Microsoft Innovation Podcast

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In this episode, Mark Smith speaks with Caleb Mattingly about how startups and enterprises should approach AI governance, compliance, and risk as AI adoption accelerates. The conversation focuses on ISO 42001, common misconceptions about AI security, and why compliance is less about badges and more about trust, data quality, and long term viability. You will hear practical perspectives on when compliance becomes essential, how it functions as a sales enabler, and why human oversight still matters more than autonomous agents in high risk environments. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/810   
🎙️ What you’ll learn 
How ISO 42001 differs from traditional security standards like ISO 27001 
Why AI compliance is primarily about data quality, bias, and risk anticipation 
When compliance becomes a sales lever rather than a legal checkbox 
Why most organisations are not ready for autonomous compliance agents 
How startups should time compliance investments without killing runway 
✅ Highlights 
“ISO 42001 does not prove that your AI system is secure at all.” 
“Most of it is not security related, it’s about data quality and bias.” 
“AI is only as good as the data that you give it.” 
“Compliance acts as a sales lever before it acts as a security guarantee.” 
“AI can make a lot of mistakes very quickly.” 
“Most companies are not ready for AI agents with admin access.” 
“SOC 2 in two weeks is not a thing.” 
“Compliance and security are not one to one.” 
“Enterprises care about whether you handle their data securely.” 
“It takes a minimum of five months to get SOC 2 done properly.” 
 🧰 Mentioned 
International Standards Organization: https://www.iso.org/ 
ISO 42001: https://www.iso.org/standard/42001  
ISO 27001: https://www.iso.org/standard/27001  
SOC 2: https://www.aicpa-cima.com/topic/audit-assurance/audit-and-assurance-greater-than-soc-2 
EU AI Act: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj/eng 
✅Keywords 
ai governance, iso 42001, ai compliance, startup compliance, data privacy, soc 2, iso certification, ai risk management, enterprise sales, ai regulation, security and privacy, responsible ai 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
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If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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This episode explores how AI coding agents are reshaping how software is built, through the practical experience of Vardhaman Deshpande. The core insight is that pro-code developers using natural language with modern AI models can now build features and agents faster than many low-code tools. The conversation examines velocity gains, trade-offs between pro-code and low-code, and what this shift means for professionals building AI-powered solutions.
 
🎙️  Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/809
👉 What you’ll learn     
When pro-code plus AI is faster than low-code tools 
How natural language is becoming a new interface for software development 
Where Copilot Studio fits, and where it may slow teams down 
How AI agents accelerate feature delivery and testing 
What skills matter as AI-driven development matures 
✅ Highlights     
“My workflow is actually faster than doing something in a low-code, no-code environment.” 
“Pro-code plus AI coding agents might actually be faster to build than low-code.” 
“Recent models are amazing at translating natural language to code.” 
“Earlier something that took weeks I can probably do in a couple of days now.” 
“The velocity of creating features for products is going to explode.” 
“Why do you need that middleware?” 
“Prompting rather than configuring is the transition we’re starting to see.” 
“How much of pro-code versus low-code is realistic remains to be seen.” 
“Things which were prohibitively time-consuming have become possible now.” 
🧰 Mentioned     
Microsoft Foundry: https://azure.microsoft.com/products/ai-foundry/  
Azure AI Services: https://ai.azure.com/explore/aiservices 
Copilot Studio: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio/  
GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot  
Power Virtual Agents: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-copilot/blog/copilot-studio/microsoft-power-virtual-agents-now-part-of-microsoft-copilot-studio/ 
Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 
✅ Keywords      
ai agents, pro-code, low-code, github copilot, copilot studio, microsoft foundry, azure ai, natural language coding, software velocity, ai development, microsoft ecosystem, automation 
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If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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In this episode, Esther Angell shares a grounded approach to adopting AI without hype or overwhelm. The conversation focuses on starting with real business problems, using the tools you already have, and improving efficiency without losing trust or human connection. Esther explains where AI delivers real value for small teams, the risks of misuse, and why culture matters as much as capability. The core message is simple: solve the work nobody wants to do, move fast, and stay purposeful as AI adoption accelerates.

👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/808
🎙️ What you’ll learn   
How to identify the right problems before introducing AI 
Where small businesses can gain real efficiency with AI 
Why overusing AI can damage trust and customer experience 
How to reduce risk when using free and built-in AI tools 
Practical ways to start small and fail fast with AI initiatives 
✅ Highlights 
“You can't be in a state of curiosity and judgment at the same time.” 
“AI shouldn’t be your decision-making platform.” 
“We still have people making those buying decisions.” 
“Most folks are using it, but at a preference level.” 
“What tools do you own, and are you using them?” 
“Content is great, but it can get you into trouble.” 
“People are doing business with a small business because they feel connected.” 
“Most AI projects are not successful.” 
“Start with the thing nobody really wants to do.” 
“Small businesses can be more nimble.” 
🧰 Mentioned 
Microsoft Power Platform: https://www.microsoft.com/power-platform  
Dynamics: https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365  
Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com  
HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com  
Google Workspace: https://workspace.google.com  
Gemini: https://gemini.google.com 
✅Keywords   
ai adoption, small business ai, automation, efficiency, digital transformation, crm, power platform, entrepreneurship, ai risk, ai culture, process improvement, human centred ai 
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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This episode features a conversation with Daniel Cohen‑Dumani on why many organisations feel stuck on AI despite rapid advances. The discussion focuses on agentic AI, the growing gap between consumer and business adoption, and why strategy matters more than experimentation. You will hear practical guidance on narrowing AI efforts to real business problems, building organisational memory for reliable agents, and avoiding paralysis caused by hype and fear. The conversation also challenges traditional systems like CRM and reframes AI as a tool to learn, not shortcut, building sustainable capability inside organisations.

👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/807 
🎙️ What you’ll learn 
How agentic AI is shifting from demos to real work execution 
Why many businesses are still years behind practical AI adoption 
How to identify one business problem where AI can move the needle 
What organisational memory is and why agents depend on it 
How to use AI to learn skills rather than replace thinking 
 ✅ Highlights  
“There’s not going to be a slowdown. I think this is just a new normal.” 
“I think business are more lost than ever.” 
“We live in a bubble, but businesses are still two years back.” 
“2026 is really the year where we’re going to see business start knocking off things using agentic AI.” 
“Every business today have to be driving a bus on the highway and changing the wheels.” 
“AI is going to disrupt your business. That is a fact.” 
“Context is the key to having reliable agents.” 
“An agent without memory is nothing.” 
“Innovation has to come from the bottom up.” 
🧰 Mentioned 
Agentic AI: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/agentic-ai  
OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai/  
Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/  
Knowledge graph technology: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/knowledge-graph  
Artificial general intelligence (AGI): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence 
✅Keywords 
agentic ai, ai adoption, organisational memory, business strategy, ai agents, knowledge graph, crm systems, enterprise ai, ai learning, automation, digital transformation, ai disruption 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 
 
Simon Hudson explores how organisations can build real AI capability by grounding Copilot and AI tools in strong information architecture, governance, and canonical knowledge. He discusses using SharePoint as the brain of the business, the limits of today’s agent hype, and why AI should be treated like essential infrastructure rather than a bolt-on. The conversation highlights practical patterns for reducing hallucinations, improving productivity, and using AI to support executive and ethical decision-making. 
🎙 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/806 
👉 What you’ll learn     
How to use SharePoint and metadata to create a canonical source of truth for AI 
Why good governance and information architecture are prerequisites for effective AI 
Practical ways to reduce AI hallucinations through grounding and authoritative records 
How role-based AI assistants differ from narrow task-based agents 
Why AI adoption should be treated as core business infrastructure, not optional add-ons 
✅ Highlights     
“If you haven’t got good governance and good information architecture, you cannot have good AI.” 
“I came up with this concept using SharePoint to create the brain of the business.” 
“It’s the authoritative record, and in it, it is fully human legible.” 
“We’re really doing is creating virtual employees or virtual staff.” 
“I don’t like the word agent. I think it’s too tech.” 
“AI is more like electricity.” 
“People think they’re using Copilot, but they’re not talking about the same thing.” 
“Most organisations don’t really know what their ethical position is.” 
“The AI is completely impartial. It goes, yeah, but you said.” 
“That knowledge bank enables people to be much more productive.” 
🧰 Mentioned     
Copilot Chat: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/overview 
Copilot Studio: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio/ 
Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 
Microsoft Ignite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s315Ms2nWr4&list=PLlrxD0HtieHi5KXOFyeMkZbq226jkxRzh  
✅ Keywords      
ai governance, microsoft copilot, sharepoint, information architecture, metadata, business productivity, ai agents, canonical data, digital workplace, executive decision making, ethics in ai, knowledge management 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith