Last week's episode of “The Artificial Intelligence Show” sparked an unusually vocal response from listeners.The topic: Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.5 and whether we've reached a tipping point in AI capabilities.
The response included executives pausing mid-episode to alert their teams of the news. YouTube commenters calling it "an insane wake-up call." Some even compared this moment to an AlphaGo-level shift, only this time for knowledge workers.
We weren't alone in sensing that something fundamental had changed.
To examine the response and what it signals about AI, I spoke with SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer on Episode 190 of The Artificial Intelligence Show.
Sparking Lots of Conversation
Roetzer admits he rarely goes back and watches episodes after they're recorded. The podcast often operates on a one-take philosophy: no rewatching, no second-guessing.
But this time was different because of the strong response.
"When we started getting the feedback from people, I was like, ‘Oh wow, OK. This one definitely hit differently,’" he said.
The feedback came fast. Less than 12 hours after the episode was released, Roetzer saw half a dozen LinkedIn posts from listeners urging others to tune in. One executive at a global B2B ad agency said the episode created such urgency that she paused it to alert her head of AI. YouTube commenters, typically a group Roetzer and I avoid to keep our sanity, were offering surprisingly constructive feedback.
The Real Takeaway: AGI Isn't the Point
What resonated most wasn't the debate over whether Claude Opus 4.5 or Claude Code constitutes AGI. It was the realization that it didn’t matter.
"We're at the point where the models are so good, and if you know how to use them and you find the right use cases in your work, across your team, across your department, across your organization, it can fundamentally transform everything," Roetzer says.
What appeared to resonate the most was Roetzer's description of how he used AI as a strategic planning partner. He built a “Co-CEO” with expertise in legal, finance, HR, operations, sales, and customer success. Areas where he doesn't have deep expertise himself, but where AI can provide meaningful input.
"A lot of people were echoing, ‘Yes, that's exactly how I use it,’” Roetzer says. “And other people were like, ‘I hadn't really thought about it that way. I'm going to go back in and start experimenting.’"
Supercharging Your Productivity & Impact
For Roetzer, the episode's response reinforced a prediction he's been making for months: the professionals who figure this out will have enormous advantages, regardless of what happens in the broader economy.
"The professionals who understand and embrace AI, find innovative ways to use it, those are the people that are going to 10x their productivity and their impact on a business," he says.
"They have tremendous career opportunities regardless of what happens in the broader economy and how jobs are impacted."
Even if downsizing comes, even if entire industries restructure, the people who've learned to leverage AI effectively will be positioned to either thrive within organizations or spin off and build something themselves.
You Don't Need Permission to Get Started
The barrier to get started has never been lower. That's the uncomfortable truth that makes some people anxious and others excited. You don’t need permission to do most things with AI. And, if you get stuck? Just ask AI.
You can also ask others who are experimenting. Talk to peers in your office, your profession or at industry events. Join communities where people are pushing boundaries and inspiring each other to keep going. We’re all in this together.
"Mike and I have these conversations every day," says Roetzer. "We're just constantly finding new uses."
The flood of responses to Episode 189 suggests something broader than high interest in a podcast. It suggests a critical mass of professionals are arriving at the same conclusion: AI has crossed a threshold, and the old playbook no longer applies.
Whether or not we call it AGI, whether or not the models continue improving at their current pace, the capabilities available today are already sufficient to transform how knowledge work gets done. The only question is who adapts first.
Mike Kaput
Mike Kaput is the Chief Content Officer at SmarterX and a leading voice on the application of AI in business. He is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence and co-host of The Artificial Intelligence Show podcast.