Mike Lewis, an AI architect from Cincinnati, shares his insights on leveraging LLM and GenAI applications for real enterprise value. He tackles the prevalent AI disillusionment, emphasizing the importance of creativity and understanding client needs. The discussion touches on developing tailored AI solutions, unlocking operational efficiencies, and recognizing AI's broader societal impact. Mike also advocates for empowering non-technical workers with AI knowledge, and highlights the innovative application of AI in enhancing sleep quality with cutting-edge technology.
Successful AI implementation hinges on understanding client needs and identifying low-hanging fruit to demonstrate value.
AI applications can be classified into solution archetypes, streamlining deployment and enhancing creativity in problem-solving efforts.
Organizations must focus on building awareness and skills among non-technical users to foster confidence and drive collaborative AI adoption.
Deep dives
Flexibility and Global Reach of Fly
Building on Fly provides significant flexibility for developers, particularly due to its ability to facilitate various networking setups and easily integrate with multiple data stores. One notable partner is Tigris, which offers globally distributed object storage compatible with S3, simplifying setup with one-command bucket creation. This partnership allows assets uploaded by users to be stored in the region closest to them, enabling immediate availability without centralized delays, as is common with traditional CDNs. As a result, developers can access a robust and efficient platform that combines necessary features for launching applications effectively.
The Disconnect in AI Value Perception
Despite ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence, there remains significant disappointment amongst corporate users regarding the technology's effectiveness in delivering value. Some industry leaders express frustration that current AI tools are not yet fully developed, while others demonstrate successful implementations that yield beneficial results. The divide can often be attributed to a lack of creativity among users who may not envision the diverse applications of AI. Effective AI implementation requires a deep understanding of unique client needs and finding low-hanging fruit to prove its value, thereby bridging the gap between expectation and reality.
Solution Archetypes and Their Applications
A deeper understanding of AI applications can be gained by categorizing successful use cases into solution archetypes, which can streamline AI deployment in organizations. As an example, a persona named Andy was created to facilitate focus group discussions by generating new product ideas, demonstrating how AI can assist in driving innovation. This application allowed teams to visualize diverse perspectives on product development, thereby enhancing ideation efforts. Identifying patterns in successful implementations can aid in promoting AI solutions within businesses, allowing for more effective communication of AI's potential benefits.
Integrating AI Technology into Workflows
Adopting AI within corporate structures involves re-thinking workflows and ensuring substantial contextual information is aligned with organizational goals. The process begins with end goal alignment that articulates what truly needs to be accomplished, followed by validating these aims through interaction with AI tools. Properly curating relevant data for AI models can substantially enhance their performance, ensuring that they contribute effectively to business processes. Ultimately, developing this understanding fosters efficiency, allowing users to leverage AI capabilities while accommodating privacy and security considerations.
Empowering Non-Technical Users with AI Knowledge
To maximize the benefits of AI, organizations should focus on building the awareness and skills of non-technical users, enabling them to effectively utilize these technologies. By demystifying how AI operates and providing hands-on training, companies can encourage wider adoption among employees. Engaging users in understanding the operational mechanics of AI tools not only enhances their confidence but also cultivates innovative thinking in utilizing these applications. As organizations evolve, ensuring that all employees are equipped with AI knowledge is essential for driving collaborative progress in technology adoption.
We are constantly hearing about disillusionment as it relates to AI. Some of that is probably valid, but Mike Lewis, an AI architect from Cincinnati, has proven that he can consistently get LLM and GenAI apps to the point of real enterprise value (even with the Big Cos of the world). In this episode, Mike joins us to share some stories from the AI trenches & highlight what it takes (practically) to show what is possible, doable & scalable with AI.
Changelog++ members save 11 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!
Sponsors:
Fly.io – The home of Changelog.com — Deploy your apps close to your users — global Anycast load-balancing, zero-configuration private networking, hardware isolation, and instant WireGuard VPN connections. Push-button deployments that scale to thousands of instances. Check out the speedrun to get started in minutes.
WorkOS – A platform that gives developers a set of building blocks for quickly adding enterprise-ready features to their application. Add Single Sign-On (Okta, Azure, Google, Microsoft OAuth), sync users from any SCIM directory, HRIS integration, audit trails (SIEM), free magic link sign-in. WorkOS is designed for developers and offers a single, elegant interface that abstracts dozens of enterprise integrations. Learn more and get started at WorkOS.com
Eight Sleep – Take your sleep and recovery to the next level. Go to eightsleep.com/PRACTICALAI and use the code PRACTICALAI to get $350 off your very own Pod 4 Ultra. You can try it for free for 30 days - but we’re confident you will not want to return it. Once you experience AI-optimized sleep, you’ll wonder how you ever slept without it. Currently shipping to: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.