AI has moved far beyond experimentation, but many organizations are still figuring out what happens when it becomes part of everyday work. In this episode of That Tech Pod, we sit down with Meredith Kildow, President of Consilio, to explore what it really takes to operationalize AI at scale.

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience spanning sales, consulting, operations, and executive leadership, Meredith shares a practical perspective on why successful AI adoption is less about technology and more about ownership, process design, culture, and execution. We discuss the difference between running AI pilots and embedding AI into mission-critical workflows, why many organizations struggle to translate productivity gains into measurable business outcomes, and how leadership teams should think about accountability when AI becomes part of the workforce.

The conversation also examines AI's impact on consulting and professional services, where efficiency gains can fundamentally reshape how value is delivered to clients. Meredith offers insights into the common mistakes organizations make when they try to solve people and process challenges with technology alone, the growing complexity that can come with increased automation, and what today's leaders may be misunderstanding about AI's long-term role in business.

This episode is a candid look at the operational realities of AI adoption and why the companies seeing the greatest results are focusing as much on people and culture as they are on the technology itself.

Meredith Kildow is an accomplished operations and sales executive with more than 25 years of experience across multiple industries. Her areas of expertise include expanding go-to-market strategies and bringing high performing teams together through both organic and inorganic growth. Meredith is a champion of combining data-driven approaches with an emphasis on people, culture, and transformation to grow motivated, balanced teams. As President, Meredith is focused on driving excellence in Consilio’s combined commercial business lines, including revenue, account management, and operational delivery across their global client base.

As we celebrate our 300th episode, we looked back at two very different conferences that revealed the same technology trend. First was the Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, where the conversation was no longer about whether Bitcoin would survive. Instead, attendees focused on institutional adoption, corporate treasury strategies, regulation, and how Bitcoin fits into the future of global finance. Laura also spent time meeting with industry leaders including BitFuFu, XCE, and Soapbox Technologies, gaining additional insight into where the industry is heading. The technology has matured beyond its early skepticism and is now being discussed as part of the mainstream financial system.

A few weeks later at CLOC 2026 in Chicago, we saw a similar evolution in the legal technology world. AI dominated the agenda, but the discussion wasn’t about what AI might do someday. Legal operations leaders were focused on governance, implementation, ROI, risk management, and how to successfully deploy AI within their organizations. The excitement remains, but the conversations have become much more practical.

What stood out was how closely these industries mirrored one another. At Bitcoin, the question was how to govern and integrate digital assets. At CLOC, the question was how to govern and operationalize AI. In both cases, the technology itself was no longer the story. Execution was.

After 300 episodes covering everything from cybersecurity and privacy to AI, legal tech, crypto, space technology, and everything in between, one lesson continues to emerge: the future isn’t built on bold predictions. It’s built on organizations that can turn innovation into measurable business value.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has listened, subscribed, shared episodes, joined us as guests, and supported That Tech Pod over the last five years. What started as a simple idea has grown into 300 conversations with incredible leaders, innovators, and experts across countless industries. We appreciate every listener who has been part of this journey. Here’s to the first 300 episodes, and to the next 300!

What does it take to modernize the systems that keep water flowing, wastewater moving, and nine million New Yorkers served every day?

In this episode, we sit down with Robert "Max" Maxfield, Chief Systems Architect at AITHERAS and the architect behind New York City's SCADA modernization efforts for the Bureau of Wastewater Treatment. Max takes us inside the world of critical infrastructure, where downtime isn't an inconvenience, it's a public risk. From managing decades-old industrial systems and balancing modernization against reliability, to defending essential services against cyber threats, Max shares what it really takes to operate technology that most people never think about until it fails.

We also explore the realities of AI in critical infrastructure, the cybersecurity challenges facing utilities, the surprising longevity of legacy systems, and how Max's passion for motorcycles, racing, and building machines shapes his approach to engineering. It's a conversation about technology, risk, resilience, and why sometimes the most important systems are the ones nobody notices.

Robert “Max” Maxfield is the Chief Systems Architect at AITHERAS, leading the SCADA Modernization Program for NYC’s Bureau of Wastewater Treatment. In this role, Max designs and deploys the systems that keep critical water infrastructure operating for nine million New Yorkers. With 20+ years in industrial controls, 27 platform certifications, and prior architect roles on national operations centers and the Doyon Utilities Alaska modernization, Max specializes in the messy intersection of legacy industrial systems, modern SCADA, cybersecurity, and, increasingly, AI. He's been published in Forbes on industrial technology, runs his own GPU lab for local model fine-tuning, and spends his off-hours on custom motorcycles, off-road racing, and drag racing. Equal parts engineer, builder, and pragmatist, Max brings a field-tested perspective on what actually works when the stakes are critical infrastructure.