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PODCAST

Sidecar Sync

Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias

Welcome to Sidecar Sync: Your Weekly Dose of Innovation for Associations. Hosted by Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias, this podcast is your definitive source for the latest news, insights, and trends in the association world with a special emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its pivotal role in shaping the future. Each week, we delve into the most pressing topics, spotlighting the transformative role of emerging technologies and their profound impact on associations. With a commitment to

business non-profit

All Episodes

39:18

The State of AI Agents in 2026 | 124

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/03/05

Send a text In this special solo edition of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias unpacks Anthropic’s 2026 State of AI Agents report and translates what it actually means for associations. Drawing from data across 500+ technical leaders, she explores how organizations are moving beyond basic chatbots to multi-stage AI agents that handle workflows end to end. From research and reporting to customer service and coding, the results are clear: speed and quality are driving ROI—not just cost savings. Mallo...

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53:59

Agent Tollgates & MCP Mayhem: Who Really Owns Your...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/02/26

Send a text In this episode of the Sidecar Sync, Mallory and Amith dive deep into two seismic shifts rocking the AI landscape for associations: the rise of “agent tollgates” in SaaS platforms and the growing security concerns around Model Context Protocol (MCP). Sparked by comments from HubSpot’s CEO about monitoring and monetizing agent access to customer data, the conversation explores what happens when vendors start charging for AI agents to access “your” data—and why this may signal a bro...

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42:44

The Maya 200 Breakthrough, Project Genie’s Living...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/02/19

Send a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias zoom out to explore the AI infrastructure quietly reshaping everything beneath the surface—from Microsoft’s new Maya 200 custom AI chip and the race to lower inference costs, to Google’s Project Genie and the rise of interactive world models that could transform everything from credentialing simulations to digital twins of annual conferences. They also unpack bold predictions about the future of work, including AI...

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52:44

From Deep Learning Indaba to Algorithmic Sovereignty...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/02/12

Send a text If you think the future of AI is being decided only in Silicon Valley or Beijing, this conversation will stretch your perspective. Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias sit down with Benjamin “Benji” Rosman—Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, Founder of the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute, and recently named to the Time 100 Most Influential People in AI for 2025—to explore how Africa is building its AI ecosystem from the ground up. From the or...

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51:10

Kimi K2.5’s Swarm of Agents, Claude Goes Vertical,...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/02/05

Send us a text In this high-octane episode of Sidecar Sync, Amith and Mallory cover an ambitious trio of AI developments with massive implications for associations. They dive into Kimi K2.5, a Chinese open-source model built for multimodal agent swarms that rival GPT-5.2 at a fraction of the cost. Then, they explore Claude’s new domain-specific plugins for Cowork and what it means for associations when Big AI moves into vertical markets like legal and finance. Finally, they unpack Elon Musk’s...

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45:19

From White House Strategy to Youth Safety Tools:...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/01/29

Send us a text What do AI companions, deepfakes, and White House briefings have in common? Bruce Reed. In this episode, Mallory Mejias and Amith Nagarajan are joined by Bruce Reed, Head of AI at Common Sense Media and former Deputy Chief of Staff in the Biden-Harris White House. Bruce shares an insider’s view on how the U.S. government reacted to the launch of ChatGPT, the urgent need for AI guardrails for youth, and why you don’t need to be a tech expert to lead responsibly. Bruce Ree...

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48:45

Global Gaps in AI Use & What Happens When Capital...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/01/22

Send us a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias and Amith Nagarajan unpack two powerful narratives shaping our AI future: the surprising global leaderboard of AI adoption and a provocative economic thought experiment on capital, labor, and AGI. From Mallory’s firsthand experience using Claude to navigate the stress of first-time home buying to Microsoft’s latest diffusion report revealing where AI is truly taking hold (spoiler: it’s not the U.S.), this episode blends the person...

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46:34

The Physical AI Moment: Dispatches from CES 2026 | 117

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/01/15

Send us a text CES 2026 brought the heat—and the robots. In this episode, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias break down the biggest stories from the Consumer Electronics Show, where AI made its move from code to corporeal. They cover Meta’s $2B acquisition of Manus, Groq’s $20B licensing deal with Nvidia, and how LPUs are set to revolutionize inference computing. From humanoid robots dancing across stages to Nvidia’s open-source models reshaping robotics and autonomous vehicles, this episode ...

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38:47

The 95% Problem: Fixing What’s Broken in Enterprise...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/01/08

Send us a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias dig into the startling findings of a recent MIT study: 95% of enterprise AI initiatives are failing to deliver measurable impact. Why are so many organizations investing in AI only to watch their efforts fizzle? Mallory and Amith unpack 10 core reasons for these failures—ranging from building chat-first features instead of end-to-end workflows, to skipping the unglamorous data cleanup that powers real results. ...

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51:41

The New Year AI Checkup: What We Got Right in 2025...

Sidecar Sync ·

2026/01/01

Send us a text In this annual predictions spectacular, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias kick off 2026 by looking back at how well their 2025 AI forecasts held up (spoiler: pretty darn well) and then boldly lay out what’s coming next for artificial intelligence, associations, and knowledge work. From real-world AI recruiting agents and voice-first interfaces to the rise of AI literacy as a job requirement, the shift from SEO to AEO, and the very real possibility of AI-native platforms disrup...

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37:12

Supersonic Moments: The NFL’s Flight Problem & 100...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/12/25

Send us a text In this special holiday edition of Sidecar Sync, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias unwrap two stories that feel wildly different—but point to the same big idea: technology breaks barriers we once assumed were permanent. First, they dive into the NFL’s quiet fascination with supersonic flight and how faster-than-sound travel could reshape sports, conferences, and global strategy. Then they shift gears to AI, unpacking a massive new study analyzing 100 trillion tokens of real-wo...

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37:41

Domain-Specific AI : How Legal, Medical, and...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/12/18

Send us a text Domain-specific AI is having its ‘main character’ moment—and Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias break down three sharp examples. They unpack Three Points Law, an AI-first UK firm using tools like Legora and Qanooni to move beyond billable hours into value-based pricing; dive into Project Prometheus, Jeff Bezos’ big bet on ‘physical AI’ that learns from real-world experiments; and explore OpenEvidence as evidence-grounded clinical copilots surge in adoption alongside the America...

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50:50

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: AI & Legal...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/12/11

Send us a text In this eye-opening episode, Mallory Mejias sits down with Ernie Svenson—better known as Ernie the Attorney—to talk tech, tradition, and the tectonic shifts in how professionals learn and connect. A former litigator turned AI advocate, Ernie shares why he believes many associations are at a crossroads: adapt to how members actually work today or risk becoming irrelevant. From the viral LinkedIn post that questioned the value of bar associations, to the behind-the-scenes of buil...

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49:49

The November Model Wave: DeepSeek 3.2, Gemini 3,...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/12/04

Send us a text This week on Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias and Amith Nagarajan unpack one of the most explosive weeks in AI so far—from the stunning debut of Google's Gemini 3 to the jaw-dropping image generation of Nano Banana Pro, and the best-in-class coding chops of Claude Opus 4.5. They also dive into Mistral 3 and DeepSeek 3.2, two powerful open-weight alternatives making waves in the AI space. With OpenAI allegedly declaring a Code Red in response, the co-hosts break down what this all m...

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38:34

Claiming the Right to Win: How IFT Built CoDeveloper...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/11/27

Send us a text When an association with 85 years of food science knowledge decides to launch an AI product, what happens? In this episode, Mallory Mejias sits down with Jay Gilbert, Director of Scientific Programs and Product Development at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), to explore how IFT built CoDeveloper, an AI-powered platform designed to streamline R&D in food innovation. Jay shares how his journey from student member to staff gave him a unique edge in shaping tech that’s...

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46:11

The Race for AI Speed, Efficiency, & Infrastructure:...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/11/20

Send us a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias and Amith Nagarajan dive into three high-octane AI developments reshaping the landscape of innovation. They kick things off with Claude Haiku 4.5, Anthropic’s blazing-fast small model offering near-frontier performance at a fraction of the cost. Then, the hosts explore diffusion models—an architectural shake-up that could revolutionize how AI generates language. Finally, they venture into orbit with Google’s ambitious Project Sunc...

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28:52

Live from digitalNow 2025: Inside the Association...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/11/13

Send us a text Live from digitalNow 2025 in Chicago, this special edition of Sidecar Sync brings together voices from across the association world, sharing real-life examples of AI implementation, leadership innovation, and strategic transformation. Mallory Mejias speaks with leaders from the American Paint Horse Association, the Missouri State Teachers Association, AGRiP, and more to uncover how associations are moving from ideation to execution with AI. Whether it’s slashing support calls w...

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39:33

Dolphins & DeepMind: Cracking the Code of Animal...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/11/06

Send us a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias is joined by marine biologist and behavioral researcher Dr. Denise Herzing for a one-of-a-kind conversation about dolphins, data, and deep learning. Dr. Herzing shares insights from her 40-year study of Atlantic spotted dolphins and how that lifetime of underwater research is now powering DolphinGemma—an open-source large language model trained on dolphin vocalizations. The two discuss what it means to label meaning in animal comm...

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41:41

What to Expect at digitalNow 2025 & the App That...

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/10/30

Send us a text In this solo episode, Mallory Mejias takes the reins to unveil what digitalNow 2025 reveals about the current state of AI in associations—spoiler alert: we're officially in the "AI adolescence" phase. From cultural adoption to trust-building, she unpacks the four key insights her analysis surfaced from the event’s full schedule. But that’s not all—Mallory goes off-script to live-build a conference session recommender app on air, showing how even non-technical folks can leverage...

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58:20

Rethinking UX for the 50+ Crowd with Bryan Kelly | 105

Sidecar Sync ·

2025/10/23

Send us a text In this episode, Mallory Mejias sits down with UX and content strategy expert Bryan Kelly to explore how the longevity economy—a massive shift toward a population dominated by adults over 50—is transforming digital experiences. Bryan dives into why designing for older adults is less about age and more about behaviors, values, and life stage. He breaks down the common UX mistakes organizations make and shares practical strategies for building trust, clarity, and confidence into ...

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124 results

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