The NeuralPod podcast

1:07:07

Join Chris as he welcomes Erik Schwartz in an in-depth conversation covering the fast-paced world of AI. Eric shares his extensive career journey, providing insights from his early days in information retrieval to his current role as Chief AI Officer. The discussion spans various topics, including the challenges of keeping up with rapid technological changes, the impact of AI on business operations, DeekSeek, the Paris AI Summit, the emergence of agentic AI, and the future of AI in personal and enterprise applications. Erik also delves into the similarities between the current AI boom and the dotcom era, and offers valuable advice for companies looking to align AI to business strategy. 00:00 Introduction and Welcoming Eric Schwartz 00:27 The Rapid Pace of AI Development 02:28 Eric's Career Journey and Early Tech Experiences 05:20 Building Digital Libraries and Information Retrieval 06:33 The Evolution of AI and Large Language Models 08:40 The Role of AI in Business and Market Trends 14:13 Defining AI Agents and Their Capabilities 18:06 Adoption of AI in Businesses and Strategic Planning 26:04 The Role of a Chief AI Officer 36:12 Automating Content Review 36:57 Measuring ROI and Success 38:15 Improving Operational Efficiency 40:18 Product Market Fit for Startups 43:26 Impact of AI on SEO and Search 46:17 Enterprise Search Solutions 48:57 Future of AI and Distributed Technologies 55:32 Exciting Developments in AI 01:05:34 Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement Don't miss this thought-provoking episode as they explore the intricacies of AI adoption, ethics, and the future landscape of search and recommender systems.…

The NeuralPod

1
Mwenya Kawesha - AI Fundraising, Responsible AI Development and The Impact of a Chief of Staff 50:08

16 weeks ago50:08

50:08

Exploring the Role and Impact of a Chief of Staff in AI Startups and fundraising with Mwenya. In this episode, we join Chris as he chats with Mwenya, an accomplished Chief of Staff with a rich background in operations and strategy within UK startups. Together, they delve into Mwenya's career journey, transitioning from liberal arts to consultancy and AI. Mwenya is a true champion for responsible AI development and its intersection with industries like social media. Discover insights on what has made her successful as Chief of Staff and when the right time to hire one is. We also cover the intricacies of AI strategy, the challenges of responsible AI development and why it's vital to any start-up trying to succeed. Mwenya also shares valuable fundraising tips, specifically focused on supporting founders, emphasizing the importance of having a clear vision and understanding the market dynamics. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:45 Career Journey and Background 06:02 Role and Responsibilities of a Chief of Staff 14:00 AI Strategy and Responsible Development 35:42 Fundraising Insights and Challenges 49:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Connect with Mwenya here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwenyakawesha/…

The NeuralPod

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Marco Del Tredici - Agentic AI, LLM Evals and Research 55:15

17 weeks ago55:15

55:15

In this episode, we chat with Marco, who is extremely passionate and accomplished in NLP research; with a diverse background from the University of Amsterdam to industry giants like Amazon and Cohere. Marco shares his unique transition from academia to industry, his work on fake news detection, and his contributions to advancements in Amazon Alexa's conversational abilities. We dig into the future of Large Language Models (LLMs), the challenges with LLM evals, and the promise of AI agents in simplifying daily tasks. Marco also discusses the emerging research directions and the potential of AI agents becoming integral to our daily lives. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:01 Background and Research Journey 06:28 Transition from Academia to Industry 10:13 LLMs and Their Future 15:10 Evaluating LLMs 23:43 Interpretability and Explainability 28:50 Understanding AI Agents 37:26 Research and Future of AI Agents 52:14 Predictions and Closing Remarks Connect with Marco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-del-tredici-316a2984/…

The NeuralPod

1
Tetiana Torovets - Property, Personalisation and Search Systems 58:33

29 weeks ago58:33

58:33

In this episode, we sit down with Tetiana Torovets, Head of Data Science at QuintoAndar. Tetiana shares her journey from banking and consulting in FinTech to leading a team at ThredUP and now at QuintoAndar. We explore the intricate challenges of creating recommender systems for marketplaces, the balance between classical machine learning and the latest neural networks, and the application of AI-driven search assistants. Tune in for insights on metrics, experimentation, and the future of AI in property tech. ✅ Tetiana's Career Journey in Data Science ✅ Differences in Machine Learning Across Industries ✅ Challenges in Marketplace Recommendations ✅ Technical Insights and Multi-Objective Models ✅ Search Assistants and Future of Property Tech ✅ Leadership and Hiring in Machine Learning…

The NeuralPod

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Jan Krasnodebski - Recommender Systems, Pricing and Travel 1:06:56

42 weeks ago1:06:56

1:06:56

Have you ever wondered why and how certain holidays and flights are priced then recommended? In this episode of What AI Means for Us by NeuralRec. Chris is joined by Jan Krasnodebski, recommender systems and pricing subject matter expert. With more than 13 years of experience at Expedia and a strong background in pricing and recommendations, Jan shares his expertise on several key topics: ✅The crucial role of pricing in business strategy and its impact on profitability. ✅Unique challenges are faced in pricing for various industries, including med tech and travel. ✅How generative AI is transforming pricing and recommendations, and its current limitations. ✅Multi-stakerholder recommendations, managing them effectively. ✅The integration of AI in booking platforms, enhancing personalization and user experience. ✅Handling ethical implications and ensuring fairness in AI models. ✅Skills and leadership qualities required for success in AI-focused roles. Join us for a deep dive into the dynamic world of pricing and AI, and how these elements shape the modern travel industry.…

The NeuralPod

1
Sumit Singh - Digital Twins, Simulation and AI 49:38

43 weeks ago49:38

49:38

It was great to be joined by Sumit Singh, a Digital Twin expert and champion of the field. Sumit dives into the fascinating world of digital twins and their potential to transform industries and society. In this episode, we explore: ✅What are digital twins? Learn about these virtual replicas and their data magic ✅Benefits for businesses and people. ✅How digital twins optimise systems and improve our world. ✅Challenges and steps organisations can take to harness the power ✅The future with digital twins. ✅Their role in simulation, the metaverse ✅The Digital Twin skills gap and how to address it Intrigued? Tune in to the full episode and explore the cutting-edge of digital twin technology!…

The NeuralPod

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Rishabh Mehrotra - Exploring RecSys and Gen AI 1:23:02

43 weeks ago1:23:02

1:23:02

We enjoyed sitting down with Rishabh Mehrotra recently, discussing RecSys and LLM problems, specifically how they intersect. Rishabh is an all-around great person, he is committed to driving forward the RecSys/Gen AI community with open-source knowledge. Some of the topics we covered: ✅How RecSys and LLMs overlap, and why it’s important ✅Managing multistakeholder recommender systems ✅RecSys cold start problems ✅Building teams to win in RecSys and Gen AI ✅Ethical accountability Stay tuned as we continue to connect with more thought leaders over the coming months!…

The NeuralPod

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Gilbert Cassar - AI and Energy 35:53

43 weeks ago35:53

35:53

Curious about how Generative AI can transform the UK energy sector as we move towards net zero? It was great to chat with Gilbert Cassar, Chief AI Scientist for Energy at Accenture, who discusses how Generative AI is bringing value and solving longstanding problems in the industry. It's clear to see Gilbert's passion for the energy industry where AI is solving real-world problems and making a difference. In this episode, you will discover: ✅How to scale AI beyond proof of concept and deliver value at scale ✅How AI can enable new low-carbon infrastructure and help consumers save energy ✅Why ethical considerations are essential when deploying AI ✅How to educate and engage stakeholders on the benefits of AI ✅What use cases of Generative AI are already making an impact in the energy sector ✅How to build teams with the right skills and future trends in AI ✅And more ...…

The NeuralPod

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Alexey Strygin - AI and Aging 1:13:23

43 weeks ago1:13:23

1:13:23

We discuss all things Longevity AI with Alexey Strying, subject matter expert. We also discuss how to transition your career to longevity where Alexey draws on his own experience to help others. Speaking about Gero, Gerosense, the biotech industry and the importance of data. At the end, Alexey also shares some 80/20 longevity tips that he applies today that can increase healthy life expectancy by 5-10 years.…

The NeuralPod

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Vidhi Chugh - Governance, Ethics and The Chief AI Officer. 27:28

43 weeks ago27:28