Creativity Squared: On the Rise of A.I. Agents            

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Dear Creativity Squared Member,

From building billion-dollar brands to pioneering the world of A.I. agents, meet Maddie Bell in Episode 51.

I first met Maddie at an IBM Ellevate conference where we both spoke on stage, and I was impressed with her presentation and enthusiasm. Maddie and her co-founder are also both part of CincyAI, the largest A.I. meetup in the region I co-host, and we’re so proud to have her in our community and at the forefront of this next wave of A.I. that goes beyond simple chatbots to intelligent agents that can execute complex workflows across platforms.

In today’s episode, you'll hear how Maddie thinks about the different waves of A.I. we're experiencing, from the initial ChatGPT moment to the current phase of A.I. integration into existing software and the upcoming rise of A.I. agents.

You’ll learn why buying technology tools will feel a lot more like hiring people in the future. We also discuss the implications and opportunities of this technology, how to evaluate A.I. tools, how to automate processes and grow businesses, and the importance of responsible A.I. development.

Join the conversation to learn more about the next evolution of artificial intelligence with A.I. agents — enjoy!

Check out Episode 51 today! 

Earlier today I was on a virtual stage discussing “How AI and Timeless Stories Connect” for the Autonomous Innovation Summit. We had a great discussion and will share the recording when it’s available.

My fellow panelists include Leopold Ajami (Chief Influence Officer, Public Speaking, and Thought Leadership Coach at Novel Philosophy Academy), Paqui Lizana (Global Head of Technology Strategy at Ikea), Yago de la Sotilla (CEO & Founder of Glassy), and Katie Trauth Taylor (CEO & Cofounder of Narratize).

Next week is Cincy AI Week and also the BOLD Unconference in Austria, which I can’t wait for both. I'm your boots on the ground for these conferences and will bring back the most important learnings for you at the intersection of A.I. and creativity.

Scroll on to discover:

• 🧐 Featured Blog Post: A.I. and Relationships: How Much of Ourselves Should We Outsource?

• 📆 Calendar of Events: A.I. Conferences & Events Radar

• 🤯 A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

• 🎧 More on Episode 51

• 👯‍♀️ Apply to Join the Clone Club

• 💎 Creativity Squared Premium Member Benefits

• 💝 Milestone Rewards

• ❤️‍🔥 Premium Members: Episode NFT

We’re just getting started, and if you enjoy our content, I’d really appreciate it if you could share, review, like, subscribe, leave a comment, and help spread the word about Creativity Squared in whatever way you’re willing to. Your support is greatly appreciated, and the whole team looks forward to growing with your help. Thank you!

Here's to exponential possibilities!

Helen

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

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📆 A.I. CONFERENCE & EVENTS RADAR

JUNE 11-13 Cincy AI Week, Cincinnati (Host Committee)

JUNE 12-16 BOLD UnConference, Austria (Speaker)

JULY 9 CincyAI Meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)

JULY 16-18 Black Tech Week, Cincinnati (Speaker)

JULY 18-19 Data 4 Public Good, Minneapolis (Speaker)

SEPTEMBER 4-6: MidwestCon, Cincinnati (Speaker)

SEPTEMBER 10-12: Marketing AI Conference (MAICON), Cleveland (Speaker)

Interested in having me speak at your event? Reach out!

With all of the A.I. updates flooding our feeds and screens, we’ve got you covered with the latest news at the intersection of A.I. and creativity.

What AI thinks a beautiful woman looks like: Mostly white and thin Washington Post — An investigation shows that tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion perpetuate narrow definitions of beauty, often depicting thin women with light skin and limited diversity. These biases stem from a lack of diverse training data and the influence of developers and executives. GenAI models’ struggles to depict diverse female appearance highlights the need for more inclusive and realistic AI models.

This is AI's 'next wave,' according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Quartz —  Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says “physical A.I.” that is the next big thing, while announcing the company's Isaac AI robot platform for manufacturing. Nvidia also unveiled its product roadmap, with plans for the Blackwell Ultra chip in 2025 and the Rubin platform in 2026. 

Former OpenAI employees say whistleblower protection on AI safety is not enough The Verge — Employees at OpenAI and other A.I. labs, including Geoffrey Hinton, call for protections for those who speak up about A.I. risks. They say that current protections are insufficient, focusing on illegal activities rather than factors like company safety policies. OpenAI particularly has seen a wave of criticism after multiple safety researchers quit recently for lack of executive-level support. 

OpenAI Whistle-Blowers Describe Reckless and Secretive Culture The New York Times — Insiders at OpenAI allege a culture of recklessness and secrecy, claiming the company prioritizes profit over safety in developing powerful A.I. systems. Concerns include a lack of safeguards against dangerous A.I. and stifling dissent among employees. The group calls for transparency and protections for whistle-blowers in the A.I. industry.

Microsoft’s AI deal under federal investigation CNN Business — US law enforcement agencies are taking a closer look at A.I companies amid concerns about competition, job displacement, discrimination, and fraud. The FTC is investigating Microsoft's deal with Inflection AI on allegations that the company didn’t properly disclose its acquisition of the startup. The DOJ and FTC are also nearing an agreement to oversee AI giants like Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI. 

This Hacker Tool Extracts All the Data Collected by Windows’ New Recall AI WIRED — Security researchers warn that a fairly new Microsft A.I. product that tracks your activity can be easily accessed by hackers. Windows Recall takes screenshots every five seconds and stores them on the device. An ethical hacker created TotalRecall, a tool to extract and display all recorded data. Microsoft has not responded to concerns about Recall's security features.

Former OpenAI board member explains why they fired Sam Altman The Verge  — Former OpenAI board member, Helen Toner, says the board tried to oust CEO Sam Altman last year due to repeated breaches of trust, including his secret ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund. Toner described Altman as psychologically abusive and secretive. She also questioned Altman’s resume, suggesting that he was actually fired from both of his prior roles in Silicon Valley. 

Former OpenAI Safety Researcher Says ‘Security Was Not Prioritized’ Decrypt — Former OpenAI safety researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner criticized the company's inadequate security practices, stating he was fired for raising concerns about prioritizing rapid A.I. growth over safety. He highlighted conflicts over loyalty, AGI development, and China's A.I. ambitions. Aschenbrenner said he and other employees should be able to speak freely about OpenAI's lack of transparency and accountability without reprisal. OpenAI employees are all bound by nondisclosure agreements. 

Nvidia passes Apple in market cap as second-most valuable public U.S. companyCNBC —  Nvidia hit a $3 trillion market cap milestone, thanks to a significant rise in share prices fueled by A.I. demand. The company's success is attributed to its dominance in AI chips for data centers, with investors optimistic about continued growth. Meanwhile, Apple's market performance has lagged due to slowing sales growth and stiff competition up and down its product roster.

Listen: Ep51. The Rise of A.I. Agents
Explore the Next Wave of A.I. from Chatbots to Intelligent Agents with Maddie Bell, CEO and Founder of Scheduler AI

Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Pandora | Amazon | Google | SoundCloud | iHeart Radio

"Buying technology tools is going to feel a lot more like hiring people in the future."

-Maddie Bell

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Maddie, Episode 51’s guest, is the CEO and Founder of Scheduler AI, a patented, fully autonomous A.I. agent that instantly connects businesses with their best prospects and customers. Maddie has over a decade of experience leading organizations in designing, developing, and launching breakthrough innovations at scale. She has been responsible for billion-dollar businesses, launched award-winning advertising campaigns, earned P&G’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” in digital innovation, and actively developed patented A.I. technology.

While juggling her thriving career and building her family with three young daughters, Maddie saw an opportunity for A.I. to solve a universal pain point — the time-consuming and revenue-leaking task of scheduling meetings. She co-founded Scheduler AI with her husband to create an A.I.-powered assistant that engages clients when they're most interested, coordinates meetings in seconds, and ensures they stay on the calendar.

In today’s episode, you'll hear how Maddie thinks about the different waves of A.I. we're experiencing, from the initial ChatGPT moment to the current phase of A.I. integration into existing software and the upcoming rise of A.I. agents.

You’ll learn why buying technology tools will feel a lot more like hiring people in the future. We also discuss the implications and opportunities of this technology, how to evaluate A.I. tools, how to automate processes and grow businesses, and the importance of responsible A.I. development.

Join the conversation to learn more about the next evolution of artificial intelligence with A.I. agents — enjoy!

Check out Episode 51 today! 

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👯‍♀️ Ready to be digitally cloned? Get your own custom synthetic avatar! Creativity Squared is collaborating with our partner and sponsor, Render, to bring The Avatar Experience to Cincinnati, OH, by appointment that fits into your schedule. Digitally clone yourself to unlock streamlined and dynamic video content — Apply to be cloned today!

There are less than a thousand known hyper-realistic custom synthetic avatars in existence, so participants will be at the forefront of this groundbreaking A.I. technology. Custom synthetic avatars are part of a massive and growing digital avatar market and is projected to be $270B by 2030.

Custom synthetic avatars can be used for creating:

• Dynamic online course instruction

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• Turnkey social media and email marketing video content

• Engaging customer service messaging

• And more!

👯‍♀️ In case you missed the announcement, I’ve digitally cloned myself! Learn all about mine in episode E14. Not Deepfaked! I Cloned Myself. You’ll meet Helen 2.ODD, my digital double, and discover why and how I made my A.I.-created custom synthetic avatar.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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