Practical AI

Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson

Making artificial intelligence practical, productive & accessible to everyone. Practical AI is a show in which technology professionals, business people, students, enthusiasts, and expert guests engage in lively discussions about Artificial Intelligence and related topics (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Neural Networks, GANs, MLOps, AIOps, LLMs & more). The focus is on productive implementations and real-world scenarios that are accessible to everyone. If you want to keep up with the latest advances in AI, while keeping one foot in the real world, then this is the show for you!

  1. 2 hr ago

    Implementing Federated Learning to enhance Agentic AI

    How can AI models learn from private data without compromising privacy? Chris is joined by Lorenzo Sani, Research Scientist at Flower Labs and PhD researcher at Cambridge, to explore federated learning and privacy-preserving AI. They discuss how collaborative learning can expand access to private data for LLM training, how model trajectories can help improve agentic AI systems, and the benefits of open-weight models. The conversation also explores real-world applications of locally hosted AI agents, from healthcare and robotics to everyday automation (for a Halloween party). Featuring:  Lorenzo Sani – LinkedInChris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, XLinks: Endeavor model pageIntroducing Endeavor 1.1Sponsors: Hostinger: Create your website today. Go to hostinger.com/practical and use practical for 10 percent off now.Perplexity AI: "Start your free trial of Perplexity Computer today at pplx.ai/practical and experience the next phase of AI.Resources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026Chris’s new book The Art of Swarming will be published soon, written to be the seminal foundational book for the fledgling swarming industry, defining the principles and architecture that enable autonomous agentic UxS swarms with emergent distributed embodied intelligence.  You can find out more at his website:  https://chrisbenson.com

    Implementing Federated Learning to enhance Agentic AI

  2. 5 Nov

    Abundant Intelligence at the Midwest AI Summit Part 2

    How do organizations decide what AI should do, where to set boundaries, and when to keep humans in control? In this special episode, we bring you three more talks from the Midwest AI Summit, exploring how organizations are putting AI into practice. Don Barger of the International Mission Board shares how establishing an AI charter helped define what the organization would and wouldn't use AI for. Mark Lay of Noblis explores four key decisions for managing AI across an organization, from delegation and accountability to technical debt. And Darren Taillie of Aerocore Technologies walks through how his team uses AI agents, text-to-SQL, and vision models to improve data access and automate work order verification. Featuring:  Don Barger – LinkedInMark Lay – LinkedInDarren Taillie – LinkedInDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XLinks: NoblisInternational Mission BoardAeroCore TechnologiesSponsors: SerpAPI: A Web Search API that gives developers real-time, structured access to search engine results. Visit serpapi.com/practicalai to get started for free and get 250 searches every month. Resources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026Chris’s new book The Art of Swarming will be published soon, written to be the seminal foundational book for the fledgling swarming industry, defining the principles and architecture that enable autonomous agentic UxS swarms with emergent distributed embodied intelligence.

    Abundant Intelligence at the Midwest AI Summit Part 2

  3. 29 Oct

    Abundant Intelligence at the Midwest AI Summit

    In this special episode, we bring you highlights from three talks at the Midwest AI Summit. Heidi Porter explores how to build reliable AI-augmented workflows using the right tools, evaluations, and guardrails. Kevin Solorio shares why building AI with frontline workers, not just for them, is key to earning trust and driving adoption, emphasizing collaboration and continuous feedback. And Chris Shinkle and Andrew Dunlap of SEP discuss how software teams can find the right level of AI autonomy based on their goals, constraints, and verification needs, sharing lessons from teams using AI to build software more effectively. Featuring:  Heidi Porter – LinkedInKevin Solorio – LinkedInChris Shinkle – LinkedInAndrew Dunlap – LinkedInDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XLinks: Moyer Group AISEPFocusedSponsors: Hostinger: Create your website today. Go to hostinger.com/practical and use practical for 10 percent off now.Resources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026Chris’s new book The Art of Swarming will be published soon, written to be the seminal foundational book for the fledgling swarming industry, defining the principles and architecture that enable autonomous agentic UxS swarms with emergent distributed embodied intelligence.

    Abundant Intelligence at the Midwest AI Summit

  4. 22 Oct

    Exploit Development, Agentic Vulnerability Discovery, and Fake PoCs

    AI is changing cybersecurity, accelerating vulnerability research and exploit development while raising new questions about reliability, risk, and  guardrails. Daniel and Chris talk with Spencer McIntyre, Director of Exploit Development at VulnCheck, about how agents are being used to discover vulnerabilities, why many proof-of-concept exploits (POCs) fail to deliver, and how initial access intelligence helps security teams prioritize real threats. They also explore the limitations of AI-assisted exploitation, the challenges of AI guardrails for security researchers, and what these developments mean for the future of threat intelligence. Featuring:  Spencer McIntyre – LinkedInDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XChris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, XLinks: VulnCheckGo Exploit frameworkInitial Access IntelligenceSponsors: Hostinger: Create your website today. Go to hostinger.com/practical and use practical for 10 percent off now.Resources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026Chris’s new book The Art of Swarming will be published soon, written to be the seminal foundational book for the fledgling swarming industry, defining the principles and architecture that enable autonomous agentic UxS swarms with emergent distributed embodied intelligence.

    Exploit Development, Agentic Vulnerability Discovery, and Fake PoCs

  5. 15 Oct

    Is Education Failing our Students in this AI-Driven World?

    Schools and universities are failing to adapt to our modern world, in which AI is becoming increasingly pervasive in all aspects of life and work.  In fact, AI may be changing what should be considered foundational knowledge that all students must learn. In this Fully Connected episode, Daniel and Chris explore the role of AI in education and the future of learning.  They note the bureaucratic inhibitors to educational reform, and the fact that classroom teachers don’t have the authority to innovate and personalize the learning process for their students, and discuss how AI tools can support personalized learning while preserving critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Featuring:  Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XChris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, XSponsors: SerpAPI: A Web Search API that gives developers real-time, structured access to search engine results. Visit serpapi.com/practicalai to get started for free and get 250 searches every month. Resources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026Chris’s new book The Art of Swarming will be published soon, written to be the seminal foundational book for the fledgling swarming industry, defining the principles and architecture that enable autonomous agentic UxS swarms with emergent distributed embodied intelligence.

    Is Education Failing our Students in this AI-Driven World?

  6. 8 Oct

    Narrative intelligence and the human advantage

    As AI reshapes how we work, create, and think about our roles, staying adaptable means understanding not just the technology, but our own stories and identities. Reed Frerichs joins Daniel and Chris to explore narrative intelligence, storytelling, leadership, and personal growth in an AI-driven world. They discuss how entrepreneurs and leaders can use AI tools to navigate changing roles, embrace uncertainty, and develop emotional intelligence along with Reed's “own, author, act” framework. Featuring:  Reed Frerichs – Website, LinkedIn, InstagramDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XChris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, XLinks: Inner Story Series (YouTube)Inner Story Series (Spotify)Inner Story Essays (Substack)Inner Story (Website)Inner Story (Instagram)EverspaceThe LessonSponsors: Framer: The enterprise-grade website builder that lets your team ship faster. Get 30% off at framer.com/practicalaiPrediction Guard: A self-hosted AI control plane for running agents in high impact environments. predictionguard.com/practicalaiResources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026

    Narrative intelligence and the human advantage

  7. 1 Oct

    Open models and the future of Physical AI with NVIDIA

    As AI moves beyond the cloud and into robots, vehicles, and other physical systems, new approaches to models, simulation, and inference are emerging. Daniel and Chris are joined by Ming-Yu Liu, Vice President of Cosmos Lab at NVIDIA, who shares his perspective on open models, world models, and the future of physical AI. They explore why open models matter for innovation, how world models can help AI understand and simulate the physical world, and what it could take to build increasingly capable physical AI systems. Featuring:  Ming-Yu Liu – LinkedInDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XChris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, XLinks: NVIDIA CosmosSponsors: Midwest AI Summit: Join AI practitioners on October 15 in Indianapolis for practical sessions, hands-on discussions, and real-world AI solutions. Use code PracticalAI20 to save 20% on your registration. https://midwestaisummit.com/#ticketsPrediction Guard: A self-hosted AI control plane for running agents in high impact environments. predictionguard.com/practicalaiResources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026

    Open models and the future of Physical AI with NVIDIA

  8. 24 Sept

    From AGENTS.md to Enterprise Deployment

    AI agents are moving beyond laptops and prototypes and into enterprise environments where security, compliance, scalability, and reliability matter. Nick Kuhn from VMware Tanzu Platform joins Daniel and Chris to discuss what changes (and what doesn’t) when deploying agents alongside traditional applications. They explore agent build packs, MCP gateways, shared memory, identity, sandboxing, and what enterprises can learn from years of platform engineering. Nick also shares practical advice for organizations adopting agents today and looks at what the future of AI could mean for enterprise teams and software development. Featuring:  Nick Kuhn – LinkedInDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XChris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, XSponsors: Midwest AI Summit: Join AI practitioners on October 15 in Indianapolis for practical sessions, hands-on discussions, and real-world AI solutions. Use code PracticalAI20 to save 20% on your registration. https://midwestaisummit.com/#ticketsPrediction Guard: A self-hosted AI control plane for running agents in high impact environments. predictionguard.com/practicalaiResources and Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!Prior Webinars from our partner Prediction GuardMidwest AI Summit 2026

    From AGENTS.md to Enterprise Deployment
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Making artificial intelligence practical, productive & accessible to everyone. Practical AI is a show in which technology professionals, business people, students, enthusiasts, and expert guests engage in lively discussions about Artificial Intelligence and related topics (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Neural Networks, GANs, MLOps, AIOps, LLMs & more). The focus is on productive implementations and real-world scenarios that are accessible to everyone. If you want to keep up with the latest advances in AI, while keeping one foot in the real world, then this is the show for you!

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    382
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Practical AI

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