In the AI Risk Reward podcast, our host, Alec Crawford (@alec06830), Founder and CEO of Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc. aicrisk.com , interviews guests about balancing the risk and reward of Artificial Intelligence for you, your business, and society as a whole. Podcast production and sound engineering by Troutman Street Audio. You can find them on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Alec speaks with Antony Baker, CEO and Founder of FIFTEEN Group, about his unconventional path from championship sports to consulting and building AI-enabled business services. Antony explains how FIFTEEN Group was created to challenge traditional consulting models by combining talent assessment, process improvement, and practical AI adoption for mid-market companies. He emphasizes that successful AI implementation depends less on hype and more on human intelligence, training, change management, and starting with simple, high-friction business tasks that employees already dislike. The conversation also explores risks around governance, model changes, and the uncertainty created when organizations rely on rapidly evolving AI tools without strong controls. Alec and Antony close with a discussion on leadership, instinct, culture, and why hard work, talent, and adaptability remain essential even as AI becomes more embedded in business.

Summary:

Talent First: Antony Baker argues that strong people, work ethic, and the right cultural fit are the foundation for successful AI adoption.
Practical AI Adoption: Companies get better results when they begin with simple use cases like meeting notes, email workflows, and reporting automation.
Human and Artificial Intelligence: The episode highlights that AI performs best when paired with trained employees who know how to guide and educate the system.
Governance Risk: Rapid model changes and limited user control can create serious challenges, especially for regulated industries and large enterprises.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Antony shares that resilience, learning through failure, and trusting instinct are critical to building durable businesses in fast-moving markets.

Referenced in this episode:

Companies/Organizations:

FIFTEEN Group
Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc.
Nomura
SVB
PwC
EY
Barclays
Business AI Alliance
NatWest Markets
Microsoft
OpenAI
Claude
ChatGPT
Grok
Meta
UFC

Books:

Principles

Movies:

The Matrix

TV Shows:

The Ultimate Fighter