Episode 72: Understanding Agentic AI and Vibe Coding
Overview
In this episode, Nathan and Scott talk about how quickly AI is changing the fundraising world. They look back at 2025 and think about what 2026 might bring. Nathan points out that no one expected AI to advance this quickly in just three years, and both agree that staying curious and adaptable is essential.
They share real examples, such as Nathan’s young sons building apps, to show how easy it is to use AI tools. They also discuss AI’s impact on jobs, with reports suggesting that nearly 12% of the US workforce could be affected.
A big part of the episode focuses on agentic AI—AI that can perform complex tasks on its own—and “vibe coding,” which lets people build apps simply by talking to their computer. They also discuss Google’s Gemini 3 and tools such as Notebook LM that make creating content faster and easier.
To wrap up, Nathan and Scott encourage listeners to stay open-minded, keep learning, and make the most of new AI opportunities as we head into 2026.
Episode highlights
- 05:05 AI's Impact on the Workforce and Personal Experiences
- 08:03 The Role of Agentic AI and Vibe Coding
- 21:14 Google's Gemini 3 and AI Integration
- 30:10 AI Strategy and Ethical Considerations
- 32:03 Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond
Tips and tools to implement today
- Use AI agents to automate multi-step tasks (e.g., data cleanup, workflows).
- Build simple apps by talking to your computer using tools.
- Test Gemini for writing, planning, and coding assistance.
- Turn long videos or documents into summaries, audio explainers, or infographics. Use an AI tool to brainstorm or stretch your goal-setting.
- Let AI schedule emails, handle reminders, or organize your calendar.
- Spend 10 minutes daily exploring a new AI tool or feature.
- Create a quick prototype using Replit + Firebase with AI assistance.
- Don't just "use tools"—define where AI can add real value in your work.
- Follow basic guidelines around privacy, data safety, and trustworthy use.
Favorite quotes
- "There are new reports that AI can already replace 11.7% of the US workforce. That's just basically the beginning." - Nathan Chappell
- "When you get to the intelligence explosion, it essentially means that intelligence becomes free, or nearly free. So, you have a PhD-level education or intelligence at your fingertips in every domain." - Nathan Chappell
- "Essentially, intelligence becomes not worthless, but it becomes devalued significantly. So what really matters is adaptability." - Nathan Chappell
- "Your job title may not have changed, but your job has, and the expectations of what success looks like have absolutely changed, and how the next person that does your job gets hired has changed, and how the person that gets promoted based on what they're able to contribute to your organization has changed. That is a fact. And so, again, if you spend your day in sales meetings with humans, like one-on-ones, you're actually in pretty good shape. But if you spend a lot of time behind a computer, then your job is fundamentally changed." - Nathan Chappell
- "Agentic AI really resembles a type of AI. It means agents. So agentic are agents. Agents can actually create their own AI to achieve lots of different tasks, like and not sequentially, all at the same time." - Nathan Chappell
- "Vibe coding is literally like any person just speaking to a computer, essentially, or typing to a computer and saying, build me an app that does whatever, takes a photo of a meal that I'm going to have and provides me the recipe for it, and then take that recipe and email it to everyone, my top 10 friends, whatever it is and order all the groceries and, and have them delivered at my door." - Nathan Chappell
- "Start today with something. ChatGPT helps you, or Gemini now, to help you figure it out. It would be even crueler to say your job is secure and will stay that way. There's nothing to worry about in the future. That is not the case. It's not linear, it's exponential. So even if it was linear, that would still be cruel." - Scott Rosenkrans
- "AI tools do not equal AI strategy. Just using Notebook LLM or ChatGPT, even if you use it every single day, isn't a strategy for your company. Your company is not going to move the needle significantly as an organization." - Scott Rosenkrans
Connect with us
This episode is sponsored by AI for Anyone.
