AI governance is often treated as an afterthought.

Something to tidy up later, once the tools are live and the excitement has died down.

In this episode of Scaling With AI, Alex Bacon is joined by Dr Ben Thompson, AI governance and compliance expert, to unpack what responsible AI adoption actually looks like in the real world.

Drawing on his background in education leadership, data protection and AI regulation, Ben explains why governance and data security needs to start before any tools are rolled out, not after. They explore the growing risk of shadow AI, where employees quietly use tools like ChatGPT, note takers and browser plugins outside any policy or control, and why this creates serious blind spots for leaders who may think everyone is happy using Microsoft Copilot.

The conversation also breaks down the EU AI Act in plain English, why UK businesses cannot ignore it, and how a simple risk based approach can give teams confidence rather than slowing them down.

From one page AI policies to cultural trust, training and leadership responsibility, this episode cuts through fear and complexity.If you are a founder, operator or senior leader trying to scale AI without losing control, this is a practical, grounded listen.

Most AI conversations are about speed, automation, or replacing people. Paul Green takes a very different view.In this episode of Scaling With AI, Alex Bacon sits down with Paul Green, MSP marketing expert and founder of MSP Marketing Edge, to explore the reality of AI adoption. One where AI acts as a high-quality assistant, not a shortcut or a substitute for human judgement.

Paul shares how his business produces hundreds of pieces of marketing content every month, why humans still sit at the centre of that work, and how tools like ChatGPT are used to improve quality, consistency, and decision-making rather than churn out more content for the sake of it.

The conversation digs into why systems matter more than shiny AI tools, what many MSPs are getting wrong about AI adoption, and how fear around data, security, and rapid change is slowing progress. Paul also shares a compelling example of an MSP using internal AI to spot patterns, reduce churn, and make better strategic decisions, pointing to how AI-led advisory services could evolve.

A practical episode for founders and operators exploring real AI use cases, with clear lessons for MSPs who want to move past hype and help clients use AI to think better, not just faster.

AI is everywhere in sales right now. But if your sellers are using it wrong they risk doing more harm than good.

In this episode of Scaling With AI, Alex Bacon is joined by sales coach Gavin Kowalski, founder of Method Engine, to unpack what effective AI use in B2B sales actually looks like in practice.

Drawing on his work with MSPs, cloud and technology sales teams, Gavin shares where AI is helping sellers move faster, where it creates lazy output, and why strategy matters far more than tools. They explore how top performing sales reps use AI for account research, note taking, proposals, and coaching without producing generic copy that fails the sniff test. The conversation also tackles the reality behind SDR automation, why leadership is often the blocker to better adoption, and how sales teams can turn their own data into a real advantage. This is a grounded, honest discussion about blending AI with human judgement, learning through play, and sharpening core skills like copywriting rather than outsourcing thinking. If you lead a sales team, coach sellers, or want to scale revenue with AI without losing credibility, this episode is for you.

AI is changing the legal sector fast, but what actually works in practice? What AI skills do people in the legal industry need?

In this episode of Scaling with AI, host Alex Bacon is joined by Rachel Hawkins, Senior Legal Operations Manager at Osborne Clarke, to unpack how a global law firm is moving from AI experimentation to real delivery.

Rachel shares how Osborne Clarke has built a responsible, scalable approach to AI in a highly regulated environment.

From early experimentation with private GPT models to transforming end to end legal workflows, this conversation goes beyond hype and into what law firms are actually doing today.

You will learn:

• How law firms are adopting AI responsibly without slowing innovation

• The difference between horizontal AI use and true process transformation

• Why governance, trust and education matter more than tools

• How AI is changing client expectations, pricing models and junior roles

• What leaders in legal and professional services can learn from this approach

A practical, honest episode for legal leaders, innovation teams and anyone serious about using AI to deliver real impact.

A look at the skills, tools, strategy and processes needed for successful AI adoption in legal services.

Julian Goldie, SEO agency founder, explains how AI content automation helped him scale from freelancer to an eight-figure business without hiring at speed.

In this episode of Scaling with AI, Julian Goldie joins Alex Bacon to break down how AI is being used to scale content and operations in real businesses. The conversation is aimed at founders, agency owners and consultants exploring AI for business growth.

Julian shares how AI tools are used to automate content creation at scale across YouTube, LinkedIn and short-form video, reaching millions of people each month. He explains the role of AI voice and video cloning, automated scripting, and structured quality control systems that allow small teams to compete with much larger organisations.

The episode also covers practical AI use cases in SEO delivery, backlink outreach, reporting automation and cost reduction. Julian discusses how to avoid AI hallucinations, where human input still matters, and how to introduce AI into teams without sacrificing quality.

If you are looking to use AI for content automation, marketing scale or operational efficiency, this episode offers clear, real-world insight. Listen now to learn how to scale with AI, not headcount.

AI search is changing how every brand gets found and trusted online - and most businesses are not ready for what is happening right now.

Get practical advice on preparing your brand for AI search with James Foote, SEO Director at Polaris. James joins Alex Bacon on the Scaling With AI Podcast to unpack how AI search, AI overviews and generative search are reshaping brand visibility for marketing and business leaders. This episode explores the real impact of SEO, GEO, AEO and AIO on e-commerce, B2B and consumer search behaviour, making it ideal for leaders who need clarity on what is shifting and what to do next.

James shares why brands are behind the curve, how AI search models like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT are influencing product discovery, and why reputation management is becoming essential again. We also look at the rise of spam tactics in AI search and how to stay visible without risking your brand.

You will learn how to measure your AI search baseline, create content that matches user intent, and get ahead of emerging trends such as agent shopping, visual search and contextual content for e-commerce.

If you want to understand AI search and build a brand strategy that is ready for what comes next, this episode is for you. Listen now.

Business and marketing leaders are rethinking how they create and scale content in an AI driven world. In this episode of Scaling with AI, Jon Buckthorp from Differentiated joins Alex to explore how AI content creation is transforming user behaviour, marketing workflows and customer expectations.

Jon explains how AI can act as a genuine content partner, improving research, ideation and writing so teams can produce higher quality work at speed. He shares why brands must move away from thought theatre and focus instead on clarity, depth and measurable value. The discussion breaks down the growing gap between what users say they want and what they actually engage with, plus why traditional content marketing models are struggling to keep up.

You will also hear practical examples from Differentiated, covering generative AI, personalised content journeys, AI assisted workflows and the real world impact these tools can have on marketing performance.

If you want to understand how AI can elevate your content strategy, meet rising user expectations and give your team a smarter way to work, this episode of Scaling with AI will help you stay ahead.

What happens when a global retailer like ASOS puts Microsoft Copilot in the hands of its people? In this episode of Scaling with AI, Alex Bacon explores how AI adoption can succeed when non-tech teams lead the change.

Hannah Adams, ASOS’s former Head of Learning and Development, shares how she helped employees embrace Copilot—from early resistance to practical everyday use. She explains what really drives engagement, how to turn sceptics into advocates, and why learning design matters more than technology.

Expect insights on building confidence, embedding AI into real workflows, and making “AI for everyone” a reality. Whether you’re running a small team or scaling an SME, you’ll take away practical lessons to launch your own Copilot rollout without the chaos.

ASOS, Microsoft Copilot, AI adoption, SME leaders, digital transformation — how do non-tech teams make AI work in practice? If you're an SME leader, founder, and manager planning a Copilot rollout or exploring how to embed AI tools into daily work - this episode is a must.

This episode also features a new segment of the show with Ben Lee who is reviewing a new AI tool every episode. This week Ben reviews Tella.