Beyond Automation: Amplifying SE Teams using AI Agents with Dean Shu

Show Notes In today's episode, Dean Shu (CEO & Co-founder, Arphie) joins Jack Cochran and Matthew James to discuss AI agents in PreSales and the evolution of the industry. They explore the changing landscape of PreSales leadership, practical applications of AI, and strategies for evaluating AI solutions. Thank you to Arphie for sponsoring this episode. Arphie is the leading AI-powered platform for automating RFPs and security questionnaires. Arphie empowers teams — from the Fortune 500 to high-growth startups — to save time, improve accuracy, and deliver results faster than ever by combining your prior responses and company context with the latest AI agent capabilities. To join the show live, follow the PreSales Collective's LinkedIn page. PreSales LIVE airs bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM GMT. Links and Resources Mentioned Join the Presales Collective Slack:https://presalescollective.com/slack Contact Dean Shu: [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-shu/  LE SSERAFIM, Crazy EP: https://open.spotify.com/album/538vEfAgLJ6g2I8ubuOlap?si=so9xz_qMQBatFqHMDTp5sw  Hidden Brain podcast episode with Brian Klass - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MowfIBQdmQEIMYdDL3MYK?si=fff1b1731daa48ff  Timestamps  00:00 - Introduction 03:13 - What are you listening to 06:30 - Dean's background 09:20 - What's top of mind for presales leaders? 11:57 - How to make a presales tech purchase 20:13 - What are AI agents? 26:40 - How do you properly explore AI? 32:25 - Is AI going to replace people? 35:41 - Outro Key Topics Covered PreSales Leadership Evolution Elevating the sales engineering role Building stronger cross-functional partnerships Gaining executive-level presence Understanding AI in PreSales Different types of AI models and their applications AI agents vs. traditional AI tools Real-world implementation strategies Evaluating AI Solutions Key criteria for vendor selection Security considerations Proof of concept best practices