AI-Curious with Jeff Wilser

• The Hype-Free Guide to AI and Business, w/ Industry Insider Peter Swimm

  There’s no shortage of hype about AI revolutionizing business, but what’s actually working right now? In this episode, we sit down with Peter Swimm, founder of the AI consultancy Toilville and former Principal Product Manager at Microsoft Copilot Studio, to cut through the noise and explore the real-world use cases of conversational AI.Peter has been working on AI-powered automation for over a decade, helping companies integrate chatbots, AI agents, and large language models into their workflows. Unlike many AI evangelists, he isn’t here to drink the Kool-Aid. Instead, he lays out the hard truths about what AI can and can’t do today—including why fully autonomous AI agents are still far from reality.We break down:🔹 The most successful AI use cases in businesses today (hint: FAQ bots and automated customer support are actually delivering results)🔹 The biggest misconceptions about AI agents and why they aren’t ready for prime time🔹 How AI is transforming communication workflows, from email drafting to meeting summaries🔹 The dangers of over-relying on AI for brainstorming and creative thinking🔹 Practical tips for integrating AI into business operations without falling into the hype trap⏱ Timestamps:3:14 – Peter’s background in AI and Microsoft Copilot Studio7:34 – What is Conversational AI and how has it evolved?10:01 – The AI use cases that are actually delivering value in business12:30 – AI’s role in communication automation and workflow efficiency17:14 – The challenge of making AI-generated emails sound human22:58 – Is AI actually good for brainstorming, or is it making us less creative?29:36 – The truth about AI agents—why businesses aren’t adopting them yet34:31 – Will AI agents ever work as promised? The barriers to real automation38:36 – Smart ways to use AI for efficiency without giving up human oversight40:26 – How Peter personally uses AI in his daily workToilville:https://www.itstoilville.com/🎧 Subscribe to AI-Curious:• Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-curious-with-jeff-wilser/id1703130308• Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/70a9Xbhu5XQ47YOgVTE44Q?si=c31e2c02d8b64f1b• YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@jeffwilser

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• How AI is Transforming Drug Discovery (and Might Cure Cancer), w/ Moderna's VP of AI, Brice Challamel

  In this episode of AI Curious, we explore one of the most profound applications of artificial intelligence—drug discovery and the future of personalized medicine. AI is already transforming how we develop treatments, and at the forefront of this revolution is Brice Challamel, VP of AI Products and Platforms at Moderna.We dive deep into how AI is accelerating the discovery of life-saving drugs, including how mRNA technology—the foundation of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine—is shaping the next generation of treatments for cancer, rare diseases, and viruses. Brice shares insights on AI-powered protein design, how AI can give us an “evolutionary boost” in medicine, and what the future of personalized medicine looks like.Key Topics:• (3:50) Brice’s journey from Google to Moderna—why AI in biotech is his biggest passion• (8:56) How AI played a critical role in the rapid development of Moderna’s COVID vaccine• (12:28) The role of AI in drug discovery: understanding proteins and optimizing treatments• (17:18) The rise of personalized cancer treatments—could AI help cure cancer?• (30:10) The future of medicine: How AI is unlocking breakthroughs across multiple diseases• (39:59) The biggest challenges—clinical trials, regulatory frameworks, and operational hurdles• (46:02) AI’s impact on data security and patient privacy• (49:05) The future of AI-powered healthcare: a world of personalized treatments, AI-driven patient care, and faster drug developmentThis episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about how AI is reshaping medicine, the ethics and challenges of deploying AI in healthcare, and what lies ahead for biotech, drug discovery, and personalized medicine.

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• New Pod from Jeff Wilser: "The People's AI: The Decentralized AI Podcast"

  aaaaaand... I'm launching a new podcast! Don't worry, fans of AI-CURIOUS -- that's not going anywhere. This is a second podcast with its own independent feed. I'll still be producing AI-Curious each week.The new pod is called THE PEOPLE'S AI: The Decentralized AI Podcast, presented by Vana. In the future, this will be available on all the usual podcast platforms (links to subscribe below.)But for this week, I'm dropping THE PEOPLE'S AI into the feed for AI-Curious. It's a good primer on what Decentralized A" is all about. AI-Curious will continue to be a general interest AI podcast. AI and Hollywood one week, AI and the military the next. The People's AI is a different beast...Subscribe to The People's AI on APPLE:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peoples-ai-the-decentralized-ai-podcast/id1792518750?i=1000694109163Subscribe to The People's AI on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnLiYlJulQIcmvCjnVRYotwSubscribe to The People's AI on SPOTIFY:https://open.spotify.com/show/3XFmg6Lqf7nnKwMkicBx8L?si=8c43eac26fd7445eThe People's AI on Twitter/X:https://x.com/The_Peoples_AIJeff Wilser on Twitter/X:https://x.com/jeffwilser____________In our debut episode of The People’s AI: The Decentralized AI Podcast, Presented by Vana, we dive into one of the most critical questions of the AI era: Who should own AI?As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in daily life, its ownership and governance will shape the future. Big Tech dominates AI development today, but a growing movement believes AI should be decentralized, open, and user-owned.We speak with Anna Kazlauskas, co-founder of Vana, and Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR, to explore how decentralized AI could shift power away from centralized corporations and into the hands of individuals.Key Topics Covered:• What decentralized AI means and why it matters• How AI models are built and trained—and who controls them• The intersection of AI, data sovereignty, and blockchain• The potential risks of centralized AI, from bias to economic concentration• How AI assistants, autonomous agents, and data unions are reshaping the internet• Predictions for the next 1-5 years in AI and decentralized technologiesAbout Vana:Vana's vision is for user-owned AI through user owned-data. Its mission is to be the world's first open protocol for data sovereignty. Sign up for the first AI Data Summit, hosted by Vana, on Feb 28 in Denver. This will be the go-to event at Eth-Denver with leaders at the forefront of Decentralized AI tech and applications. AI Data Summit, hosted by Vana:https://lu.ma/aidatasummitMore on Vana:https://linktr.ee/vanahqVana on Twitter/X:https://x.com/vanaAnna Kazlauskas on Twitter/X:https://x.com/anna_kazlauskasNEAR: The Blockchain for AIhttps://near.org/NEAR on Twitter/X:https://x.com/NEARProtocol

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• AI Agents Are Here; Why Aren’t They Mainstream? w/ Fetch AI CEO Humayun Sheikh

  Imagine telling an AI Agent, “Book me a vacation to Tokyo—flights, hotels, dinner reservations—just take care of it.” That level of automation isn’t science fiction. It’s the future of AI Agents.In this episode, we take a deep dive into the AI Agent revolution with Humayun Sheikh, CEO of Fetch AI. Fetch AI has been working on autonomous AI systems since 2018—long before AI Agents became a buzzword. Humayun was also a founding investor in DeepMind, giving him a rare, insider perspective on the evolution of AI-driven automation.We explore the current landscape of AI Agents, and what it will take for them to go mainstream:✅ What AI Agents can do today—and what’s still missing✅ Why AI Agents aren’t yet mainstream despite the technology being ready✅ The key roadblocks: lack of common protocols, interoperability, and infrastructure✅ How Fetch AI is building a “Google for AI Agents” to solve these challenges✅ The future of AI-powered automation and why the goal is invisible AIWe also discuss blockchain’s role in AI, decentralized models, and why large language models are becoming a commodity. Towards the end of the episode, Humayun teases the launch of a new LLM designed specifically for AI Agents.📌 Timestamps:[00:19] – The mission of Fetch AI: building an agent deployment framework[02:10] – Why we need a Google of AI Agents for discovery and interaction[04:29] – How intent translates into AI-driven task automation[08:34] – The biggest hurdle: lack of interoperability and standardization[13:20] – Real-world AI Agent applications today: software development, automation, and social media[19:02] – The roadblocks preventing widespread AI Agent adoption[25:15] – The philosophical shift: AI Agents should be invisible[33:56] – What Fetch AI is building next: the AgentVerse marketplace, decentralized compute, and Cortex LLMIf you’re curious about the future of AI-driven automation, decentralized AI, and the next wave of digital assistants, this episode is a must-listen.🎧 Subscribe to AI-Curious for deep dives into the world of AI.• Fetch AI:https://fetch.ai/Humayun Sheikhhttps://x.com/HMsheikh4🎧 Subscribe to AI-Curious:• Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-curious-with-jeff-wilser/id1703130308• Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/70a9Xbhu5XQ47YOgVTE44Q?si=c31e2c02d8b64f1b• YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@jeffwilser

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  41:07
• A Deep Dive on Deep Seek and the Future of AI, w/ Dr. Steven Waterhouse

  Deep Seek’s new AI model, R1, sent shockwaves through the AI space. Built without Nvidia’s high-powered chips and at a fraction of the cost of models from OpenAI and Anthropic, R1 has been called China’s “Sputnik moment” in AI. Some panicked, the markets dipped, and doomsday predictions started flying. But what if this is actually a bullish moment for AI? What if this marks the beginning of a new era of efficiency, innovation, and broader access to cutting-edge AI?In this episode, we take a deep dive into what Deep Seek actually built, why it matters, and what it means for the future of AI. We’re joined by Dr. Steven “Seven” Waterhouse, a veteran in AI research,  the former CEO of Orchid Labs, and now the co-founder of Nazare, a VC firm focused on AI infrastructure. Seven has been working in AI since the 1990s and has a unique perspective on what this breakthrough represents.We explore:•[00:00] The Deep Seek shockwave—why some called this a “Sputnik moment”•[04:16] What makes R1 different from OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s models?•[07:22] The role of Mixture of Experts (MoE) and how it optimizes AI efficiency•[09:41] Quantization: How Deep Seek reduced computational costs•[11:53] Reinforcement learning and its role in reasoning for AI models•[18:04] Theories and controversies: Did Deep Seek secretly use Nvidia chips?•[20:13] What does this mean for the AI ecosystem? The potential shift away from centralized Big Tech AI•[24:22] Nvidia’s stock drop and what Wall Street got wrong•[32:09] The future of open-source AI—why Deep Seek might be a turning point•[39:52] The risks of open models—should we be worried about AI safety?•[45:01] The next wave of AI development—why this could democratize AI innovationSeven argues that Deep Seek’s model is proof that real AI innovation still matters—it’s not just about throwing more compute and data at the problem. We discuss how this could lower the barrier to entry for AI development, making AI more accessible and accelerating progress in ways we haven’t seen before.If this is your first time listening to AI-Curious, make sure to subscribe, rate us five stars, and share the episode with a friend.Dr. Steven Waterhouse on Twitter/X:https://x.com/deseventral?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorNazare:https://nazare.io/🎧 Subscribe to AI-Curious:• Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-curious-with-jeff-wilser/id1703130308• Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/70a9Xbhu5XQ47YOgVTE44Q?si=c31e2c02d8b64f1b• YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@jeffwilser

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  45:09

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