Augment + Automate: The Reality of Enterprise AI, with Alec Coughlin

AI in the real world isn’t a keynote... it’s a factory floor, a power bill, and a risk register. In this episode, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Alec Coughlin (AI with Alec) to map the jump from hype to hard results: securing brownfield OT, preparing a data/knowledge-centric estate, and using agents to augment operators—not replace them.We cover the shift from app-centric silos to platforms, prescriptive analytics that drive next-best actions, and the leadership moves that make it stick: psychological safety, exec bootcamps, incentives that reward smart risk, and “hands-in-dirt” adoption.If you’re a CTO/CIO, plant leader, or ops owner wondering how to compete when AI becomes table stakes, this is the playbook you've been looking for.⏱ Chapters:0:00 – Intros & setup0:24 – Alec’s origin: RPA spark → “AI with Alec”1:14 – Marvin’s path: industrial engineering to AI2:00 – Practical vs hype; LLMs get “evolutionary” + Palantir/data platforms5:31 – Augmentation vs automation (factory story)9:07 – Brownfield OT realities & security-by-design12:50 – From app-centric to data/knowledge-centric (why it’s existential)16:45 – Analytics ladder: descriptive → predictive → prescriptive19:08 – Ransomware lesson ($20M/day) & designing safety in40:56 – Culture, incentives, “make the beer taste better” 42:32 – Closing Thoughts→ The Zeroed in Podcast is also now available on your favorite podcast platforms: https://linktr.ee/zeroedinpod📌 Follow Alec Coughlin on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecchh/📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.Follow us on:- YouTube: YouTube.com/@thing-zero - Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954/- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com/#AIwithAlec #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ML