How Businesses Are Really Using AI in 2026-A Practical Guide to Scaling AI |Ep 288 |DevReady Podcast

In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Anthony Sapountzis, CTO and Co-Founder of Aerion Technologies and DevReady.ai | AI-Powered App Planning for Non-Tech Founders , is joined by Gareth Rydon, Co-Founder of Friyay.ai, for their latest AI Roundup. As a leading voice in generative AI strategy and adoption, Gareth shares practical insights on how businesses can move from experimentation to meaningful implementation. The conversation explores real-world AI use cases, emerging tools, and the evolving role of AI across both business and everyday life. This episode is essential listening for anyone looking to understand AI adoption, AI tools for business, and how to build a sustainable AI strategy in a rapidly changing landscape. Anthony and Gareth unpack how AI adoption is shifting from individual experimentation to organisation-wide strategy. While teams are already seeing productivity gains from tools such as AI coding assistants and design platforms, the real challenge lies in scaling these benefits across the business. They highlight how hands-on experimentation, both in professional and personal contexts, is accelerating understanding and confidence in AI. The discussion reinforces the importance of moving beyond isolated use cases and towards a structured, holistic approach to AI implementation that delivers measurable business value. The conversation also explores how AI is becoming embedded in everyday life, including how children are using it for learning, creativity and curiosity-driven exploration. Anthony shares his experience with AI image generation safeguards, particularly around restrictions involving children, which Gareth supports as a necessary layer of protection. They also examine how rapidly evolving platforms such as Claude and Loveable are expanding capabilities and converging into broader, all-in-one solutions. This shift raises important questions about differentiation, product positioning and the long-term direction of AI tools. A key theme throughout the episode is the growing sense of overwhelm in the AI space. With constant updates and new releases, Gareth advises focusing on mastering a small number of tools rather than chasing every innovation. Both Anthony and Gareth stress the importance of filtering out low-value content and following trusted voices who provide practical, experience-driven insights. They also highlight that many discussions in the AI space lack depth, often relying on benchmark comparisons rather than real-world application, which can distract from meaningful progress. Finally, Anthony and Gareth share practical frameworks for working effectively with AI, particularly in development and problem-solving contexts. They emphasise the importance of clear communication, structured planning and iterative workflows when collaborating with AI tools. Techniques such as prompting AI to ask clarifying questions, managing context through branching conversations, and actively reviewing outputs are highlighted as essential skills. The overarching takeaway is that AI is most powerful when used to enhance thinking and decision-making, rather than simply accelerating execution. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessGrowth #Automation #Startups #Tech #DevReadyPodcast