Show Notes
In this episode, Jack Cochran sits down with Darlene Volas, a senior solutions engineering executive, to explore what it truly means to be an AI-enabled SE in 2025 and beyond. The conversation moves well past basic ChatGPT usage to examine sophisticated operational workflows, custom automation tools, and practical implementation strategies that enhance both efficiency and quality of work.
This episode was recorded during Presales Collective's 2026 AI-Powered Presales Summit on March 19th, 2026. Pro and Pro+ members can view all of the recorded sessions on-demand in the PSC Knowledge Hub: https://www.presalescollective.com/knowledgehub
Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/
Connect with Matthe James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/
Connect with Darlene Volas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darlenevolas/
Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack
Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026
Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast
Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/
Claude by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/claude
Cursor AI coding tool: https://cursor.sh/
GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot
Gong conversation intelligence: https://www.gong.io/
ChatGPT Enterprise: https://openai.com/enterprise
Obsidian note-taking: https://obsidian.md/
Firebolt database: https://www.firebolt.io/
Key Topics Covered Personal AI Usage Evolution: Moving Beyond Google Replacement to Creative Applications
Three Buckets of AI for SE Leaders: Operations, Team Workflows, and Technical Implementation
Daily Meeting Preparation Automation and Custom-Built AI Applications
Operationalizing SE Teams with Repeatable AI Workflows
Quality vs. Efficiency Trade-off: Better Preparation Rather Than Less Time
Building Technical Credibility Through Hands-On AI Coding
The "One More Thing" Problem and Where Human Expertise Remains Essential
Data Security, Governance, and Vendor Considerations for AI Tools
Why AI Won't Replace SEs: The Irreplaceable Human Element
Hiring AI-Native SEs: What to Look For Beyond Basic Tool Awareness
Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 02:41 How AI conversations have evolved 06:30 Three buckets of AI usage 12:40 Efficiency versus quality improvements 18:40 Building credibility through AI coding 21:07 The one more thing problem 30:59 Why AI won't replace SEs 36:45 Q&A session 39:20 Closing remarks
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