Hey, hey, hey! Welcome back to another episode of Late Night at #INBOUND24, and folks, we’re diving headfirst into Day 2! I’m George B. Thomas, your host for this wild ride, and I gotta say, today was packed with some incredible insights.
And guess what? Just like last night's INBOUND LATE NIGHT SHOW, I'm not riding solo.
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I've got some of the best minds here—Danielle Urban, Nico Lafakis, and Chris Carolan— to talk all things AI, sales, CRM, and more. From the admin tasks we hate to the AI-powered workflows we love, we covered it all. So, let’s break it down, piece by piece.
Taking the Admin Work Off Your Plate
First up, we had a really cool moment with the discussion about AI handling all that admin work none of us love doing—and let’s be honest, your sales team probably hates it even more. One of the new AI features we got to see is the automatic record updating via email scanning.
This is huge, folks. AI will scan your emails, pick up on relevant information, and update records with zero human input. Yeah, you heard me right—zero human input. This is the kind of admin work that steals time away from salespeople, so seeing it automated is a game-changer.
The excitement in the room was real. One of my guests put it perfectly: “Taking away that admin work that humans hate doing? That’s a win right there.” And I couldn’t agree more. When you free up your sales team to focus on selling instead of data entry, you’re setting them up for success.
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AI-Powered Workflows Built from Your Blog Content? Yeah, That’s Happening
Next, we got a glimpse into the future of workflows—and let me tell you, it’s all powered by AI. Imagine being able to build a nurturing workflow straight from the blog post you’re working on. You highlight the text, ask HubSpot’s copilot to create a workflow based on that content, and BOOM—it builds out the steps for you in minutes. This isn’t your basic workflow trigger builder, either. We’re talking about multiple steps, notifications, additional properties—all automated from a simple blog post.
I’m not gonna lie—this one blew my mind a little. This AI-powered workflow creation is going to make marketers’ lives a lot easier, and I’m all for that.
Smart CRM: A Whole New Level of Customization
Let’s talk about HubSpot's Smart CRM for a minute, because this was a big one on Day 2. HubSpot’s been making moves to improve how businesses can manage their data, and Smart CRM is a perfect example of that. They rolled out an object library that’s now available for free, allowing businesses to customize data sets without needing to code or connect a million different systems.
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One of my guests nailed it when they said: “This isn’t about customizing the tool anymore—it’s about making it easier for businesses to customize around their unique needs.” That’s what Smart CRM is doing—it’s removing barriers, especially for teams that don’t have a ton of dev resources. So if you’ve been looking for a more user-friendly way to manage your data, this is it.
Breeze of AI—Good, Bad, + Everything in Between
Now, let’s talk Breeze.
Day 2 was all about exploring what Breeze AI can do, the potential it holds, and—most importantly—the pros and cons of diving into this new technology. Breeze is all about AI copilot and assistance, but like any big shift, it comes with some challenges. We dove into some pretty deep questions about what AI can realistically do and where we still need humans in the mix.
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One of the best points from my guests was this: AI can help automate, but building relationships? That’s still a human job. You can’t rely on AI to create trust or foster connections with clients—that’s something only people can do. And when it comes to making sure data is clean for reports, “if you don’t know where it’s pulling from, how can you trust it?” Great question, right? Trust in AI is going to come down to making sure we understand exactly what it’s doing behind the scenes.
Should You Dive into AI Head First?
I posed the big question to the panel: Is it time to dive headfirst into AI, or should we be cautious? And I gotta say, we got some mixed answers. On one hand, the consensus was clear: you’ve got to start experimenting with AI, or you’ll be left behind. “You’ve got six months to figure it out, or you’ll never catch up,” one guest said. And they’re right—AI is moving fast, and businesses that don’t adopt it will struggle to keep up.
But on the flip side, there’s also a need for caution and strategy. One of the concerns raised was about less-experienced users accidentally overwriting data or creating unintended consequences. This means that while you should definitely jump in, you’ve also got to teach your team how to use AI the right way. It’s not just about flipping the switch and hoping for the best—it’s about understanding how to make AI work for you.
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And remember, like Max said, “Use it. Don’t abuse it.” These tools are here to help, but they need direction. If you ask AI to write a random email with no context, you’re going to get junk. It’s all about refining, iterating, and giving AI the information it needs to produce great results.
Wrapping It Up: What’s the Human Element?
We wrapped up Day 2 with a discussion that really hit home for me: what’s the most important human trait businesses should focus on in the age of AI? The answers? Personality, meaning, and relationships. You can’t automate those, folks. AI is here to make processes smoother, but if you’re not injecting your human touch into your interactions, you’re missing the point.
As one of my guests put it: “Brands need to focus on creating meaning between what they do and the clients they work with.” It’s not about bombarding people with ads or flashy tech—it’s about building genuine, human relationships that go beyond the transaction.
George B. Thomas
