Episode 93: AI Is a Capability, Not just a Technology with Judah Phillips
Overview
Have you ever considered what the bigger risk is? Adapting the wrong AI tool or waiting too long to get started?
Since predictive, generative, and agentic AI continue to alter how organizations operate, understanding how these different technologies complement one another is of utmost importance. This conversation revolves around the measurable impact of AI, while addressing concerns from making advanced analytics accessible to nonprofits of all sizes to using AI for smarter fundraising decisions. Join us and learn why incomplete or messy data shouldn’t stop you from using AI, how predictive AI uncovers opportunities, and why treating AI as a strategic capability rather than another tool can help organizations to enhance efficiency, increase revenue, and stay at the very top of an increasingly AI-driven world.
Our guest today is Judah Phillips, the Chief AI and Product Officer at Market Holdings LLC and the General Manager and co-founder of Squark AI, a no-code platform for predictive analytics, forecasting, and decision intelligence. Beyond his professional role, Judah founded the Boston Generative AI Meetup, one of the world’s largest in-person AI communities, and Boston AI Week, a citywide AI festival. He is also the author of multiple books related to analytics, e-commerce, and AI. His work specializes in bridging AI strategy, commercialization, governance, investment, and community building to accelerate AI adoption.
In this conversation, Nathan and Judah mainly discuss the developing relationship between predictive, generative, and agentic AI and how it affects the fundraising landscape, also what the future holds for AI and why it’s important to build AI capabilities early on.
Episode highlights
- 01:23 Introduction and background to Judah Phillips.
- 06:48 Judah’s journey on the development of Squark AI.
- 20:46 Making sophisticated capabilities accessible to everyone, not just building models.
- 25:52 Using predictive AI to solve real fundraising challenges.
- 38:37 The future convergence of predictive AI, generative AI, and agentic AI.
- 45:00 The importance of adopting an AI mindset before the technology moves too far ahead.
Tips and tools to implement today
- Keep humans in the loop for high-impact decisions areas such as healthcare and finance.
- Don’t make the mistake of assuming that AI is only for large organizations.
- A tool's value lies in the decisions it improves. Evaluate AI based on impact, not complexity.
- Start with business questions before selecting an AI solution.
- Modern AI can engineer, clean, and prioritize useful features automatically so don't let imperfect data become an excuse.
- Start your AI journey now. Don’t leave your organization behind competitors that are already learning and adapting.
- Continuously experiment and improve instead of treating AI adoption as a one-time project.
Favorite quotes
- “I don't think that if we were weavers and the loom came along, we'd all kind of run away from learning the loom. I think the weavers probably didn't learn the loom lost their jobs or you know were displaced to some degree.” - Judah Phillips
- “Put everything in and then let the algorithm tell you what's predicted.” - Judah Phillips
- “One of the things I've learned about AI transformation is the sooner you start, the better off you are.” - Judah Phillips
- “If you wait another year, that learning curve becomes steeper, not less.” - Nathan Chappell
- “Transformation is important, but I also like to think of AI not as a technology but as a capability.” - Judah Phillips
- “You will not catch up to your competitors unless you start immediately.” - Judah Phillips
- “Doing more with less sometimes means making an investment to do better in the future.” - Judah Phillips
Connect with us
This episode is sponsored by Microsoft.
