Gareth Rydon on the Truth About AI Agents, Automation & What Actually Works | Ep 223 | DevReady Podcast

In his third appearance on the DevReady Podcast, Gareth Rydon, Co-Founder of Friyay.ai, joins host Anthony Sapountzis for an in-depth and fast-paced exploration of the ever-evolving AI landscape. The episode covers everything from corporate hiring strategies to automation workflows, from brand development to platform fatigue. With the hype around AI louder than ever, Gareth and Anthony offer a refreshing, pragmatic take on what’s actually useful, what’s over-engineered, and what’s likely to shape the next wave of intelligent tools for businesses.

They open with a reflection on companies like Duolingo and Shopify embracing “AI-first” hiring policies. Gareth cautions against overlooking long-term impacts, pointing to his past experience with graduate freezes that disrupted organisational growth years later. The duo discuss whether companies are truly investing in upskilling and whether current AI tools are mature enough to justify such bold moves. Alongside these strategic reflections, they delve into how features like ChatGPT’s internal knowledge retrieval and Infinite Memory are reshaping how teams manage information—while also raising critical concerns about privacy, access control, and AI's sometimes-flawed understanding of context.

The conversation transitions into the future of search, branding, and discoverability. Gareth introduces the concept of Agent Engine Optimisation (AEO), the successor to SEO, where websites must be structured to be machine-readable and easily referenced by AI tools. They explore Google’s NotebookLM, which Gareth calls a “tailored educational ecosystem,” and discuss its unique ability to pull relevant sources, timestamped video segments, and even generate study guides or podcasts. Meanwhile, Anthony shares how he’s using OpenAI’s Deep Research to shortcut intensive workflows like technical audits or naming strategy—pushing the idea that AI should be used to support genuine learning, not just content regurgitation.

The pair also take aim at AI misuse, particularly the rise of low-quality, AI-generated comments on platforms like LinkedIn. Gareth explains how some creators are trolling bots with absurd phrases to highlight the issue, and both agree that such features undermine meaningful dialogue. They also mock the rise of “Comment X for my cheat sheet” gimmicks, calling out the lack of actual value delivered. Throughout the discussion, they return to a central theme: AI should enhance conversations, not dilute them—a principle equally applicable in branding, education, and community platforms.

Wrapping up, Anthony shares his custom-built YouTube-to-summary automation workflow using n8n, highlighting the pitfalls of applying agents where they’re not needed. Gareth adds that many AI solutions are being pitched as silver bullets, overwhelming business owners rather than solving real problems. Their final advice? Start small, validate the problem first, and deliver micro-solutions that actually work. In an industry moving at breakneck speed, the ones who stay grounded and customer-focused will ultimately win.

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