Episodes

  • Ai Today: Why Nika Stewart Prefers "Goldie" Over Claude for Brand Voice
    Jan 27 2026

    Are you overwhelmed by the "New AI Tool of the Week" cycle? Lou Bortone welcomes social media agency founder and short-form video expert Nika Stewart to discuss how to quiet the noise and use AI to amplify your unique human voice.

    What You’ll Learn:

    • The Overwhelm Antidote: Why focusing on one tool 100% is better than testing four tools at 25%.

    • Meet "Goldie": How Nika trained a Custom GPT on her books and life story to create an effortless writing assistant.

    • ChatGPT vs. Claude: Why Nika disagrees with the "experts" on which tool is a better creative writer.

    • The NotebookLM Edge: How to use Google’s newest tool to eliminate "AI hallucinations."

    • Creative Freedom: Why Nika is spending 2026 on documentaries, children's books, and music—powered by AI.

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    22 mins
  • AI Today: Beyond the Hype: Practical AI Frameworks for Business with Tanya Smith
    Jan 20 2026

    Ready to move past "playing" with AI and start profiting from it? Lou Bortone sits down with the "Live Stream Queen," Tanya Smith, to discuss the high-level frameworks she uses to automate video production and analyze social data.

    What You’ll Learn:

    • The "VIDEO" Framework: A specific strategy for creating high-conversion prompts in Sora.

    • The Copywriting Shift: Why Claude is Tanya's go-to for brand-consistent copy over ChatGPT.

    • Agental Automation: How to connect Vista Social to Claude via MCP servers for deep data analysis.

    • The Future of Content: Building a "Digital Twin" to maintain visibility while you focus on high-level strategy.

    • Closing the Gap: Addressing the growing "AI Pay Gap" and Tanya's mission to teach the next generation.

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    25 mins
  • AI Today: AI for Realists: Amplifying Human Connection with Bob "The Teacher" Sparkins
    Jan 13 2026

    Is AI a replacement for your creativity, or the ultimate amplifier? Lou Bortone welcomes long-time friend and digital marketing expert Bob Sparkins to cut through the "shiny object" noise and focus on tools that actually save time and generate revenue.

    What You’ll Learn:

    • The "Invisible" AI: Why SaneBox is the must-have tool for email sanity you didn't know was AI.

    • Juicing the Brain: How to use interviews and ChatGPT as a ghostwriter to create high-converting content.

    • The Realist’s Privacy Take: Why standard platforms like Gmail and Facebook have already set the privacy bar.

    • Workflow Optimization: Leveraging Descript and Riverside for a seamless video editing process.

    • The Future of Search: How early adopters of AI tools are securing their spot in future search results.

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    30 mins
  • Ai Today: Living in the Jetsons: The Essential AI Toolkit for 2025
    Jan 6 2026

    Are you using AI as a toy or a teammate? Rich Brooks, founder of flyte new media and the Agents of Change podcast, joins Lou Bortone to pull back the curtain on the exact AI workflows driving his multi-decade agency.

    What You’ll Learn:

    • The Workflow Shift: Why Claude is beating ChatGPT for brand-voice writing.

    • The "Invisible" Teammate: How to build an AI assistant for podcast show notes and social promo.

    • The Privacy Play: How (and why) to run LLMs locally on your own laptop.

    • SEO Evolution: What "AI Overviews" mean for your website traffic in 2025.

    • Future-Proofing: Why relationships still trump algorithms in a world of "AI Slop."

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    22 mins
  • AI Today: Day 12: Building Websites with AI-Powered Lovable | 12 Days of AI Tools Finale
    Dec 19 2025

    http://www.LouBortone.com presents…Day 12: Building Websites with AI-Powered Lovable | 12 Days of AI Tools FinaleJoin Lou Bortone for the grand finale of the 12 Days of AI Tools series! On the final day, Lou introduces Lovable, an AI-powered web development platform that transforms written descriptions into fully functional websites and web apps. Learn how Lou used Lovable to create the 12 Days of AI Tools website, complete with countdown timers and door-opening animations. Discover how Lovable makes web development accessible to everyone and delivers clean, professional code. Don't miss out on this innovative tool and catch more AI insights on the AI Today Podcast. Happy holidays and happy new year from Lou Bortone!00:00 Introduction and Day 12 Announcement00:26 Introducing Lovable: The AI-Powered Web Development Platform00:40 How Lovable Works: Building Websites with Natural Language01:39 Real-World Example: The 12 Days of AI Tools Website01:59 Why Lovable Stands Out02:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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    4 mins
  • AI Today: Discover Canva's New AI-Powered Features | 12 Days of AI Tools - Day 11
    Dec 18 2025

    Discover Canva's New AI-Powered Features | 12 Days of AI Tools - Day 11Welcome to Day 11 of the 12 Days of AI Tools! In this episode, we dive into Canva's AI integrations that have transformed it from a simple template tool to an advanced AI design platform. Explore features like text-to-image, background removal, Magic Write for copy, Magic Design for layouts, and AI video editing. Perfect for anyone creating social media content, presentations, or marketing materials, these tools make Canva a one-stop shop for all your visual content needs. Don't miss out on these transformative features!00:00 Introduction to Day 1100:17 Unveiling Canva's AI Features00:54 Transforming Design with AI01:28 Practical Uses of Canva AI02:07 Wrapping Up and What's Next

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    3 mins
  • AI Today: Unveiling Google Gemini Gems: Custom AI Assistants for Every Task
    Dec 17 2025

    http://www.LouBortone.com presents…Unveiling Google Gemini Gems: Custom AI Assistants for Every TaskJoin Lou on day 10 of the 12 days of AI tools as he introduces Google's Gemini Gems. Discover how you can create custom AI assistants with specific instructions, personalities, and expertise. Learn about the unique advantages of using Gemini Gems within the Google ecosystem for tasks like writing, coding, brainstorming, and more. Available for $20 a month with Gemini Advance or as part of Google One's AI premium package. Tune in tomorrow for day 11's exciting design tool reveal!00:00 Introduction to Day 10 of AI Tools00:08 Introducing Gemini Gems00:57 Features and Benefits of Gemini Gems01:49 Pricing and Subscription Options02:12 Conclusion and Next Steps

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    3 mins
  • Day 9 of 12 Days of AI Tools: Unveiling Google's Nano Banana Image Generator!
    Dec 16 2025

    http://www.LouBortone.com presents…Day 9 of 12 Days of AI Tools: Unveiling Google's Nano Banana Image Generator!Hey, it's Lou! Welcome to day 9 of our 12 days of AI tools series. Today, we explore Nano Banana, Google's new experimental image generation tool from Google AI Studio. It's lightning-fast, web-based, and currently free to use. Perfect for creating social media graphics, blog posts, presentations, and more with text prompts. Don't miss this opportunity to try it out while it's free! Subscribe for more AI insights and see you tomorrow for another exciting tool on day 10!00:00 Introduction to Day 9 of AI Tools00:19 Introducing Nano Banana: Google's Experimental Image Generator00:50 Why Choose Nano Banana?01:28 Key Features and Benefits02:15 How to Access Nano Banana02:33 Conclusion and Next Steps

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    3 mins