Episode Overview

Title: The Invisible AI Underbelly That No Marketer Knows About...Until Now (PART 2)
Hosts: Ralph Burns (Tier 11) & Lauren Petrullo (Mongoose Media)
Date: November 14, 2025

This episode dives deep into the unseen infrastructure fueling the AI revolution in marketing. Ralph and Lauren pull back the curtain on how massive, ongoing investments in data centers and AI systems by tech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon are silently transforming digital advertising and e-commerce. The hosts offer insights on why marketers must adapt, how to practically leverage AI, and what industry changes could mean for the future of acquiring and converting customers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Unseen Scale of AI Investment

• AI Investment is Exploding:
  Tech companies—Google, Meta, Amazon, and more—are investing tens of billions annually in AI infrastructure and cloud computing.
  • Ralph Burns (03:02): “These tech companies are investing 700, $800 billion, that's a billion with a B into this tech that we are just scratching the surface on."
• Visible vs Invisible AI:
  Despite the hype around AI tools, most of the action is beneath the surface—mainly, the construction of massive data centers and the procurement of GPUs to run increasingly advanced algorithms.
• Follow the Smart Money:
  The hosts urge listeners to watch where big tech allocates funds; it's a signal of where the industry is going and what capabilities are imminent.

2. Data Centers: The Backbone of Modern AI

• Physical Infrastructure is Everything:
  • Data centers—huge, nondescript warehouses packed with servers—are what power generative AI, massive advertising platforms, and even the cloud itself.
  • Ralph Burns (08:12): “This is basically just a big site of dirt. This is data centers, massive facilities holding thousands of servers.”
• Real-World Examples & Environmental Impact:
  • Meta, Google, and Amazon centers are springing up nationwide, contributing to local economic and environmental changes.
  • These “clouds” aren’t in the sky—they’re noisy, power-hungry buildings, sometimes annoyingly close to residential neighborhoods.

3. Strategic Shifts in E-Commerce & Big Tech

• AWS' Rise Within Amazon:
  • Lauren Petrullo (16:25): "I would guess that AWS will occupy 40% of Amazon's bottom line in the next two years... Again it's just say like there's so much happening, no one can stay on top of all of it."
  • Current numbers: AWS is already a significant (16-18%) share of Amazon’s revenue and growing fast.
• The Battle for E-Commerce Dominance:
  • Amazon has nearly 40% of online retail; Walmart trails at 6.4% but leverages its vast physical distribution network for competition and future moves.
  • Walmart and Amazon have different approaches, with Amazon doubling down on cloud and tech, Walmart maintaining its retail muscle.

4. Practical AI Adoption for Marketers & Businesses

• Innovation or Stagnation:
  Drawing from Peter Drucker, Ralph advises: “Innovate now or die.” Find tasks you hate, then see if AI can solve them.
  • Ralph Burns (22:36): “Go find a task that you're doing all the time that you don't want to do anymore... Start with one thing.”
• How to Start with AI Tools:
  • Look for AI-driven solutions to automate daily pain points (e.g. reading emails, building landing pages, summarizing tasks).
  • Lauren Petrullo (24:16): “There are smart interfaces that are leveraging the AI tools…to create interfaces that can remove some of those daily menial tasks that you're like, I would rather punch myself in the face than have to do again.”
• Effective Prompting & Tool Discovery:
  • Spend time crafting detailed prompts and having a genuine dialogue with tools like ChatGPT or Gemini—don’t just ask one-line questions.
  • Use AI to research which AI tools best fit your unique workflow by prompting a "debate style" analysis.

5. Creative Uses & Time-Saving Workflows

• Daily AI-Assisted Recaps and Reminders:
  • Lauren shares her approach: Using AI for daily check-ins, idea prioritization, and even learning words in different languages for fun.
  • Lauren Petrullo (28:54): “I use chat... you can have it send you daily tasks or daily reminders… I am going to talk to you. I'm just going to like vent for 90 seconds... I need you to collate everything that I'm saying and then I need you to ask me questions ... at the end… you can put a summary that I can give to my executive assistant or I can give to my team.”
• Better Team Communication:
  • Suggestion: Use AI as a middleman for daily mind dumps, helping busy executives share priorities with their teams seamlessly.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the pace and scale of AI investment:
  • Ralph Burns (03:02): "These tech companies are investing 700, $800 billion, that's a billion with a B into this tech that we are just scratching the surface on."
• Lauren’s playful marketing sabotage scenario:
  • Lauren Petrullo (11:34): “If there's one thing you wanted to mess up with another company... spend what, $200,000 across the ads on Meta, talking about how Meta's data centers blow up and Meta AI doesn't work anymore… showing fake footage.”
• On the overwhelming number of AI tools emerging:
  • Ralph Burns (22:36): “None of this stuff is going anywhere. We're not in a bubble right now… you need to adopt something within your business and use it.”
• On productive AI experimentation:
  • Lauren Petrullo (24:16): “Spend 20 to 30 minutes on each prompt and like have a dialogue back and forth with chatgpt ... you can use AI to find the AI solution that's easiest for you.”
  • Ralph Burns (26:31): “Use AI to figure out what AI task you can actually avoid doing or do less of. Like, that's a brilliant suggestion.”
• On bridging human relationships and AI tasks:
  • Ralph Burns (30:19): “Let's make a prompt: 'Tell me what my wife is thinking right now even though she hasn't told me about it.'”
• The Drucker imperative:
  • Ralph Burns (22:36): “Innovate now or die. Because if you're not innovating or if you're standing still, you are falling behind.”

Key Timestamps

• [03:02] — Scale of AI investment by Big Tech
• [08:12 – 10:22] — What a data center really is; Nvidia and the GPU revolution
• [13:36 – 16:25] — E-commerce landscape: Amazon vs Walmart vs emerging players
• [19:04 – 20:17] — AWS’ revenue growth, mind-boggling numbers
• [22:36] — How marketers should start with AI: find one hated task
• [24:16 – 28:54] — Lauren’s practical AI tool strategies
• [28:54 – 31:41] — Personal AI hacks: reminders, daily mind dumps, team communication

Takeaways for Marketers

• The AI transformation in marketing isn’t just about shiny tools or algorithm changes—it's profoundly dependent on giant, mostly invisible investments in hardware and cloud capacity.
• Marketers should be proactive, not reactive: identify repetitive, hated tasks and experiment with the new wave of AI tools to find time-saving solutions.
• The major players shaping the future—Amazon, Google, Meta—are prioritizing AI infrastructure above all, and those investments are starting to show in both consumer experience and ad performance.
• Don't get stuck at the surface—understanding how computing power, data centers, and cloud services interplay will set you apart as a marketing leader.
• Start small: pick a pain point, automate it with AI, and build from there. As Ralph emphasizes, that's how you stay ahead.

Resources Mentioned

• Nvidia GPU explanation (show notes)
• Creative Diversification package from Tier 11: tier11.com/CD
• Further reading/links on data center growth and AWS performance (in show notes)

In the Hosts’ Words

• “Pick one thing that you hate to do. I guarantee you there's an AI tool out there that'll help you do it better, faster, and probably a hell of a lot cheaper.” — Ralph Burns [22:36]
• “You can use AI to find the AI solution that’s easiest for you... Accept the convenience and figure out what is that task you wish you could never have to do again.” — Lauren Petrullo [24:16]

Conclusion:
This episode is a call to action for marketers: The AI revolution isn't just about tools and tricks—it's a global arms race in computing power that’s transforming both advertising and business operations. Stay curious, experiment meaningfully, and let the power of AI's invisible underbelly work for you.