Podcast

AI Agents' Impact on Jobs and Growth in Distribution

Chris Van Ittersum, CEO and co-founder of Workd, and Ryan Carroll, director of development, join Jason Bader on the Distribution Talk podcast to discuss real-world AI applications for distributors.

Distribution Talk Podcast • February 2026
Chris Van Ittersum on Distribution Talk podcast

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Watch the Video Interview

Full video conversation with Chris and Ryan on AI agents in distribution:

What We Discussed

What happens when automation becomes a partner—not a replacement for people?

In this two-part conversation with Jason Bader, Chris and Ryan share real-world value propositions for distributors and their employees. The discussion covers how AI agents are reshaping work in distribution — not eliminating jobs, but transforming them.

Key Topics

  • AI as the great equalizer — How voice-powered AI agents can level the playing field for distributors of all sizes
  • Learning and adaptation — The more you interact with AI, the more it learns your syntax, context, and needs
  • Preserving institutional knowledge — How AI can help capture the expertise of veteran employees
  • Cost economics — Why AI deployment rarely leads to layoffs, and often enables growth
  • Highest and best use — Freeing humans from grunt work so they can focus on high-value activities

Highlights from the Episode

"This technology is the great equalizer. It turns out that the humans want to do things that they wanna do the great job, they don't wanna do the busy grunt work type jobs. So, let's free up that human ingenuity and put it into places where it is gonna thrive."

— Chris Van Ittersum, CEO & Co-Founder, Workd

"If the agent can add to that ecosystem in a way and in a manner in which you're getting more value out of the team that you have, the natural expectation that you would have that you're gonna cut the team, that actually doesn't generally happen. What we find is these guys will invest in the growth of the team."

— Chris Van Ittersum

"We have quite a stable of agents that are very capable, that have a lot of tools built that they can use to do a lot of the tasks that people need, that are high value, and if there's one that we don't have, then, I mean, those are conversations we love to have."

— Ryan Carroll, Director of Development, Workd

About Distribution Talk

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth, and achieve personal goals.

Hosted by Jason Bader, the podcast features conversations with industry leaders, technology innovators, and distribution experts.

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