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.

AI is changing how we work – but most teams still don’t know which skills matter or where to start.

In this episode of Scaling with AI, Alex Bacon talks with Will Roberts from Digital Peninsula Network about the essential AI skills every business needs to stay competitive. Drawing on insights from the government-funded AI for Workplace Productivity Bootcamp, Will shares how UK leaders and teams are learning to use tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Midjourney to boost efficiency, creativity and confidence at work.

You’ll discover how to build an AI-ready workforce, why most training fails to stick, and how to create a culture of experimentation that drives results. They also explore AI in education, the changing expectations of future employees, and how Will uses AI to manage ADHD, turning distraction into focus and productivity.

If you’re leading a business or building a career around AI adoption, digital transformation or upskilling, this episode gives you a practical blueprint for success.

Listen now to learn how to close the AI skills gap and future-proof your business.

What happens when Microsoft becomes its own test case for AI?
In this episode of Scaling with AI, Alex Bacon speaks with George Pearson, Portfolio Lead for Global Partner Support at Microsoft, about the Customer Zero initiative – the internal deployment of Copilot across Microsoft’s vast support organisation.

George reveals how Microsoft used Copilot to transform operations spanning 92 contact centres, tens of thousands of engineers, and over a billion customers. He shares what it really took to modernise global customer service: from consolidating 16 CRM systems into one, to cutting admin time and increasing first-call resolution by 31%.

You’ll learn why Copilot is more than a writing assistant, how “thoughtful deployment” avoids the rubbish in, rubbish out trap, and why human feedback from engineers proved crucial to success.

If you lead a business exploring AI adoption, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling AI that boosts both customer experience and employee satisfaction.

Listen now to learn how Microsoft made AI work in the real world.

What happens when cutting-edge AI meets one of literature’s most beloved characters? In this episode of Scaling with AI, Alex Bacon explores how the University for the Creative Arts partnered with StarPal AI to bring Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s world into ours as a fully interactive AI avatar.

Discover how students and researchers worked together to design, build and test a digital version of Lizzy that delighted visitors at the Jane Austen House Museum. From witty unscripted conversations to surprising historical knowledge, the project revealed how avatars can transform cultural engagement and make learning more accessible.

We unpack the creative process behind shaping Elizabeth’s personality, the role of iteration in refining her responses, and what this experiment means for museums, education, and the wider cultural sector.

If you’re curious about how AI avatars can breathe new life into heritage experiences - and what it’s like to chat with Jane Austen’s most famous heroine - this episode is not to be missed.

What does it take for a 187-year-old firm to successfully scale AI across every department? In this episode of Scaling with AI, you’ll hear real-world AI strategy, use cases and implementation lessons from Ben Lee of Bidwells.

Most businesses struggle to move AI projects beyond pilot stage. Guest Ben Lee, Head of Data and AI at Bidwells, shares the "Launchpad" framework he developed to move from experimentation to business-wide adoption.

Alex and Ben explore:

• Why time, not technology, kills AI adoption (and the simple fix)
• The critical step before automating: fixing broken processes first
• Ready-to-implement AI applications for meetings, research, and documentation
• How to scale from experimentation to enterprise-wide transformation

This conversation blends strategy with hands-on examples, showing how traditional businesses can adopt AI in a structured, scalable way. Whether you're starting your AI journey or ready to scale, you'll gain a clear framework to follow.

Listen now to learn proven strategies for AI adoption, implementation and scaling across your business.

Everyone’s talking about AI, but is your business ready for it?

In this episode, Alex talks with Josh Berry, Technical Director at Bind Media, about why the real power of AI in marketing begins with your data. Before chasing new tools, Josh explains how agencies and brands must centralise, clean and structure their data so it is AI-ready.

Josh shares how Bind Media, a certified B Corp, built a modular data architecture that now powers AI agents, marketing automation and smarter decision-making across client campaigns. From optimising Google Ads to scaling lead generation, he shows how the right data layer unlocks efficiency, creativity and better results.

You will learn:

• Why “garbage in, garbage out” matters more than ever in AI marketing

• How to take a modular approach to building AI systems

• The cultural shift required to bring teams on the journey

If you want to use AI to drive business growth rather than just experiment with shiny tools, this conversation gives you the roadmap.

Listen now and discover how to future-proof your marketing with data.

'Most sales people are using AI completely wrong'. This is one of Michael's opening statements in this episode of Scaling With AI.

Michael discusses how he is using AI tools in his own business to drive sales, and also how sales people can leverage AI tools to improve their sales techniques and performance.

Michael is a seasoned sales trainer and coach and discusses how sales people and business leaders can use AI to help them sell more.

Michael has grown the business from one-man consultancy business to a full sales training business. Learn about the challenges he faced, the strategies he employed, and how he leverages AI to enhance B2B sales processes. From utilising AI for deep research to avoiding the pitfalls of AI-generated spam, Michael shares valuable tips and experiences that can help any sales professional or business leader. Tune in to explore the opportunities and limitations of AI in the sales cycle, and how authentic, personalised outreach can set you apart in a competitive market.

00:00 Introduction to Growth Genie

00:46 The Journey of Growth Genie

02:37 Challenges and Solutions in Sales

03:47 Leveraging AI in Sales

08:13 AI in Personal Branding

14:17 AI Throughout the Sales Cycle

24:23 The Hype and Misuse of AI in Sales

25:09 Challenges with AI-Generated Content

27:38 AI in Training and Coaching

29:27 Leveraging AI for Business Growth

31:28 Community and Networking for AI Insights

33:06 Adapting to AI in the Workplace

36:50 Future Predictions for AI in Sales and Marketing

40:43 Quickfire Questions and Final Thoughts

Scaling a Lean SaaS business with AI - Chris Allen, CRO & Co-founder of Licenseware
In this episode, Chris Allen from Licenseware shares how a lean Software as a Service business can scale faster and operate more efficiently by embedding AI across sales, marketing, product, and operations.

Chris explains how Licenseware uses AI to automate complex software licensing analysis, streamline sales follow-up, power in-product support, and even accelerate product documentation and demo creation. He discusses the cultural mindset that’s helped the team adopt AI, the balance between building and buying tools, and the guardrails needed to manage data security and ethics.

You’ll also hear practical examples of AI in action — from cutting the time to market for new features, to reducing headcount while increasing capacity, to uncovering unexpected personal uses like race training plans and fish tank maintenance.

Whether you’re in SaaS, enterprise software, or simply curious about applying AI to everyday business problems, this episode is full of actionable insights and hard-earned lessons.