Who it serves
People responsible for the outcome.
It is for business owners, operators and technical leaders who own a process, budget, system or adoption outcome.
EP
034
LATEST EPISODElivestream
Your AI Stack Needs Boundaries, Not Just Better Models.
Dave Pengelley and Shawn Hain compare the AI tools in their daily work, from browser agents and cloud environments to multi-model reviews. They examine vendor lock-in, sandboxed client work, long-running agents and the discipline needed to turn AI-assisted building into useful output.
What AI Operators is
Practical conversations for people responsible for the outcome.
AI Operators is an Australian weekly live panel and podcast about the practical work of implementing AI in real organisations. It is not a catalogue of tools or a vendor comparison site.
What it examines
The work behind the demo.
Process, agentic workflows, knowledge systems, architecture, integration, governance, costs, ROI and the human judgement needed to run them.
How we approach it
Experience first. Hype last.
We start with the operating problem, follow the implementation trade-offs, and ask what changed after the demo. Tools are evidence, not the story.
How to use the archive
Find the question before the tool.
Use the topic guide to choose a starting point, then open an episode page for the conversation, transcript, chapters, resources and linked primary sources.
The show combines a weekly live conversation with published episode pages, show notes, chapters, resources and transcripts where they are available. AI Operators also publishes IRL event recaps, talk pages and guest profiles.
Watch the show
Hit play. Pick an episode.
What we cover
The real mechanics of AI adoption — every week, one thing you can use.
Frameworks
Leverage, not busywork.
The repeatable patterns we've seen actually move a P&L — not the demos that collapse in week two.
Tools & architecture
What serious operators are building with.
The stack choices, the integration tax, and the glue code nobody talks about in the launch video.
Honest CBA
The analysis your vendor won't give you.
Unit costs, break-even timelines, the hidden human cost. Numbers first, narrative second.
The archive · 6 episodes
One thing you can actually use, every week.
EP 034
1:05:15
livestream
Your AI Stack Needs Boundaries, Not Just Better Models.
Dave Pengelley and Shawn Hain compare the AI tools in their daily work, from browser agents and cloud environments to multi-model reviews. They examine vendor lock-in, sandboxed client work, long-running agents and the discipline needed to turn AI-assisted building into useful output.
DP
EP 033
1:09:19
livestream
Steve Jobs' 30-Year-Old Tip for Getting ROI from AI
John Ansley, Co-Founder, Board Member and Chief Revenue Officer at Knowby, joins Dave Pengelley, Richard Webbe and Matt Slayga to connect a 1992 Steve Jobs lesson about operational productivity with the challenge of getting ROI from AI. They explore how Knowby turns real work into step-by-step instructions, then discuss process improvement, interfaces and keeping AI context portable.
DP
RW
MS
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EP 032
1:08:37
livestream
AI Is an Amplifier, Not a Substitute for Thinking | Darren Mitchell
Darren Mitchell joins Dave Pengelley, Richard Webbe and Matt to explore AI as an amplifier for customer research and sales work, not a replacement for human judgement. They discuss critical thinking, provenance, deterministic systems and agent-friendly websites.
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RW
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EP 031
1:04:49
livestream
AI Made Developers Faster. So Why Does Work Feel Harder?
Annie Vella joins Dave Pengelley, Matt Slayga and Richard Webbe to examine how AI-assisted development changes cognitive load, flow state and accountability. The panel explores supervisory engineering, meaningful productivity measures and the systems thinking required for enterprise AI.
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RW
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EP 030
1:01:28
livestream
AI Attacks at Machine Speed. Zero Trust Is Not a Slogan.
Tony Kirkham joins Dave Pengelley, Richard Webbe and Matt Slager to examine AI-driven cybersecurity, zero trust, observability, identity controls and the enduring value of network fundamentals.
DP
RW
MS
EP 029
1:02:38
livestream
AI Agents Need Guardrails. Your Software Rebuild Needs a Plan.
Dave Pengelley, Richard Webbe and Matt examine whether AI will reshape monolithic software, and why a business-first approach matters when rebuilding systems. They explore agent harnesses, guardrails, progressive disclosure, technical debt and validation practices for production work.
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RW
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The hosts
Four operators. One live show, every week.
DP
Dave Pengelley
Operator / founder · agentic workflows
RW
Richard Webbe
Knowledge systems & data plumbing
MS
Matt Slager
ROI, benchmarks, business case
MB
Marno Brits
Tools, architecture, hard lessons