Talbot West: harbinger of change, trusted guide to new frontiers

Make no mistake: AI brings disruption unlike anything since the internet became mainstream. Talbot West guides you to harness the disruption and prosper.

CONTACT TALBOT WEST

INCREASE EFFICIENCY

Cut costs and increase profits with the unprecedented abilities of AI to automate repetitive processes.

DEPLOY NEW CAPABILITIES

AI enables new and unprecedented capabilities across every department, in every sector. What will you create?

EMISSARIES OF CHAI

We pioneer and champion Cognitive Hive AI (CHAI), a system-of-systems framework for AI implementation.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The name "Talbot West" reflects our commitment to navigate technological change in an expansive and pioneering manner.

In medieval Europe, the Talbot was known as a harbinger—one who announces or signals what is to come. Like the Talbot, we help organizations see around corners and prepare for emerging technologies that will reshape their operations.

"West" speaks to the pioneering spirit of American expansion. Just as the western frontier represented both challenge and opportunity, artificial intelligence opens new territories for enterprise innovation. We guide organizations through this technological frontier, helping them stake their claim in the AI landscape while avoiding common pitfalls.

Together, these elements—the foresight of the Talbot and the pioneering spirit of the West—define our approach to AI implementation. We combine deep technical expertise with practical business guidance to help organizations thrive in an AI-enabled future.

This combination of ancient wisdom and frontier spirit drives everything we do at Talbot West. We're not just implementing AI—we're helping organizations chart their course through a transformative era in human history.

Engage with Talbot West

Whether you need a strategy session, some governance help, or a specific AI implementation, we can help. Reach out to start the process of engaging with Talbot West.

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The people behind the scenes

Jacob Andra, Talbot West CEO

Chief Executive Officer

Jacob is the CEO of Talbot West and the co-developer of Cognitive Hive AI, our modular approach to AI deployment.

Stephen Karafiath

SVP of AI Solutions Architecture

Stephen is proficient in enterprise solutions architecture, systems integration, AI, and ML, and knows how to engineer enterprise value creation from technical implementations.

Jacob Andra, Talbot West CEO, and Adam Wardel announce Wardel's appointment to the Talbot West advisory board

Adam Wardel, legal and AI expert

Legal and Compliance Advisor

Adam Wardel is an expert in technology governance, compliance, and the legal implications of AI integration.

Steve Larsen

VP of Sales

Steve Larsen is Talbot West's VP of Sales and brings a wealth of experience communicating technical solutions to enterprise stakeholders.

Alexandra Pasi, Ph.D

Advisor: machine learning

Dr. Alexandra Pasi is the co-founder of Lucidity Sciences, developer of Lumawarp, a novel machine learning model. Dr. Pasi brings a wealth of machine learning science to Talbot West.

Melissa Bime

Advisor: AI in healthcare

Melissa is the founder of Infiuss Health and has expertise in healthcare platforms, AI, and strategy.

Wendy Whitcomb

Advisor: Public sector sales enablement

Wendy Whitcomb is a leading expert in public sector technology sales and go-to-market strategy.

What is Talbot West about?

Mission statement

We guide businesses to navigate and implement AI technologies effectively.

Company vision

To be the leading trusted resource for comprehensive AI solutions for American enterprise.

Company values

Integrity, reliability, follow-through, trustworthiness, expertise, innovation, and genuine partnership.

Our promise to you

We deliver the most up-to-date AI expertise tailored to your business needs, delivered by a team that genuinely cares about enhancing your bottom line.

What makes us different?

We excel through enduring partnerships and client success. Our multidisciplinary expertise delivers tailored solutions with hands-on implementation. We tenaciously drive results, blending technical and operational mastery with genuine relationship-building to stand out in our industry.

Thought leadership

We lead the way in AI thought leadership and vision.

Seated, in front row: Alexandra Pasi, Ph.D, CEO of Lucidity Sciences, and Jacob Andra, CEO of Talbot West. Talbot West & Lucidity Sciences Announce Partnership, Joint Advisory Board Appointments

Talbot West & Lucidity Sciences Announce Partnership, Joint Advisory Board Appointments

Talbot West Adds Legal & Compliance Expertise to Advisory Board With Adam Wardel

Digital transformation strategy: how to do it the right way

Talbot West CEO Jacob Andra at age 13 and age 50 for an article penned by Stephen Karafiath

From blowtorches to boardrooms: why I partnered with Jacob Andra

What is neurosymbolic AI?

Big Consulting is realizing that they can't continue to justify their billable-hour model for strategic analysis when AI delivers better analysis in minutes.

McKinsey in WSJ: how Big Consulting is adapting to the age of AI, and how Talbot West is already there

Composable AI is AI architecture built from modular, interchangeable components that can be rapidly assembled, updated, or reconfigured. In short, it’s another term for Talbot West’s Cognitive Hive AI (CHAI) architecture that we’ve been championing for a long time now.

Cognitive Hive AI

Composable AI: the future of intelligent enterprise

Most treat “build vs buy” as a straightforward choice between speed and customization, cost and control. They're wrong. It’s a complex optimization problem disguised as a simple choice. Organizations think they're weighing two options when they're actually navigating dozens of variables they don't know exist.

Buy or build an AI solution? How to evaluate your options.

APEX (AI Prioritization and EXecution) cuts through the noise. Our process identifies your single best AI opportunity and hands you the blueprint to deploy it.

AI Prioritization and Execution (APEX): a decisionmaking framework

Total organizational intelligence is inevitable by 2030, according to digital transformation advisory Talbot West

The Talbot West 5-year thesis

Mergers and Acquisitions

AI across the M&A lifecycle

BizForesight is an AI-powered business assessment platform that serves two distinct audiences while creating value for both. For business owners, it delivers sophisticated valuation insights and strategic guidance based on proprietary data from thousands of actual transactions. The platform helps owners understand their company's worth and identify optimal paths forward—whether growing, transitioning management, or planning an exit. Simultaneously, BizForesight functions as a qualified lead generation engine for professional service providers in the M&A ecosystem. The platform intelligently matches business owners with relevant professionals who can help implement their chosen strategies. Led by Bill McCalpin, Chair of the Alliance of Mergers & Acquisitions Advisors, and powered by Talbot West's AI technology, BizForesight has 400 business owners queued for its summer 2025 launch. This positions the platform to become the industry's largest deal flow driver by year-end 2025.

Mergers and Acquisitions

BizForesight: an AI-powered business assessment tool

Art deco stylized tree with geometric, angular branches forming symmetrical patterns. Circuit traces run through branches, carrying glowing data particles. High-performing branches transform from copper to brilliant gold and grow thicker, while underperforming branches dim and narrow. Seasons transition in quadrants around the tree, showing the evolution of optimization. Classic zigzag and geometric motifs decorate the base. Background features stepped layers of circuitry in muted tones, allowing the tree's optimization process to stand out in brilliant metallic colors.

What is reinforcement learning in CHAI?

Allegorize a sales engine by showing an actual internal combustion engine generating money as a highly efficient machine. Art Deco aesthetic, cash coming out the manifold, cybercircuitry and data streams connecting the cash to the engine and also circuitry patterns across the engine itself.

Sales enablement

Build an efficient sales engine with AI capabilities

Art deco sentinel figures standing back-to-back, protecting a central sphere of client interests. One sentinel embodies traditional professional wisdom (rendered in classic art deco professional symbols), the other composed of advanced AI patterns. Their armor interlocks where they meet, creating stronger protection. Circuit-pattern shields extend from both figures. Energy flows between them strengthen their defensive stance. Style: protective art deco with cybernetic enhancement, burnished gold and electric blue.

Why do professional services firms love to refer their business clients to Talbot West?

An Art Deco-style illustration of a glowing, abstract human brain, seamlessly connected to a spinal column. The spinal column extends downward, branching out into intricate golden nerves that weave through an abstract corporate environment. Along the glowing pathways, Art Deco-styled icons appear: a briefcase for business operations, a bar graph for finance, a magnifying glass for analytics, a handshake for client services, and a gear for operations. The nerves light up each icon with radiant gold and teal energy, showing interconnectedness. The backdrop features symmetrical Art Deco patterns in black and gold with teal accents, combining elegance with a futuristic corporate aesthetic. The overall composition integrates organic forms with corporate iconography, embodying the concept of AI as the central nervous system of the organization. No text. Neural circuitry and data streams connecting icons to each other and to the brain and spine.

Cognitive Hive AI

An AI central nervous system for your organization

Art deco mechanical robotic arm split composition: left half realistic industrial metal in steel blues, right half transformed with glowing neural network overlay in warm gold. Clean geometric patterns and streamlined forms typical of art deco. Neural connections flow across divide using art deco's characteristic sunburst and zigzag motifs. Strong angular shapes, industrial elegance, minimal color palette of metallic blue-grey and warm gold. High contrast with dramatic shadows. Background should use subtle art deco chevron patterns. Data streams and cybercircuitry across the surfaces. Style reference: retro-futuristic meets Machine Age aesthetic.

Physical AI: Where gen AI, natural language, and robotics meet in the physical world

Art deco courthouse façade viewed head-on, with vertical data streams flowing between the columns like waterfalls. Circuit patterns form the decorative friezes. Gold and obsidian color scheme with electric blue data elements. Geometric stepped patterns frame the composition. No text.

Legal

Invisible AI for law firms: a new paradigm for legal tech

A minimalist art deco aesthetic of organic cloud-like forms transforming into clean geometric vectors, symbolizing AI vector embeddings. Use curved lines and interconnected nodes to show the transition from data to structured information. Blue and silver gradients in the background to evoke a futuristic yet elegant look.

What is vector embedding and why does it matter?

Art deco style architectural illustration of a sleek chrome and steel bridge connecting two distinct geometric platforms. Bridge has clean lines and symmetrical supports. Platforms feature stepped geometric patterns characteristic of art deco design. Muted gold and silver tones. Sharp angular shadows. No text or words. Professional technical aesthetic with art deco flourishes. Minimalist background with subtle gradient. View from slight angle showing depth. Data lines and cybercircuits crisscrossing everything and making up the background. Art deco style. No text.

What is AI middleware and how does it make my business more efficient?

Art deco style illustration of faint, glowing cybercircuitry weaving invisibly through a workplace scene—a desk, a laptop, and familiar tools like email and chat icons subtly integrated into the circuitry. The circuits blend seamlessly into the background, emphasizing invisibility and familiarity. Muted metallics with soft glows.

Invisible AI: the evolution of SaaS and why your team doesn’t need another “product” to learn

Art Deco style golden scale of justice balanced with a computer chip and dollar signs, geometric patterns in background, metallic gold and deep blue colors, sleek lines and symmetry. No text. Cyber circuitry and data streams connecting elements and making up the background.

Legal

Use AI to turn fixed-fee legal work into a profit center for your firm

Advanced persistent threat cyberintrusions. A collage consisting of power plant, a virus, a laptop with a ton of code visible on the screen, a cell phone tower, a single smartphone with a social media scroll. Art deco aesthetic. Mostly grayscale with a small amount of blue and gold. No text. Data streams and circuitry connecting everything and making up the background.

AI security

How to fight advanced persistent threats (APTs) with AI

Legal

AI and law: the opportunity of AI for the legal profession

Variational autoencoder as part of cognitive hive AI. Show a melange of motifs related to the data, backpropagation. Data lines and cybercircuits crisscrossing everything and making up the background. Art deco style. No text.

What is a variational autoencoder and what is its usefulness for enterprise?

Cybersecurity using AI. A collage consisting of a hacker, a laptop with a ton of code visible on the screen, a single smartphone with a social media scroll, a computer screen that is blank. Art deco aesthetic. Mostly grayscale with a small amount of blue and gold. No text. Data streams and circuitry connecting everything and making up the background.

AI security

AI and cybersecurity: How AI can help us defend ourselves

open source intelligence with cognitive hive AI for expanded insights. A collage consisting of a satellite, a drone, a ship, a map, social media profiles, a smartphone, and a single large computer screen that features geospatial intelligence. Art deco aesthetic. No text. Data streams and circuitry connecting everything and making up the background.

AI-powered OSINT: A system of systems approach to intelligence

Art deco aesthetic, minimalist control panel with dials, knobs, and sliders, connected by stylized lines to a faint neural network in the background, symbolizing hyperparameters in neural networks. Metallic textures with glowing accents, abstract and futuristic, landscape orientation.

What are hyperparameters in neural networks?

Minimalist art deco aesthetic of stacked, shrinking rectangular blocks glowing softly. Digital markings resembling abstract language symbols on each block. Design symbolizes the concept of scaled-down language models, with clean lines and a futuristic, tech-inspired look.

What is a small language model?

Stephen Karafiath Talbot West thoughts on AI

The future of AI and the power of modular systems: thoughts from Stephen Karafiath

Government

How AI can make government more efficient while unlocking new capabilities

An an image that encapsulates the idea of detection of adversarial gray zone campaigns. Use imagery of satellites, communications, surveillance, and maritime activity. Art deco aesthetic done in grayscale. Lots of circuitry and data streams connecting elements. Evoke persistent surveillance, competition, bring in a bit of a Cold War vibe.

Gray zone warfare: an article series by Talbot West

Gray zone warfare part 5: We need better detection capabilities

Gray zone warfare and detection and deterrence, a military motif with gray overtones and lots of circuitry and data streams. Think surveillance, detection, deterrence, aggression.

Gray zone warfare: an article series by Talbot West

Gray zone warfare part 4: Deterrence in the gray zone

$A close-up, minimalist art deco illustration of a nautilus shell with spiraling, nested chambers, each chamber representing a different AI module in a system of systems approach. Larger outer chambers symbolize high-level systems, while smaller inner chambers represent specialized capabilities. Fractals with cyber fusion, data streams and circuitry fusing the different fractals. Art deco style, muted colors, non-psychedelic. Really fuse nature and cyber elements.$

Why system of systems is the future of AI deployment

$Art deco aesthetic, minimalist, a fractured military shield in shades of gray with circuitry lines running through cracks, symbolizing cyber infiltration and vulnerability. Military overtones, subtle rivet details, red highlights on some lines for alert. Lots of data streams symbolizing the digital landscape of most gray zone warfare.$

Gray zone warfare: an article series by Talbot West