AI innovation comes in waves: algorithms, machine learning, AI agents, and so on. Brian Kohlmann often finds himself riding along those waves, putting himself at the forefront of innovation.
As the Director of AI, Emerging Technology, and MarTech at Bader Rutter – a full-service advertising and marketing agency that took root in Milwaukee over 50 years ago – Brian’s role is multifaceted. He supports the agency as a whole, engaging in internal and external consulting, building AI tools, and contributing thought leadership in the AI and technology space.
When OpenAI began to explode, Brian played an instrumental role in the company’s approach to harnessing this wave of innovation. They built frameworks, set up a tech stack, established rules and expectations, and conducted learning and development sessions. Today, Brian embraces a ‘citizen engineer’ mindset — as a strategic leader who thrives at the intersection of disciplines, building practical fluency in the technologies shaping the future.
“If you’re not learning, you’re basically dying. What’s the point if you aren’t learning something new?”
Innovation is a driving force for Brian and his work at Bader Rutter. Internally, the organization has been building tools to create more efficiency and expand thinking in new areas, subsequently impacting research and employee satisfaction. This internal work ultimately became tools and concepts that could be brought externally, which has provided a foundation to provide client-focused solutions.
To serve their clients effectively, Brian ensures to meet them where they are. A core aspect of Brian’s role is his ability to translate complex concepts across several sectors. With everyone being at different stages in their AI journey, Brian seamlessly switches between the languages of marketing, IT, digital, and customer relations, effectively becoming the “Google Translate” for tech.
Brian sees an opportunity to shift the mindset from individual use of AI to team collaboration. He envisions AI as a facilitator, sparring partner, and collaborator, elevating “collective intelligence instead of just the individual intelligence.”
Having spent 14 years at Bader Rutter, Brian has learned a great deal, driven by his natural curiosity for tech and AI. But his journey doesn’t end there. He continues to seek ways to be innovative and encourages others to do the same. Brian believes in the strength of Milwaukee’s community of AI enthusiasts/practitioners and encourages that we all lean on that power of community whenever it’s needed.
“We’re all learning the nuances together,” Brian emphasizes. “The only way we’re going to build a community around this is if we share our knowledge, our failures, and our hesitations to see what’s possible.”