We’re excited to welcome Sam Sova, CEO and Co-Founder of Subatomic, as our keynote speaker at the upcoming AI Quarterly on “AI Pilot Purgatory.” This event will spur conversations rooted in real-world experiences, challenges, and successes, while holding space to discuss how to navigate obstacles around modern AI implementation. 

In this feature, Sam reflects on his journey in technology and AI, offering perspectives that reveal his passion for transforming the workplace with intelligent solutions. 

1 . How did your AI journey begin? What did you learn to get to where you are now? 

My background is actually in marketing and business strategy. I’ve spent more than twenty years at large organizations like Fiserv, Johnson Controls, AT&T, TIAA and Con Edison in roles that drove growth through different waves of technology—from the early internet to social media to digital transformation and now AI. What’s interesting is that my AI journey didn’t begin as a technical curiosity; it started as a business problem. Every department had tools, dashboards, and systems, but the real work still happened manually across spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected data. When large language models began emerging, it became clear AI wasn’t just another tool. It was a technology that could actually participate in work alongside humans. So, the learning journey for me was less about becoming an engineer and more about understanding how data flows through organizations, where workflows break down, and how AI could reason through problems rather than just automate tasks. That realization ultimately led to us building Subatomic. 

2. What AI projects have you been recently working on or a part of? What were your inspirations and challenges behind it? 

Recently, a lot of our work has focused on deploying AI Co-Workers within large organizations such as wealth management firms, manufacturers, and enterprise service companies.  The inspiration behind this work comes from seeing how much time professionals spend on administrative and operational tasks instead of high-value work with clients or strategic thinking. Tackling efficiency leads to us now being a growth platform for our clients – this is where we unlock major value. One client was spending 8,000 hours (4 FTEs) on client meeting preparation. By orchestrating all of their data into one data warehouse, we were able to get one view of the client and have AI do this work. The team doing the manual work of the past now is put into more client facing roles, driving a more profitable business. 

The biggest challenge we face isn’t actually technology—it’s organizational readiness. Most companies weren’t designed for AI-native workflows. They were designed around human labor supported by software tools. So, the real work is helping organizations rethink how work should happen when intelligence is always available. Now the firm in this use case is focused on growth opportunities now that their back office is more efficient. 

3. How has your work in AI felt uniquely personal to you? 

For me, AI feels personal because it connects two things I care deeply about: human potential and leverage. For decades we’ve measured company growth by headcount. As revenue grew, organizations added more employees, more meetings, and more operational complexity. AI changes that equation. A small team can now operate with the capabilities of a much larger organization. That idea—amplifying human capability rather than replacing it—is something I’m very passionate about. At Subatomic, we often say we’re not building automation, we’re building AI Co-Workers. The goal isn’t to remove humans from work but to remove the friction around them so they can focus on judgment, creativity, relationships, and strategic thinking. Helping people reclaim time and operate at a higher level is what makes this work meaningful to me. 

4. What’s one final thing you’d like to say to the MKE Tech AI Community?  

Milwaukee has something incredibly valuable right now—a strong mix of industry, manufacturing, finance, and technology. AI is going to transform all of those sectors, and the opportunity for this community isn’t just to adopt AI but to build the companies that define how AI gets used in those industries. The biggest breakthroughs in AI will come from people who deeply understand real industries and real problems. My encouragement to the MKE Tech community is to go beyond using AI tools and start building with AI and designing new ways of working. The future of work is being shaped right now, and there’s no reason that the future can’t be built right here in Milwaukee. 

Want to hear more from Sam? Register for our Quarterly event on Friday, March 20 – spots are limited! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ai-quarterly-ai-pilot-purgatory-tickets-1983826894645?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true