In this episode of the Business Owners Roundtable, hosts Elizabeth Gearhart and Richard Gearhart sit down with a panel of experts to discuss the practical, “in-the-trenches” applications of artificial intelligence. We move past the theoretical to show you exactly how AI is being used to verify facts, save time, and grow businesses.

TL;DL

AI is already being used across industries including healthcare research, marketing, finance, and business strategy.
Researchers are using AI to analyze massive health datasets to predict addiction risk and treatment outcomes.
Businesses are increasingly concerned about AI privacy and confidential data.
AI tools can automate research, networking, marketing content, and video creation.
Professionals can use AI to analyze conference lists, identify potential partners, and streamline outreach.
AI can act as a technical consultant, helping users troubleshoot websites and workflows.
New tools can create AI versions of experts trained on their podcasts, research, and writing.

Episode Summary

In this episode of Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable, hosts Elizabeth Gearhart and Richard Gearhart explore how AI is being used by real businesses today.

Guests include genetic researcher Dr. Danielle Dick, AI platform founder Neil Senturia, and financial strategist Alan Porter. They discuss how AI is transforming genetic research, enabling secure analysis of business data, improving marketing workflows, and even allowing experts to create AI versions of themselves trained on their own knowledge.

The conversation highlights a key takeaway: AI is no longer experimental—it is becoming a practical tool that small businesses can adopt today.

Real AI Use Cases Discussed

AI in Genetic Research
- AI helps researchers analyze complex health datasets such as genomics, brain imaging, and electronic health records to identify addiction risk factors.
AI for Secure Business Data
- Privacy-focused AI platforms allow businesses to analyze confidential data without exposing it to public AI systems.
AI for Marketing and Content Creation
- AI tools can perform deep research, generate professional videos, and streamline content production.
AI for Networking and Business Research
- AI can analyze conference speaker lists to identify potential partners, clients, or podcast guests.
AI as a Business Assistant
- AI tools can help solve technical problems, build websites, and act as an on-demand consultant.
AI Clones of Experts
- Companies are beginning to create AI versions of experts trained on their books, podcasts, and research.

Key Takeaways

AI adoption is expanding rapidly across industries.
Small businesses can begin using AI tools today with minimal technical knowledge.
Privacy and security are major concerns when working with sensitive data.
AI can dramatically reduce time spent on research and administrative tasks.
Future AI systems may allow experts to scale their knowledge through digital clones.

Featured Guests

Dr. Danielle Dick – CEO of Thrive Genetics and researcher using AI to analyze genetic and health data.
Neil Senturia – Founder of AskTuring.ai, focused on privacy-focused AI systems for businesses.
Alan Porter – Financial strategist using AI tools for marketing, research, and client acquisition.

Episode Timeline

Episode Timeline
0:00 – Introduction
1:10 – AI in genetic research
2:50 – Privacy-focused AI systems
6:44 – AI for marketing and video creation
8:37 – AI for networking and conference research
11:56 – AI for marketing and website development
12:50 – Roundtable discussion

Real AI Use Cases is produced by Elizabeth Gearhart, podcast consultant, PhD researcher, and host. New episodes feature real business owners sharing how they use AI right now — no hype, just results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Real AI Use Cases podcast?

Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable is a podcast where entrepreneurs and experts discuss how AI is actually being used in business today.

Can small businesses use AI effectively?

Yes. Many AI tools are inexpensive or free and can automate research, marketing, and operational tasks.

What are the risks of using AI in business?

One major concern is privacy. Uploading confidential data to public AI systems can expose sensitive information.

What is an AI clone?

An AI clone is a system trained on an individual’s content—such as podcasts, research, and writing—to simulate their knowledge and communication style.

Full Episode Transcript: Real AI Use Cases — Business Owners Roundtable, Episode 10

Show: Real AI Use Cases — Business Owners Roundtable
Episode: 10
Topic: How Real Business Owners Are Using AI Right Now
Host: Elizabeth Gearhart, PhD | Podcast Consultant & AI Researcher
Co-Host: Richard Gearhart | IP Attorney & Entrepreneur, Gearhart Law

Introduction

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Welcome to Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable, where we explore how entrepreneurs and experts are actually using artificial intelligence in their businesses.

I’m Elizabeth Gearhart — podcast consultant, marketing expert, and PhD researcher who uses AI every day.

Richard Gearhart:
And I’m Richard Gearhart — entrepreneur, intellectual property attorney, and innovation specialist.

Our goal is to show business owners that AI is not just theory. It’s already being used by real companies today.

AI in Genetic Research

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Dr. Danielle Dick with Thrive Genetics.ai — what’s one way you’re using AI in your business?

Dr. Danielle Dick:
Our business is grounded in scientific research, and we’ve been using AI and machine learning to analyze the enormous amount of data we can collect about individuals today.

For example, we can analyze:

genomics
transcriptomics
proteomics
metabolomics
digital health monitoring
brain scans
electronic health records
personal surveys

The challenge is integrating all of this information to understand patterns.

AI allows us to combine these data sources and determine what predicts things like treatment outcomes or a person’s risk of developing addiction.

We then use those insights to continually improve our risk prediction models for Thrive Genetics.

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Could you do that without AI?

Dr. Danielle Dick:
Not realistically. AI allows us to integrate massive datasets in ways that simply weren’t possible before.

Addiction and mental health are incredibly complex. Traditional hypothesis-driven research methods were too limited to capture all the interactions between these variables.

AI gives us the ability to create comprehensive predictive profiles.

AI and Data Privacy

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Neil Senturia from AskTuring.ai — your entire company is focused on AI. How are you personally using AI in your business?

Neil Senturia:
Our company focuses on confidential, privacy-protected AI systems designed to analyze large datasets securely.

One major concern is that many large language models train on user data.

If someone uploads sensitive information — such as genetic data or private financial records — that information may not remain private.

Our approach is to create a protective layer — what you might call a middleware membrane — that allows businesses to use multiple AI models while protecting their proprietary data.

There are currently many major large language models available. Some are better at certain tasks than others. By allowing access to multiple models while maintaining privacy and memory, businesses gain more flexibility and security.

Our clients include:

wealth management firms
law firms
manufacturing companies

These organizations need AI but cannot risk exposing confidential information.

AI for Research and Video Content

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Alan Porter from Strategic Wealth Strategies — what’s one way you use AI in your business?

Alan Porter:
One way I use AI is through deep research queries.

When I ask ChatGPT to do something, I don’t just ask it to write a script. I ask it to conduct deep research.

It takes longer to generate the results, but the information is much more comprehensive.

I also use AI tools to generate videos.

I’ve produced more than 500 videos, originally recorded myself. Recently I began using an AI video tool called HyGen to create more polished videos.

The AI-generated versions eliminate the “ums,” pauses, and mistakes.

The results look more professional, and the increase in video production has helped bring in new clients.

AI for Business Networking and Opportunity Research

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Richard, how are you using AI at Gearhart Law?

Richard Gearhart:
Here’s a practical example.

We’re attending a conference next week. I wanted to identify people attending the conference who might be valuable connections or potential guests for our shows.

I took the conference speaker list and put it into ChatGPT.

Then I asked the AI to analyze the list and identify people who would be strong connections based on criteria I defined.

The system generated a list of about 20 potential contacts.

This saved a huge amount of time compared to manually researching each person.

Public Data vs Private Data in AI

Neil Senturia:
What Richard did is a perfect example of using AI with public data.

Large language models have already trained on trillions of words of public information.

But the real power of AI comes when you can analyze your private data.

For example, imagine uploading all of your podcast episodes into a system using retrieval augmented generation (RAG).

Then you could chat with your entire library of content.

That’s where AI becomes extremely powerful.

AI and Client Confidentiality

Richard Gearhart:
In a law firm, confidentiality is critical.

We would never upload client-sensitive data into public AI systems.

Our current approach is to use AI tools for outward-facing projects that do not involve confidential information.

For internal work, we use Microsoft Copilot within our Microsoft 365 enterprise system, which offers higher security.

Using AI for Marketing and Business Workflows

Elizabeth Gearhart:
I use AI constantly for marketing work.

One example is generating marketing reports. I anonymize the data before uploading it to the AI tool so there are no personal identifiers.

It saves an enormous amount of time.

Another example is building websites.

If I’m learning a new theme or platform, I can watch a tutorial video. But when I get stuck, I can ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity specific questions.

AI acts like a technical consultant available on demand.

Future of AI Pricing

Neil Senturia:
One major change we expect in the AI industry is pricing.

Right now many systems charge per seat, meaning a company pays for each user.

In the future, AI platforms may shift to usage-based pricing.

Companies would pay based on how much AI they actually use — similar to a buffet model.

Some employees might use AI heavily, while others use it occasionally.

AI Search vs Google Search

Elizabeth Gearhart:
Another trend we’re watching is how people search for information.

Some analysts predict that within a few years, people may begin using AI systems like ChatGPT before traditional search engines.

But that raises another question:

If people can get answers for free today, will they be willing to pay for AI-powered search in the future?

AI Clones and Digital Experts

Dr. Danielle Dick:
I recently had a fascinating experience.

I’m on the advisory board of a parenting technology startup. They created a demo where they trained an AI version of me.

The system used about 2% of my publicly available podcasts and content.

I asked the AI a parenting question and watched an AI version of myself respond — using my voice and speaking style.

It was surreal.

But it also highlighted an interesting possibility: creating AI systems trained on the expertise of specific individuals.

Imagine being able to interact with an expert trained on their own research, books, and podcasts.

AI Clones for Business Leaders

Elizabeth Gearhart:
We’ve actually had guests on this show who have done something similar.

Some CEOs have created AI versions of themselves trained on their knowledge.

Employees are encouraged to ask the AI first before approaching the CEO directly.

If the AI clone can answer the question, the CEO saves time.

Final Thoughts

Elizabeth Gearhart:
The reason we run this segment is simple.

We want business owners to see that AI is already being used in many different ways.

The barriers to entry are extremely low.

If you haven’t started using AI yet, now is the time to begin learning — because it’s not going away.

Closing

You’ve been listening to Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable.

Join us again for more conversations about how businesses are using AI today.