Eye On A.I.

Craig S. Smith

Eye on A.I. is a biweekly podcast, hosted by longtime New York Times correspondent Craig S. Smith. In each episode, Craig will talk to people making a difference in artificial intelligence. The podcast aims to put incremental advances into a broader context and consider the global implications of the developing technology. AI is about to change your world, so pay attention.

  1. 1D AGO

    #298 Ryan Kolln: How Appen Trains the World's Most Powerful AI Models

    This episode is sponsored by AGNTCY. Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents.  Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. How do the world's most powerful AI models get trained and trusted at scale, and what does that really take from data to deployment? In this episode, Appen CEO Ryan Kolln joins Eye on AI to unpack how rigorous human evaluation, culturally aware data, and model-based judges come together to raise real-world performance. In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith speaks with Ryan Kolln, CEO of Appen, about building evaluation systems that go beyond static benchmarks to measure usefulness, safety, and reliability in production. They explore how human raters and AI evaluators work in tandem, why localization matters across regions and domains, and how quality controls keep feedback signals trustworthy for training and post-training. Ryan explains how evaluation feeds reinforcement strategies, where rubric-driven human judgments inform reward models, and how enterprises can stand up secure workflows for sensitive use cases. He also discusses emerging needs around sovereign models, domain-specific testing, and the shift from general chat to agentic workflows that operate inside real business systems. Learn how leading teams design human-in-the-loop evaluation, when to route judgments from models back to expert reviewers, how to capture cultural nuance without losing universal guardrails, and how to build an evaluation stack that scales from early prototypes to production AI. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss  Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    51 min

  2. OCT 30

    #297 Jeff Lunsford: How Agentic AI Will Redefine Every Digital Interaction

    Why will agentic AI redefine every digital interaction, and what foundation do enterprises need to make it safe, trusted, and real time? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with Jeff Lunsford to unpack how a neutral customer data platform like Tealium becomes the control plane for agentic systems. We cover how to collect and unify first party data responsibly, enforce consent and identity across channels, and feed the right context to models so agents can act with confidence in the moment. You will hear how real time profiles, event streams, and deterministic identity power personalization, automation, and transactions across web, mobile, ads, email, and customer support. Learn how leading enterprises are preparing for agentic commerce that could double digital interactions, why governance and privacy must be embedded into delivery teams, and which standards enable safe transactions and payments with agents. You will also hear how to build an "agentic front door" for your business, design guardrails and spending allowances, choose where to run reasoning and inference, and measure impact with metrics like conversion rate, ROAS, CSAT, and cost per resolution. ​​Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss  Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    48 min

  3. OCT 26

    #296 Yeop Lee: How Coxwave is Redefining AI Evaluation

    This episode is sponsored by AGNTCY. Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents.  Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. How is Coxwave Redefining AI Evaluation? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith is joined by Yeop Lee, Head of Product at Coxwave. Together they explore how teams move beyond accuracy-only metrics to outcome focused evaluation with Coxwave's Align. We look at how Align measures satisfaction, trust, and task completion across chat, email, and voice, how LLM as judge pairs with human review, and how product teams search conversations to find hidden failure patterns that block adoption. Learn how leading companies design an evaluation stack that guides prompts, agents, and UX, which pitfalls to avoid when shipping updates, and which metrics matter most for success, including completion rate, CSAT, retention, and cost per resolution. You will also hear how to run experiment tracking with model and prompt change logs, set up governance that prevents regressions, and choose between SaaS and on premise deployments that meet security and compliance needs. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    43 min

  4. OCT 19

    #295 Fergal Reid: Why Your Bots Fail and How Agents Fix Your Customer Support

    This episode is sponsored by AGNTCY. Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents.  Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. Why do so many chatbots fail in the real world, and how can AI agents actually fix customer support? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith explores how teams move beyond scripted bots to production-grade AI agents that resolve real issues across chat, email, and voice. We look at what makes agents reliable at scale, how to configure them safely, and how to manage them like digital workers alongside your human team. Learn how leading companies approach agent onboarding and governance, which pitfalls to avoid, and which metrics matter most for success, including resolution rate, CSAT, and cost per resolution. You will also hear how to enable actions like refunds and returns through secure procedures, design human handoff that customers appreciate, and build an omnichannel rollout plan that scales responsibly. ​​Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    44 min

  5. OCT 16

    #294 Bhaskar Roy: How Workato Is Building the Rise of the Agentic Enterprise

    Try OCI for free at http://oracle.com/eyeonai This episode is sponsored by Oracle. OCI is the next-generation cloud designed for every workload – where you can run any application, including any AI projects, faster and more securely for less. On average, OCI costs 50% less for compute, 70% less for storage, and 80% less for networking.  Join Modal, Skydance Animation, and today's innovative AI tech companies who upgraded to OCI…and saved.   How are enterprises moving from AI experiments to a true agentic enterprise with measurable ROI? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith speaks with Bhaskar Roy from Workato about how organizations can design, orchestrate, and govern AI agents at scale without sacrificing security or control. Together they unpack Workato's approach to building a single workspace for employees while agents and apps work behind the scenes to automate real business processes. They explain why the future of enterprise AI depends on orchestration, permissions, and human in the loop design. You will hear how Workato One and Workato Go bring connectivity, action, and governance into one stack, how teams assign KPIs to agents and track outcomes, and how to reduce agent sprawl while optimizing SaaS spend. Learn how leading companies are defining the agentic enterprise, what pitfalls to avoid when moving from pilots to production, and how to measure impact across sales, IT, support, HR, and finance so AI drives durable business value. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    57 min

  6. OCT 13

    #293 Greg Shewmaker: How Enterprises Can Implement and Scale with Agentic AI

    This episode is sponsored by AGNTCY. Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents.  Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. How can enterprises truly scale with agentic AI?  In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith speaks with Greg Shewmaker, CEO of r.Potential, about how organizations can successfully implement agentic AI systems that enhance human performance instead of replacing it. Greg explains why the future of work depends on a new partnership between people and intelligent digital agents. He shares how r.Potential, a spin-out from the Adecco Group, helps enterprises design "digital workforces," integrate AI agents into complex systems, and rethink productivity from the C-suite down. Learn how leading companies are approaching AI adoption, what pitfalls to avoid, and why agentic AI could redefine how enterprises operate and grow in the years ahead. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    43 min

  7. OCT 9

    #292 Peeyush Ranjan: How Nurix Is Redefining Voice AI for the Enterprise

    Discover how Neurix is building the next generation of voice AI that sounds and reacts like a human in this conversation with Peeyush, former Google technologist and co-founder of Miracle Labs. Peeyush shares how Neurix is solving the toughest challenges in conversational AI — from eliminating latency to creating natural, real-time dialogue that mirrors human interaction. He explains why voice is the hardest frontier in AI, how Neurix's proprietary models manage conversation flow, and what it takes to integrate voice agents into enterprise systems at scale. Learn how Neurix is combining low-latency speech recognition, dialogue management, and large language models to deliver seamless, multilingual customer experiences. If you're a business leader, product builder, or AI professional interested in how human-like voice agents are transforming customer support and enterprise communication, this episode reveals the future of intelligent conversation.   Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss  Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    45 min

  8. OCT 6

    #291 Naveen Jain: How AI Predicts Cancer, Diabetes & Chronic Illness

    This episode is sponsored by AGNTCY. Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. Can AI and RNA testing make illness optional? In this episode, Eye on AI host Craig S. Smith sits down with Naveen Jain, founder and CEO of Viome, to explore how RNA sequencing and artificial intelligence are transforming our understanding of chronic disease. Jain shares how a personal tragedy led him to launch Viome, a company on a mission to digitize the human body, predict illness before symptoms appear, and revolutionize healthcare. Together they discuss how Viome uses metatranscriptomics to analyze microbiome and human gene expression, what makes RNA a better indicator of health than DNA, and how large molecular AI models are paving the way for early detection of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and more. Jain also reveals his bold entrepreneurial framework—"Why this, why now, why me?"—and his belief that asking better questions is the real key to innovation. If you're interested in the intersection of AI, biotechnology, and human longevity, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

    53 min
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4.7
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

Eye on A.I. is a biweekly podcast, hosted by longtime New York Times correspondent Craig S. Smith. In each episode, Craig will talk to people making a difference in artificial intelligence. The podcast aims to put incremental advances into a broader context and consider the global implications of the developing technology. AI is about to change your world, so pay attention.

Information

  • Creator
    Craig S. Smith
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    297
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Eye On A.I.
  • Show Website
    Eye On A.I.

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