AI in Education: Unlocking Creativity & Redefining Learning | Evan Schwartz | 312

This thought-provoking episode of SaaS Fuel welcomes Evan Schwartz, a visionary in AI-enabled sustainability and global enterprise transformation. Together, Jeff and Evan explore the seismic shifts AI is causing in both business and education. They dive deep into how the role of creativity is evolving in an AI-driven world, the pitfalls of hasty tech adoption, and why leaders must focus on documenting processes before layering on the latest tools. Evan shares hard-won lessons from implementing transformational systems, discusses how customer confusion—not technology—is often the greatest barrier to adoption, and envisions a radically creative future for the next generation.Key Takeaways 00:00 "Documenting and Innovating for Success" 05:26 Early Digital Transformation in Energy Industry 08:48 Traditional Methods vs. Tech Adoption 13:03 Adapting to Rapid Tech Changes 15:37 "Elevating Customer Service with AI" 19:01 "Refining Controls for Complex Systems" 21:53 Mastering Prompt Engineering 23:30 "Skill and Perspective: Realization" 27:46 Agentic AI Enhances Customer Service 30:31 Reassessing Education for Creativity 35:12 "Building a Customer Journey Framework" 38:18 "Understand Before You Buy Systems" 40:44 "ROI's Comfortable Fit vs. Unrealistic Goals" 45:05 "Feature Request Process Strategy" 47:10 "Sprint Timeline and Code Impact" 49:33 "First-Time Collaboration Challenges" 53:16 Journey from Security Budgets to StartupsTweetable Quotes Viral Business Transformation Moment: "I can't run my business without a piece of software. Wow, I've reached a point where there's no going back." - Evan Schwartz Viral Topic: Why Some Industries Resist Software Adoption: "some of that equipment, some of that stuff they've used was built by, by the guy's grandpappy who designed that bark boiler 200 years ago. And the only thing I've ever had to do was grease the bolts and, you know, scrape some rust off of it and we're good to go. Those are very slow to change." - Evan Schwartz How Schools Stifle Creativity: "We beat creativity out of our children in exchange for repeatable excellence." - Evan Schwartz Innovation Requires Honesty, Not Just Hype: "learning from failures, rather than just parading successes, sets the stage for smarter, more resilient innovation." - Jeff Mains Viral Topic: Rethinking Burnout and Recovery "Burnout as more than just stress, framing it as a perfectionist narrative that disconnects people from their values."  - Jeff Mains Quote: "Most leaders are exhausted from playing the lone hero and it's killing both your results and your sanity."  - Jeff Mains Cosmic Karma for Sharing Thought Leadership: "Everyone who shares this week gets a handwritten thank you note from the universe itself, delivered by a comet signed in stardust and forever boosting your cosmic karma score. Better than Xbox."  - Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership Lessons Preserve Creativity: Don’t beat creativity out of your teams chasing repeatable excellence—reward risk and experimentation, especially as AI absorbs rote work. Be Transparent About Adoption: Clearly document your current processes before implementing new tech. Gaps in process knowledge are the #1 cause of adoption failure. Balance Vision With...