AI · Data · R&D
Adam Barrett
I lead AI, data, and R&D in the tech space — turning models and messy data into systems people actually use. I write about applied AI, automation, and the gap between the hype and what ships.
What I work on
Three things, one job: make AI earn its place.
The work spans the full path — from raw data, to a working model, to something a team relies on.
01
Applied AI & LLMs
Designing AI-driven workflows and LLM tooling that cut manual work in half — and hold up in production, not just in the demo.
02
Data & Analytics
Turning raw, messy data into dashboards and decisions. The measurement layer that tells you whether any of it is actually working.
03
R&D & Automation
Prototyping what’s next — testing new models and automations before they’re obvious, then shipping only the ones that pull their weight.
How I help
Driving AI adoption that actually sticks.
Most AI doesn’t fail because the tech is weak — it fails because it never reaches how people really work. Closing that gap is the job.
01
Find the use cases that pay off
I audit how work actually gets done, then point AI at the spots where it removes real friction — not the flashy demos that look good and change nothing.
02
Ship past the pilot
The prototype is the easy part; production is where most AI dies. I build tooling that earns daily use and holds up against real users and real edge cases.
03
Bring people along
Adoption is a people problem as much as a technical one. I create the prompts, guardrails, and training that get non-technical teams using AI with confidence.
04
Build the trust layer
AI is only as good as the data beneath it. I put the measurement in place so teams can see what’s working and actually trust what they ship.
05
Bridge open source and enterprise
I track what’s new — models, tools, platforms — and turn that into strategy. The right answer is rarely one-size-fits-all. I help teams weigh the trade-offs per use case.
Cost
Open-source & self-hosted to cut per-seat and API spend at scale.
Privacy
Open weights kept in-house, so sensitive data never leaves your walls.
Speed
Managed enterprise platforms when time-to-value matters most.
Want this at your company? Let’s talk →
Articles
Notes on building with AI
Practical pieces on applied AI, data, and what survives contact with production.
The Science of Convenience: Why Friction Quietly Kills SaaS
Convenience isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the thing that decides whether people come back.
Read →How to Build a Personal Site That Shows AI Expertise
A practical blueprint for a site that does more than list a job title.
Read →Creating a Personal Website: A Blueprint for Success
Behind-the-scenes decisions that shaped this site and the thinking behind it.
Read →About
A marketer who became an AI leader.
I started at Spectrum as an intern in 2011 and never really left — because the work kept changing under me. I came up through account management and paid media, where the job was simple to state and hard to do: make the numbers move, and prove it.
That pull toward measurement turned into operations and analytics, and then into AI. Today I lead AI, data, and R&D — building the systems, the data behind them, and the experiments that decide what we try next.
Skills & focus
Get in touch
Let’s talk AI, data, or writing.
Working on something at the intersection of AI and real-world operations? I’m always up for a good conversation.