Builders by Proxify

Proxify

This is Builders, the podcast where we discuss the ups and downs of building great tech products with the people behind innovative tech products and services.

  1. 5d ago

    Building responsible AI, with Charlotta Brask from Telia | Builders

    Are we building AI because we need it, or because we can?As companies invest billions in larger AI models, more computing power, and new data centers, an important question remains: what are we building all of this for? In Part 2 of Builders, our host Lee Haynes continues his conversation with Charlotta Brask, Head of Sustainability at Telia Sweden, about the human side of sustainable AI and the responsibility companies have when developing and adopting new technologies. With over 20 years of experience in sustainability, Charlotta explains why responsible AI requires more than technical expertise. It also means considering human rights, involving different perspectives in development decisions, and questioning whether bigger AI systems are always the right solution. They discuss the influence of big tech on AI development, the importance of involving sustainability professionals in AI governance, and practical ways engineering teams can reduce the environmental impact of their systems.In this episode: The human and social impact of AI developmentWhy sustainability professionals need a seat at the tableThe influence of big tech on the future of AIWhy bigger AI models aren’t always betterPractical approaches to building more sustainable AI systemsWhat responsible AI development should look like in the coming years Chapters: 00:00 The human side of sustainable AI 03:25 Are companies becoming more aware of AI’s impact? 05:23 Why bigger AI isn’t always better 07:41 Practical advice for building sustainable AI 10:41 What needs to change in the next three years? 12:20 Final thoughts on responsible AI This is Part 2 of our conversation with Charlotta Brask. Watch Part 1    • The hidden environmental cost of AI, with ...   to explore the environmental footprint of AI, from energy and water consumption to hardware production and the global supply chain. Subscribe to Builders for more conversations with the people building the future of technology.

    Building responsible AI, with Charlotta Brask from Telia | Builders
  2. Oct 14

    Are we losing control of AI? The future of human autonomy, with Ingo Paas | Builders

    Are we losing control of AI? As intelligent systems become increasingly autonomous, who takes responsibility for the decisions they make?In Part 2 of Builders, our host Lee Haynes continues his conversation with Ingo Paas, former CIO of Green Cargo, now board member at Svenska kraftnät, and author of A Billion Times Smarter and Digital Composable Enterprises.Drawing on his experience leading digital transformation and researching the implications of superintelligence, Ingo explores what happens when decision-making authority shifts from humans to intelligent systems.They discuss what it means to preserve human agency in an AI-driven world, whether we can maintain control over increasingly autonomous systems, and why traditional approaches to AI governance may no longer be enough.The conversation also explores how AI is changing leadership, why five-year business strategies are becoming harder to defend, and what skills will matter as intelligent systems become more capable. In this episode: • Why human agency matters in the age of AI • What happens when machines start making decisions for us • How AI twins could help protect human autonomy • Why AI’s impact matters more than its intelligence • Whether losing control of AI is inevitable • Who takes responsibility when autonomous systems make decisions • The rise of superintelligence and intelligent infrastructure • What skills will matter in an AI-driven world • Why traditional business strategies need to change • How leaders can prepare for the future of AI Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: The rise of human agency 03:31 How do we preserve human autonomy? 05:08 The concept of an AI twin 06:34 Can we measure AI's impact on society? 07:48 Are we asking the wrong questions about AI? 10:58 Can we avoid losing control of AI? 13:21 Who is responsible for autonomous AI? 14:46 Superintelligence and the future of humanity 17:43 What skills will matter in an AI-driven world? 19:47 Knowledge vs knowing how to apply it 21:12 How businesses need to change 21:44 Why long-term strategy is becoming obsolete 23:28 Strategy inside intelligent infrastructure 25:17 What leaders should do in the next 12 months 26:00 Final thoughts About BuildersBuilders is a podcast by Proxify exploring the people, ideas, and technologies shaping the future of business and technology. Hosted by Lee Haynes, each episode features conversations with founders, executives, and technology leaders about building, leading, and adapting in a changing world. Subscribe for more conversations about AI, technology, leadership, and the future of business.

    Are we losing control of AI? The future of human autonomy, with Ingo Paas | Builders
  3. Oct 8

    The end of SaaS: Why AI will replace your software, with Ingo Paas | Builders

    What if the future of AI in business isn’t about adding AI to your existing software, but replacing the software altogether? In Part 1 of this conversation, our host Lee Haynes sits down with technology executive, board member, and author Ingo Paas to examine why most companies may be approaching AI transformation from the wrong direction. Organizations are adding AI to existing processes, SaaS applications, and fragmented technology stacks. Ingo argues that this misses the bigger shift. If AI can take over the processes those applications were built to support, much of today’s SaaS stack could eventually disappear.They also discuss why traditional governance struggles to keep pace with AI, why boards are often not asking the right questions, and why three and five-year strategies become increasingly difficult when the underlying technology can change dramatically within months. In this episode: • Why traditional governance struggles with AI • The growing transfer of decision-making authority to machines • What boards are missing about AI transformation • Why AI could make organizational fragmentation worse • How leaders should balance experimentation with running the existing business • Why adding AI to existing SaaS may be the wrong approach • Ingo’s case for replacing SaaS applications with AI • Why companies need to start redesigning from the core Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:42 Ingo Paas’ background 03:06 Why AI transformation is only beginning 04:38 Why traditional governance fails with AI 06:45 What AI governance should look like 09:10 Governing AI in real time 11:28 The data problem companies already have 13:50 When machines start making decisions 14:40 What surveillance and warfare teach us about AI 19:10 What boards are getting wrong about AI 22:27 Why AI requires a different kind of leadership 24:32 The problem of fragmented organizations 25:54 Is AI the end of SaaS? 28:52 Experimentation vs paralysis

    The end of SaaS: Why AI will replace your software, with Ingo Paas | Builders
  4. Sep 30

    How to become an AI engineer in 2026, with Joana Fonseca | Builders

    What does it take to build a career in AI when the technology changes faster than any university curriculum can keep up? Joana Fonseca is an AI engineer at TRATON with a PhD in machine learning and robotics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Yet even after a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD, she had never learned or used generative AI. When she finished her PhD, she had to learn transformers and generative AI herself. In this episode of Builders, Joana talks about the foundations AI engineers need, why continuous learning is unavoidable, and what separates someone who can build an impressive prototype from someone who can build reliable, valuable AI systems. She also discusses the importance of domain collaboration and data engineering, what makes a company truly AI-native, where vision language models (VLMs) and vision language action models (VLAs) are heading, and what AI could look like by 2030. Joana also shares what she is seeing through Stockholm AI and why the conversation around AI increasingly extends beyond models into infrastructure, governance, policy, and societal impact. Chapters 00:00 VLMs and autonomous driving 00:34 Introduction 00:48 What does it take to become an AI engineer? 01:38 The foundations every AI engineer needs 02:03 Why continuous learning is unavoidable 02:37 Even PhDs had to learn generative AI 03:05 Learning AI after a PhD 04:39 How important is domain expertise? 05:04 Why collaboration matters in AI 06:15 What separates strong AI engineers? 06:31 Building AI beyond the prototype 07:04 The importance of data engineering 07:17 What the AI community is talking about 09:30 AI's impact beyond technology 10:50 What makes a company AI-native? 12:30 What's next for VLMs and VLAs? 13:30 The causality problem in autonomous driving 16:00 How researchers are improving VLAs 17:00 What will AI look like in 2030? 19:00 Advice for the next generation of AI engineers 19:22 Why lifelong learning matters

    How to become an AI engineer in 2026, with Joana Fonseca | Builders
  5. Sep 23

    Why autonomous driving is still so hard, with Joana Fonseca | Builders

    Joana Fonseca is an AI engineer at TRATON, working on AI for autonomous driving. In this episode of Builders, Joana explains how vision language models (VLMs) and vision language action models (VLAs) could change autonomous driving by helping vehicles understand entire scenarios rather than simply detecting individual objects. She also breaks down what makes deploying AI in the physical world so difficult, from latency and model size to safety, edge cases, testing, and the huge amounts of diverse real-world data required. Joana holds a PhD in machine learning and robotics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her work has taken her from developing algorithms for autonomous submarines to building AI systems for autonomous trucks at TRATON.In this episode: How VLMs differ from traditional computer visionHow AI can understand an entire driving scenarioThe role of VLAs in autonomous vehiclesWhy 99.99% reliability may still not be enoughWhy latency becomes critical when AI operates in the physical worldThe data problem behind autonomous drivingWhy moving from prototype to production remains so difficultWhat production-ready AI looks like for autonomous systems Subscribe to Builders for more conversations with the people building the future of technology, AI, and engineering. Chapters (00:00) Introduction (01:41)⁠ From robotics to autonomous driving (03:49)⁠ Building AI for autonomous trucks (⁠04:47)⁠ What are vision language models? (⁠05:48)⁠ VLMs vs traditional computer vision (⁠07:34)⁠ From VLMs to vision language action models (⁠09:51)⁠ The black box problem (⁠12:38)⁠ Why 99.99% safety isn’t enough (⁠13:57)⁠ When AI latency becomes dangerous (⁠15:01)⁠ Testing AI in the physical world (⁠16:12)⁠ The autonomous driving data problem (⁠17:28)⁠ Where current AI models fall short (⁠18:49)⁠ Why prototypes struggle to reach production (⁠19:52)⁠ Why robotaxis haven’t scaled everywhere (⁠21:36)⁠ What makes AI production-ready

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This is Builders, the podcast where we discuss the ups and downs of building great tech products with the people behind innovative tech products and services.

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