Most AI solutions today rely on massive data centers that consume unimaginable amounts of energy—and still struggle with hallucinations and inaccuracies. What if there was a different approach? In this episode, pioneering AI researcher David Sherwood uncovers a revolutionary software architecture that could make AI faster, far more accurate, and dramatically more energy-efficient—potentially transforming industries from defense to medicine.

You’ll discover why Sherwood’s technology, which shifts away from traditional deep learning, allows AI to operate with mere zeros and ones—no massive training, no hallucinations, and no reliance on data-hungry infrastructure. We break down how his approach finds exact matches in a knowledge base, vastly reducing errors and energy use, and how it can be scaled for natural language processing without the colossal resource requirements of today’s models. Sherwood shares insights from early neural network breakthroughs—like perceptrons and associative memory—showing how those ideas are guiding his current innovation.

We also dive into the future implications: how energy-efficient AI could mitigate the environmental impact of data centers, eliminate hallucinations, and provide reliable, explainable results for critical applications like medical diagnostics, defense targeting, and autonomous systems. Why does Sherwood believe that AI regulation will lag behind its rapid evolution, and what can society do now to prepare? From mental models for future-proofing careers to the potential of quantum computing, this episode offers a compelling view of AI’s next frontier—one where technology works with the planet, not against it.

This conversation is perfect for innovators, engineers, policy-shapers, and anyone curious about a smarter, safer AI future—without the dystopian risks. Sherwood’s groundbreaking approach offers hope that AI can be both powerful and sustainable, changing the way we think about machine intelligence forever.

David Sherwood is founder of Cognitive Science and Solutions, known for his pioneering work on memory-informed AI architectures that rival today’s deep learning models in efficiency and accuracy.

Learn more about Cognitive Science and Solutions: https://cogscisol.com/ Learn more about David Sherwood: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sherwood-70656b75/

Learn more about Keaton Olson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keatonolson/ https://www.instagram.com/keatontolson/

Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to David Sherwood and his extensive background 01:13 - Sherwood’s career trajectory from physics to neurophysiology and AI 02:50 - The evolution of memory research and Hebb's theory 06:25 - The impact of creating new synaptic connections vs. modifying existing ones 08:23 - Advances in neurogenesis and the dynamic nature of brain structures 09:37 - The emergence of neural networks and Sherwood’s early contributions 13:36 - The “winter of AI” and breakthroughs at the 1987 neural network conference 16:21 - Differences between generative AI and database retrieval models 17:01 - How Sherwood’s approach avoids hallucinations and misconceptions 20:02 - The importance of levels of abstraction in natural language understanding 22:18 - Other neural network models of the 80s like Hopfield networks and SOMs 25:26 - Practical demonstrations: accurate arithmetic with Diamond AI 30:13 - Use cases for high-accuracy, low-resource AI in defense and healthcare 32:08 - Future resource requirements and the innovative Hercules ER chip 39:28 - Addressing societal concerns: AI’s environmental impact and regulation 42:59 - The concept of technological acceleration from Alvin Toffler’s third wave 45:24 - Preparing for societal disruption and future careers in an AI-driven world 50:07 - Future adaptability through broad education and soft skills 54:34 - Society’s rapid evolution towards superintelligence and AGI 55:28 - Potential regulation and oversight challenges for AI technology 68:35 - Sherwood’s personal strategies for remaining future-proof 70:23 - Final thoughts on embracing change and the exciting frontier ahead

The Unexpected Path to VP of Marketing: A Conversation with Russell Reams

Join us for a captivating conversation with Russell Reams, Vice President of Marketing and Client Services at Calligraphy. Russell shares his unique journey from early roles at Nabisco and UPS to leading marketing strategy, emphasizing that "marketing is the thread of everything I do".12

Russell dives deep into his lifelong passion for curiosity, learning, and the intersection of psychology and data science. Discover how his extensive academic background—including a doctorate in marketing and data science—fuels his data-driven approach to marketing strategy, which he simplifies as: "Follow the data".34567

Learn about: How Russell uses data and insights to help customers strategically grow and "future-proof" their business (by understanding the operating environment and innovation).

His experience launching the U.S.-based healthcare segment at UPS, operating under the tagline, "It's a patient, not a package". Why human psychology adapts to technology but remains a reliable constant for marketers.

Russell's perspective on the massive investment in AI and its current and future impact on the job market, data analytics, and the marketing industry. The surprisingly "low-tech" strategy (thought leadership and public speaking) that is currently driving the most success for Calligraphy. Russell’s advice for staying "future-proof" through lifelong learning, sharpening soft skills, and building a strong network.

Don't miss Russell's thoughts on the power of curiosity, the value of being the least smart person in the room, and his take on the future of business in the age of accelerating technology. Chapters

Learn more about Keaton Olson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keatonolson/ Learn more about Russell Reams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellreams/

0:00 Future-Proofing Your Business

0:47 The Career Thread: From Nabisco and UPS to Calligraphy

1:29 Curiosity, Psychology, and Marketing

1:55 Working at UPS: Patients, Not Packages

3:20 Why Russell Pursued Academic Degrees

6:48 The Lifelong Learning Mindset

8:01 The "Smartest Person in the Room" Adage

10:07 Psychology in the Age of Accelerating Technology

13:49 AI in the Classroom and the Psychology of Efficiency

16:02 Efficiency and Strategy at Calligraphy

19:37 Oil Painting and Professional Juggling

21:56 Favorite B2B Marketing Strategy: Follow the Data

23:48 Outcome-Driven Nonprofits

27:48 Where AI is Headed and the Problem of "Work Slop"

33:07 Leveraging AI Safely for a Competitive Advantage

37:48 The Best Strategy Working Now: Low-Tech Thought Leadership

41:58 How to Personally Stay Future-Proof

From UN internships to HubSpot’s IPO to running a modern events + content agency. Nick Sal unpacks how he shifted from politics to social entrepreneurship, became an early HubSpot Academy leader, helped scale through INBOUND and partner ecosystems, and now builds high-impact webinars, field events, and customer storytelling programs.

We cover sales math (why “1 in 6” closes), offers that convert (audits and graders), culture at scale, and how AI accelerates B2B marketing without losing the human spark.

You’ll learn → How to productize “assessments” to turn interest into pipeline → What changed inside HubSpot from ~300 to 1,300 employees and IPO → The partnership motion: software + services “better together” → Sales tactics that shorten time to yes → Practical AI stack for decks, prompts, agents, and post-event content

Guest: Nick Sal, founder of Next Level Inbound; former HubSpot Academy leader Host: Keaton Olson

• Website: https://nextlevelnbound.com

• YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@visiontovibe-nsi

• All Links: https://linktr.ee/nicksal

• Gamma (AI deck builder): https://gamma.app

• MetaPrompt (Dharmesh Shah’s prompt optimizer): https://github.com/dharmesh/metaprompt

• Agent.ai (AI agent builder by Dharmesh Shah): https://agent.ai

• Riverside (remote recording studio): https://riverside.fm

• HubSpot Academy: https://academy.hubspot.com

• INBOUND Conference: https://www.inbound.com

• Website Grader: https://website.grader.com

• Drift / Salesloft Lineage: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keatonolson/

00:00 – Intro 00:30 – Nick’s path: PR intern → HubSpot Academy 01:19 – UN and State Assembly internships → entrepreneurship 03:30 – Discovering HubSpot and “idea whose time has come” 05:15 – Inside early HubSpot and Academy’s one-to-many model 06:22 – Paramify and HubSpot use 07:24 – What it felt like at ~300 employees 10:01 – Keaton’s Paramify startup story 11:38 – Why in-person years still matter in a remote world 15:14 – Scaling to ~1,300 and the IPO mechanics 18:01 – Negative churn, rebuilds & culture as a product 20:54 – Culture durability and founders’ role 24:42 – Going solo: skills, sales resilience & law of large numbers 29:41 – Content as sales ammo and social proof 34:13 – Sales math: why “1 in 6” closes & how to get to six 35:53 – Offers that convert: graders, audits & assessments 39:53 – Closing tactics: ask directly, bring in SMEs, start small 42:45 – Low-risk paid diagnostics to kick off 45:27 – How AI changed B2B marketing workflows 49:16 – Templates, research, invites & event ops with AI 55:00 – “Underground” tools: Gamma, MetaPrompt, Agents 1:01:16 – Agent.ai & HubSpot’s free-tool playbook 1:01:33 – Staying future-proof in the age of AI 1:07:49 – Wrap and where to find Nick