Chain of Thought | AI Agents, Infrastructure & Engineering | The Agent Bubble Debate

The Agent Bubble Debate | Spot AI's Kelly Vaughn

March 19, 2025 / 35:16/S2 E15

Is the agentic AI bubble about to burst? Kelly Vaughn, Director of Engineering at Spot AI, questions whether the agent craze is overpromising potential and leading startups down a path of unsustainable expectations. Never one to shy away from a hot take, Kelly joins host Conor Bronsdon for a pragmatic look at AI, discussing the differences between building AI-enabled and traditional software, why replacing humans with AI teams will backfire (looking at you customer service), and the proliferation of AI tools.

Never one to shy away from a hot take, Kelly joins host Conor Bronsdon for a pragmatic look at AI, discussing the differences between building AI-enabled and traditional software, why replacing humans with AI teams will backfire (looking at you customer service), and the proliferation of AI tools.

Kelly also shares insights on constructing AI teams, navigating data governance, and building user trust while avoiding common startup pitfalls.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:13 Is Agentic AI a Bubble?

02:40 Startup Challenges and Market Noise

11:02 Building AI Products vs. Traditional Software

17:31 Ethical Implications and Governance

19:48 Constructing AI-Enabled Teams

22:07 AI Tooling and Productivity

26:00 Questioning Productivity Claims

32:28 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Connect with Chain of Thought host Conor Bronsdon: