Could Your Next Business Idea Be Powered by AI? with Mike Todasco

"Could Your Next Business Idea Be Powered by AI?" - Expert Mike Tedasco on Innovation, Failure and the Future of Work

"The only job that I know for sure will exist in five years is the solopreneur." In this eye-opening episode of Milestone Moments, host Sheila Slick interviews Mike Tedasco, a seasoned innovation expert and visiting fellow at the James Silberrod Brown Center for Artificial Intelligence at San Diego State University. Formerly the Senior Director of Innovation at PayPal, Tedasco shares valuable insights on embracing failure, adapting to rapid technological change, and leveraging artificial intelligence.

Tedasco emphasizes that failure is valuable when you learn from it, recounting his own journey from a failed comic book marketplace startup to an 11-year career at PayPal. He advocates for organizations to celebrate failures rather than hide them, citing Ben & Jerry's "failure graveyard" of discontinued ice cream flavors as an inspiring example of this mindset.

The conversation explores practical ways to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude in both business and personal life. Tedasco strongly advises that anyone not already using these tools is falling behind, suggesting starting with simple applications like contract reviews or turning AI into a study partner for children. Looking ahead, he predicts the rise of AI agents that will revolutionize work and create new opportunities for specialized solopreneurs who can serve niche markets while providing the human connection that clients still desire.

For aspiring innovators, Tedasco shares the story of a colleague who dedicated just 30 minutes daily to idea generation, eventually filing numerous patents through persistence and incremental improvement. The episode concludes with Tedasco discussing his upcoming children's book series on chemistry, demonstrating how innovation often means bringing knowledge from one field into another.

To connect with Mike, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/todasco/

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