Episode 9: The Canadian AI Guy with Rob Hole

In this episode of Eh I Podcast, Rob Hole, founder of Octopus Creative and the self-proclaimed Canadian AI Guy, joins Ryan Oliver and Melissa Sariffodeen to talk about what it takes to adopt AI without getting overwhelmed. Drawing on more than two decades of business building for the web and nearly 5 years of helping chambers, nonprofits, and small businesses put AI to work, he makes the case for looking at your own processes first and treating "Shiny Object Syndrome" as the real risk. Rob shares how organizations are using AI in creative ways, like an "AI Boardroom" that lets you stress-test an idea before it reaches the real board, and why knowing where your data is handled matters just as much as what a tool can do. He also reflects on raising kids in an AI world, rethinking essays and assessment in schools, and the rise of agentic AI, including the Slack-based "digital doppelganger" his team adopted almost overnight. Above all, he argues that AI's greatest promise is freeing us up to do the most human work: connecting with each other. Show Credits Hosts: Ryan Oliver and Melissa Sariffodeen Producer: Zac Miller Editor(s): Zac Miller, Kyle Gordon Original Composition: Warren Frank