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The After Show

In the latest episode of The After Show, hosts dive into Shawn Kanungo's thought-provoking session at True North Strong

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MY #1 USED AI TOOL

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AI AGENTS & AGentic workflows

LLM

  • Gemini 3 - The Best LLM on the planet right now

  • OpenAI’s Deep Research - Absolutely the best research tool out there right now

  • Manus - Most comprehensive AI agent in my opinion

  • Claude Skills - Claude Skills is the best skills agent - this allows to be more deterministic with your agents.

  • Grok 4 - Equivalent to o3 from ChatGPT - awesome for X data

Text-to-App

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Text-to-IMAGE/VIDEO

Research & other

  • NotebookLM - Research and the two AI podcast hosts that you see above :)

  • Google AI Studio - Real-time AI co-presence

  • Clay - AI Outbound Sales | Generating lists of emails and sending cold outreach

Briefing: Innovation, AI, and the Agentic Era

Executive Summary

The global landscape is transitioning from a period of digital content creation to an "Agentic Era," where artificial intelligence moves beyond summarization to active execution and decision-making. This shift fundamentally reimagines the nature of work, particularly in data-intensive sectors like agriculture and finance. The primary challenge for organizations and individuals is the willingness to "look like a joke"—to embrace disruptive ideas that initially appear absurd but eventually become industry standards.

Key takeaways include:

• The Shift to Agency: We are moving from "Systems of Record" to "Systems of Intelligence." Software is transitioning from a tool that helps humans store data to a "digital employee" capable of autonomous action.

• The Friction Paradox: Success in the future will be found at the extremes: being either "frictionless" (entirely automated and efficient) or "meaningfully high-friction" (human-centric, craftsmanship-oriented experiences).

• High Agency as the Core Competency: In a world of ubiquitous AI "geniuses," the most valuable human trait is high agency—the ability to orchestrate outcomes and execute without seeking permission.

• Self-Disruption: The "Start from Zero" tactic is essential. Organizations must be willing to dismantle successful legacy processes to achieve 10X improvements using agentic technology.

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The Nature of Disruption: Embracing the "Joke"

Disruption consistently follows a pattern: it begins as something perceived as a joke before it becomes a necessity. Historical examples include the internet, Uber, and Facebook Marketplace.

• The Psychological Barrier: Innovation is often hindered by the fear of looking foolish. However, disregarding disruptive thinkers because their ideas seem radical is a strategic risk.

• The Transition: Disruption "looks like a joke until the joke is on us." True innovation requires the willingness to become a "rookie" again and detach from the identity of past successes.

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The Transition to the Agentic Era

The evolution of AI can be divided into two distinct phases:

Phase

Timeline

Primary Function

Characteristics

Content Creation

2022 – 2025

Summarization and drafting

LLMs that write emails, summarize conversations, and conduct basic research.

Agentic Revolution

2026 and Beyond

Execution and Agency

"Always on" 24/7 agents that make decisions, execute tasks, and "get stuff done."

Defining "Agency"

Agency is defined as the capacity for action and execution. While traditional LLMs provide answers, an AI agent acts as a digital employee. Examples of emerging agentic technology include:

• Claude Code / Cloud Coworker: Tools that can be given "the keys to the business" to manage functions autonomously.

• Claude for Excel: Acts as a high-level financial analyst sitting directly within spreadsheets to analyze data and perform reconciliations.

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Practical Applications in Agriculture and Enterprise

The integration of AI into agriculture transforms it from a traditional industry into a sophisticated data business.

Use Cases and Evidence

• Onboarding and Administration: Agents can autonomously generate complex onboarding documentation and create multiple PowerPoint decks for different business functions based on a single prompt.

• Expense Management: AI can process physical receipts, categorize them, and generate corresponding Excel documentation automatically.

• Agronomy and Plant Health: Utilizing data sets (e.g., from Kaggle), AI can identify plant species and diagnose diseases with the precision of a world-class agronomist.

• Crop Yield Analysis: AI agents can analyze farm crop yields and financial data, performing the work of high-level analysts at a fraction of the time and cost.

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Labor, Identity, and the Future of Work

The "Agentic Era" will inevitably impact labor, but the nature of that impact is a shift in capability rather than simple replacement.

• Job Transformation: AI will perform tasks humans could never realistically do, such as 24/7 audits of every single transaction or constant reconciliation of receipts.

• The Skills Gap: Knowledge is no longer the primary source of power because AI provides "geniuses in your pocket." Power now resides with those who are "hungry, bold, and innovative."

• The "Work Scared" Philosophy: Fear of AI often stems from a lack of investment in the technology. The recommendation is to "work scared until you become scary"—developing skills until one is dangerous and proficient with the tools.

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Strategic Models: The Friction Paradox

As everything becomes more efficient and "button-driven," organizations must choose their positioning to avoid the "black hole of mediocrity."

1. Frictionless (The Button): Organizations like Amazon or McDonald's that win through extreme efficiency, on-demand service, and seamless transactions.

2. Meaningful Friction (The Experience): Organizations like the Four Seasons or Hermès that win through craftsmanship, human connection, and "slowing things down" to create magical, memorable moments.

Key Insight: "The only things that are going to win in the future are something that's incredibly automated and frictionless, and somebody that actually holds your hand."

The Importance of Human "Caring"

In high-friction models, human empathy remains the ultimate competitive advantage. This is evidenced by the "celebrity service" model where personal care and deep attention to individual needs—such as the "gentle knock on the door" wake-up call—create brand loyalty that technology cannot replicate.

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The Agentic Enterprise: Starting from Zero

The modern organization must move away from the "Assembly Line" model (designed for rigid processes) toward a model designed around unique human gifts.

The "Start from Zero" Tactic

To disrupt oneself, an organization should take a single process and ask: "If we started this today with current technology, what would we eliminate or automate?"

• Goal: Moving from 10% incremental improvement to 10X radical improvement.

• Outcome: By visualizing the final output through AI, teams can execute with ten times more clarity and speed.

High Agency Individuals

The most critical asset in an Agentic Enterprise is the "High Agency" person. This individual:

• Acts as an architect of their own outcomes.

• Does not ask for permission.

• Orchestrates various AI tools to execute tasks in the fastest way possible.

• Focuses on execution over theoretical knowledge.

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