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The industrial age rewrote how humans sleep. Now the same mechanism is reaching for how we think.

First Sleep: The Pattern of Erasure The industrial age rewrote how humans sleep. Now the same mechanism is reaching for how we think.

Insights from General Mills Chief Digital and Technology Officer Jaime Montemayor, moderated by Twin Cities Business Charlie Rybak at yesterday's AI Unleashed at the Minneapolis Club.

It was a welcome opportunity to reconnect with the people shaping how AI is getting used in the Twin Cities.

Thank you to | CBS News Minnesota and Amelia Santaniello for the invitation to have an open conversation about how people are using AI. We look forward to sharing clips from the interview soon.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/answering-the-major-questions-about-ai/

Honored to join ULI Minnesota State of the Market conversation on AI .
Thanks to Bill Baxley for moderating, and to Dan Curry, Sam Larson, and Catie Wheeler for a grounded, practical panel.

What stood out in the room was the curiosity and the energy in the questions. Hands went up fast, and it was clear people are already experimenting and looking for practical ways to use these tools.
From my seat, the real opportunity now is turning that momentum into adoption with shared standards. Human judgment is still mandatory, especially anywhere output touches trust, risk, or reputation. Control comes from standards, verification, and escalation. Not from hoping the model behaves.

We were honored to be included in the Star Tribune article on AI and the future of work.

Big thanks to journalist Emma Nelson for telling this story so clearly, and to photographer Alex Kormann for capturing one of our recent intro-to-AI sessions in St. Louis Park.

At VILAS AI, my cofounder Sarah Anderson and I have been working with companies since 2023 to train real teams on how to actually use AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot inside their day-to-day workflows. The momentum has only grown — not because AI is flashy, but because organizations are realizing they can’t afford to ignore it.

This article really brings that shift into focus.

I also appreciated Neel Kashkari’s comment in the piece, noting that while AI infrastructure is booming, it often requires fewer people to operate once built. That’s a conversation more leaders need to be having — not about fear, but about readiness.

At VILAS, we often talk about three kinds of ROI:
Financial ROI - takes time.
Cultural ROI - confidence, fluency, curiosity — shows up right away.
Relevance ROI - is what determines whether your organization still matters in 3–5 years.

It’s not all about tools. It’s about fluency. It’s about alignment.

https://www.startribune.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-take-replace-job-minnesota-labor-market-chatgpt-generative/601475409

Thank you to the Atomic Data team for inviting me to be part of this week’s Leadership Forum. It was an honor to share the stage with Dustin Saunders and Greg Engen, and I really appreciated the way Chris Heim, MBA kept the conversation grounded and moving.

“AI” is getting thrown around everywhere right now. It often means something different to every person in the room, which can make the whole topic feel vague and overwhelming. Sessions like this matter because we can slow things down, break the ideas apart, and talk concretely about where to begin and what makes sense to do now versus later.

My work with VILAS AI centers on fluency, working with organizations so leaders and teams can actually work with large language models in a way that fits their people, their culture, and their standards. It does not all have to happen at once, but it does have to start with a conversation. This week’s forum was a good example of that, and I am grateful to be in the mix.

We enjoyed a session with Dustin Saunders of Atomic Data at the Minneapolis Club - a chance for business leaders to engage on the intricacies of AI, explore agentic use cases, and frame ROI expectations.

The purpose and value of these conversations centers on addressing real world concerns and the necessary guardrails, along with the many possibilities AI presents. AI shouldn't be an easy, nor blanket, solution for all business problems. The skill lies in understanding where AI adds value, and how critical thinking sits side by side.

We look forward to continuing the discussion with Atomic as they serve as a trusted resource for organizations.

Thank you to Olaf Kuhlke and the students in the Creative Entrepreneurship program at Minneapolis College of Art and Design for inviting us into your GPT project for EcoActUs Foundation, Inc

Olaf is leading a hands-on approach to generative AI that’s grounded in real-world impact — using these tools not just for efficiency, but to foster responsibility, stewardship, and critical thinking.

We had a thoughtful exchange around the values that guide our work at VILAS: discernment, curiosity, and ethics. Looking forward to seeing how this group shapes something truly meaningful.

We’re honored to share that James Holmberg, co-owner of VILAS AI, joined Angela Davis on Minnesota Public Radio this morning for a conversation about how generative AI is changing the way we work, along with Eran Kahana & Chris Farrell.

The discussion touched on some of the core themes we focus on every day at VILAS: how professionals reason, communicate, and adapt alongside tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

We’re grateful to Angela and the team at MPR for creating space for this kind of conversation. We’re looking forward to what’s next.

Listen to the full episode below.
https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2025/08/04/navigating-artificial-intelligence-in-the-workplace

Grateful to Carson Hartzog and the Star Tribune for this piece today.
93% of corporate AI budgets go to the technology.
7% to the people who use it.
That math does not work.

Sarah Anderson and I have been inside these organizations since 2023. We see this every week.

The gap between the organizations building this muscle now and the ones that aren't isn't visible yet.

But it's opening.

Thank you to Meghan Foley and the Minneapolis Club for building the space where this conversation happens every month. This work matters. These rooms matter.

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Full article in the comments.
James Holmberg
https://www.startribune.com/ai-training-budgets-not-enough-causing-workers-stress/601838280?utm_source=gift