In this episode, Devin McNulty, founder of Funmentum Labs and creator of Funware, joins us to explore what happens when you treat fun not as fluff—but as a powerful lever for doing serious work.

After 15 years of leading high-stakes strategy and innovation workshops for Fortune 500 teams, Devin set out to scale his approach. The result: Funware, an AI-powered facilitation tool that helps hybrid teams run faster, more creative workshops—without needing a pro facilitator in the room. He shares how it works: from AI that rephrases vague challenges into crisp prompts, to bots that throw out just-bad-enough ideas to unlock new thinking.

We dive into the deep end of design choices—why Devin treats AI like a co-facilitator, not a thought partner, and how he builds in levity and timing to shift posture in skeptical rooms. He talks about “pre-training” AI the same way you’d brief a human teammate, and what it means to productize your own facilitation brain.

The conversation is also a blueprint for AI-first entrepreneurship: how to turn creative intuition into software, how to build with (and not for) users, and how to design tools that spark real interaction—not just outputs.

Whether you're leading workshops, building internal tools, or trying to make your team more idea-generative, this episode is packed with insights on creative AI, team dynamics, and the future of facilitation.

Key Takeaways:

• Fun Is a Strategic Tool—Not a Distraction – Devin challenges the assumption that “fun” and “serious work” are at odds. His facilitation method uses play to unlock alignment, compress timelines, and spark better ideas—especially in rooms that normally resist creative approaches.
• AI Can Facilitate, Not Just Assist – Most teams use AI as a solo tool or sidekick. Devin flips the script—designing AI to act like a group facilitator. Funware injects prompts, rephrases challenges, and even drops well-timed bad ideas to shift group dynamics and drive progress.
• Pre-training Your AI Is Like Prepping a Human Teammate – One of Devin’s biggest insights: treat your AI agents like collaborators. Build them with clear intent, layer in prompting strategy, and fine-tune them for the moment they’ll be used—just like you’d brief a co-facilitator before a workshop.
• Productizing Yourself Is the New Playbook – Devin’s journey is a case study in AI-first entrepreneurship—turning deep craft into software. His advice? Start with your workflow, atomize it into repeatable components, and build tools that deliver value with the push of a button.

Website: Funmentum™ Labs
LinkedIn: Devin McNulty | LinkedIn

00:00 Intro to Funmentum Labs & Funware
00:38 Why Fun Is a Powerful Work Strategy
01:41 Overcoming Skepticism in Serious Workplaces
02:27 Techniques to Engage Resistant Teams
06:32 Can AI Be Funny? Humor in Corporate Settings
08:03 How Funware Uses AI to Drive Group Creativity
11:43 Automating Workshops with AI-Powered Prompts
14:04 Devin’s Path from Facilitator to AI Builder
16:21 Advanced Prompting Techniques in Funware
28:34 Creative Prompting: Logos, Personas & Play
30:04 Exercises to Push Beyond Obvious Ideas
31:35 How AI Unlocks Group Innovation
36:55 Pre-Training AI for Better Collaboration
43:35 Using AI as Muse, Challenger & Focuser
48:46 Final Thoughts

📜 Read the transcript for this episode: Transcript of Prompting for Originality: How Devin McNulty Is AI-Enabling His Workshop Business |

For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin:

Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelin
Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley

Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

In this episode, Mihir Shukla, CEO and Chairman of Automation Anywhere, shares what it takes to build an autonomous enterprise—where AI doesn’t just assist work, but actually does it. With over 300 million AI agents already running on their platform, Mihir argues the future of work isn’t ahead of us—it’s unfolding now.

We explore how Automation Anywhere is reimagining its own operations, automating everything from tax to customer service, and how other companies can do the same. Mihir shares a playbook for identifying high-impact automation opportunities and overcoming the cultural inertia that holds teams back.

The conversation also zooms out: from the global productivity crisis and shrinking workforce to the ethical responsibility of upskilling at scale. Mihir shares powerful stories from communities that went from minimum wage to six-figure AI careers in just months—and reminds us what’s at stake if we don’t move fast.

If you’re rethinking how work gets done, this episode is a blueprint for what’s possible.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t Wait for the Future of Work—Build It - Mihir’s team is already running 300 million AI agents across global enterprises. From automating 90% of tax operations to generating CEO-ready briefings on the fly, he shows how much of today’s work can be autonomous—and how fast it’s scaling.
• Stalled Productivity? AI Is the Only Way Through - Despite $40 trillion in global IT spend, productivity hasn’t improved since 2008—and now the workforce is shrinking. Mihir argues that doubling productivity isn’t a moonshot—it’s an economic necessity, and AI is our best shot.
• Change Doesn’t Come from the Top—It Starts with Teams - Transformation doesn’t begin in the boardroom. Mihir shares how just 2 out of 10 employees experimenting with AI can ignite org-wide momentum—if they’re given ambitious goals, proper training, and permission to lead.
• Upskill the World, One Community at a Time - From the Mississippi Delta to Nepal, Mihir’s upskilling efforts prove that AI fluency doesn’t require a degree—just access. With the right training, someone flipping burgers can land a $120K AI job in three months. Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.

LinkedIn: Mihir Shukla | LinkedIn
Automation Anywhere: The Leading Agentic Process Automation System | Automation Anywhere

00:00 Introduction to Mihir Shukla & Automation Anywhere
01:20 Vision for Autonomous Enterprises
03:03 Reimagining Work Processes
04:17 Principles of Automation
06:12 Challenges and Solutions in AI Adoption
09:15 The Importance of AI in Modern Workplaces
21:31 Studying and Rethinking Work
26:55 The Challenge of Adapting to AI-Powered Workflows
27:55 The Impact of AI on Task Management
31:24 AI in Customer Service and HR Operations
33:03 The Strategic Value of AI in Finance
37:30 The Social Impact of AI and Upskilling Initiatives
40:40 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

📜 Read the transcript for this episode: Transcript of How Mihir Shukla Is Reimagining Work With 300 Million AI Agents (and Counting) |

For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin:

Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelin
Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley

Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.