Best Digital Wildcatters Podcasts (2025)

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Collide Case Study Marketing Contracts with Aurian Norouzi (Kraken Oil) & Nick Smart (Collide) 26:58

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1h ago26:58

26:58

Aurian Norouzi from Kraken Oil and Nick Smart from Collide break down how Kraken is using AI to replace some of the most time-draining midstream and commercial workflows, from digging through gas contracts to analyzing acreage dedications. They walk through real examples like automating North Dakota stripper-well filings, speeding up third-party fo…

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Collide Case Study Well Search & Regulatory Filing Automation with Buck Crum (Winn Resources) & Michael Cortez (Collide) 28:17

1h ago28:17

28:17

Michael and Buck broke down how well search and automated regulatory workflows are already helping small, lean production teams move faster. Instead of digging through PDFs, Buck can pull a full well history in seconds, and he sees the next big win as using AI for diagnostics, spotting trends, suggesting likely issues, and helping pumpers focus on …

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Case Study LifesAIver Initiative with John Argo (Continental Resources) & Chuck Yates (Collide) 53:24

1h ago53:24

53:24

Continental Resources’ John Argo sat down with us to talk about how AI can materially improve safety and performance in the oilfield, starting with the Lifesaver Initiative, a collaboration between multiple operators and workover companies to use AI and shared incident data to surface well- and job-specific risks before crews ever step on location.…

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Drilling Down on Data with Bobby Neelon & John Kalfayan (Collide) 42:29

1h ago42:29

42:29

John and Bobby broke down how RAG actually works and why the real battle isn’t the LLM, it’s the chaos sitting in PDFs, Excel files, post-job reports, random folder structures, and handwritten scans. They showed how extraction, chunking, and embeddings fall apart when data is messy, and why clean structure, good metadata, and consistent organizatio…

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Real world AI use cases with Todd Bush (Collide) 33:05

1h ago33:05

33:05

Todd broke down how we’re actually getting real ROI out of AI instead of chasing buzzwords, starting with the simple idea that domain expertise and clear value beats any hype cycle. He walked through the three places AI moves the needle G&A, capital, and risk and safety showing how agents can take over the daily grind like SCADA alert triage, reven…

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DOE's $1B Nuke Bet, China’s Coal Loop, & Al Gore’s COP Circus | 11.21.25 40:11

3d ago40:11

40:11

Chuck and Mark crank up the camp as they riff on the Landman season two premiere, bouncing from the show’s oil-patch chaos to the real-world energy circus. They torch the DOE Loan Programs Office’s messy reputation while breaking down its latest billion-dollar moves, like the $1B revival of Three Mile Island for Microsoft and AEP’s $1.6B transmissi…

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Why There Are Almost No Energy VCs 1:09:09

5d ago1:09:09

1:09:09

LA has its own flavor when it comes to venture capital, and Andrew Chan breaks down exactly why it works. Instead of trying to copy SF or New York, LA mixes deep tech, robotics, space startups, and pure creative chaos into one ecosystem that actually makes sense once you see how it all connects. We got into the quirks of raising money there, why en…

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Landmen React to Landman TV Series - Season 2, Episode 1 38:51

6d ago38:51

38:51

Demi Moore storms into *Landman* Season 2 like she owns the place, instantly shaking up the oil patch with a leadership style that’s equal parts steel and swagger. The tension snaps from the jump, boardrooms turning into battlegrounds, wildcatters taking big swings, and Cooper somehow leveling up in the most unexpected way. Tommy’s playing his own …

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Congress Chaos, FAA Close Call & COP30’s Amazon Irony | BDE 11.15.25 42:56

10d ago42:56

42:56

COP30’s giving big “save the trees… after we bulldoze them” energy, and Kirk and Mark are all over it. They roast the idea of hosting a climate conference in the Amazon while clearing land for roads, hotels, and runways, right as private jets zip overhead and new drilling permits get stamped. It’s peak irony, wrapped in green branding. They unpack …

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Can This Carbon-Negative Chemical Replace Oil? 48:43

11d ago48:43

48:43

What if the same CO₂ that’s warming the planet could actually become the stuff we use every day? Jacob and Julie sit down with Aaron Fitzgerald from Mars Materials to break down how their tech flips captured CO₂ into carbon-negative chemicals like acrylonitrile, the backbone of everything from carbon fiber to water treatment to, yes, diapers. Aaron…

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EP 76: Christy Hopkins and Philip Heggelund from PandoScape 1:19:17

18d ago1:19:17

1:19:17

PandoScape is on a mission to make data actually make sense. We sat down with Christy Hopkins and Philip Heggelund, the CEO and CTO duo behind the company, to talk about how they’re untangling the mess of data integration in energy. From subsurface insights to cloud headaches, they’re rethinking how information flows across the industry. We got int…

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Could You Build an Oil Company with Public Data? 52:46

20d ago52:46

52:46

Public data in energy is basically the Wild West, a mix of outdated systems, inconsistent reporting standards, and layers of bureaucracy that make it nearly impossible to use efficiently. In this episode of *Energy 101*, Jacob and Julie chat with John Ferrell, the brains behind WellDatabase, to unpack how all this chaos came to be. From dusty micro…

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The Sable vs. Coastal Commission Showdown, Explained | BDE 11.04.25 53:17

21d ago53:17

53:17

California’s energy situation is getting messy, and the story behind it isn’t what most people think. Mark sits down with Mike Umbro, founder of Californians for Energy & Science, to break down how policy decisions, refinery shutdowns, and halted oil production are reshaping the state’s entire energy mix. They dig into why geothermal isn’t the quic…

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Gates Backpedals on Climate, Trump’s China “Win,” & US Hits Russia’s Oil Giants | BDE 10.31.25 55:17

22d ago55:17

55:17

Bill Gates’ latest climate pivot is stirring things up, and the guys are all over it. Kirk, Chuck, and Mark break down why Gates is stepping away from the emissions-only mindset and putting people back at the center of the climate conversation, think healthcare, infrastructure, and everyday quality of life. From the ripple effects across the energy…

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Why Roughnecks Hate the Safety Guy (And Need Him) 1:21:22

27d ago1:21:22

1:21:22

Ever wondered what really goes into keeping oilfield workers safe? We put an HSE specialist on the spot with all the “dumb” questions, like what happens if there’s H2S in the air, or whether bison herds are actually a thing on site. David Valerio from DNOW breaks down safety in plain English, mixing serious insight with plenty of laughs. From OSHA …

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Why We’re Fracking the Same Wells Twice (And It Actually Works) 56:30

1M ago56:30

56:30

Refracs might sound like something out of an engineer’s fever dream, but Bob Barba makes it surprisingly simple and honestly, kind of fascinating. He breaks down how giving old wells a “second frack” can unlock massive untapped potential, boost production, and make better use of what’s already in the ground. Jacob and Julie throw their usual mix of…

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Sable Offshore Stalled, BP’s ICC Win, Oil Glut or Tightness?, Waha $0 Gas | BDE 10.18.25 46:53

1M ago46:53

46:53

California’s energy mess is heating up, and Kirk and Mark aren’t holding back. They’re calling out what happens when regulators, like the California Coastal Commission, start flexing too hard, leaving companies like Sable Offshore tangled in lawsuits over something as basic as fixing old oil platforms near Santa Barbara. Between the fallout from th…

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Todd Bush 34:15

29d ago34:15

34:15

AI is shaking up oil and gas in all the best ways, and Todd Bush from Collide breaks it down like few can. He and Chuck dive into how automation is tackling tedious processes, think regulatory filings like W-10s and G-10s, and how AI is streamlining data extraction for mineral revenue statements. Todd shows off Collide’s enterprise AI system in act…

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The Real Reason Our Power Grid Keeps Failing 48:52

1M ago48:52

48:52

AI and Bitcoin mining’s gotten a bad rap when it comes to power use, but what if it’s actually helping reshape the grid? We sat down with Haley Juarez from Pioneer Miner to unpack how mining, AI, and high-performance computing are shaking up energy demand and what that means for grids like ERCOT and MISO. From nuclear to hydrogen, vertical farming …

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Oil Markets Go Schizo, OPEC+ Blinks & Cenovus Doubles Down on Canada’s “Peak Oil” Bet | BDE 25.10.09 47:14

2M ago47:14

47:14

Oil at $500? Yeah, not happening, at least not anytime soon. Kirk, Chuck, and Mark unpack the hype around that wild prediction and explain what’s actually driving oil markets right now. Between OPEC’s chess moves, shifting U.S. production, and global demand swings, there’s plenty to keep traders guessing. They also get into the ripple effects of re…

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Revolutionizing Fracking with Real-Time Data | BDE 10.08.25 54:33

2M ago54:33

54:33

Real-time frac data isn’t some future concept, it’s here, and it’s changing the way completions get done. Chuck Yates sat down with folks from ProFrac and Seismos to break down how AI, automation, and acoustic sensing are turning traditional fracking on its head. Matt Wilks and Panos Adamopoulos talk about ProPilot 2.0 and how closed-loop fracturin…

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ProFrac STARS 2025 with Matt Wilks & Seismos 54:52

2M ago54:52

54:52

Real-time frac data isn’t some future concept, it’s here, and it’s changing the way completions get done. Chuck Yates sat down with folks from ProFrac and Seismos to break down how AI, automation, and acoustic sensing are turning traditional fracking on its head. Matt Wilks and Panos Adamopoulos talk about ProPilot 2.0 and how closed-loop fracturin…

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WTF is Coring? 54:37

2M ago54:37

54:37

Coring is one of those parts of energy that doesn’t get much spotlight but makes everything else possible. Courtney Rubin from Baker Hughes breaks it down in a way that’s easy to follow, showing how pulling rock samples tells us what’s really happening underground and why that matters for oil, gas, and even the future of energy. From wildcat wells …

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Thomas Chepucavage from Zenthos Energy 46:44

2M ago46:44

46:44

Zenthos Energy is tackling two big challenges at once: energy storage and carbon capture. Their aluminum batteries aren’t just safer and cheaper than the usual lithium or cobalt options, they also last longer and actually create value by capturing CO2 and producing graphite along the way. Born in Albuquerque and now teaming up with Sandia National …

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Why Oil Companies Are Always Short on Cash 43:10

2M ago43:10

43:10

Philip Reed, better known as the "OFS Finance Guy," isn’t afraid to tell it like it is when it comes to money in the oilfield. Between explaining invoice factoring in plain English, sharing war stories about sketchy collections, and breaking down why AR headaches can make or break a company, he had us laughing and learning the whole way through. Hi…

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Trump’s bold take on climate week, Another BP walkback, solar plant shutdown | BDE 09.26.25 45:36

2M ago45:36

45:36

Trump’s Climate Week speech was anything but subtle, and the Big Digital Energy crew had plenty to say about it. Kirk, Chuck, and Mark break down his unapologetic shots at global green agendas, the messy reality of rushing energy transitions, and what it all means for regular people facing rising energy costs. They don’t shy away from calling out C…

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EP 75: Rudy Lacovara from PetroBricks 1:05:49

2M ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Rudy Lacovara is on a mission to untangle the messy data spaghetti that runs through oil and gas. He built PetroBricks to be the “Zapier for energy”, a way to connect clunky systems, automate the repetitive stuff, and make workflows actually make sense. We got into the pain points everyone in the industry knows too well: outdated data standards, SC…

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Inside the Life-Saving World of Well Control 51:51

2M ago51:51

51:51

Well control is one of those topics that sounds super technical, but it’s basically about keeping a well safe and under control when you’re drilling. Dana Varisco and Ryan Hays from Well Control School explain it in a way that makes sense, even if you’re not living on a rig every day. We cover why blowout preventers are such a big deal, how teamwor…

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Elon Musk data centers, IEA's credibility, Jimmy Kimmel and Charlie Kirk aftermath | BDE 09.20.25 47:25

2M ago47:25

47:25

Musk is once again moving faster than the rulebook can keep up. The guys dig into his latest play, Colossus AI data centers, and how he’s flipping old infrastructure into giga-scale operations at a pace that makes regulators look like they’re standing still. From Tennessee to Mississippi, it’s a masterclass in sidestepping red tape while pushing th…

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EP 74: Husam Rahman from aai agency 1:08:04

2M ago1:08:04

1:08:04

AI is shaking things up in oil and gas, and Hussam Rahman is right in the middle of it. He’s the founder of AAI Agency and the brains behind tools like Petri, a copilot built for engineers, and the Business Toolkit that helps companies cut through messy workflows. We got into how AI is solving everyday headaches, think bad data management, clunky r…

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The Secret Data Engineering Behind Industry AI 45:13

2M ago45:13

45:13

This episode is packed with big-picture energy talk and some seriously nerdy (but fun) data breakdowns. John Kalfayan from collide. and Chuck start with what’s really happening in oil and gas today before shifting into the challenges of putting AI to work in the field. From there, things get deep: contract dedications, what RAG actually means, how …

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Sandy Guitar from TEX-E 58:39

2M ago58:39

58:39

Houston’s got big plans for the energy transition, and Sandy Guitar is right in the middle of it. As Executive Director of TEX-E, she’s helping connect Texas universities (and even MIT) with industry to make sure the next wave of talent has the tools, and the confidence, to take on climate and energy challenges. We swapped stories about how Houston…

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Why Digitizing Energy Infrastructure Is So Hard 1:12:22

2M ago1:12:22

1:12:22

Sean Kelley knows that digital tools aren’t just shiny add-ons, they’re the backbone of how energy companies can work smarter and faster. In this conversation, Jacob and Julie dig into the real ways technology is cutting inefficiencies, like replacing clunky paper forms with sleek digital systems or using AI to help leaders make decisions with conf…

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The Assassination That Shook Free Speech | BDE 09.12.25 48:28

2M ago48:28

48:28

The shooting of Charlie Kirk has shaken the political and cultural world, raising hard questions about free speech, safety, and what it means to debate ideas in a time this divided. We talk about Kirk’s legacy, whether you agreed with him or not, as someone who pushed for open dialogue and challenged people to treat opponents as humans instead of e…

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EP 73: Steven Barrow from Patronus Energy 1:02:49

2M ago1:02:49

1:02:49

AI is no longer just a buzzword in oil and gas, it’s reshaping how the entire industry works. Steven Barrow grew up as a fourth-generation oilfield guy, but instead of sticking with tradition, he’s pushing things forward with Patronus Energy. We got into everything from using computer vision to spot safety issues, to drones inspecting sites, to aut…

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Can Technology Make Drinking Water From Thin Air? 47:17

3M ago47:17

47:17

Turning air into water sounds like science fiction, but that’s exactly what SkyH2O is doing. We sat down with Terell Jones to unpack how atmospheric water generation works and why it’s a big deal for solving global water scarcity. From disaster relief efforts to keeping farms, factories, and even tech companies supplied with clean water, this break…

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EQT LNG deal, MA offshore wind, Norway's export dilemma, Shell cancels SAF project | BDE 09.05.25 34:46

3M ago34:46

34:46

Norway’s energy playbook has basically turned the country into Europe’s oversized extension cord, but the trade-offs are starting to sting at home. Kirk, Chuck, and Mark get into how Norway’s hydro power and subsea cables made it a powerhouse exporter while leaving its own citizens facing higher electricity bills. They call out how exports are esse…

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EP 72: Scott Casso from Casso Land 1:03:33

3M ago1:03:33

1:03:33

AI isn’t just creeping into oil and gas, it’s blowing the doors open. Scott Casso from Casso Land & Imaging Services walked us through how his team is dragging decades of dusty, “dark” data into the digital age. Think land title work, document digitization, and the kind of workflow cleanup that makes mergers and acquisitions a whole lot smoother. I…

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Collin McLelland 54:40

3M ago54:40

54:40

AI isn’t just a buzzword here, it’s reshaping how oil and gas gets work done. Collin McLelland breaks down what he’s building at collide, from tackling the nightmare of legacy systems to creating smarter, vertical AI tools that actually fit the industry. He and Chuck swap stories on why community and knowledge sharing matter as much as tech itself,…

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Emily Avagliano from Resollant Inc. 56:55

3M ago56:55

56:55

Resollant is shaking up hydrogen production with a twist that sounds almost too good to be true, turning natural gas into hydrogen and graphite, without the need for air permits or government handouts. Emily Avagliano, the founder behind the idea, walks us through how her turquoise hydrogen reactors not only cut costs but also capture carbon as a s…

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Data is Energy's Most Untapped Resource 53:58

3M ago53:58

53:58

Spreadsheets, SCADA systems, terabytes of old data, and a surprising amount of laughter, this one has it all. Jacob and Julie sat down with Bobby Neelon from Drill Down Analytics to finally ask the “dumb” questions most people are too shy to bring up about energy, oil and gas, and the mysterious world of data. Bobby breaks down how companies actual…

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NOV & Well Data Labs Are Changing the Game in Fracking | BDE 09.01.25 34:20

3M ago34:20

34:20

Forget the old way of running frac jobs, this one’s all about what happens when real-time data meets smart analytics. NOV is pulling in live completions data and turning it into clear visuals, while Well Data Labs layers on AI-powered insights that let operators tweak things like friction reducers on the fly. Chuck sat down with Eric Zenero from We…

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WTF is Wireline? 52:59

3M ago52:59

52:59

Wireline isn’t your average day job, it’s long shifts, high stakes, and a whole lot of grit. Massiel Diez pulls back the curtain on what it’s really like running wireline operations, from handling heavy-duty equipment to surviving brutal weather and the pressure of big jobs like fishing and perforating. She shares stories from the field that are eq…

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ExxonMobil in Trinidad, Presidio goes public, AI data centers, Putin & Zelensk | BDE 08.22.25 42:14

3M ago42:14

42:14

Exxon’s latest play in Trinidad and Tobago is a big one, 2,700 square miles of offshore exploration rights that could reshape energy in the Western Hemisphere. Chuck and Mark break it all down: why this territory matters, how seismic programs are setting the stage for massive discoveries, and what it could mean geopolitically as deepwater explorati…

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Aaron Fitzgerald from Mars Materials 1:08:37

3M ago1:08:37

1:08:37

Turning CO₂ into carbon fiber sounds like science fiction, but Aaron Fitzgerald and the crew at Mars Materials are making it happen. Their process creates carbon-negative acrylonitrile, the stuff that goes into everything from sleek carbon fiber to water filters and high-tech textiles and they’re doing it with big-name partners like NREL and Shell.…

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Biomanufacturing the Future of Energy 44:42

3M ago44:42

44:42

Cemvita is taking microbes and turning them into an entirely new playbook for energy and manufacturing. Chuck sat down with CEO Moji Karimi and BioWell’s Paul Palmer to talk about how biology, AI, and genomics are teaming up to replace petrochemicals with bio-based alternatives. We’re talking everything from sustainable aviation fuel to biofertiliz…

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How Fracking Made Energy Affordable Again 1:02:01

3M ago1:02:01

1:02:01

Fracking might sound complicated, but it’s basically a wild mix of science, engineering, and more than a few surprising stories. We sat down with Justin G. Hayes from FLOW Partners to talk through what fracking actually is, how sand and water make it work, and why it’s been such a game-changer for the energy industry. Along the way, we bust myths, …

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EP 71: Mathias Lia Carlsen from whitson 1:14:40

3M ago1:14:40

1:14:40

Mathias has a knack for shaking up an industry that doesn’t exactly love change, and he’s doing it from the inside. As CEO of Whitson, he’s bringing petroleum engineering software into the cloud era, building tools that work in real time instead of waiting on clunky desktop updates. We talked about what it takes to get a traditional industry to emb…

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Crude is down, Trump & Putin, EPA CO2 repeal, Enverus sale | BDE 08.11.25 56:34

3M ago56:34

56:34

Orsted’s massive $9.5 billion rights offering has the wind power world buzzing and not in the way they’d like. Chuck and Mark unpack how the company got here, from ballooning costs and tangled supply chains to rising interest rates that make financing a nightmare. They look at why the Danish government is stepping in with a taxpayer-backed bailout,…

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Large Language Models Explained 54:25

4M ago54:25

54:25

Large language models like ChatGPT are changing the game, and in this episode, we’re unpacking how they’re shaking up industries and everyday tasks. From predicting your next word to transforming how we search for information, these models are much more than just the next Google. We dive into how tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are becom…