Most companies are buying AI, then quietly failing at the last mile. Michael LaVista has spent 25 years shipping the hard final stretch — here's how he gets AI into production.

Michael LaVista, founder of Caxy (a Chicago software firm that's spent 25+ years staying a few steps ahead of the market), breaks down "last-mile AI" — why most AI projects run out of steam right at the end, and how to actually get them into production. We cover finding use cases worth building, the AI stack you can realistically hire for, driving adoption against real resistance, value-stream mapping to find the work that matters, guardrails for autonomous agents, and the rule that saves the most pain: solve the problem first, pick AI second. Real AI in production, not theory.

In this episode:

• What "last-mile AI" is — and why most AI projects run out of steam right at the end

• How to find AI use cases worth building (let 100 ideas compete, keep the home runs)

• Why automating tasks you already do is a weak AI strategy — and what to do instead

• How to pick an AI stack you can actually staff and maintain

• Driving adoption when part of your team is quietly resisting AI

• Value-stream mapping, guardrails for autonomous agents, and when NOT to build it yourself

Chapters:

0:00 Cold open: pick the problem, not the hype

1:20 Last-mile AI: where AI projects quietly die

2:56 Why automating tasks is a losing bet

3:53 "The board said use AI" — $100K/mo, zero accountability

5:45 Finding use cases: let 100 ideas compete

6:54 Idea to working software in 6 minutes

8:07 The AI stack: pick tech you can actually hire for

9:52 Adoption & the people who resist AI

11:25 Value creation beats automation (proposals, IKEA)

15:43 Right tool for the job: when NOT to use AI

18:47 Value stream mapping: find the red-pen process

21:28 Coding vampires & the autonomous-agent holy grail

23:25 Guardrails: prompt injection & Bedrock

24:58 Three steps ahead: a world where everyone builds

27:46 Final advice: problem first, then go get help

Guest: Michael LaVista, Founder & CEO @ Caxy. Michael LaVista is the founder and CEO of Caxy, a Chicago-based software and AI transformation firm. For 25+ years he's helped mid-sized companies turn AI from a board mandate into something that actually ships — what he calls last-mile AI.

Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellavista/

Connect with Vlad:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladeziegler/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aiwithvlad

• Work with Vlad (Elements Agents): https://www.elementsagents.com/

• Come on the show: https://cal.com/vladimirelements/podcast-intro-call

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Business AI Explained is a podcast for founders and GTM teams on how AI creates real business impact — real examples, real constraints, lessons from AI in production. Hosted by Vlad de Ziegler, founder of Elements Agents.

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