survive and grow
together.
(18:00):
So.
That's why these events,initiatives like AI school,
they're helping like Miamipeople, Florida people to learn
and grow together.
And let's not forget, like everycity, every region, they have
their own strengths, weaknesses,opportunities, right?
(18:22):
And.
AI has three different layers.
Infrastructure layer,application layer, and also
adoption layer.
So I see Miami has a lot ofopportunities, especially in
application layer and adoptionlayer, and I believe with our
(18:43):
initiatives with the other AIcommunities in the region with,
you know.
The university is doing a lot ofstuff like Miami-Dade College,
university of Miami, FIU, andthrough those partnerships and
collectively we are gonna createa lot of great use cases in
(19:04):
application layer, in adoptionlayer, and they're gonna be kind
of North Star for other regionsas well.
And if you want to be part ofthis trend, this rocket ship
Miami's AI rocket ship.
It's just you have to join us.
Brooke (19:20):
I love that and I resonate so much by what you
just shared, and it's one of thekey reasons why I started this
podcast and I'm growing thiscommunity of AI adopters,
because not everybody has the.
Opportunity to live in a majortech hub or a major city.
(19:41):
And it's really important for usto come together and learn from
each other and hear how we'reeach adopting it.
Um,'cause there's no right orwrong way to learn.
And you can get very wrapped upin the hype news cycles and the
marketing of this is the nextbest thing.
And feeling left behind.
Or.
(20:01):
so many people feel like theydon't even know how to begin and
feel very intimidated oroverwhelmed by the AI and
technology, advancements thatare happening.
And so my hope really is forpeople to lean more into their
communities.
Like the Miami AI hub so thatthey can lean on each other and
(20:22):
grow from each other and learnfrom our collective experiences.
I think it's such an importantmission.
So if listeners wanna join AIschool, is it offered remotely?
Do you have to be herephysically?
If you could more about thosedetails.
Burhan Sebin (20:42):
So Miami AI School is a three months program.
It has three phases.
First.
pahse focusing on mostly AIfundamentals.
Second phase is focusing onmostly AI adoptions and building
your first AI applicationthrough web coding.
And third phase is all about AIagents.
We just launched the third phasethis week, actually the the last
(21:04):
week.
And it's all about AI agencies.
The feedback from thosestudents.
That's amazing.
That's outstanding.
And.
It's a hybrid program, so likefor each month we have eight
sessions and four of them areonline, four of them are in
person.
Brooke (21:24):
Hmm.
Burhan Sebin (21:24):
and we also, we are also communicating almost
every day with the studentsgiving feedback to their
projects because AI school isnot just, you come here, you
just listen and live likeliterally.
On the first session of phaseone, you build voice AI agents
(21:45):
and most of the studentsattendees, they are small
business owners or tech execs.
So when you teach them how tobuild voice AI agent in the
first day, the second day, theystarted to use it because they
have that environment to testthese tools and use it.
And when they see the value andthey see the value, believe me,
(22:06):
and then they, they continue touse those.
Brooke (22:09):
Wow, that sounds like such a supportive container.
I think that.
Yep.
Getting together in person givesyou such accountability.
We live in a time whereinformation is everywhere.
You can upskill and learn in alot of different ways right now,
even for free online, but.
(22:31):
Actually putting thatinformation in play and, and,
and the real use case andapplication of building and then
using and trial and error.
Uh, I think those in-personschools and communities still is
really relative, um, to becoming in and doing those
creative sprints and, puttingthat information to use.
(22:54):
And I could see whyaccountability is needed, and
why someone would wanna join aprogram like that.
So I can't thank you enough foreverything that you're doing for
the City of Miami and all thecool things that you have coming
through, through this year andthis spring.
Would love to.
Give an opportunity forlisteners to reach out to you,
(23:17):
maybe get more involved.
For any founders orprofessionals that are
listening, what's the best wayto engage with you, whether
that's through partnerships orvolunteering with the Miami AI
Hub, how can they connect?
Sure.
So we usually super active onLinkedIn and social media so
(23:39):
they can reach out to mepersonally or AI hub on
LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter.
And also like they can follow.
eMerge America social mediaplatforms as well.
So if someone from the audienceknow me, like no idea is crazy
enough for us.
(23:59):
So like we're open to any ideas,any partnership opportunities,
and if you just wanna be part ofthis momentum, AI momentum in
Miami, we would love to help youor we would love to collaborate.
So please reach out to me onLinkedIn or any social media.
Our follow our icons.
(24:20):
Uh, happy to chat more.
Wonderful.
Well, thank you again for yourtime today and I really enjoyed
just getting to hear more aboutthe ins and outs of the
communities that you're buildingand growing here for the city of
Miami.
So thank you so much, Burhan.
Burhan Sebin (24:35):
Thank you so much, Brooke.
It's was great to be here.
Great to talk with you.
Brooke (24:39):
Wow, I hope today's episode opened your mind to
what's possible with ai.
Do you have a cool use case onhow you're using AI and want to
share it?
DM me.
I'd love to hear more andfeature you on my next podcast.
Until next time, here's toworking smarter, not harder.
See you on the next episode ofHow I AI.
This episode was made possiblein partnership with the
(25:01):
Collective AI, a communitydesigned to help entrepreneurs,
creators, and professionalsseamlessly integrate AI into
their workflows.
One of the biggest game changersin my own AI journey was joining
this space.
It's where I learned, connectedand truly enhanced my
understanding of what's possiblewith AI.
(25:22):
And the best part, they offermultiple membership levels to
meet you where you are.
Whether you want to DIY, your AIlearning or work with a
personalized AI consultant foryour business, The Collective
has you covered.
Learn more and sign up using myexclusive link in the show
notes.
Miami had all the ingredients already, like great
(00:02):
talent, capital was in flowinghere.
Geographically, it has the bestlocation, super close to Latin
America.
And also it's five hours fromLondon.
And also people here are like,they're entrepreneurs.
When you are in the city, youfeel that like everyone is a
builder here.
We are not here just for thebeautiful weather like we are
(00:24):
here to build.
Brooke (00:25):
Welcome to How I AI the podcast featuring real people,
real stories, and real AI inaction.
I'm Brooke Gramer, your host andguide on this journey into the
real world impact of artificialintelligence.
For over 15 years, I've workedin creative marketing events and
business strategy, wearing allthe hats.
(00:46):
I know the struggle of trying toscale and manage all things
without burning out, but here'sthe game changer, AI.
This isn't just a podcast.
How I AI is a community, a spacewhere curious minds like you
come together, share ideas, andI'll also bring you exclusive
discounts, and insiderresources, because AI isn't just
(01:09):
a trend, it's a shift, and thesooner we embrace it, the more
freedom, creativity, andopportunities will unlock.
Have you just started exploringAI and feel a bit overwhelmed?
Don't worry, I've got you.
Jump on a quick start audit callwith me so you can walk away
with a clear and personalizedplan to move forward with more
(01:30):
confidence and ease.
Join my community of AI adopterslike yourself.
Plus, grab my free resources,including the AI Get Started
Guide.
Or try my How I AI companionGPT.
It pulls insights from my guestinterviews along with global
reports, so you can stay aheadof the curve.
Follow the link in thedescription below to get
(01:52):
started.
Miami is having a tech hubmoment right now, and my guest
today is someone who has helpedshape the pulse of the city's
tech scene.
Burhan Sebin is the Chief AIofficer at eMerge and the force
behind Miami AI hub.
He's worked with more than 500startups, helped build the
community from the ground up,and sees firsthand what makes
(02:14):
this city such a magnet forglobal builders.
In our talk, he shares what hefirst saw when he landed in
Miami, and why he knew it wasthe perfect place to create an
AI ecosystem.
He talks about the rise oftalent, the flood of investment,
the energy of founders here, andwhy Miami feels more like a
launchpad than a city.
(02:34):
This is a grounded, inspiringlook at where the tech scene is
headed here.
And if you care about innovationcommunity, or what the future of
tech looks like at the streetlevel, you'll get so much out of
this interview.
Alright, let's dive in.
Welcome Burhan.
I'm so happy to have you todayand welcome to How I AI.
Burhan Sebin (02:54):
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me.
I, I feel like this is gonna begreat.
Brooke (02:59):
Yes, we're gonna get into a good conversation today,
and I really just wanna startand open the floor you've had
such a fascinating career arcand you're doing such exciting
things for the city of Miami.
Um, could you share a little bitabout yourself and how you ended
up to where you are today?
Burhan Sebin (03:16):
For sure.
So Burhan Sebin.
I'm originally from Turkey.
I started my career in Turkey atProctor and Gamble as a brand
manager, and then, after quitesome time, I quit, start my own
business, moved to New York, uh,and that was where I started to
(03:37):
use machine learning Calgaryteams.
That's how I met with AI whiledoing my CS Master in New York
and building my company and thenMicro Globe.
Back in that time we were sayingautomated influencer marketing
platform.
If I built Micro Globe rightnow, I would say AI agents for
(03:58):
influencer marketing.
So that's how I met with ai.
And then during the pandemic Imoved to Miami, just like other
hundred thousand people and andbuilt AI hub here, work with
City of Miami and mayor, andalso had a chance to work with
(04:19):
over 500 startups, you know,have a chance to help them.
And then after the acquisition,now I'm part of the eMerge team.
I'm leading all the AI relatedstuff internally and also
leading our AI initiatives asChief AI Officer at eMerge.
Brooke (04:39):
Incredible.
You got right to work.
When you got to Miami, youwasted no time.
Let's dive in first with, your,uh, work with the Miami AI Hub.
I think it's amazing the workthat you do for startups and
incubators and what reallyinspired that creation?
And if you could share a littlebit about the impact that it's
(04:59):
had on the local tech communityhere in Miami.
Burhan Sebin (05:03):
Definitely, I mean, when me start Miami, AI
Hub Miami had all theingredients already, like great
talent capital was in flowinghere.
Geographically, it has the bestlocation, I think like super
close to Latin America.
It's door to Latin America andalso it's very like five hours
from London.
(05:23):
And also like people here arelike, they're entrepreneurs.
When you are in the city, youfeel that like everyone is a
builder here.
It's not just, we are not herejust for the beautiful weather,
like we are here to build.
And you feel that when you go tothese events, when you go to
these programs and when we startMiami AI hub, like literally, we
(05:47):
were just five to 10 peopletalking about ai, and now we
have over 5,000 members.
So I think that shows the impactof AI Hub and ai.
So not all credits the AI hub,of course, a lot of builders, a
lot of community leaders hereworking on AI adoption in Miami.
(06:09):
So basically at AI Hub, what weare doing is trying to make
Miami as an AI hub and increasethe AI adoption through events,
programs, initiatives.
And since then, we host dozensof startups.
We host a lot of big techcompanies like NVIDIA, Apple,
(06:32):
AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, like youname it.
And I think Miami AI have becomethat meeting point for all the
builders, investors, operatorsin AI in Miami, and that's so
like nice to see it.
Brooke (06:49):
Yeah, it's really nice to see it.
I agree.
There is such a strong LatinAmerican influence.
You know, it's very bilingualhere in Miami and it brings a
lot of diversity and culture tothe play.
Um, I'm sure you see a lot ofreally dynamic startups, come
out through the initiatives andevents that you put through.
(07:10):
My next question for you, sinceyou have been in this space for
quite some time and, have suchvast knowledge from everything
you've done at Red Bull andProctor and Gamble, what do you
see the future happening?
I always say that 2025 was theyear of the AI agents.
What do you see from all of yourexperience and, and being so
(07:32):
close to these startups andcreative spaces?
What do you see coming throughfor 2026 for any AI trends?
Burhan Sebin (07:42):
You are definitely right.
I think 2025 was a year for AIagents, like when this
generative AI trends start.
So it was only chat bots, solike it was super reactive.
So you ask a question, you get areply, like you get an answer.
Brooke (08:00):
Mm-hmm.
Burhan Sebin (08:00):
and then these AI models become better.
And now eventually AI agents,now they can take actions.
So it's not just reactive now,it's, it can be a proactive
model when you integrate with,like when you engage with ai.
So the next step, I believe it'sgonna be physical ai.
(08:25):
We're gonna see more roboticsapplications.
We are gonna see more roboticsuse cases.
Because when you look at theinnovations, so like for
example, like mobile apps,right?
If smartphones wouldn't be, youknow, in everyone's hands,
probably mobile applicationrevolution wouldn't become a
(08:48):
thing, right?
It wouldn't be adopted bymasses.
So I believe AI needs somethinglike that, like something in
hardware, like something inrobotics, probably to adopt by
masses.
Brooke (09:05):
I just saw a couple weeks ago they announced that
robot Neo to be in your home andtidy up after you and put your
laundry away.
What do you think about that?
Do you want a neo in your house?
Burhan Sebin (09:19):
I mean.
Probably that will be so helpfulfor the, for the things you
don't wanna do at home, right?
Like to iron your shirt, likewash your dishes, et cetera.
So I believe they're gonna beeverywhere.
Eventually I.
Brooke (09:36):
Yeah.
I agree.
I think that robotics is justgonna explode in the next year
as well.
So, exciting things ahead.
My next question for you, sincethe acquisition of eMerge, um,
acquired Miami AI hubs and,you're working very closely
together to bring this reallyexciting event coming up in
(09:57):
Miami, I'm really lookingforward to it, the Tech Basel
Miami AI Summit.
I know that you're alreadybringing together leaders from
meta, hugging face, microsoft,Google, cast ai.
if you could share more andtease a bit more of what's
coming through this December forthis summit, what do you really
(10:19):
hope this year's conversationswill accomplish?
Burhan Sebin (10:22):
That's, that's wonderful.
So.
This partnership with eMerge.
I mean that that was a great fitfor AI Hub because AI Hub was
trying to make Miami as a globalAI hub and eMerge was working on
that like for over 12 yearsalready.
And they did amazing job andimpact in the community in
Florida here.
(10:42):
And now it's becoming a globalconference and global meeting
point for the builders I mastersand operators.
So.
After this partnership, welaunched a couple of new
initiatives, and that's Miami AISchool, where we teach people
how to integrate AI to theirbusiness operations, their daily
life.
(11:03):
And we were already organizingour monthly events where we host
a lot of big tech companies andstartups and entrepreneurs.
That's how it grew from, youknow, thousands of people to
thousands of people throughthese monthly events.
And another initiatives that weannounced is Miami AI Summit,
(11:24):
and I'm super excited for that.
Literally because AI Summit iswe are merging all the efforts
together.
What we did for the monthlyevents because for those monthly
events, we usually chose atheme.
Like for example, like onemonth, it's AI in healthcare, AI
(11:46):
in finance, AI in nationalsecurity, AI in robotics.
So we did all of that and now weare merging all those topics
into one event.
It's an all day event.
We are gonna host amazingspeakers.
Like Clem from hugging face,Leon from cast ai, speakers from
Meta, Google, Microsoft, andNVIDIA like JP Morgan and a lot
(12:10):
of great AI startups, local AIstartups and global AI startups.
You will hear them.
We have keynote panels andworkshops.
So like similar to AI school,the idea, you know, what builds
it.
AI school.
We are, uh, also teaching peoplelike how to build AI products,
(12:33):
AI applications, and automationsat AI Summit because everyone
talks about ai, but reallythat's my favorite part, to show
people how they can use, likehow they can use AI actually in
their business operations anddaily life.
Brooke (12:49):
Absolutely.
I actually got a chance toattend one of the eMerge
workshops that they're puttingon throughout the city, um, for
small businesses in partnershipwith Rebrand X, who I know was a
speaker at last year's eMergeconference, so that was really
cool.
A free local community workshop.
(13:09):
I can only imagine with a jampacked week of events that
you're gonna have things likethat
Burhan Sebin (13:14):
definitely, that's one of the events that you don't
want to miss.
Brooke (13:18):
Um, speaking of eMerge Conference, I know it happens
every April, here in Miami.
Maybe you can tease a little bitabout that conference coming up.
It'll be here soon.
Before we know it, um, anyoneconsidering attending, if you
could just share a little bitabout that conference and expo
and who it's really for and whyit's such an important moment
(13:42):
for the tech community here inMiami.
Burhan Sebin (13:44):
So just like Miami AI Summit, right?
So we have keynotes, panels,workshops, imagine hundred X of
that, and that's EmergeAmericas.
So Emerge is focusing on mainlyfour verticals, ai.
National security, healthcareand finance, and the attendees
(14:06):
will see there will be a unique.
Stage for each of theseverticals.
There will be AI stage, therewill be AI pavilion, there will
be AI workshops, deep techworkshops, and then same thing
with other verticals as well.
And also there will be a mainstage where previously we host
City Wozniak, Eric Schmitz,Palmer Lucky, or Tom Brady,
(14:30):
Pitbull, like celebrities inboth verse creative industries,
sports industry, mainly techindustry.
So it's an experience, I wouldsay.
It's not just you go and youknow, listen some speeches,
listen some keynotes, and thentake some notes and leave it.
(14:50):
It's an experience thatliterally will change part of
your life.
So I try to attend every eMergesince I moved to Miami for the
last five years.
And every time I attend theemerge, literally part of my
professional life changed.
I made a lot of great friends.
Um, I mean, I found a lot of,you know, great companies to
(15:12):
work with, investors to workwith.
So.
I usually say like it's a bigfamily wedding that you see
everyone there.
If someone works in tech in,they're gonna be there, so you
should be there too.
Brooke (15:30):
Beautiful.
Yes.
In my personal experience ofwalking the expo floor last year
is when I first got to learnabout their startup accelerator
program.
And everybody that I know that'sin the tech founder space, I've
been sharing those details toapply to that program, which I
think is just phenomenalopportunity.
(15:51):
I also, last year got the chanceto attend Pitbull's talk and he
is such an incrediblemotivational speaker.
And to your point, there is justelectric energy and it's fun.
It's not your average, you know,expo conference.
It's got that Miami flair to it.
Burhan Sebin (16:11):
Definitely.
Definitely.
Brooke (16:13):
How I AI is brought to you in partnership with the
Collective AI, A space designedto accelerate your learning and
AI adoption.
I joined the collective and it'scompletely catapulted my
learning, expanded my network,and showed me what's possible
with ai.
Whether you're just starting outseeking community or want done
(16:34):
for you solutions, TheCollective gives you the
resources to grow your businesswith AI.
Amazing.
I would love to open the floorand share any personal insights
that you want to have listenersas your final key takeaway as we
wrap up this conversation.
Or anything that you want toshare more about further.
Burhan Sebin (16:56):
So I wanna like one step back and talk about
little bit like why we startedMiami AI hub in the beginning
and why people, you know, shouldlearn more about AI and attends
our events.
So there is something I calledreaction to innovation, like we
(17:19):
innovate first, then we fear andwe learn, and then we grow
together.
So what AI Hub and Emerge AIfocusing on actually the
learning and growing togetherpart because imagine like when
AI first came, everyone thoughtthey're gonna lose their jobs.
(17:40):
It's the end of the world forpeople.
And then we started to learn howto use ai and then literally we
are growing together.
It was just a chat bot.
Now it's AI agents.
Now we are thinking, you know,it's gonna be, robotics will be
everywhere and we will find away to survive and grow
together.
(18:00):
So.
That's why these events,initiatives like AI school,
they're helping like Miamipeople, Florida people to learn
and grow together.
And let's not forget, like everycity, every region, they have
their own strengths, weaknesses,opportunities, right?
(18:22):
And.
AI has three different layers.
Infrastructure layer,application layer, and also
adoption layer.
So I see Miami has a lot ofopportunities, especially in
application layer and adoptionlayer, and I believe with our
(18:43):
initiatives with the other AIcommunities in the region with,
you know.
The university is doing a lot ofstuff like Miami-Dade College,
university of Miami, FIU, andthrough those partnerships and
collectively we are gonna createa lot of great use cases in
(19:04):
application layer, in adoptionlayer, and they're gonna be kind
of North Star for other regionsas well.
And if you want to be part ofthis trend, this rocket ship
Miami's AI rocket ship.
It's just you have to join us.
Brooke (19:20):
I love that and I resonate so much by what you
just shared, and it's one of thekey reasons why I started this
podcast and I'm growing thiscommunity of AI adopters,
because not everybody has the.
Opportunity to live in a majortech hub or a major city.
(19:41):
And it's really important for usto come together and learn from
each other and hear how we'reeach adopting it.
Um,'cause there's no right orwrong way to learn.
And you can get very wrapped upin the hype news cycles and the
marketing of this is the nextbest thing.
And feeling left behind.
Or.
(20:01):
so many people feel like theydon't even know how to begin and
feel very intimidated oroverwhelmed by the AI and
technology, advancements thatare happening.
And so my hope really is forpeople to lean more into their
communities.
Like the Miami AI hub so thatthey can lean on each other and
(20:22):
grow from each other and learnfrom our collective experiences.
I think it's such an importantmission.
So if listeners wanna join AIschool, is it offered remotely?
Do you have to be herephysically?
If you could more about thosedetails.
Burhan Sebin (20:42):
So Miami AI School is a three months program.
It has three phases.
First.
pahse focusing on mostly AIfundamentals.
Second phase is focusing onmostly AI adoptions and building
your first AI applicationthrough web coding.
And third phase is all about AIagents.
We just launched the third phasethis week, actually the the last
(21:04):
week.
And it's all about AI agencies.
The feedback from thosestudents.
That's amazing.
That's outstanding.
And.
It's a hybrid program, so likefor each month we have eight
sessions and four of them areonline, four of them are in
person.
Brooke (21:24):
Hmm.
Burhan Sebin (21:24):
and we also, we are also communicating almost
every day with the studentsgiving feedback to their
projects because AI school isnot just, you come here, you
just listen and live likeliterally.
On the first session of phaseone, you build voice AI agents
(21:45):
and most of the studentsattendees, they are small
business owners or tech execs.
So when you teach them how tobuild voice AI agent in the
first day, the second day, theystarted to use it because they
have that environment to testthese tools and use it.
And when they see the value andthey see the value, believe me,
(22:06):
and then they, they continue touse those.
Brooke (22:09):
Wow, that sounds like such a supportive container.
I think that.
Yep.
Getting together in person givesyou such accountability.
We live in a time whereinformation is everywhere.
You can upskill and learn in alot of different ways right now,
even for free online, but.
(22:31):
Actually putting thatinformation in play and, and,
and the real use case andapplication of building and then
using and trial and error.
Uh, I think those in-personschools and communities still is
really relative, um, to becoming in and doing those
creative sprints and, puttingthat information to use.
(22:54):
And I could see whyaccountability is needed, and
why someone would wanna join aprogram like that.
So I can't thank you enough foreverything that you're doing for
the City of Miami and all thecool things that you have coming
through, through this year andthis spring.
Would love to.
Give an opportunity forlisteners to reach out to you,
(23:17):
maybe get more involved.
For any founders orprofessionals that are
listening, what's the best wayto engage with you, whether
that's through partnerships orvolunteering with the Miami AI
Hub, how can they connect?
Sure.
So we usually super active onLinkedIn and social media so
(23:39):
they can reach out to mepersonally or AI hub on
LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter.
And also like they can follow.
eMerge America social mediaplatforms as well.
So if someone from the audienceknow me, like no idea is crazy
enough for us.
(23:59):
So like we're open to any ideas,any partnership opportunities,
and if you just wanna be part ofthis momentum, AI momentum in
Miami, we would love to help youor we would love to collaborate.
So please reach out to me onLinkedIn or any social media.
Our follow our icons.
(24:20):
Uh, happy to chat more.
Wonderful.
Well, thank you again for yourtime today and I really enjoyed
just getting to hear more aboutthe ins and outs of the
communities that you're buildingand growing here for the city of
Miami.
So thank you so much, Burhan.
Burhan Sebin (24:35):
Thank you so much, Brooke.
It's was great to be here.
Great to talk with you.
Brooke (24:39):
Wow, I hope today's episode opened your mind to
what's possible with ai.
Do you have a cool use case onhow you're using AI and want to
share it?
DM me.
I'd love to hear more andfeature you on my next podcast.
Until next time, here's toworking smarter, not harder.
See you on the next episode ofHow I AI.
This episode was made possiblein partnership with the
(25:01):
Collective AI, a communitydesigned to help entrepreneurs,
creators, and professionalsseamlessly integrate AI into
their workflows.
One of the biggest game changersin my own AI journey was joining
this space.
It's where I learned, connectedand truly enhanced my
understanding of what's possiblewith AI.
(25:22):
And the best part, they offermultiple membership levels to
meet you where you are.
Whether you want to DIY, your AIlearning or work with a
personalized AI consultant foryour business, The Collective
has you covered.
Learn more and sign up using myexclusive link in the show
notes.
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