Chain of Thought

Building IBM's watsonx & The Future of Enterprise AI | Dr. Maryam Ashoori

Apr 2, 2025

In this engaging talk, Maryam Ashoori, Head of Product for watsonx AI at IBM, shares her expertise from over 15 years in enterprise AI. She discusses how watsonx simplifies the AI stack and automates processes, enabling businesses to scale AI operations cost-effectively. Maryam highlights the balance of using open-source and commercial models while addressing the challenges of implementing AI agents, emphasizing the importance of data management and governance in regulated industries.

45:09

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Episode guests

Maryam Ashoori

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Quick takeaways

Enterprises need to navigate a complex AI ecosystem while ensuring responsible implementation and optimizing cost performance for generative AI.

Customization and flexibility in AI solutions are crucial for addressing specific organizational needs and enhancing the return on investment.

Deep dives

Complexity of Modern AI Stacks

The modern AI stack presents significant complexity that developers must master to fully realize the promises of generative AI. The discussion centers on a paradigm shift where enterprises have moved beyond initial exploration of generative AI and are now focused on production and scalability. This transition involves addressing three key challenges: the responsible implementation of AI, cost performance optimization, and enhancing the return on investment through increased automation. Companies are required to balance these elements to harness generative AI's full potential while ensuring efficiency and ethical use throughout the organizational landscape.

Intro

3min

The Evolving AI Landscape

9min

Navigating AI Agent Workflows

12min

Navigating Agentic AI Challenges

15min

Navigating the Rapid Pace of Technological Advancements in Development

3min

Unlocking Success with WatsonX and Generative AI

4min

Building trustworthy, scalable AI isn't just about models; it's about navigating a complex ecosystem of tools and regulations.

Join hosts Conor Bronsdon and Atindriyo Sanyal as they explore these challenges with Dr. Maryam Ashoori, Head of Product for watsonx AI at IBM. To meet these challenges, Maryam explains how watsonx simplifies the AI stack, automates pipelines, and empowers enterprises to scale their AI operations while optimizing costs rapidly.

Maryam also explores IBM's strategy for leveraging open-source and commercial models, enabling the potential of agentic systems. Plus, she shares insights from a recent survey of 1,000 developers, revealing key takeaways about the current landscape for enterprise AI implementation, and what results mean for both developers and the enterprises they support.

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Dr. Maryam Ashoori

01:13 Overview of IBM's AI Strategy

01:47 Enterprise AI Challenges and Solutions

04:40 IBM's Approach to AI Models and Tooling

09:52 Simplifying the AI Stack

12:20 Challenges in Agentic AI

15:55 Importance of Data Management and Lineage

21:11 IBM's Strategy for Gen AI Products

23:43 Scaling Challenges with Agents

27:40 Effective Agent Evaluation Systems

35:18 Gaps and Opportunities in AI Tooling