Mind the Machine

CES 2026 made one thing clear: AI is no longer something we open in a browser. It is becoming the interface for everything around us. From humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles to edge AI, cooling breakthroughs, and voice-first homes, this episode explores how artificial intelligence is moving out of the cloud and into the physical world.

Recorded on the show floor and inside CES’s new “Foundry” experience, this recap covers NVIDIA’s compute platforms, Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid, AI-powered vehicles, Qualcomm’s edge strategy, and a deep dive into Frore Systems’ solid-state AirJet cooling technology. The common thread is simple but massive: performance, intelligence, and autonomy are now constrained less by software and more by hardware, thermals, and form factor.

We also zoom out to the bigger question CES raised this year: if AI is becoming a medium rather than a feature, what does that mean for our homes, devices, and daily lives? From robotics skepticism to voice-controlled AI hubs, this episode breaks down what is real, what is hype, and what is coming sooner than most people expect.

00:00 CES 2026 recap and first impressions
00:52 AI is no longer a tool, it is the new UI
01:06 Inside CES’s new Foundry and NVIDIA compute
01:50 Robotics, generative AI, and the future of household labor
02:07 Are we actually ready for robots in our homes?
02:19 Sponsor message
02:31 Meet Digit and the rise of humanoid robotics
03:29 Why CES has quietly become a car show
04:10 AI cars, edge compute, and on-device intelligence
05:01 NVIDIA-powered vehicles and Jensen Huang’s keynote moment
05:46 NVIDIA Blackwell, Rubin, and Piper explained
06:09 Where real CES business actually happens
06:31 Frore Systems and the AirJet cooling breakthrough
07:25 How solid-state cooling changes device design
08:47 Qualcomm reference designs and thin-form AI devices
09:35 Why AI moving to the edge changes everything
10:39 Thermal limits as the new performance bottleneck
10:59 Qualcomm’s AI hardware strategy
11:45 Who AirJet is actually built for
12:22 CES reflections and industry relationships
12:42 Voice, AI hubs, and a future with fewer screens
13:21 AI as a medium and final CES 2026 takeaways

In this episode of Mind the Machine Podcast, we sit down with Stephanie Sylvester, CEO of Avatar Buddy, to explore what human-centered AI actually looks like in practice.

Stephanie explains why the real power of AI lives at the intersection between humans and machines, and how small language models can deliver more accurate, secure, and aligned outcomes than massive general-purpose models. She shares clear analogies for understanding LLMs versus SLMs, explains how “managed AI as a service” helps organizations maintain consistency and control, and outlines how AI can increase self-agency rather than replace people.

The conversation also dives into jobs of the future, the skills that will matter most in an AI-driven world, and how thoughtful AI design can reduce bias, support marginalized communities, and create real win-win-win outcomes for workers, companies, and society.

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Website: https://findgood.tech/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/

Timestamps

00:00 – The human-AI continuum and why AI should amplify people
00:30 – Introduction to Stephanie Sylvester and Avatar Buddy
01:38 – What Avatar Buddy does and why “everyone needs a buddy”
03:00 – The human-digital handshake explained
04:25 – Why AI can be a true win-win-win solution
05:30 – Large language models vs small language models
06:30 – The library analogy for understanding SLMs
08:00 – Reducing hallucinations and validating AI outputs
09:00 – Privacy, security, and ecological benefits of small models
10:00 – How businesses win with managed AI and consistent data
11:30 – Brand consistency, compliance, and AI as institutional memory
13:40 – Jobs of the future and the skills that matter most
15:00 – Resiliency, creativity, and learning in an AI world
17:30 – Critical thinking, problem solving, and managing AI output
18:30 – Hiring for humble, hungry, and smart
20:00 – AI-powered recruiting with dignity
22:30 – Using AI to practice interviews and build confidence
23:30 – Fears, concerns, and misinformation around AI and jobs
25:00 – AI, equity, and empowering marginalized communities
26:00 – What excites Stephanie most about the future of AI
26:52 – Closing thoughts and where to find Avatar Buddy

In this episode of Mind the Machine, we sit down with executive coach Renita Kolhorn to explore why emotional intelligence is becoming more important than raw IQ for founders, leaders, and decision-makers navigating AI-driven change.

Renita shares insights from her work with entrepreneurs, military special forces, and high-performing executives, breaking down how emotions influence behavior, decision-making, and leadership under pressure. She explains why emotions are often misunderstood, how survival triggers shape our reactions, and why discipline, awareness, and practice are essential leadership skills.

We also dig into how AI changes the leadership landscape. As machines take over more analytical tasks, the uniquely human skills of emotional mastery, intuition, observation, and self-awareness become even more critical. This conversation challenges leaders to slow down, notice what is happening around them, and strengthen their sense of self in an increasingly automated world.

If you are building, leading, or investing in the future of technology, this episode offers a grounded, practical look at how mastering emotions can unlock better decisions, stronger relationships, and more resilient leadership.

Follow Mind the Machine:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcast
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcast
Website: https://findgood.tech/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and opening clip on emotions
00:45 Why emotional intelligence matters for modern leadership
01:43 Renita’s background: Juilliard, martial arts, and executive coaching
05:41 Discipline, focus, and deliberate practice
08:29 Emotional mastery and performance under pressure
10:30 “Emotions are just chemicals” explained
12:04 Managing emotions versus suppressing them
14:33 The FAST framework: survival triggers that drive behavior
17:30 Do you need to dig into the past to change behavior?
19:10 Practicing new leadership behaviors
22:00 Why EQ matters more than IQ in an AI-driven world
25:35 AI, decision-making, and the limits of data
28:11 Intuition versus ego and how to tell the difference
32:24 Slowing down to access intuition
35:18 Pattern recognition and discernment in leadership
38:07 AI, identity, and the need for a strong sense of self
41:20 Feedback, self-worth, and AI as a mirror
44:07 One practical habit leaders can start today
47:24 Closing thoughts and wrap-up

Today we’re talking with Ryan Fox, CTO of Super.com, about what it really looks like to rebuild a company around AI. Ryan walks through why they literally shut down their old systems, why AI is both opportunity and constraint, and what leaders get wrong about adoption. He also breaks down how Super.com scaled from hotel booking to a financial super-app serving everyday Americans.We cover the shift to AI-first thinking, change management inside large teams, credit-building opportunities for underserved users, and why many AI pilots fail. Ryan also shares his personal journey from Google SRE to CTO, and why he eventually wants to bring AI back into the medical world.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/⸻TIMESTAMPS00:00 AI mindset shift and breaking old habits00:16 Today’s guest: Ryan Fox, CTO of Super.com00:50 How Super.com started as a hotel chatbot01:19 The early NLP era and why it was too soon02:11 Pivoting into a full super-app03:03 Revisiting old tech after the 2022 AI explosion03:40 Why they shut down their old systems entirely05:01 Building an “AI-first” product workflow06:08 Rethinking designers, engineers, and team workflows07:41 Solopreneurs, MVPs, and why scaling is different09:11 Why AI lets them execute more of their backlog10:49 What makes Super.com’s membership valuable12:02 The shocking debit-card discovery13:06 Credit access, demographics, and opportunity14:06 Financial literacy plus opportunity15:38 Bespoke financial coaching with AI16:57 How they use AI in pricing and backend systems17:44 “Spot”: an AI savings agent concept18:51 Macro AI trends Ryan is watching19:21 Shifting to an AI-first mindset across a company20:54 Training non-technical staff to use AI tools22:26 Fear, indifference, and adoption challenges23:47 AI failures, hype, and real timelines24:40 Why many orgs aren’t data-ready26:21 Legacy leaders misreading AI signals27:06 The reality: most experiments won’t work (and that’s OK)28:36 Ryan’s personal journey: engineering, Google, startups30:18 Growing with Super.com from early days to CTO31:03 Why the journey matters more than the destination31:41 Future hopes: bringing AI into medical fields32:50 Closing reflections and thanks

Paul Adams, Chief Product Officer and CMO at Intercom, joins Mind the Machine to break down how AI is reshaping customer service, product development, and the future of work. He explains how Intercom rebuilt its entire strategy in a matter of days after ChatGPT arrived, why he believes we are still at the very beginning of the AI cycle, and what second and third order effects will change the world in ways most people don’t yet see.Paul also shares practical advice for startup founders, students, and career-builders. He talks through why proximity and relationship capital still matter, why companies should rethink their entire operating model instead of piloting isolated AI projects, and how AI is creating new roles instead of simply replacing old ones.This conversation covers AI transformation, product strategy, future hardware, personal AI, workplace change, education, and how to prepare yourself for the next decade of innovation.

Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/

00:00 Intercom’s rapid shift after ChatGPT01:50 Why customer service is fundamentally broken03:32 How Intercom invented modern business messaging04:47 What Fin is and why AI excels at customer service08:13 Is AI underhyped? Paul’s view from Google and Facebook11:07 Why AI is a bigger wave than mobile13:22 Where we are in the AI timeline (Paul’s “1999 internet” analogy)15:01 Second- and third-order effects that will transform society18:24 Personal AI and how daily life will change20:36 How hardware will evolve in an AI-first world23:43 Why young people have a massive advantage in the AI era27:11 How to use AI like a powerful tool instead of Google31:34 Why proximity, trust, and human relationships still matter40:57 Practical guidance for companies starting an AI strategy43:18 Why isolated AI projects fail without whole-company adoption