Our Story

Paul Roetzer began studying artificial intelligence in 2011, exploring its potential to transform marketing, business, and society. Through his learnings, he became convinced AI would be the most transformative technology of our lifetime, reshaping industries, jobs, the economy, and society at a pace few were prepared for.

Marketing AI Institute began in 2016 as an internal project at Paul’s marketing agency. We started with a simple blog and newsletter to explore how AI might impact our work and our clients. It quickly became clear there was a massive gap in AI knowledge, especially in marketing and business leadership. If we could make AI understandable for ourselves, we could make it understandable for others.

In 2022, The Artificial Intelligence Show podcast relaunched, quickly rising in the ranks to the top 1% of podcasts worldwide. Each week, Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput research dozens of AI news stories, delivering insights, opinions, and advice to business professionals in a relatable, pragmatic way.

In 2023, we launched SmarterX as a sister company to Marketing AI Institute, broadening our focus beyond marketing to educate and consult with enterprises across all departments and industries, and to provide research and advisory services.

Our Beliefs

AI Academy by SmarterX is built on SmarterX’s core beliefs: We believe AI will rapidly transform businesses, industries, jobs, the economy, education, and society. The vast majority of professionals and leaders are not yet prepared for this change. We believe a smarter version of any business can be built through a responsible, human-centered approach to AI. We believe the future of every organization will be AI native, AI emergent, or obsolete. And we believe AI education and training are the foundation for success in every organization.

The AI Literacy Project

The AI Literacy Project is our global initiative to democratize AI education and empower AI transformation. We are committed to helping every professional understand what AI is, how it works, and why it matters; providing free and low-cost educational resources to accelerate AI literacy for all; and partnering with organizations that share our vision to expand access to AI learning at scale. Our mission is simple: Accelerate AI Literacy for All^TM, so individuals, companies, and communities can thrive in the age of AI.