#268 Jason Hardy: How Hitachi Vantara Is Powering the Future of Enterprise AI
AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. In this episode of Eye on AI, Craig Smith sits down with Jason Hardy, Chief Technology Officer for AI at Hitachi Vantara, to explore what it really takes to deploy AI at scale in the enterprise, beyond the hype. Jason shares how Hitachi is building a pragmatic, outcomes-driven AI platform through Hitachi iQ. From working with NVIDIA to integrating agentic AI into operations, this conversation unpacks the infrastructure, mindset, and strategies needed to move AI projects from experimentation to production. Whether you're navigating AI adoption, battling with data readiness, or looking to build your own LLM-powered applications, this episode offers invaluable insights from a company that's actually doing it globally, sustainably, and at scale. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Preview (02:10) The Role of CTO for AI at Hitachi Vantara (05:38) Applying AI Across Manufacturing, Energy & Transport (09:54) What Is Pragmatic AI? (13:21) Infrastructure Demands of Generative AI (14:47) Why Most AI Projects Fail (20:25) Inside the Hitachi iQ Platform & NVIDIA Partnership (25:42) Building a Model-Agnostic, Hybrid AI Stack (32:08) Beyond Selling GPUs: Delivering Real AI Outcomes (38:09) Supporting Hybrid Deployments Across Cloud and On-Prem (42:02) Rethinking ROI: Failure as a Strategic Advantage (47:44) Agentic AI and the Future of Autonomous IT Workflows (49:37) Five Core Domains of Agentic AI at Hitachi (53:02) Making AI Infrastructure Sustainable (56:48) Hitachi's Vision for the Future of Enterprise AI
--------
55:35
--------
55:35
#268 Kiren Sekar: The Future of Physical Operations Is AI-Powered (Here's Why)
AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. How AI Is Transforming the Physical World | Samsara’s Vision for the Future of Operations In this episode of Eye on AI, Craig Smith sits down with Kiren Sekar, Chief Product Officer at Samsara, to explore how AI, edge computing, and IoT are revolutionizing the world of physical operations - from fleets and factories to farms and field teams. Samsara has quietly become the digital backbone for thousands of frontline businesses, collecting trillions of data points across vehicles, tools, and teams. Kiren explains how they’re building AI-powered systems that don’t just collect data, they deliver real-time safety alerts, optimize routes, track fuel efficiency, and even coach drivers automatically. Whether you work in tech, operations, or AI, this episode shows how AI is finally meeting the real world. Check our Samsara, AI Build for Physical Operations: https://www.samsara.com/ Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Preview (02:01) Kiren Sekar’s Background and Why Samsara Was Founded (06:38) The Real-World Impact of Samsara’s AI Systems (09:04) What Changed After Samsara Went Public (11:09) How Samsara Gives Businesses Visibility Into Operations (13:08) The Hardware and Cellular Network Powering Samsara (14:13) AI to Detect Driving Risks (23:13) Tracking Every Asset: From Cranes to Toolkits (25:20) Why Even Mid-Sized Companies Can Use Samsara Easily (27:25) Regional Dashboards and AI Insights for Executives (29:57) How Samsara Decides Where to Apply AI (32:54) Can AI Read Handwritten Forms? (35:31) The AI Models Samsara Uses (39:21) What Samsara Processes at the Edge vs in the Cloud (43:00) Why Samsara Keeps Its R&D Team Small and Fast (46:35) Why Legacy Industries Are Finally Adopting AI (49:12) What Agentic AI Workflows Look Like at Samsara (54:53) What’s Next: AI Voice Assistants for Field Worker
--------
56:23
--------
56:23
#267 Nabil Bukhari: Exploring the Future of AI-Powered Enterprise Networking with Extreme Networks
What does the future of enterprise networking really look like? In this episode, Extreme Networks’ Chief Product & Technology Officer Nabil Bukhari joins Craig to explore how AI, autonomous agents, and platform thinking are transforming the core infrastructure of modern businesses. From managing mission-critical networks to building agentic systems that collaborate, troubleshoot, and scale autonomously - this is a deep dive into how connectivity is being redefined from the ground up. Whether you’re a tech leader, CIO, product builder, or simply curious about how infrastructure evolves, this conversation reveals where the enterprise is headed next. Check out Extreme Networks: https://www.extremenetworks.com/ Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Preview (01:02) Introducing Nabil Bukhari & Extreme Networks (05:24) Why Global Connectivity Is Still Accelerating (07:54) How Enterprise Data Flows Across Modern Networks (12:34) Networking for AI vs. Built-in AI (14:12) Platform One & Agentic AI Systems Explained (21:20) Human-in-the-Loop, Over-the-Loop, and Above-the-Loop (23:35) Why AI Guardrails Must Be Baked into the Architecture (27:33) Introducing the ARC Framework (31:15) Persona-Based Interfaces for NetOps, CFOs & CMOs (33:25) The Problem with Chatbots (36:06) Enterprise vs. Public Networks (38:38) Global Connectivity Infrastructure & Use Case Variability (44:29) How Secure and Resilient Are Enterprise Networks? (52:24) In-House AI for Critical Infrastructure
--------
54:43
--------
54:43
#266 Andy Kurtzig: How Pearl Uses AI + Human Experts In Professional Services
AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. What if AI could actually be trusted in healthcare, law, or even car repair? In this episode, Andy Kurtzig, founder and CEO of Pearl (formerly JustAnswer), reveals how his platform is solving the biggest problems in AI: hallucinations, liability, and monetization. Pearl blends large language models with real human experts across 700+ categories—so users get AI speed and human-verified accuracy. Whether you're a doctor, mechanic, or just someone with a question, Pearl offers fast, affordable, and expert-backed answers—without the risk of misinformation. If you’re building in AI, working in a regulated industry, or just curious about the future of trusted automation—this episode is for you. Check out Pearl, AI Enhanced Human Expertise: https://www.pearl.com/ Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Introduction (03:20) Why Pearl Focuses on High-Stakes Industries (06:10) How Pearl Reduces AI Hallucinations with Human Trust Scores (10:11) Pearl.com’s Ideal Customers (14:14) Solving AI Liability with Platform Protection (23:27) The Three Big Problems in AI: Risk, Quality, and Monetization (29:00) Why Human-in-the-Loop Is the Future of AI (33:26) Pearl’s API: Bringing Verified Experts to Any App (39:27) Building Trust in AI Through Human Validation (41:03) The Road Ahead for Pearl and Human-Centered AI
--------
48:12
--------
48:12
#264 Jeff Lu: How Akool Uses Gen AI to Make Live AI Avatars & Voices
What if you could translate any video into any language—instantly—and make it look like the speaker was really speaking it? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with Jeff Liu, founder and CEO of Akool, to explore how AI avatars and real-time video translation are eliminating global language barriers. With a background at Apple, Google, and Stanford, Jeff is leading Akool to the frontier of generative AI: cloning faces, voices, and emotions in live video streams. We dive into the technical architecture behind Akool’s real-time avatars, the role of large language models in translation latency, and what the future looks like when the need to "learn languages" may disappear. Whether you're a content creator, marketer, technologist, or just curious about what’s next in AI and communication, this episode is a must-listen. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Creating Digital Clones with AI (01:20) Jeff Liu’s Journey from Big Tech to Startup Founder (02:54) What Akool Does and Who It's For (07:11) Inside the Live AI Avatar Suite (10:32) How Akool Powers Real-Time AI Avatars (16:05) Solving Language Translation with Avatars (21:40) Translating YouTube Videos with One Click (28:36) The Technology Behind Real-Time Translation (33:22) Competing with Tech Giants Like Google (36:26) Akool's Vision (39:36) Avatar Types: Instant, Studio, and Ultra explained (43:39) Building Emotional Nuance into Voice and Video
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.
New Zealand