Bourbon with Brad

Bourbon with Brad

A spirited, light hearted podcast where tech meets taste. Each episode Brad and friends explore the latest in artificial intelligence (AI) while savoring a different bourbon. Expect curious conversations with leading AI practitioners, engineers, thinkers, and astute business people plus candid tasting notes, storytelling, and practical takeaways as well as light-hearted banter and laughs.


Every episode features a regular segment “Loubricity with Lou Scerbo” where Lou and Brad rate the week’s bourbon, discuss and determine each guest’s optimum Loubricity level, and riff on the lighter side of tech culture and life.


Subscribe for thoughtful interviews, honest reviews, and a relaxed, conversational vibe that makes complex tech feel approachable.


Legal Disclaimer:

The views and opinions shared on the 'Bourbon with Brad' Podcast are our own and those of our guests. Nothing we discuss should be taken as financial, legal, business, or gambling advice. Don’t make investment, business, or betting decisions based on our conversations as you should always talk to a qualified professional. Listeners must always drink responsibly, never drink and drive, and only consume alcohol if you are of legal drinking age.


Disclosure:

Some of the images in the 'Bourbon with Brad' Podcast were AI generated and/or edited with AI. The 'Bourbon with Brad' cover image was AI generated. The voice overs are original AI generated voices. And the 'Bourbon with Brad' theme music is an original instrumental song that was created using AI.

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Episodesammendrag

The AI headlines just keep getting wilder, and this week they come with a pour of 10-Year Widow Jane. OpenAI delays the release of Astra 6.1 after the model refused to follow commands in testing, and reportedly pauses ALL frontier lab testing following recent rogue-agent "break-outs." Meanwhile, Nvidia claims it has the solution to contain rogue agents. Brad breaks down what it all means and whether we should be worried. Joining the show is special guest Rich Cocovich, founder of Global Star Capital — the private funding expert who has connected serious commercial and intellectual property projects with private investors across 126 countries and all 50 states since 1991. Rich brings a bottle of 10-Year Widow Jane, hard-earned advice from decades of global deal-making, and stories you won't believe, including epic tales about Ron Howard, Kiss, Quiet Riot, and the one and only Shaq. Eric "Epic" Kowalski is back from Seattle after attending a special celebration honoring his late friend, and Lou "Loubricity"…

Episoder

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AI Agents Going Rogue? OpenAI Pauses Testing | Guest Rich Cocovich Talks Global Deals, Kiss & Shaq

The AI headlines just keep getting wilder, and this week they come with a pour of 10-Year Widow Jane. OpenAI delays the release of Astra 6.1 after the model refused to follow commands in testing, and reportedly pauses ALL frontier lab testing following recent rogue-agent "break-outs." Meanwhile, Nvidia claims it has the solution to contain rogue agents. Brad breaks down what it all means and whether we should be worried. Joining the show is special guest Rich Cocovich, founder of Global Star Capital — the private funding expert who has connected serious commercial and intellectual property projects with private investors across 126 countries and all 50 states since 1991. Rich brings a bottle of 10-Year Widow Jane, hard-earned advice from decades of global deal-making, and stories you won't believe, including epic tales about Ron Howard, Kiss, Quiet Riot, and the one and only Shaq. Eric "Epic" Kowalski is back from Seattle after attending a special celebration honoring his late friend, and Lou "Loubricity"…

05 okt. 2026
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Rogue AI Agents, AI Regulation & the AI Race Against China

This week on Bourbon with Brad, the guys pour another round of Iron City Distilling's outstanding Bessemer Rye. After enjoying it so much on a previous episode, they decided it deserved a second chance to be fully appreciated, and it does not disappoint. With glasses in hand, Brad breaks down the biggest artificial intelligence headlines from the past few weeks, including a stunning development: top executives from four of the world's leading AI companies are now publicly calling for government regulation to slow and control AI development. But is this a legitimate concern for humanity's safety, especially in light of recent rogue agent incidents involving major AI platforms? Or is it something more strategic, an attempt at regulatory capture designed to cement the dominance of today's AI giants while keeping future competitors locked out of the market? The conversation dives deep into the latest AI developments, including Anthropic's new Opus 5.5 model, OpenAI's rapid-fire response just 24 hours later with…

28 sep. 2026
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On the Road at Iron City Distilling: Bessemer Rye Whiskey, Pittsburgh Legends, and an Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes

The Bourbon With Brad crew is taking the show on the road for one of our most exciting episodes yet! From inside the beautiful Iron City Distilling facility, Brad sits down with Master Distiller Matt Strickland for an in-depth discussion about his approach to distilling and his award-worthy Bessemer Rye Whiskey that is putting Pennsylvania whiskey on the map. Eric "Epic" Kowalski and Perry tour the distillery with President Peter Katz and get a firsthand look at how local Pennsylvania grains become exceptional whiskey before resting in Pennsylvania oak barrels. The journey includes access to the distillery's impressive and unique rickhouse, offering viewers a rare behind-the-scenes experience. Plus, Brad sits down and talks with Peter about the future of Iron City Distilling and the timeline for the company's highly anticipated first bourbon release. And then Pittsburgh sports broadcasting legend Bob Pompeani joins Brad and Lou for some great stories, sports talk, laughs, and the always fun "Loubricity"…

22 sep. 2026
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Anthropic Walkouts, an $80B Bet & the AI Data Center Land Grab

Anthropic researchers are reportedly walking out over fears frontier AI could be dangerous to humanity — days before the company announces $80B in new infrastructure. Brad, Eric "Epic" Kowalski, and Lou "Loubricity" Scerbo break down what the walkouts mean and who actually pays for the AI build-out. Then it gets local (yet still national): the biggest power-plant proposal in the region, the massive AWS data-center park tied to it, and Gov. Shapiro's Local Community Agreement that could redefine how communities negotiate with tech giants. Should Pennsylvania borrow from Norway's sovereign wealth model — or oil-and-gas deal structures — so residents actually see the money? Eric closes with the frontier-math story: what problems did these models supposedly solve this week, and should you believe it? This week's pour: Metallica's Blackened bourbon. And a heads-up — next week is our first live episode at Iron City Distilling, featuring our first taste of Bessemer Rye. Subscribe so you don't miss it. Legal…

13 sep. 2026
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Bourbon, Breakthroughs, and the Roomba Affair: The AI Chaos Episode

This week on Bourbon with Brad, the guys get treated to two new bourbons thanks to friend of the show Jeff Carty, who shows up with the hard‑to‑find Four Gate. The crew savors it, then rides the rest of the episode with Traveler in their glasses. The headlines? Absolutely unhinged — in the best way. Anthropic drops Fable 5.1, promising better performance at a lower cost. OpenAI’s Astra is now reportedly beyond the critical cybersecurity threshold (even though it’s not the model rumored to have broken into Hugging Face weeks ago). Speaking of Hugging Face, they just released a $399 AI‑powered duck with 15 motors, LIDAR, and self‑correction learning, and it’s already sold out. Meanwhile, the Mayor of New York has banned AI use for all K–8 students, and Brad brings a hilarious story from Taiwan where a suspicious husband decides to spy on his wife using their Roomba. Then comes the experiment the guys have been waiting for: a full‑blown AI debate on AI. They assign ChatGPT and Gemini opposing positions on the…

07 sep. 2026