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Dave Linthicum Is Not AI

David Linthicum

Welcome to "Dave is not AI." I"m David Linthicum, and I take a skeptical look at the exploding AI marketplace. Forget the hype. We explore the true reality behind AI technology, its capabilities, and its limitations. Discover why enterprises and humans are struggling with AI today, and gain expert insights on how to best navigate a future where AI is everywhere. Join me for grounded, unbiased analysis to master the AI landscape. Because while AI might be the buzzword, clear understanding is your

technology documentary

All Episodes

08:34

AI Posers Are Everywhere: and They Are Doing Big Damage

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/03/20

Everyone's talking about AI—but not everyone actually understands it. In this episode, we take a humorous (and slightly savage) look at the rise of "AI posers": people who sprinkle buzzwords like confetti, post hot takes with absolute certainty, and somehow land influencer status or even executive roles without the fundamentals to back it up. The problem isn't that AI is hard (it is). The problem is that the market is currently set up to reward confidence, speed, and optics over real competence

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11:48

This Isn't Innovation — It's Marketing Theater

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/03/17

This video takes a hard look at the spectacle surrounding this week's Nvidia conference and asks the question too many people in tech refuse to ask: where is the real innovation? Instead of breakthrough ideas, what we keep seeing is bigger branding, louder promises, recycled narratives, and the same AI talking points wrapped in more expensive marketing. The industry keeps calling this disruption, but much of it looks like coordinated hype designed to impress investors, dominate headlines, and

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11:31

AI Hype Gets Wrecked by Real-World Job Test

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/03/10

This video breaks down a new paper, Remote Labor Index: Measuring AI Automation of Remote Work, and why it challenges the biggest claims in the AI hype cycle. Instead of scoring AI on narrow tests, the researchers evaluated frontier systems on 240 real freelance projects across 23 categories of paid remote work, using actual briefs, input files, and human-created deliverables as the benchmark. The result was brutal: current AI agents performed near the floor, with the best system reaching only a

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14:46

McKinsey's 25,000 'AI Employees': Proof They Don't...

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/03/06

In this video, I dive into McKinsey's headline-grabbing claim of employing 25,000 AI "agents" as if these bits of software are somehow interchangeable with human employees. Let's be blunt: this reveals how little McKinsey—and much of big consulting—actually understands about what AI agents are, what they aren't, and where their real value lies. What we're seeing is not a revolution in talent strategy, but a parade of buzzwords masking a fundamental confusion. AI agents aren't employees. They don't

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14:32

Is SaaS Cooked Due to AI?

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/03/05

AI agents are reshaping how people interact with business software—and that's why you're hearing claims like "AI will replace SaaS." The core idea is simple: instead of employees logging into five different tools, learning each interface, and clicking through workflows, they'll describe the outcome they want and an agent will execute the steps across systems. When that happens, the seat-based revenue model weakens because fewer humans need direct app access. At the same time, many point-solution

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07:34

Block's Layoffs Explained: Cost Cuts Disguised as "AI...

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/28

Block just announced another round of layoffs, and the loudest part of the story isn't the headcount number—it's the narrative. The company is leaning into an "AI-driven efficiency" framing, implying that automation is the primary force reshaping teams and roles. But there's a much simpler (and more honest) explanation: overhiring followed by cost normalization. In this video, we break down why "AI made us do it" is quickly becoming the most convenient corporate cover story of 2026. AI can

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10:11

5 Unpopular AI Truths Enterprises Don't Want to Hear

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/27

AI is everywhere, but the loudest takes aren't always the most useful. In this video, we break down five unpopular (and highly practical) opinions on AI drawn from David Linthicum's enterprise-focused writing—covering why "agentic AI" may be running ahead of real-world execution, why chasing hype can quietly drain budgets, and why simpler AI often delivers better near-term ROI than flashy initiatives. We also tackle the uncomfortable truth about AI returns: many organizations struggle to measure

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11:38

China-Linked AI Espionage: Stealing Anthropic's Model...

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/26

Anthropic just raised the alarm: it says a network tied to Chinese AI companies created thousands of accounts to hammer Claude with prompts, capture the outputs, and use them to train competing models—a technique known as model distillation. If true, this is a new kind of "theft": not a server hack, but a high-volume scraping of a model's capabilities through the front door of an API. In this video, we break down what distillation is, why it threatens frontier-model IP, and how it can quietly shift

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16:47

Everyone Is Lying About AI — And It's Not an Accident

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/22

For the last few years, Big Tech pushed a blunt message: AI will replace developers, automate entire departments, and become systemic to every part of life. That story drove panic, boardroom decisions, and layoffs framed as "efficiency" or "AI transformation." But here we are in 2026, and the promised overhaul still hasn't arrived. In this video, I break down what was claimed, why it was claimed, and what actually happened. You'll see how the AI narrative split into two groups: the insiders who

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15:55

Laid Off? Turn Your Next 30 Days Into a Comeback Plan

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/20

Amazon just confirmed plans to cut roughly 16,000 roles, including in AWS—another reminder that even "safe" high-tech jobs can vanish fast. If you're being pushed out (or fear you might be), this video gives you a clear, practical playbook to regain control. First: a layoff is a business event, not a personal verdict. Your job is to stabilize your mindset and your runway so you can make smart decisions quickly. Next: stop "job hunting" and start value positioning. The market doesn't pay for

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14:28

The Feds Turn Up the Heat: Microsoft's AI Practices...

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/14

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is intensifying its investigation into Microsoft's dominance in the world of business software, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. With a sharp focus on Microsoft's widely used products like Windows, Office, and its AI Copilot, regulators are probing claims that Microsoft may be leveraging its market power to unfairly push AI offerings onto its users and lock out competitors. Subpoenas have gone out to at least six rival companies, demanding deep

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13:30

AI Regulation Crash Course: Don't Get Caught Off...

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/13

AI regulation is moving fast—and it's not happening the same way everywhere. In this video, we break down what's underway right now across the EU, UK, US (federal + states), and Canada in a clear, non-hype way. You'll learn how the EU AI Act sets a risk-based framework (from banned practices to strict controls for high-risk systems and new rules for foundation models), while the UK leans on existing regulators and principles instead of one mega "AI law." In the United States, there's still no single

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18:33

Why Users HATED Copilot: Microsoft's AI Got Rejected

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/09

Microsoft pitched Copilot as the "everyday AI companion" that would turbocharge Windows. Then it landed like bloatware with a badge. This video breaks down how a hype-first launch, a forced Windows update rollout, and messy "everywhere at once" integration turned curiosity into backlash. When an assistant shows up in your taskbar, your search box, and your apps without asking, the question isn't "Is it cool?"—it's "Who's in control?" Add uneven answers, hallucinations, and the constant need to

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15:27

AI Is Watching You Shop—And Changing the Prices

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/06

AI is rapidly turning modern marketing into a surveillance-and-optimization machine. What started with loyalty cards and basic customer databases has evolved into always-on tracking across apps, websites, and devices—feeding models that learn what people want, when they're vulnerable to buying, and how to push them toward a decision. In this video, we break down how "surveillance marketing" works in plain language: companies collect massive amounts of behavioral data, stitch it together with

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14:01

Why the Amazon-McKinsey AI Alliance Is Destined to...

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/02/03

The launch of the Amazon McKinsey Group (AMG), a high-profile partnership between AWS and McKinsey, is being presented as a game-changing initiative for enterprise-scale digital transformation. They tout end-to-end value, integrated teams, and billion-dollar business impact. But let's cut through the advertising: AMG's very existence highlights the growing desperation among cloud providers and consulting giants faced with the slow, challenging rollout of artificial intelligence across enterprise

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13:24

AI in Cars Is Backfiring: More AI Features, Fewer Buyers

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/01/30

I've spent decades watching enterprises adopt technology, and the pattern is always the same: innovation only creates growth when it reduces friction and increases trust. The automotive industry is pushing AI into the cabin as if "more intelligence" automatically means "more demand." But buyers don't purchase abstractions—they purchase outcomes. Right now, much of in-car AI adds complexity to routine tasks, introduces unpredictable behavior, and shifts capabilities behind subscriptions and post-sale

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15:05

AI in 1985 vs 2026: What Changed (and Why It Matters)

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/01/23

In this video, I'm going to take you back to 1985, when building AI meant rolling up your sleeves and encoding expertise by hand. I'll tell a personal story from that era—using Prolog, Lisp, and Borland M1 to create rule-based systems that could make decisions in the real world, long before the cloud and GPUs made "intelligence" feel instant. Then we'll jump to 2026, where AI is defined by foundation models, tool-using agents, and systems that learn from enormous datasets rather than just following

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15:14

Windows 11 vs Linux for AI… The Results Shocked Me

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/01/21

Windows 11 can run local AI, but in real day-to-day use it often feels like it's working against you—especially once you start stacking multiple AI tools, projects, and installs. What I found is that Linux generally delivers a smoother "AI desktop" experience: setups are more straightforward, common AI instructions match what you're actually running, and GPU-accelerated apps tend to behave more consistently. The result is less time spent troubleshooting and more time getting outputs. On Windows

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16:51

Why 'AI Agent Marketplaces' Are the Next Big Scam

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/01/16

AI agents are the new buzzword in enterprise tech, but the real question isn't "can we build them?"—it's "can we actually sell them in a way enterprises will trust and fund?" This video, from a Dave Linthicum-style vantage point, cuts through the marketing gloss and treats agents as what they really are: autonomous software systems wired into messy, mission-critical environments. We unpack what an AI agent actually is, how it differs from a simple chatbot or workflow, and what it takes

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14:43

Windows 11: The AI Update Nobody Asked For

Dave Linthicum Is Not AI ·

2026/01/11

Windows 11 wasn't "the future"—it was a forced pivot. Microsoft took an OS people relied on for speed, flexibility, and control, then locked the door behind TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and arbitrary CPU lists that stranded millions of perfectly good PCs. And for what? A redesigned UI that's less customizable, a Start Menu that feels like a billboard, and a setup flow that tries to drag Home users into an always-online Microsoft account whether they want it or not. Then comes the real point: Windows 11

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52 results

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