In this wide-ranging Engineering the Loop chat, Alec Harrison and Brian Gorman welcome Peter Vasillion—CEO & AI Partner at Facet Interactive—to dissect how “models in the loop” are changing the way businesses ship software and automate everyday work.

Peter traces his journey from rebuilding Pentium-2 towers in his parents’ Southern California warehouse to guiding Fortune-level AI roll-outs. The trio swap stories about:

• ⚡ Rapid prototyping with LLMs – how Claude 4 Sonnet spun up a functional Blazor app for a non-developer in minutes, and why starting with a strong domain brief still matters.

• 🧠 Treating your AI like a junior hire – prompt-engineering, RAG, and iterative feedback loops that “skill up” an agent the same way you’d mentor a new teammate.

• 🛡️ Agent governance & bias – building ruler-slap guardrails in n8n workflows, the danger of hidden corporate filters, and what happens when monetization meets model moderation.

• 🤖 Assistant futures – from AI scheduling podcast guests to autonomous purchase-making, and the sociotechnical ripples when your virtual assistant becomes a trusted coworker.

Whether you’re wrestling with shadow-IT Power Apps, dreaming of a personal Telegram bot, or just curious about where the next wave of AI commoditization leads, this conversation is packed with practical war stories and forward-looking caution flags.

Links promised in the show notes

• Peter Vasillion on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pvasilion/

• Facet Interactive – strategy, data & AI consulting https://facetinteractive.com/

• n8n.io – open-source, agent-friendly workflow automation

What happens when the driverless revolution leaves the road?In our latest Engineer in the Loop episode, I sat down with Renard Henry, Head of IT at Toyota Connected, to talk about the future of autonomous systems—not just in cars, but in planes, ships, combines, and beyond.🚜 Imagine your farm equipment working while you sleep. 🛩️ Or a fully autonomous aircraft carrier. 🛳️ Or cargo ships crossing oceans with no one on board.It’s not science fiction.🎧 Listen in as we talk about AI at Toyota, evolving tech leadership, and what it means to build for a world that doesn’t just drive itself—but flies and sails too.👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2g9SNiQ61O1k7CmkHpKA3Y?si=BfHR5egSQUyVGUngDlp3cw

From jiu-jitsu to jumpstarting innovation at Toyota Connected, Renard Henry brings the heat in this episode of Engineer in the Loop. We talk AI in vehicles, life-saving tech, and the growing need for AI governance. Renard shares how Toyota stays lean while experimenting fast, why autonomous cars still need human oversight, and what the future holds for AI in healthcare and transportation. Whether you’re a tech lead, car geek, or just curious about how AI shows up in the real world—you’ll want to buckle up for this one.

Checkout Renard's Podcast Black Belts & Boardrooms ⁨@BlackBeltsandBoardrooms⁩

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – The Invisible AI Already in Your Car

01:37 – Meet Renard Henry: From Sports Medicine to Tech Leadership

04:32 – Leadership Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu and Industry Hopping

06:02 – Fast-Paced Innovation at Toyota Connected

07:47 – Why Toyota Still Gets Lean Right

09:21 – AI vs. Autonomy: How Toyota Approaches Both

13:51 – Autonomous Traffic, White Stoplights, and Sci-Fi Reality

17:04 – The Future of Vehicle Ownership & Passive Income Fleets

21:05 – From IT to Intelligent Agents: What’s Coming Next

22:11 – How AI Changed Renard’s Work and Worldview

25:29 – AI in Healthcare: Personal Loss and Hopeful Progress

27:16 – Ethics, Automation, and the Trolley Problem

28:24 – Why AI Governance Will Be the Next Big Tech Role

30:51 – Cost, Risk & Value: The Hidden Work of Enterprise AI

34:55 – Avoiding the Wild West of Shadow AI

36:29 – Innovation with Purpose: Vetting the Right Tools

40:07 – Final Thoughts + Where to Connect with Renard

Show sponsor: https://www.fromcodetoclarity.com/

Join Alec Harrison as he’s joined by special guest Clark Sell—veteran conference organizer turned AI coach behind Code to Clarity—in a Brian-less edition of Azure Cloud Talk. Clark walks us through his pivot from running THAT Conference and boutique engineering work to helping organizations modernize with AI-driven agents and low-code automations. Along the way, they unpack what “agents” really mean, debate buy vs. build, and explore how AI can boost productivity and reshape the future workplace—without replacing people. Tune in for real-world stories, tooling tips, and a roadmap for getting ahead on the AI hype train.

00:01 – Welcome & Brian-less Episode

00:10 – Brian’s Absence & MSSA Graduation Shout-Out

00:43 – Introducing Clark Sell & Code to Clarity

01:43 – Pivoting from THAT Conference to AI Coaching

04:40 – AI’s Role in Modernizing Repetitive Work

07:13 – Demystifying “Agents” in Automation

09:37 – Buy vs. Build Debate: Zapier, Make.com & AI

16:01 – AI in Podcasting: Riverside, Copilot & Production Enhancements

24:15 – Low-Code Rapid Prototyping: Google Sheets & Copilot Studio

31:26 – Future of Work: New Roles, Industries & Innovation

39:45 – Final Calls to Action & Working with Clark

43:09 – Wrap-Up & What’s Next

Show sponsor: https://www.fromcodetoclarity.com/

Join Alec Harrison as he’s joined by special guest Clark Sell—veteran conference organizer turned AI coach behind Code to Clarity—in a Brian-less edition of Azure Cloud Talk. Clark walks us through his pivot from running THAT Conference and boutique engineering work to helping organizations modernize with AI-driven agents and low-code automations. Along the way, they unpack what “agents” really mean, debate buy vs. build, and explore how AI can boost productivity and reshape the future workplace—without replacing people. Tune in for real-world stories, tooling tips, and a roadmap for getting ahead on the AI hype train.

00:01 – Welcome & Brian-less Episode

00:10 – Brian’s Absence & MSSA Graduation Shout-Out

00:43 – Introducing Clark Sell & Code to Clarity

01:43 – Pivoting from THAT Conference to AI Coaching

04:40 – AI’s Role in Modernizing Repetitive Work

07:13 – Demystifying “Agents” in Automation

09:37 – Buy vs. Build Debate: Zapier, Make.com & AI

16:01 – AI in Podcasting: Riverside, Copilot & Production Enhancements

24:15 – Low-Code Rapid Prototyping: Google Sheets & Copilot Studio

31:26 – Future of Work: New Roles, Industries & Innovation

39:45 – Final Calls to Action & Working with Clark

43:09 – Wrap-Up & What’s Next

Show sponsor: https://www.fromcodetoclarity.com/

In this episode of Engineer in the Loop, Alec Harrison and Brian discuss the rebranding of the podcast, the challenges in the current job market, the importance of upskilling, and the role of AI in development. They emphasize the need for engineers to adapt to changes, explore side gigs for financial security, and leverage networking opportunities to navigate their careers effectively.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Engineering the Loop

05:52 Navigating Layoffs and Job Security

09:51 The Challenges of Entry-Level Job Seekers

15:11 Staying Relevant in a Rapidly Changing Tech Landscape

16:44 Navigating Uncertainty in the Job Market

21:38 The Rise of AI in Development

25:09 Building Multiple Income Streams

31:09 Leveraging AI for Rapid Prototyping

33:24 Job Opportunities and Networking