How AI Happens

Sama

How AI Happens features experts and practitioners explaining their work at the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence. Tune in to hear AI Researchers, Data Scientists, ML Engineers, and the leaders of today’s most exciting AI companies explain the newest and most challenging facets of their field. Powered by Sama.

  1. 05/05/2025

    Amdocs Group President Anthony Goonetilleke

    The rapid evolution of technology excites Anthony, especially in AI.User preferences are shifting towards more human-like AI interactions.Empathy in AI is crucial for better customer service experiences.The partnership between Amdocs and NVIDIA emphasizes the importance of software efficiencySoftware and hardware advancements must progress in parallel to maximize productivity.Physical AI integration will enhance daily life through automation and smart devices.Emergent behavior in AI represents a new frontier in reasoning and decision-making.Generative AI can learn and adapt beyond traditional if-then programming.An audit trail is essential for transparency in AI decision-making processes.

  2. 03/20/2025

    Physics & Machine Health with Algorithms Lead Mica Rubinson, Ph.D

    What can physics teach us about machine health in manufacturing? Joining us today to unpack this question is Mica Rubinson, a physicist with a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science. She currently serves as the algorithms lead for Augury, a company providing AI-driven insights into machines, processes, and operations in manufacturing. We sit down to discuss her transition from physics and neuroscience to working in AI, and how her background has informed her understanding of complex systems and improving machine health algorithms

  3. 02/28/2025

    AWS Director of Generative AI Apps Srini Iragavarapu

    Generative AI is still part of the conversation, but perhaps more relevant today is the question of how to develop and leverage more advanced agents. Srini Iragavarapu is the Director of Generative AI applications and Developer Experiences at AWS, and he joins us today to discuss this key topic. Srini explores the evolution from basic generative AI models to sophisticated agents capable of autonomous decision-making and task execution.

  4. 02/21/2025

    Exploring Retail in AI with Freshworks CMO Mika Yamamoto & Sama VPM Lisa Avvocato

    AI is transforming industries worldwide, but how is it reshaping the retail experience? In this episode, we sit down with Lisa Avvocato and Mika Yamamoto to delve into the role of AI in retail and marketing. Lisa and Mika are seasoned marketing and business leaders specializing in AI, customer experience, and enterprise transformation. Lisa is the VP of Global Marketing and AI Community at Sama, where she champions ethical AI development through high-quality training data. Mika serves as the Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks, a company driving global growth with AI-powered solutions that enhance customer and employee experiences. In our conversation, we unpack how AI is transforming retail operations, customer service, and online shopping experiences.

  5. 01/30/2025

    eBay Chief AI Officer Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov

    We hear about Nitzan’s AI expertise, motivation for joining eBay, and approach to implementing AI into eBay's business model. Gain insights into the impacts of centralizing and federating AI, leveraging generative AI to create personalized content, and why patience is essential to AI development. We also unpack eBay's approach to LLM development, tailoring AI tools for eBay sellers, the pitfalls of generic marketing content, and the future of AI in retail. Join us to discover how AI is revolutionizing e-commerce and disrupting the retail sector with Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov!  Key Points From This Episode: Nitzan's career experience, his interest in sustainability, and his sneaker collection.Why he decided to begin a career at eBay and his role at the company.His approach to aligning the implementation of AI with eBay's overall strategy.How he identifies the components of eBay's business model that will benefit from AI.What makes eBay highly suitable for the implementation of AI tools.Challenges of using generative AI models to create personalized content for users.Why experimentation is vital to the AI development and implementation process.Aspects of the user experience that Nitzan uses to train and develop eBay's LLMs.The potential of knowledge graphs to uncover the complexity of user behavior.Reasons that the unstructured nature of eBay's data is fundamental to its business model.Incorporating a seller's style into AI tools to avoid creating generic marketing material.Details about Nitzan’s team and their diverse array of expertise.Final takeaways and how companies can ensure they survive the AI transition. Quotes: “It’s tricky to balance the short-term wins with the long-term transformation.” — Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov [0:06:50] “An experiment is only a failure if you haven’t learned anything yourself and – generated institutional knowledge from it.” — Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov [0:09:36] “What's nice about [eBay's] business model — is that our incentive is to enable each seller to maintain their own uniqueness.” — Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov [0:27:33] “The companies that will thrive in this AI transformation are the ones that can figure out how to marry parts of their current culture and what all of their talent brings with what the AI delivers.” — Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov [0:33:58] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov on LinkedIn eBay How AI Happens Sama

  6. 01/24/2025

    Unilever Head of Data Science Dr. Satyajit Wattamwar

    How can data science and AI drive sustainable innovation in a rapidly evolving world? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Satyajit Wattamwar, Data Science and Statistical Leader at Unilever, to explore how these technologies are shaping novel solutions. Unilever is a global leader in consumer goods committed to creating responsible, impactful products that improve lives. Leveraging cutting-edge research and development, the company addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from reducing environmental impact to enhancing well-being.

  7. 12/30/2024

    Vanguard Principal of Center for Analytics & Insights Jing Wang

    Jing explains how Vanguard uses machine learning and reinforcement learning to deliver personalized "nudges," helping investors make smarter financial decisions. Jing dives into the importance of aligning AI efforts with Vanguard’s mission and discusses generative AI’s potential for boosting employee productivity while improving customer experiences. She also reveals how generative AI is poised to play a key role in transforming the company's future, all while maintaining strict data privacy standards. Key Points From This Episode: Jing Wang’s time at Fermilab and the research behind her PhD in high-energy physics.What she misses most about academia and what led to her current role at Vanguard.How she aligns her team’s AI strategy with Vanguard’s business goals.Ways they are utilizing AI for nudging investors to make better decisions.Their process for delivering highly personalized recommendations for any given investor.Steps that ensure they adhere to finance industry regulations with their AI tools.The role of reinforcement learning and their ‘next best action’ models in personalization.Their approach to determining the best use of their datasets while protecting privacy.Vanguard’s plans for generative AI, from internal productivity to serving clients.How Jing stays abreast of all the latest developments in physics.Quotes: “We make sure all our AI work is aligned with [Vanguard’s] four pillars to deliver business impact.” — Jing Wang [0:08:56] “We found those simple nudges have tremendous power in terms of guiding the investors to adopt the right things. And this year, we started to use a machine learning model to actually personalize those nudges.” — Jing Wang [0:19:39] “Ultimately, we see that generative AI could help us to build more differentiated products. – We want to have AI be able to train language models [to have] much more of a Vanguard mindset.” — Jing Wang [0:29:22] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Jing Wang on LinkedIn Vanguard Fermilab How AI Happens Sama

  8. 12/23/2024

    Sema4 CTO Ram Venkatesh

    Key Points From This Episode: Ram Venkatesh describes his career journey to founding Sema4.ai. The pain points he was trying to ease with Sema4.ai.How our general approach to big data is becoming more streamlined, albeit rather slowly. The ins and outs of Sema4.ai and how it serves its clients. What Ram means by “agent” and “agent agency” when referring to machine learning copilots.The difference between writing a program to execute versus an agent reasoning with it.  Understanding the contextual work training method for agents. The relationship between an LLM and an agent and the risks of training LLMs on agent data.Exploring the next generation of LLM training protocols in the hopes of improving efficiency. The requirements of an LLM if you’re not training it and unpacking modality improvements. Why agent input and feedback are major disruptions to SaaS and beyond. Our guest shares his hopes for the future of AI. Quotes: “I’ve spent the last 30 years in data. So, if there’s a database out there, whether it’s relational or object or XML or JSON, I’ve done something unspeakable to it at some point.” — @ramvzz [0:01:46] “As people are getting more experienced with how they could apply GenAI to solve their problems, then they’re realizing that they do need to organize their data and that data is really important.” — @ramvzz [0:18:58] “Following the technology and where it can go, there’s a lot of fun to be had with that.” — @ramvzz [0:23:29] “Now that we can see how software development itself is evolving, I think that 12-year-old me would’ve built so many more cooler things than I did with all the tech that’s out here now.” — @ramvzz [0:29:14] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Ram Venkatesh on LinkedIn Ram Venkatesh on X Sema4.ai Cloudera How AI Happens Sama

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How AI Happens features experts and practitioners explaining their work at the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence. Tune in to hear AI Researchers, Data Scientists, ML Engineers, and the leaders of today’s most exciting AI companies explain the newest and most challenging facets of their field. Powered by Sama.

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  • Creator
    Sama
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    122
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021-2025 Sama, Inc
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    How AI Happens