In his third appearance on the DevReady Podcast, Gareth Rydon, Co-Founder of Friyay.ai, joins host Anthony Sapountzis for an in-depth and fast-paced exploration of the ever-evolving AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... landscape. The episode covers everything from corporate hiring strategies to automation workflows, from brand development to platform fatigue. With the hype around AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... louder than ever, Gareth and Anthony offer a refreshing, pragmatic take on what’s actually useful, what’s over-engineered, and what’s likely to shape the next wave of intelligent tools for businesses.
They open with a reflection on companies like Duolingo and Shopify embracing “AI-first” hiring policies. Gareth cautions against overlooking long-term impacts, pointing to his past experience with graduate freezes that disrupted organisational growth years later. The duo discuss whether companies are truly investing in upskilling and whether current AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... tools are mature enough to justify such bold moves. Alongside these strategic reflections, they delve into how features like ChatGPT’s internal knowledge retrieval and Infinite Memory are reshaping how teams manage information—while also raising critical concerns about privacy, access control, and AI’s sometimes-flawed understanding of context.
The conversation transitions into the future of search, branding, and discoverability. Gareth introduces the concept of Agent Engine Optimisation (AEO), the successor to SEO, where websites must be structured to be machine-readable and easily referenced by AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... tools. They explore Google’s NotebookLM, which Gareth calls a “tailored educational ecosystem,” and discuss its unique ability to pull relevant sources, timestamped video segments, and even generate study guides or podcasts. Meanwhile, Anthony shares how he’s using OpenAI’s Deep Research to shortcut intensive workflows like technical audits or naming strategy—pushing the idea that AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... should be used to support genuine learning, not just content regurgitation.
The pair also take aim at AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... misuse, particularly the rise of low-quality, AI-generated comments on platforms like LinkedIn. Gareth explains how some creators are trolling bots with absurd phrases to highlight the issue, and both agree that such features undermine meaningful dialogue. They also mock the rise of “Comment X for my cheat sheet” gimmicks, calling out the lack of actual value delivered. Throughout the discussion, they return to a central theme: AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... should enhance conversations, not dilute them—a principle equally applicable in branding, education, and community platforms.
Wrapping up, Anthony shares his custom-built YouTube-to-summary automation workflow using n8n, highlighting the pitfalls of applying agents where they’re not needed. Gareth adds that many AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... solutions are being pitched as silver bullets, overwhelming business owners rather than solving real problems. Their final advice? Start small, validate the problem first, and deliver micro-solutions that actually work. In an industry moving at breakneck speed, the ones who stay grounded and customer-focused will ultimately win.
Topics Covered
- AI-First Hiring Strategies
- ChatGPT’s Internal Knowledge Integration
- Infinite Memory and Context Mixing
- Agent Engine Optimisation (AEO)
- Google NotebookLM for Research and Learning
- AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... in Brand Creation and Content Development
- AI-Generated Comments on LinkedIn
- Misuse and Overhype of AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... Agents
- Practical Automation with Tools like n8n
- Human-Centred AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... Adoption and Workflow Design
Important Time Stamps
- Why Duolingo’s AI-First Hiring Could Backfire Long-Term (0:07 – 4:32)
- Gareth Rydon on the Power & Peril of ChatGPT’s Knowledge Feature (4:33 – 8:27)
- From Data Privacy to Dominating Search—Gareth & Anthony Break It Down (8:28 – 16:07)
- Agent Engine Optimisation: The New SEO Is Here (16:08 – 23:41)
- AI-Powered Research Without 50 Tabs Open? Yes Please. (23:42 – 28:27)
- The Uber Lesson: Stop Fighting AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through..., Start Redesigning (28:28 – 32:48)
- Why AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... Comments Are Killing LinkedIn Conversations (32:49 – 37:19)
- Automation Should Solve Problems—Not Create New Ones (37:20 – 47:39)
