Eye On A.I.

• #281 Leon Song: The Research Driving Next-Gen Open-Source Models (Together 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, we sit down with Leon Song, VP of Research at Together AI, to explore how open-source models and cutting-edge infrastructure are reshaping the AI landscape.    From speculative decoding to FlashAttention and RedPajama, Leon shares how Together AI is building one of the fastest, most cost-efficient AI clouds—helping enterprises fine-tune, deploy, and scale open-source models at the level of GPT-4 and beyond.   We dive into Leon’s journey from leading DeepSpeed and AI for Science at Microsoft to driving system-level innovation at Together AI. Topics include: The future of open-source vs. closed-source AI models Breakthroughs in speculative decoding for faster inference How Together AI’s cloud platform empowers enterprises with data sovereignty and model ownership Why open-source models like DeepSeek R1 and Llama 4 are now rivaling proprietary systems The role of GPUs vs. ASIC accelerators in scaling AI infrastructure   Whether you’re an AI researcher, enterprise leader, or curious about where generative AI is heading, this conversation reveals the technology and strategy behind one of the most important players in the open-source AI movement. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI

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• #280 Aytekin Tank: How to Fully Automate Your Customer Service with AI Agents

  This episode is brought to you by Extreme Networks, the company radically improving customer experiences with AI-powered automation for networking.Extreme is driving the convergence of AI, networking, and security to transform the way businesses connect and protect their networks, delivering faster performance, stronger security, and a seamless user experience. Visit https://www.extremenetworks.com/ to learn more. JotForm began nearly twenty years ago as a simple online form builder.  Today, it has grown into a platform powering millions of users and has recently stepped into a new era of AI. In this episode, Aytekin Tank, founder and CEO of JotForm, shares the story of how the company pivoted from forms to launching AI Agents that are changing the way small and medium-sized businesses handle customer support and automation. Aytekin explains how JotForm’s AI journey started as an internal experiment to fill out forms by voice, only to discover that most users wanted it for customer service. That insight sparked the creation of JotForm AI Agents, tools that don’t just answer questions, but perform tasks, scale support teams, and transform the customer experience.  Beyond the technology, Aytekin outlines a bold vision of the future where every business, no matter the size, will have its own AI-powered agent available around the clock to schedule appointments, answer questions, and even process transactions.  This conversation explores how AI is reshaping customer service and why small businesses, nonprofits, and educators stand to benefit the most from this wave of innovation. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) The Scale of JotForm Today and the AI Vision   (01:32) Aytekin’s Journey: From Developer to Bootstrap Founder   (03:36) The Pivot: From Voice Forms to AI Customer Service   (05:25) Building and Launching JotForm AI Agents   (06:20) Using AI Internally: Cutting Tickets and Boosting Resolution Rates   (08:13) Why AI Agents Go Beyond Chatbots   (12:22) Demonstrating JotForm AI in Action   (21:40) The Tech Stack Behind JotForm’s AI Agents   (24:59) Training and Teaching Your Own AI Agent   (33:27) Competition, Differentiation, and Market Strategy   (36:55) Why Small Businesses Need AI the Most   (38:24) The Future: Every Business With Its Own AI Agent   (40:19) Pricing, Growth, and Lessons in Scaling AI   (42:26) Slow Growth vs Explosive Scale and Lessons Learned   (43:55) Aytekin’s Vision for AI in Business

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• #279 Matthew Carroll: Immuta’s Approach to Secure, Scalable Data Access in the Age of AI

  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.  Matthew Carroll, CEO and co-founder of Immuta, joins the Eye on AI podcast to explore how data access governance is evolving in the age of generative AI.  As AI drives a surge in both human and non-human data consumers, traditional security models are no longer enough. Matthew explains how Immuta automates compliance, enforces policies across global jurisdictions, and scales secure access for enterprises—from blinded clinical trials in pharma to cross-border data sharing.  Discover why AI-powered governance agents, risk-based access controls, and native cloud integration are the future of compliant, scalable data use. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) How Immuta Governs Data in the AI Era   (02:59) Security Alone Isn’t Enough in AI   (05:24) From U.S. Intel Roots to Immuta’s Platform   (07:38) Pharma Trials: Protecting Billions in Drug Development   (12:58) The Data Marketplace & Access Negotiations   (16:07) Why Native Integration Beats Proxy Models   (20:33) Managing Data Across Borders & Sovereignty Laws   (25:33) The Data Governor Bottleneck (and AI Solution)   (31:05) Inside Immuta’s SaaS Model & User Roles   (33:26) Big Data Lessons Driving AI ROI   (41:05) The Growing Data Governance Market   (45:48) Storage Portability & Apache Iceberg Explained   (48:32) Future Shift to Risk-Based, AI-Driven Access

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• #278 Julia Peyre: How Schneider Electric is Pioneering Enterprise AI at Scale

  AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. How does a 150,000-employee global leader make AI work at scale? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with Julia Peyre, Head of AI Strategy & Innovation at Schneider Electric, to explore how the company is pioneering enterprise AI adoption through its AI Hub, hybrid AI systems, and real-world digital twin applications. From breaking data silos and embedding AI into hardware, to partnering with startups and building predictive maintenance solutions, Julia shares a blueprint for bringing AI from pilot programs to full-scale deployment, across both internal processes and customer-facing products. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigssEye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Preview and Intro (01:58) Meet Julia Peyre & Her Role(03:19) Inside Schneider’s AI Hub(05:51) AI in Industrial Automation & Robotics(08:43) Internal vs External AI Applications(13:54) Why Schneider Is Ahead in AI Adoption(15:57) Centralized AI Hub Model(19:38) Hybrid AI: Combining Physics & Data(25:44) Early Steps in Multi-Agent Systems(29:54) Breaking Data Silos for AI at Scale(32:02) Predictive Maintenance with Hybrid AI(37:03) Long-Term View on AI Automation(42:37) Advice for Young Professionals in AI(44:21) Framework for Evaluating AI Solutions(50:19) Involving End Users in AI Testing

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• #277 Alex Salazar: Arcade’s Vision to Make AI Agents Secure and Scalable

  In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with Alex Salazar, co-founder and CEO of Arcade.dev, to explore what it really takes to build secure, scalable AI agents that can take real-world actions. While everyone’s talking about the future of autonomous agents, most never make it past the demo stage. Why? Because agents today lack secure infrastructure to connect with real tools like Gmail, Slack, Notion, GitHub—and do so on behalf of users without breaking authentication protocols. Alex shares how Arcade solves the missing layer in AI agent development: secure tool execution, user-specific authorization, OAuth flows, and production-ready consistency. Whether you're building with GPT‑4, Claude, or open-source models, Arcade handles the hard part—making agent actions actually work. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Why AI Agents Can’t Take Action (Yet) (01:27) Meet Alex Salazar: From Okta to Arcade (03:39) What Arcade.dev Actually Does (05:16) Agent Protocols: MCP, ACP & Where Arcade Fits (07:36) Arcade Demo: Building a Multi-Tool AI Agent (11:16) Handling Secure Authentication with OAuth (14:40) Why Agents Need User-Tied Authorization (19:25) Tools vs APIs: The Real Interface for LLMs (23:41) How Arcade Ensures Agents Go Beyond Demos (25:48) Why Arcade Focuses on Developers, Not Consumers (27:55) The Roadblocks to Production-Ready Agents (31:15) How Arcade Integrates Into Agent Workflows (33:16) Tool Calling & Model Compatibility Challenges (34:49) Arcade’s Pricing Model Explained (36:20) Competing with Big Tech: IBM, AWS & Others (38:38) Future of Agents: From Hype to Workflow Automation (41:58) Real Use Cases: Email Agents, Slack Bots, Finance & More (46:17) Agent Marketplaces & The Arcade Origin Story

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