Jump to Section

Ryan Smedstad

AI Strategy & Solutions · AI Systems, Adoption & Enablement

A decade-plus across Fortune 500s, agencies, and startups, most of it spent building and leading teams. Architecting how organizations adapt to the AI era through strategy, workflow transformation, and solution design that pair systems thinking and strategic judgment with hands-on execution.

Background in digital discovery, web performance, and cross-functional marketing operations. Building tools and writing on AI strategy, discovery, and the shifts reshaping how organizations work.

Latest

Currently helping shape AI strategy, leading a team driving solution development, and partnering across enterprise marketing and communications. Workflow transformation, custom tool design, and advisory to leadership on how AI reshapes digital discovery, user behavior, and marketing operations.

Outside of work I keep building and writing. The latest of each:

Animated gameplay of the 404 page platformer: the player jumping across platforms while a dragon boss gives chase

The 404 Game: A Playable Error Page

A playable homage to Mega Man 2 hiding behind the site's 404 page. Run, jump, and shoot through a castle stage with canvas physics, a boss fight, and more than one ending.

Highlights

Canvas Physics
Retro Sprites
Multiple Endings
Hand-Built Engine

All projects See if you can beat it

Balancing AI Momentum with Real Constraints

When AI's constraints arrive, how a company responds either protects the adoption that made it valuable or drains it. A two-sided look at which usage is worth defending, for employees and leaders alike. A company has two options: hold back and watch competitors pull ahead, or adopt and take on the capability and the cost together.

In this piece

Why Constraints Are Inevitable
Which Usage Is Worth Protecting
For Employees
For Leaders
Shipping Ahead of the Operating Model

All writing Read the article

Capabilities

The core areas of focus: AI strategy and the systems behind it, building and leading teams, and digital discovery in the AI era.

AI Strategy & Implementation Shaping enterprise AI strategy and building the solutions that deliver on it. Workflow transformation, custom tool development, and partnership across marketing, IT, and product teams.

AI Transformation, Applied AI, Workflow Redesign, Responsible AI, Solution Design

Team Building & People Development A decade-plus building and leading teams across Fortune 500 agency work and enterprise transformation. Direct and manager development, hiring, and mentorship that grows careers.

People Management, Hiring, Coaching, Mentorship, Stakeholder Comms

SEO & Digital Discovery A decade-plus across digital marketing strategy and technical implementation, now focused on how AI is reshaping discoverability across the full digital stack.

AI-Era Search, Semantic Optimization, Site Architecture, Global SEO, Performance & Crawlability

AI Systems & Data Insights Designing and deploying intelligent systems that pair AI capabilities with analytical rigor. Complex inputs turned into clear, actionable outputs.

Agentic AI, Workflow Orchestration, Systems Thinking, Analytical Design, Data Visualization, RAG & Vector Indexing

Projects

Independently designed and built, from AI-discovery diagnostics to a full application.

AI Tools

AI Visibility Readiness

Assesses a domain's readiness for AI visibility by evaluating site infrastructure, homepage optimization, inclusion in commonly cited AI datasets, and other discovery signals. Returns a scored breakdown with recommendations.

AI Readiness dashboard showing an analysis of www.espn.com with score, category breakdowns, and AI-powered insights

All projects Analyze AI Readiness

AI Tools

BulkStatus

A bulk URL checker and crawler for SEO and AI-crawler readiness, running entirely client-side with no backend or analytics.

All projects Get BulkStatus

Connect

Interested in discussing AI transformation, digital strategy, or potential collaborations? I'm always open to connecting with fellow innovators and organizations ready to drive transformation.

Connect on LinkedIn Get in touch