Landry Fields is a Lexington, Kentucky business owner, speaker, commercial property investor, and podcast host who has built a reputation as one of the country’s most practical voices on applying artificial intelligence in real-world businesses.
Born and raised in Lexington, Fields is a proud graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and corporate communications—a foundation he draws on every time he steps up to a microphone or takes the stage. After college, he remained close to home, first working at Central Bank & Trust Company and then spending nine years as Director of Pro AV Sales & Design at Allied Communications. In 2019, Fields founded Nova Insurance Group, a commercial insurance agency serving Kentucky business owners and families. Nova has since become more than an agency; it serves as a working laboratory for what AI can accomplish in an operating business.
Rather than talking about AI in the abstract, Fields builds practical tools. He has developed an extensive ecosystem of production tools that power his business every day—from policy-comparison engines and workers’ compensation analyzers to full agency automations and acquisition models. That hands-on approach has made him a sought-after speaker, and he now travels the country explaining how owners can implement AI within their companies without needing a technology background, a team of developers, or a six-figure budget.
He is also the founder of AI Rockstars, a private mastermind where business owners learn how to use AI effectively within their companies—not as a novelty but as a daily operational advantage. Members receive access to his evolving library of skills, the playbooks behind them, and a community of operators learning and experimenting together in real time.
Closer to home, Fields hosts Keys to the Commonwealth, a long-running podcast, now in its sixth year, that tells the stories of entrepreneurs from across Kentucky. From small-town founders to statewide brands, the show has become a chronicle of how businesses are built in the Commonwealth and a reflection of Fields’ deep belief that Kentucky’s economy is powered by its owner-operators.
Fields brings an unusual perspective: He speaks both as an operator with real revenue responsibility and as a hands-on builder who develops the tools himself. His message is consistent—AI is not coming for small and midsize businesses; it is the tool that allows them to outcompete much larger companies in service, speed, and execution.
In his free time, Fields enjoys his family, playing music, golf, traveling, and finding new restaurants.
Rotary in Review
Harnessing AI without Losing the Human Touch
Landry Fields, founder of Nova Insurance Group, spoke to the Rotary Club of Lexington on September 10. Since its founding in 2019, Nova has become more than an insurance agency, serving as a working laboratory for integrating AI into daily business operations. A self-proclaimed AI evangelist, Fields emphasized that, when used correctly, AI can be an invaluable operating tool that makes business more human, not less.
Fields explained that the insurance industry has a “human front door,” where agents provide a personal touch while responding to clients in need, and a “human back door,” which focuses on customer satisfaction. In between is where AI can make a difference by handling paperwork, entering data, retyping information, and chasing signatures.
Fields also described the difference between AI-generated scripts for agents, which follow a sequential ABC approach, and agentic “keys,” which can produce a range of possible solutions to a specific question rather than providing only one answer. AI, he said, can perform much of the cognitive work of a capable person—but much faster. He theorized that AGI—artificial general intelligence—which he said is currently in place, will be replaced by ASI—artificial superintelligence—by 2030. ASI, he predicted, will be smarter than all humans combined.
Fields then asked why AI should be developed at all. He said it offers greater efficiency, capability, and scalability and is advancing rapidly. He reported that the University of Kentucky established a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence this year, while Eastern Kentucky University and Northern Kentucky University have developed AI literacy programs.
Fields demonstrated how quickly AI can help a business. During the first six months after founding Nova Insurance Group, he used AI to build an after-hours voice agent, commission reconciliation reports, proposal software, renewal comparison tools, an AI quoting agent, and an AI system with its own email and chat capabilities. All of these tools were readily available to his staff.
Building on his experience at Nova, Fields founded AI Rockstars in November 2025. The company helps business owners implement AI without needing a technology background, a team of developers, or a six-figure budget. Fields also hosts the podcast Keys of the Commonwealth, which shares stories of entrepreneurs from across Kentucky.
He concluded by emphasizing that “free AI is never free.” If a service is free, he warned, it may be using your data, raising serious security concerns. Fields advises businesses to use paid business platforms and ensure their staff members use them consistently. When developed and used correctly, he said, AI truly can make business more human.
— Paul B. Chewning