He built an AI-powered learning system 40 years before ChatGPT existed.

Now he’s showing how YOU can monetize your knowledge in the new economy.

In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Emiliano De Laurentiis, one of the earliest pioneers in AI-driven learning. Long before generative AI became mainstream, Emiliano was designing chatbots, adaptive learning systems, and educational technologies that shaped the foundation of modern AI.

Today, he’s the founder of Knowledge Avatars — a platform that lets anyone turn their expertise into an income-generating training companion. And his story reveals something most people overlook:

Learning is a wealth-building skill — if you know how to leverage it.

What You’ll Discover

• The real history of AI education — decades before the public noticed

• How early chatbots taught researchers about human behavior

• Why today’s AI tools can finally personalize learning at scale

• How to create a revenue stream by teaching what you already know

• Why people get stuck financially and how “pivoting with intention” fixes it

• The essential skill young professionals MUST develop to build wealth

• The mindset shift that separates growth from stagnation

This episode blends AI, education, financial strategy, and life philosophy into a blueprint for anyone who wants to grow smarter, earn more, and adapt faster.

Timestamps

00:00 — AI before the internet: Emiliano’s origin story

01:00 — The childhood lesson that shaped his mission

03:00 — Why individualized learning matters

04:30 — Building the first AI teaching system in 1981

06:20 — Early chatbots and the psychology of human connection

08:05 — Inside Xerox PARC: the birthplace of modern interfaces

11:05 — Knowledge Avatars: teaching through personalized AI

14:00 — AI then vs AI now — what changed

16:40 — Turning knowledge into income

19:49 — Why education is a slow market (and how to pivot)

22:15 — New use cases: training, memoirs, medical education & more

27:15 — The connection between learning, pivoting, and financial health

30:00 — Funding your dreams with smart strategy

31:30 — The life advice Emiliano gives young people

34:55 — How to reach Emiliano directly

🔗 CONNECT WITH EMILIANO DE LAURENTIIS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilianodelaurentiis/

Email: [email protected]

🔗 CONNECT WITH MUSTAFA LADHA (HOST)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mustafa-ladha/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my.finjourney

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5UmpEcnU2Z0UxxDuvenmNx

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/myfinjourney/id1815511353

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