Podcast Summary

Using AI at Work — Episode 85: Tim Cakir

Host: Chris Daigle
Guest: Tim Cakir, Founder of AI Operator
Date: January 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores how business leaders and organizations can leverage AI not just as a set of productivity tools, but as a catalyst for cultural and behavioral change within teams. Tim Cakir shares his personal journey from music and operations into AI thought leadership, and lays out a pragmatic, mindset-driven approach to AI adoption. Listeners will gain actionable insights on facilitating "AI fluency," fostering curiosity, and driving transformation—not just chasing the latest tools.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tim Cakir’s Backstory and Journey into AI

Diverse Origins: From DJ and sound engineer to marketing and tech, Tim’s journey was driven by curiosity for technology and process improvement (03:28).
Early Tech Encounters: Worked in computer vision and real estate tech before most people knew what “AI” meant. Learned the fundamentals of neural networks and machine learning directly on the job.
Growth Hacking to Operations: Rode industry trends such as growth hacking, then fell in love with operations, understanding that growth is truly rooted in systems and processes.
Teaching & Training: COVID-19 offered a path into digital education; Tim developed interactive tech curricula and realized a passion for teaching (08:04).

"I became obsessed about tools… at some point, I had the newsletter Tool Time Tim, and everything was branded Tool Time Tim."
— Tim Cakir (05:59)

Discovering AI's Potential & Building AI Operator

Early Adoption of ChatGPT: Tim was an enthusiastic early user, recognizing the potential despite immature outputs in 2022 (10:10).
AI Operator Formation: Pivoted from running a company to launching AI Operator, delivering AI training programs for organizations—including leading sessions for Google teams.

"I trained the whole team... my business partners were like, you look bored from this. You don't want to do this anymore. You're so into this chat GPT thing, aren't you?... I want to train humans, you know, I want to train people on AI..."
— Tim Cakir (10:58)

Staying Current with AI (Without Getting Overwhelmed)

Reject “Tool Chasing”: You won’t win by trying to keep up with every new tool or update; instead, focus on active experimentation and creation (13:55).
Be a Creator, Not Just a Consumer: Test, build, and apply — passive consumption won’t yield meaningful transformation.
Mindful Consumption: Limit your attention to a few trusted thought leaders and balance content intake with hands-on practice.
Content Creators Caveat: Be wary; not all popular creators provide accurate or actionable advice, especially if sensational engagement is their goal.

"Don't try. Just do it or don't do it. If you look at my channel and I do some crazy stuff... don’t feel like you’re missing out... this is what we do day in, day out."
— Tim Cakir (13:55)

Skill Development: From Literacy to Fluency

Behavioral Change > Technical Skill: The real goal is to shift mindsets and behaviors rather than just technical upskilling (12:33, 47:16).
Facilitating Aha Moments: Customizing training around actual job tasks and workflows sparks realization of AI's value (‘thinking in AI’).
Survey-Driven Approach: Before training, survey team members' actual pain points (“what sucks in your job?”), wishes, and comfort levels with AI (41:29).
Sustained Change: Short workshops can’t deliver; it takes at least 12 weeks of habit and mindset-building to stick (49:13).

"AI is not something to use. AI is something that we work with."
— Tim Cakir (45:14)

Real-World Business Applications of AI

Voice AI Is Here: Outbound AI sales calls still suffer from acceptance issues, but inbound/speed-to-lead applications are maturing (20:00).
Personal AI Assistants: Practical use cases—having an AI “chief of staff” handling emails, scheduling, and tasks via AirPods or voice interfaces (21:59, 23:35).
Automated News Summaries: Tim described a stack for daily briefings—automatically turning 15 newsletters into a 10-minute custom podcast for his team (28:40).
Bespoke Automations: From invoice processing to reporting, AI's value emerges most when tailored to specific pain points of roles or departments (54:57).

"Because I'm in Turkey, what happens is that I get the new features at 10:11 pm, just as I'm about to go to bed... I'm not sleeping again tonight."
— Tim Cakir (11:47)

Organizational Impacts: Change Management and Talent

Growth Mindset is Essential: Team members willing to learn and experiment (even in their hobbies) adapt well. Fixed-mindset, rigid individuals are increasingly less viable in AI-powered organizations (38:27).
Cultural Shift over ROI Tracking: While hard ROI matters, long-term agility comes from embedding a “work with AI” reflex culturally, not just measuring process savings (50:48).

"If I teach you a fact about AI, you can use it. Oh, but you have to remember to use it. But if I can change your behavior to where your default is, is AI first, then you'll figure it out."
— Chris Daigle (51:09)

AI Training: The “AI Operator” Model

Three-Phase Program:
1. Survey & Diagnose: Understand pain points, context, hopes, and fears.
2. Behavioral / Habit Change: Redesign how people show up to work; focus on soft skills, communication with machines, and workflow redesign.
3. Build & Scale: Once the mindset is there, help teams create automations, internal AI agents, and ongoing experimentation.
Long-Term Partnership: The goal is to make organizations self-sufficient AI operators—empowering staff to be creators, not just users, of AI-powered systems.

"Our first ever client… they're still with us… They see us as their AI department, basically."
— Tim Cakir (53:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On AI Adoption:
"Don't compete with AI. You lose. Collaborate with it, you know, become best friends, become partners, and then you'll have a great time."
— Tim Cakir (00:00, 60:10)
On “Tool Chasing” and Mindset:
"You're going to feel frustrated and you're going to feel sad and you're going to feel like you're losing... Choose one or two great thought leaders… then try yourself."
— Tim Cakir (13:55, 15:47)
On AI Training Philosophy:
"We focus on behavioral change, redesigning how we work, redesigning how we show up, redesigning how we talk. Because… we're talking to the machines now."
— Tim Cakir (33:28, 40:41)
On Building AI Fluency:
"When that happens, that's it, you know, then it's a beautiful journey… If there is one or two people not on board, they have a fixed mindset. They're not even the right people for your business."
— Tim Cakir (36:35)
AI as a Blessing:
"See it as a blessing... if we look from the positive side, from the fuller side of the glass, we have incredible things to do as humans, and we have this incredible new technology that is our assistant. So, you know, don't compete. Collaborate."
— Tim Cakir (60:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[03:28] — Tim’s global career journey and transition to AI
[08:04] — Embracing digital teaching and operations
[10:10] — Early days of ChatGPT and pivot to AI Operator
[13:55] — On why you shouldn't "try" to keep up with AI, but instead just do and create
[18:50] — On being a creator, not just a consumer, in the age of AI
[20:00] — The state of AI voice tech—real, inbound use cases
[24:44] — Using voice tools and real-world applications for productivity
[28:40] — How Tim built an AI-powered personalized news podcast
[40:41] — Tim's 12-week transformation program for AI implementation
[44:43] — The importance of mindset, context, and the love-not-fear approach
[49:13] — Why true behavioral change can't be rushed
[53:31] — Long-term partnering with companies as their AI “department”
[58:45] — Creating “AI Operators” for the next generation workforce
[60:10] — Final advice: Don’t compete, collaborate with AI

Practical Takeaways for Business Leaders

Anchor AI adoption to real employee pain points, not just shiny demos.
Invest in long-term, behavioral change-focused training, not one-off workshops.
Foster a culture of curiosity and experimentation.
Empower “AI operators”—individuals with the confidence and skills to orchestrate tools, not just use them.
Don’t get distracted by the speed of tool evolution—become a creator and collaborator.

Final Note

This episode is a must-listen for leaders seeking to move beyond buzzwords toward sustainable, human-first AI integration. Tim Cakir’s approach highlights that the hardest and most valuable part of AI transformation is not technical—it’s cultural and behavioral.

“You have the context. AI just has a lot of data, but it doesn't know what to do with it. If you get together, you are unstoppable.”
— Tim Cakir (44:43)

Recommended: Check show notes for the full list of tools and resources discussed in the episode.

Podcast Summary

Using AI at Work — Episode 85: Tim Cakir

Host: Chris Daigle
Guest: Tim Cakir, Founder of AI Operator
Date: January 5, 2026

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tim Cakir’s Backstory and Journey into AI

Diverse Origins: From DJ and sound engineer to marketing and tech, Tim’s journey was driven by curiosity for technology and process improvement (03:28).
Early Tech Encounters: Worked in computer vision and real estate tech before most people knew what “AI” meant. Learned the fundamentals of neural networks and machine learning directly on the job.
Growth Hacking to Operations: Rode industry trends such as growth hacking, then fell in love with operations, understanding that growth is truly rooted in systems and processes.
Teaching & Training: COVID-19 offered a path into digital education; Tim developed interactive tech curricula and realized a passion for teaching (08:04).

"I became obsessed about tools… at some point, I had the newsletter Tool Time Tim, and everything was branded Tool Time Tim."
— Tim Cakir (05:59)

Discovering AI's Potential & Building AI Operator

Early Adoption of ChatGPT: Tim was an enthusiastic early user, recognizing the potential despite immature outputs in 2022 (10:10).
AI Operator Formation: Pivoted from running a company to launching AI Operator, delivering AI training programs for organizations—including leading sessions for Google teams.

"I trained the whole team... my business partners were like, you look bored from this. You don't want to do this anymore. You're so into this chat GPT thing, aren't you?... I want to train humans, you know, I want to train people on AI..."
— Tim Cakir (10:58)

Staying Current with AI (Without Getting Overwhelmed)

Reject “Tool Chasing”: You won’t win by trying to keep up with every new tool or update; instead, focus on active experimentation and creation (13:55).
Be a Creator, Not Just a Consumer: Test, build, and apply — passive consumption won’t yield meaningful transformation.
Mindful Consumption: Limit your attention to a few trusted thought leaders and balance content intake with hands-on practice.
Content Creators Caveat: Be wary; not all popular creators provide accurate or actionable advice, especially if sensational engagement is their goal.

"Don't try. Just do it or don't do it. If you look at my channel and I do some crazy stuff... don’t feel like you’re missing out... this is what we do day in, day out."
— Tim Cakir (13:55)

Skill Development: From Literacy to Fluency

Behavioral Change > Technical Skill: The real goal is to shift mindsets and behaviors rather than just technical upskilling (12:33, 47:16).
Facilitating Aha Moments: Customizing training around actual job tasks and workflows sparks realization of AI's value (‘thinking in AI’).
Survey-Driven Approach: Before training, survey team members' actual pain points (“what sucks in your job?”), wishes, and comfort levels with AI (41:29).
Sustained Change: Short workshops can’t deliver; it takes at least 12 weeks of habit and mindset-building to stick (49:13).

"AI is not something to use. AI is something that we work with."
— Tim Cakir (45:14)

Real-World Business Applications of AI

Voice AI Is Here: Outbound AI sales calls still suffer from acceptance issues, but inbound/speed-to-lead applications are maturing (20:00).
Personal AI Assistants: Practical use cases—having an AI “chief of staff” handling emails, scheduling, and tasks via AirPods or voice interfaces (21:59, 23:35).
Automated News Summaries: Tim described a stack for daily briefings—automatically turning 15 newsletters into a 10-minute custom podcast for his team (28:40).
Bespoke Automations: From invoice processing to reporting, AI's value emerges most when tailored to specific pain points of roles or departments (54:57).

"Because I'm in Turkey, what happens is that I get the new features at 10:11 pm, just as I'm about to go to bed... I'm not sleeping again tonight."
— Tim Cakir (11:47)

Organizational Impacts: Change Management and Talent

Growth Mindset is Essential: Team members willing to learn and experiment (even in their hobbies) adapt well. Fixed-mindset, rigid individuals are increasingly less viable in AI-powered organizations (38:27).
Cultural Shift over ROI Tracking: While hard ROI matters, long-term agility comes from embedding a “work with AI” reflex culturally, not just measuring process savings (50:48).

"If I teach you a fact about AI, you can use it. Oh, but you have to remember to use it. But if I can change your behavior to where your default is, is AI first, then you'll figure it out."
— Chris Daigle (51:09)

AI Training: The “AI Operator” Model

Three-Phase Program:
1. Survey & Diagnose: Understand pain points, context, hopes, and fears.
2. Behavioral / Habit Change: Redesign how people show up to work; focus on soft skills, communication with machines, and workflow redesign.
3. Build & Scale: Once the mindset is there, help teams create automations, internal AI agents, and ongoing experimentation.
Long-Term Partnership: The goal is to make organizations self-sufficient AI operators—empowering staff to be creators, not just users, of AI-powered systems.

"Our first ever client… they're still with us… They see us as their AI department, basically."
— Tim Cakir (53:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On AI Adoption:
"Don't compete with AI. You lose. Collaborate with it, you know, become best friends, become partners, and then you'll have a great time."
— Tim Cakir (00:00, 60:10)
On “Tool Chasing” and Mindset:
"You're going to feel frustrated and you're going to feel sad and you're going to feel like you're losing... Choose one or two great thought leaders… then try yourself."
— Tim Cakir (13:55, 15:47)
On AI Training Philosophy:
"We focus on behavioral change, redesigning how we work, redesigning how we show up, redesigning how we talk. Because… we're talking to the machines now."
— Tim Cakir (33:28, 40:41)
On Building AI Fluency:
"When that happens, that's it, you know, then it's a beautiful journey… If there is one or two people not on board, they have a fixed mindset. They're not even the right people for your business."
— Tim Cakir (36:35)
AI as a Blessing:
"See it as a blessing... if we look from the positive side, from the fuller side of the glass, we have incredible things to do as humans, and we have this incredible new technology that is our assistant. So, you know, don't compete. Collaborate."
— Tim Cakir (60:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[03:28] — Tim’s global career journey and transition to AI
[08:04] — Embracing digital teaching and operations
[10:10] — Early days of ChatGPT and pivot to AI Operator
[13:55] — On why you shouldn't "try" to keep up with AI, but instead just do and create
[18:50] — On being a creator, not just a consumer, in the age of AI
[20:00] — The state of AI voice tech—real, inbound use cases
[24:44] — Using voice tools and real-world applications for productivity
[28:40] — How Tim built an AI-powered personalized news podcast
[40:41] — Tim's 12-week transformation program for AI implementation
[44:43] — The importance of mindset, context, and the love-not-fear approach
[49:13] — Why true behavioral change can't be rushed
[53:31] — Long-term partnering with companies as their AI “department”
[58:45] — Creating “AI Operators” for the next generation workforce
[60:10] — Final advice: Don’t compete, collaborate with AI

Practical Takeaways for Business Leaders

Anchor AI adoption to real employee pain points, not just shiny demos.
Invest in long-term, behavioral change-focused training, not one-off workshops.
Foster a culture of curiosity and experimentation.
Empower “AI operators”—individuals with the confidence and skills to orchestrate tools, not just use them.
Don’t get distracted by the speed of tool evolution—become a creator and collaborator.

Final Note

“You have the context. AI just has a lot of data, but it doesn't know what to do with it. If you get together, you are unstoppable.”
— Tim Cakir (44:43)

Recommended: Check show notes for the full list of tools and resources discussed in the episode.

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Summary

Podcast Summary

Using AI at Work — Episode 85: Tim Cakir

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tim Cakir’s Backstory and Journey into AI

Discovering AI's Potential & Building AI Operator

Staying Current with AI (Without Getting Overwhelmed)

Skill Development: From Literacy to Fluency

Real-World Business Applications of AI

Organizational Impacts: Change Management and Talent

AI Training: The “AI Operator” Model

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Important Segments

Practical Takeaways for Business Leaders

Final Note

Summary

Podcast Summary

Using AI at Work — Episode 85: Tim Cakir

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tim Cakir’s Backstory and Journey into AI

Discovering AI's Potential & Building AI Operator

Staying Current with AI (Without Getting Overwhelmed)

Skill Development: From Literacy to Fluency

Real-World Business Applications of AI

Organizational Impacts: Change Management and Talent

AI Training: The “AI Operator” Model

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Important Segments

Practical Takeaways for Business Leaders

Final Note