State of the AI Union

About State of the AI Union

A CFO and a GTM nerd walk into a podcast... and things get real. Join Chandra & Laura as they break down the latest in AI—from multimodal models and market meltdowns to what it all means for enterprise buyers and sellers. This isn’t another AI hype fest. State of the AI Union translates frontier tech into boardroom relevance, helps sales teams prospect like insiders, and asks the questions everyone’s quietly Googling (but louder). Because in a world full of black-box models and buzzwords, someone’s gotta explain it like a human.

Publisher

Laura.theLeo

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Apr 2025

Latest episode

30 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

57 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Oct 2026

   Nathan Habib: Standup & AI in Sales

   Sales kickoff speaker and stand-up comedian Nathan Habib joins host Laura Fu to explain how comedy skills translate into stronger sales conversations, and how sellers can use AI without sacrificing human connection. He shares practical guidance on turning technical discovery into business-value discussions, building trust, and expanding relationships across buying teams. keywords AI in sales, sales skills, human connection, sales discovery, business value, multithreading, sales training, comedy and sales key topics Nathan Habib combines a stand-up comedy background, which began at age 15, with technology sales experience to train go-to-market teams. He landed his first sales development role at Gigya by walking into the office with a résumé after his application went unanswered, then completing three or four interviews. Comedy and selling both require reading real-time reactions, staying present, and adapting rather than rigidly delivering prepared material. Use AI to surface specific, relevant comments from a prospect’s interview or transcript, then apply human judgment to connect those details to a concise, thoughtful message. AI-generated research can save hours, but copying and pasting automated outreach or reading AI-produced notes verbatim can undermine trust and personalization. As companies evolve from single products to broader platforms, sellers need to focus on strategic partnerships and larger business outcomes, not simply more meetings and faster transactions. In discovery, move from technical questions about how a tool works to asking what business outcome the buyer needs and who else feels the problem. Multi-thread by building rapport with an initial contact and making relevant introductions feel like a natural next step. Nathan argues that high-value AI purchases still depend on human conversations and trust, even as AI becomes more capable. action items Use AI to locate specific, relevant statements in a prospect’s interviews or other public conversations, then write outreach that connects those statements to your business perspective. In discovery, ask what business outcome the buyer needs instead of getting pulled into technical implementation details too early. Ask who else experiences the problem and whether decision-makers recognize it, then build relationships across the buying group. Focus on making the first conversation valuable and enjoyable so requests for introductions feel natural. Review AI-assisted outreach for accuracy and personalization, including basic details such as a prospect’s current office location.

2. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Matt Finch: How AI is Changing the Buyer Journey

   Matt Finch discusses how AI is transforming sales processes, from buyer research to personalized demos and POCs, emphasizing the importance of human-AI collaboration and new skill sets for sales teams. key topics AI's impact on buyer research and decision-making Hyper-personalized demo automation and scaling The evolving role of sales and technical teams Strategies for better discoverability and content openness Using AI to streamline POCs and reduce manual tasks Training sales teams for AI-native selling The importance of storytelling and real-time engagement keywords AI in sales, personalized demos, buyer research, POCs, sales enablement, sales technology, Demo Atelier, AI transformation, sales skills, customer engagement

3. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Heather Hansma: Does AI Make Us Better Humans?

   In this episode, Heather Hansma and Laura Fu explore the evolving role of human judgment in sales and customer interactions amidst the rise of generative AI. They discuss how AI can augment human skills, the importance of process design, and the future skills salespeople need to thrive. keywords AI, human judgment, sales, customer interactions, process design, generative AI, skills, automation, decision-making key topics The impact of AI on human judgment in sales How process design affects customer experience The importance of review and rumination in AI workflows Training and developing skills for AI-enabled roles The variability and subjectivity of human judgment Using AI to identify signals and biases in interactions The concept of 'high calorie' interactions and relationship building Future skills salespeople need in an AI world Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI and human judgment in sales 02:12 The need for more, different salespeople in the AI era 05:34 The impact of bad data and process on customer experience 08:40 Cognitive limitations of humans and AI assistance 10:02 Cognitive biases and how AI can help mitigate them 11:26 The importance of review, rumination, and training in AI workflows 13:17 Training human judgment and understanding AI's decision basis 15:32 Using AI to improve skills and explicit knowledge 16:57 The biases in AI training data and human oversight 18:33 The role of discipline and review in AI-assisted work 21:07 The importance of explicit skills and training for AI tasks 22:30 AI as a research assistant and performance enhancer 24:34 Permissions, oversight, and managing AI in agents 31:16 What makes good human judgment in interactions 32:30 Measuring and ensuring the quality of human interactions 33:54 Biases in perception and feedback in customer interactions 34:21 The future of AI and human collaboration in sales 36:06 Using AI for personal and professional planning 36:52 Training and onboarding in an AI-enabled world 37:14 Closing thoughts and future outlooks

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

4.4 / 5

5 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.