Cover of Manual Work is a Bug

Manual Work is a Bug

Manual Work is a Bug

By: Matthew Black and Hillary Black | Mav
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We believe that Manual Work is a Bug. This is a podcast about the future of work and life with artificial intelligence. Hosted by Matthew Black and Hillary Black. A Mav Automation Ventures production.106556
Episodes
  • Stop Using AI Like a Search Engine: MCPs & Connectors

    Stop Using AI Like a Search Engine: MCPs & Connectors
    30 Oct 2026
    Mav Founder + CEO Matthew Black and Head of Brand Hillary Black are back at the same table, and they brought something to launch: Mav's official MCP server.Connect Mav to Claude or ChatGPTOn the table: a company arcade with a global leaderboard (does this make us serious, or unserious?), why your AI is only as smart as what you connect it to, the personal agent that wants your credit card, a local model test that surprised Matthew, and the one prediction that could hand Meta the ads business, and get rid of the dreaded Meta Business Suite once and for all.Chapters00:00 — Intro: back in the studio01:13 — The Mav arcade02:44 — How serious are we, really?04:39 — Use AI to do more, not less05:39 — Why taste matters now07:45 — Mav's MCP server is live08:42 — Asking Mav anything09:40 — Why we opened it up11:15 — Ten connectors, one dashboard12:11 — Treat AI like the gym12:55 — Otherwise, it's just a search engine13:36 — Static documents vs. live connections15:22 — OpenClaw and the personal agent race16:01 — Muse wants everything connected16:35 — From read-only to write17:23 — Can local models do this?18:18 — Consumer vs. business: who picked a lane19:35 — Matthew's favorite connector21:09 — Rippling and event ROI21:31 — Hillary's picks: Figma and Notion23:01 — Will Claude build what its connectors do?24:48 — Zapier, the original connector25:13 — Meta's opening in ads26:47 — Google, Microsoft and Apple27:42 — Is this interesting to anyone?28:44 — Episode 15 and the private jetHostsMatthew Black — Founder + CEO, Mav Hillary Black — Head of Brand and Conversation Design, Mav Links and ResourcesThe Mav arcade, home of Dialer Destroyer and the global leaderboard Matthew's earlier explainer on MCPs, the video Hillary mentions at 11:15 Meta Muse, the personal agent that only works once you connect everything Claude Duet, Anthropic's answer to Muse, announced the day this was recorded Granola, the meeting notes app behind Matthew's favorite connector Rippling, whose MCP gives Mav ROI on event spend Figma, Hillary's live asset library inside Claude Notion, where every transcript and testimonial lives Canva, whose Claude connector Hillary used to update every brand template Zapier, the original connector Follow the showManual Work is a Bug is Mav's podcast, now on video. Watch on YouTube and follow wherever you listen, so you don't wait another six years for the next episode. Mav helps insurance agencies grow their book with AI: hiremav.com.Spotify Amazon Music
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    29 min
  • I Trust My AI More Than I Trust Myself with Charley Todd

    I Trust My AI More Than I Trust Myself with Charley Todd
    22 Oct 2026
    This week, it's Matthew's turn for a one-off. Mav Founder + CEO Matthew Black sits down with guest host Charley Todd, founder of Charley Insurance and friend of the show, for a conversation filmed three months ago that already feels like a time capsule.On the table: the AI model that vanished overnight, why Matthew trusts his model more than he trusts himself, the airplane that explains how he runs Mav, and the old-school answer he gives for surviving a founder's worst days.Chapters00:00 — Intro: a three-month-old conversation01:27 — Matt, Matthew, or Matty?02:44 — Adopting AI as a new independent agency04:27 — Humans and technology: the next 18 months05:12 — Everyone is struggling for air05:56 — Loop engineering06:43 — The Fable that disappeared07:37 — It feels like the dot-com boom08:11 — Operate with AI every day10:01 — What consumers want: utility and context11:27 — Insurance inside GPT and Claude12:02 — The renewal letter nobody wants13:15 — What Siri should have done14:53 — I trust my model more than myself16:20 — Why Mav switched to Rippling17:13 — Where the human touch still wins18:28 — Learning vs. building19:21 — Learn by solving real problems21:24 — Boeing vs. Airbus: how Matthew runs Mav22:51 — Give your model context23:40 — Start with weekend vibe coding24:20 — Nine problems and one gem25:20 — The hardest day as a founder27:29 — Go in with a hundred percent love30:02 — "Clip it. Publish it."32:21 — Expanding, not contracting33:46 — CloseHostsMatthew Black — Founder + CEO, Mav Charley Todd — Guest host, insurance agency founder, Charley Insurance Links and ResourcesAnthropic's statement on Claude Fable access, the model that disappeared mid-session Rippling, the HR and finance platform Mav moved to for its MCP Jack Dorsey, "From Hierarchy to Intelligence," on running Block through AI instead of org charts Hacker News, where Matthew watches what's coming down the pipe Obsidian, the note app Charley uses for his master documents Art of Accomplishment, Joe Hudson's coaching company, home of "How could I enjoy this 10% more?" Follow the showManual Work is a Bug is Mav's podcast, now on video. Watch on YouTube and follow wherever you listen, so you don't wait another six years for the next episode. Mav helps insurance agencies grow their book with AI: hiremav.com.Spotify Amazon Music
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    34 min
  • How to Send Texts Your Customers Will Reply To: Conversation Design 101

    How to Send Texts Your Customers Will Reply To: Conversation Design 101
    15 Oct 2026

    This week, it's a solo episode. Mav Head of Brand and Conversation Design Hillary Black takes the mic to share what eight years of writing for bots has taught her about one thing: getting people to actually text you back.


    On the table: what a conversation designer really does, why ChatGPT made your customers harder to impress, the texting mistake she sees brands make constantly, and her top three fixes you can use today, no matter which AI you run.


    Chapters

    00:00 — Intro

    00:15 — A solo episode

    01:21 — What is conversation design?

    02:05 — Why the good bots are good

    02:43 — From writing bot scripts to writing system prompts

    03:48 — Why conversation design matters more than ever

    05:40 — When AI support chat goes off the rails

    06:46 — If you're texting your leads

    08:02 — Top three ways to improve your conversations

    08:31 — Tip 1: Make it a two-way conversation

    09:56 — Tip 2: Ask one thing per message

    11:24 — Tell people how to respond

    12:22 — Close the loop

    13:23 — Tip 3: Test it yourself as a user

    14:57 — What to look for in your conversation logs

    16:07 — Close


    Host

    Hillary Black — Head of Brand and Conversation Design, Mav


    Links and Resources

    ChatGPT, OpenAI's assistant and the reason your customers expect more from every chat

    Claude, Anthropic's assistant, home of the Opus and Sonnet models Hillary mentions

    SmarterChild, the AIM chatbot that couldn't answer much of anything


    Follow the show

    Manual Work is a Bug is Mav's podcast, now on video. Watch on YouTube and follow wherever you listen, so you don't wait another six years for the next episode. Mav helps insurance agencies grow their book with AI: hiremav.com.


    Spotify

    Amazon Music

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    17 min
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