The Lean AI Podcast presented by Eric Ries

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Siddarth Anand from Royal Bank of Canada. Together, they explore the critical gap between business leaders and technologists in AI initiatives, the importance of starting with business problems rather than technology, and how to build cross-functional teams that deliver real value through strategic prioritization and execution.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Philip Chew, a veteran technologist with experience building platforms at financial companies since the 1990s. Together, they explore Philip's unique approach to leading AI transformation in large corporations, including his portfolio management methodology, the importance of breaking down professional silos, and why this technological shift represents a fundamental paradigm change from deterministic to probabilistic programming.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Adam Newton, AI transformation leader with experience at EON, Danone, and Amazon. Together, they explore the critical difference between problem-focused and technology-focused AI initiatives, the importance of strategic speed over operational speed, and practical frameworks for securing funding and scaling AI projects.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Kunal Sawarkar, Chief Data Scientist and Distinguished Engineer at IBM. Together, they discuss practical strategies for embedding AI into products successfully, including Kunal's "burning star syndrome" approach to AI investment, the importance of customer-focused problem solving, and building the right talent composition for AI teams.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Supreet Kaur, AI professional at Microsoft. Together, they discuss strategic approaches for securing leadership buy-in for AI initiatives, the importance of aligning AI with business problems, and how to effectively communicate AI progress to maintain momentum and support from executives.

In the first episode in Season 2 of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Chris Reitz, a seasoned product management professional and AI educator. Together, they discuss the importance of cultivating AI use cases through problem-focused approaches, avoiding "magical thinking" in AI initiatives, and making strategic small bets rather than overinvesting in uncertain outcomes.

In the dynamic season #1 finale of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Eric Ries—bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way, and creator of the transformative Lean Startup methodology. Known for redefining how companies innovate, Eric shares actionable strategies to develop AI-powered solutions that drive real impact. This conversation explores critical topics like testing key assumptions, implementing metered funding, and shifting away from traditional corporate funding models—all through the lens of Lean principles. If you’re looking to harness AI innovation with proven frameworks, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Mike Hollinger, Distinguished Engineer at IBM and President of the Austin AI Alliance. Together, they explore the critical importance of understanding user intent, leveraging organizational data effectively, and avoiding common pitfalls in AI implementation.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Chris Withers, a seasoned leader known for his transformative roles in data and AI at BT Group, EY, and IBM. Together, they discuss deploying AI tools to enhance productivity and spearhead initiatives, the challenges of collecting "ground truth" data, and the value of testing assumptions early.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Christina Mongan, Global Director of AI Practice at Unisys. Together, they discuss driving successful AI transformation in large organizations. Christina shares insights on prioritizing business outcomes, creating a human-centered approach to AI, and avoiding common pitfalls in AI adoption.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Dr. Meeta Vouk, AI Product and Strategy Leader. Together they discuss essential strategies for executives navigating AI, including the importance of starting with clearly defined problems, establishing robust governance frameworks, and fostering cross-functional collaboration.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Mike Schubert, Vice President of Technology at Unum. Together, they discuss Mike’s four-step framework for successful AI initiatives, the importance of grounding AI efforts in real business needs, and the value of learning from both successes and failures.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Vivek Mahapatra, Vice President of Go To Market at Salesforce AI. Together they discuss the strategic implementation of AI in business, successful AI use cases in customer service, and common pitfalls organizations face.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Jonathan Bertfield, Senior Director at Lean Startup Co. Together, they discuss the importance of successful AI adoption and the challenges companies face in achieving it, developing AI-powered products across various industries, and the importance of time to value and engagement as KPIs.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Nabeel Siddiqui, Global Senior Director & Head of Tech and Automation at SAP Digital. Together they discuss practices for successfully integrating AI into the “day in the life” of users , including ways of testing AI use cases, how to foster a culture of innovation, and other critical success factors. Disclaimer: "I'm sharing all these methodologies, as these are some of the best practices followed industry-wide. Not necessarily based on the organization that I belong to, but just as generic comments, These are all my personal opinions and are very general and can be used by anyone." Nabeel Siddiqui

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Bjoern Lasse Herrmann Corporate AI Executive & Entrepreneur (Sage, Compass). Together they discuss how businesses must transform in order to drive AI adoption successfully, including the need for cross-functional teams and skills beyond technical expertise, and the importance of embracing uncertainty and creating a culture that supports innovation and learning.

In this episode of The Lean AI Podcast, host Ben Hafele is joined by Chris Withers, a seasoned leader known for his transformative roles in data and AI at BT Group, EY, and IBM. Together, they discuss deploying AI tools to enhance productivity and spearhead initiatives, the challenges of collecting "ground truth" data, and the value of testing assumptions early.

Welcome to The Lean AI Podcast, where we want to flip the AI conversation on its head. If you want to harness the transformative potential of Generative AI but struggle with the complexities of adoption, then look no further. We’ll be speaking to AI executives, industry experts, and thought leaders who offer disruptive perspectives about how humans interact with AI, the ways in which companies can implement AI and Lean Startup methodologies effectively, and much, much more. Make sure to search for “The Lean AI Podcast” in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to click subscribe so you don’t miss any future episodes.