In this episode of AI Banter: Father Daughter in the Loop, Vanessa and Rob explore what it means to add a digital teammate to your business. From voice AI like Maya to building custom GPTs that can actually work for your team, this episode is packed with insights and step-by-step takeaways.

✨ This isn’t about future theory—it’s about what you can do right now.

🚨 Plus: The AI news this week was wild — from the human-like Maya from Sesame, to the all-in-one AI platform Manus, to OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT 4.5. Is this the most game-changing week since ChatGPT launched? Vanessa thinks so.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Vanessa asked an AI (Maya) if it was mimicking her personality (and what it said)
• Why Custom GPTs are your first AI “hire”
• The step-by-step on building one with OpenAI
• Lessons we learned creating GPTs for this very podcast
• What SMBs should build first (and how to roll it out to their team)
• Alternatives to GPTs from Google, Microsoft, Claude, and more

👀 This episode is for anyone ready to stop dabbling and start building.

📩 Got questions?
Email us at AIBanter@thing7.ai.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to build your first GPT!

AI agents are all the buzz—but are they actually here yet? In this episode, Vanessa and Rob Lipschutz break down the hype vs. reality of AI agents and what small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need to know right now.

🚀 What We Cover in This Episode:
✔ AI News: Anthropic dropped Claude 3.7 Sonnet, the first hybrid model—right after Vanessa predicted LLMs should do this automatically.
✔ What Are AI Agents? How they differ from LLMs and why they matter.
✔ The Reality Check: AI agents are still in their proof-of-concept (POC) phase—not yet plug-and-play for SMBs.
✔ Observability: Why the ability to monitor AI decisions is critical before we fully trust agents to act autonomously.
✔ Are AI Agents Ready for SMBs? It’s not about waiting—it’s about being AI-ready.
✔ How to Prepare: Practical steps to get value from AI right now so you’re ready for agents when they arrive.
✔ Vanessa’s Big Prediction: AI will shift us away from managing platforms and back to being the center of our work.

🔥 AI isn’t just about automating tasks—it’s changing the way we work and think. Are you ready for it?

📩 Have AI questions? Want to get your business AI-ready? Reach out to us at aibanter@thing7.ai.

🎧 Listen now and stay ahead in the AI revolution!

AI is moving fast—but the last few weeks? They’ve been next level.

In this episode, Vanessa and Rob Lipschutz break down the AI arms race happening right now. From DeepSeek’s explosive entrance to OpenAI and Google scrambling to respond, we’re witnessing a global power struggle that’s reshaping the AI landscape. But what does it mean for you?

📌 In This Episode:

• 🚀 Why new AI models are dropping every week—and who’s leading the charge
• 🌏 China’s AI push: DeepSeek, ByteDance, and Alibaba enter the game
• 💰 How DeepSeek built a top-tier model for a fraction of OpenAI’s cost
• 🏆 The battle for dominance: Can OpenAI keep the throne?
• 🛠️ What SMBs and individuals should do to take advantage of AI competition

With all these AI tools competing for attention, how do you know which one to use? Vanessa and Rob break it down in real talk, with a mix of insight, humor, and plenty of father-daughter banter.

👉 Should you try DeepSeek? Stick with ChatGPT? Or start experimenting with Perplexity? We’ve got answers.

🎙️ Tune in to get up to speed, stay ahead, and (most importantly) keep humans in the loop.

🔹 Subscribe for new episodes every week!