What you'll learn in this episode
In this conversation, Amir Elion, CEO of Think Big Leaders and former AWS Innovation Programs lead in the Nordics, joins Richard Lesperance on My Men Richard to break down AI agents for beginners. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Amir explains what AI agents are, how they differ from chatbots, and how anyone - regardless of technical background - can start using them to grow their business. These are topics Amir regularly speaks about at conferences and corporate events.
What is an AI agent - explained simply
Amir cuts through the confusion with a clear definition: an AI agent is like a digital worker you give a job description to. Unlike chatbots where you guide each step with specific prompts, you tell an agent the high-level goal and it figures out the steps. It has access to tools - web search, databases, email, social media accounts - and can make decisions, ask for your input when needed, and deliver results. Think of it as a junior employee who can do research, draft reports, and come back with suggestions. This beginner-friendly approach to explaining AI is part of Amir's keynote presentations and workshops.
Teams of agents and real-world examples
The conversation goes beyond single agents to explain how teams of AI agents work together - one researches, one drafts, one reviews and critiques the previous agent's work. Amir shares the Stanford University COVID research example where an agent team with a lead researcher, data scientist, and scientific critic produced 97% of the research output with minimal human guidance. On the business side, companies like Blitzy use agent teams to proactively scan codebases and anticipate feature requests before developers even ask.
Building AI agents without coding
A key message for the audience: you do not need to be technical to build AI agents. Amir describes a masterclass for 80 business people where a construction professional built a property assessment tool in one hour using Base44 - just by describing the business process in plain language. Another attendee launched two customer-facing tools months later. Tools like Lovable, Bolt, and v0 are making this increasingly accessible.
Three buckets of business opportunity
Amir simplifies AI business value into three buckets: productivity enhancement (doing things faster and at scale), product and service expansion (reaching new geographies and audiences through AI capabilities), and disruption (rethinking entire value chains and business models). For forward-thinking entrepreneurs, the disruption bucket is where the biggest opportunities lie - using AI agents to move up and down value chains and reduce dependency on other actors.
Book Amir as a speaker
Amir regularly delivers keynotes and workshops on the topics covered in this episode - AI agents for business, practical AI adoption for non-technical leaders, building AI products without coding, and AI strategy for business growth. He speaks at conferences, corporate leadership offsites, and industry events across Sweden, the Nordics, and Europe. Learn more about Amir's speaking topics and availability.