“If your focus group still needs pizza and a two-way mirror, you’re already outdated.”

In this episode of The AI CEO I sit down with Felipe Restrepo—CEO & co-founder of Odaptos—to unpack the first ‘empathy-enabled’ AI that reads micro-expressions, voice tone, and body language to predict a purchase eight seconds before it happens.

We talked about:
• Why 90 % of customer truth is non-verbal—and how to capture it
• Slashing research costs from $40K focus groups to a $400 AI sprint
• The “camera-amnesia” signal that tells Odaptos you’ve forgotten you’re on film
• Building a content engine straight from raw customer interviews (good-bye writer’s block)
• The REAL future of AGI (hint: EQ > IQ) and which human skills become priceless
• Ethical lines, biased data, and why regulated banks jumped in first

Whether you’re a product lead at a Fortune 500 or a bootstrapped founder chasing product–market fit, this conversation will change how you think about research, marketing, and the next wave of AI.

00:00 Intro — “Feelings vs. Words”
01:36 From France to Techstars: The origin of Odaptos
03:49 Emotions = Customer Experience Currency
08:05 Why focus groups fail (and what replaces them)
10:32 Industrializing research with AI
20:03 Case studies: Banks, insurers & 100× ROI
29:34 What emotional AI looks like in 2025
35:11 Secret sauce: Predicting a buy 8 s early
38:07 Building a moat in the age of copy-paste AI
42:16 Turning interviews into blogs, decks & ads
47:41 Zero-UI futures & “research agents”
53:36 Human skills that matter in 2030
57:26 Ethics, regulation & the path to EQ-GPT
1:04:43 Rapid-fire + final takeaways

• Emotion > Opinion – People love products for how they feel, not what they do.

• Affordable at Scale – 20 interviews for $400 means weekly iterations, not annual bets.

• 8-Second Window – Odaptos spots the precise moment intent flips to action.

• Content Flywheel – Customer voice → AI summary → ready-to-post copy in minutes.

• EQ-GPT – The next intelligence leap isn’t bigger models, it’s emotionally aware ones.

• Odaptos (Felipe’s company) – https://odaptos.com
• Virgent AI (our show sponsor) – https://Virgent.ai
• Felipe on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/felipelebrun/
• Seema Alexander on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/seemaalexander

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/seemaalexander
Newsletter + consulting – https://www.disruptive.ceo/

If this episode sparked an aha-moment, tap 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and leave a one-sentence review—helps us land more game-changing guests like Felipe!

AI Security Is Now a CEO Priority
What high-growth companies already know about protecting their AI infrastructure, and why waiting could leave you behind.

In this episode of The AI CEO Podcast, host Seema Alexander sits down with Jerome Johnson II, Director of Solutions Architecture, National Security & Defense at Amazon Web Services (AWS), to break down the future of AI security, agent-based cybersecurity, and why AI governance is no longer optional for scaling businesses.

If you're a founder, CEO, or business leader navigating the rise of AI, this is your strategic briefing.

• AI security risks and what’s really changing

• Agent-based threats & autonomous systems

• AI governance, red buttons & model safety

• Data integrity, compliance & responsible AI

• The parallels between cloud and AI adoption

• How to protect your business in an AI-first future

(00:00) Intro
(01:50) Jerome Johnson on AI + Cybersecurity
(04:04) Cloud vs. AI Adoption
(07:14) The Urgency of AI for CEOs
(19:57) Governance, Compliance, and Security Gaps
(24:32) Future of AI-Powered Cybersecurity
(44:44) Deepfakes, Digital Identity Theft, and Risk
(52:46) Multi-Agent AI Ecosystems Explained
(56:50) The AI-Powered Business Model
(01:18:06) Rapid Fire Q&A
(01:26:19) Final Takeaways

Director, Solutions Architecture – National Security & Defense, AWS
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn

Co-founder, Virgent AI | Disruptive CEO Advisory
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn

• Virgent.ai – AI consulting + implementation

• Disruptive CEO Advisory – Strategic business transformation

• Video Studio: Legacy Session – DC Studio
• Post-Production: EZPZ Podcasting

📢 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to get notified about future episodes!

#AIsecurity #AIleadership #CybersecurityforCEOs #AIforBusiness #AgenticAI #AIgovernance #AItrust #EnterpriseAI #TheAICEOPodcast #ResponsibleAI #FutureofWork #AWS #SeemaAlexander

She Gave Her Team Permission to AI… You Won’t Believe What Happened Next | Laura Seuschek, COO of WiseWire

What actually happens when a COO tells her entire team: “You’re allowed to experiment with AI”?

In this episode of The AI CEO Podcast, host Seema Alexander sits down with Laura Seuschek, Chief Operating Officer of WiseWire, a trailblazing edtech company reshaping how content is designed, delivered, and optimized using AI.

Over the past two years, Laura has helped lead WiseWire through an intentional AI adoption journey—building internal capabilities, setting bold KPIs, and challenging her team to reimagine their roles. The result? Increased creativity, reduced operational costs, and a new level of team engagement.

🎯 What you'll learn:

• How to create a culture of AI experimentation—without chaos

• Why AI doesn’t make employees lazy, it makes them leaders

• The measurable impact of automation on team productivity and cost savings

• What every mid-sized company needs to know before scaling AI

🧠 If you're a founder, COO, or functional leader navigating AI integration, this episode will give you a practical playbook—and inspiration to act.

🌎Reach out to Laura Seuschek
LinkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-seuschek
Twitter https://twitter.com/lauraseus?lang=es
Wisewire https://www.wisewire.com/for-teachers/

🌎Reach out to Seema Ponda Alexander

Virgent AI: www.Virgent.ai
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seemaalexander
IG: https://www.instagram.com/seemaalexander/?hl=en

📌Make sure to check out Virgent.ai https://virgent.ai/ and WiseWire https://www.wisewire.com/

👉 In this episode

(00:00) Coming Up Next

(00:31) Welcome to the AI CEO Podcast

(01:12) Introducing Laura WiseWire

(03:03) The Impact of AI on Employee Productivity

(06:24) Laura's Background and Journey

(09:01) Wise Wire's Evolution and AI Integration

(12:23) Implementing AI: Challenges and Strategies

(16:21) Prototyping and Experimentation with AI

(29:15) Operationalizing AI for Cost Savings and Efficiency

(35:34) Building a Culture of Innovation

(40:24) Startup Mentality in Established Organizations

(41:27) AI's Role in Content Alignment

(44:07) Cost and Efficiency of AI in Education

(45:37) Shifting Employee Mindsets for AI Adoption

(51:46) Transparency and Ethical Use of AI

(01:00:08) Future of Learning and AI Integration

(01:05:02) Empowering Learners with AI

(01:18:45) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating on Apple podcasts by clicking here.

#AIAdoption #AITransformation #AIinBusiness #AIAutomation #AIIntegration

🎤 Production Studio: Legacy Sessions

🎤 Podcast post-production EZPZ Podcasting