This Week in Startups Orchestrating Smarter AI Systems with AI21 Labs’ Yoav Shoham | AI Basics with Google Cloud
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Jul 10, 2025 
Yoav Shoham, a Stanford professor emeritus and co-founder of AI21 Labs, talks about the complexities of enterprise AI. He explains why reliability is a major hurdle and the critical role of orchestration in AI systems. The discussion covers the differences between small and large models, the pitfalls of 'agent-washing', and the needed protocols for effective agent communication. Yoav also shares insights on what is truly overhyped in the AI space, making this conversation essential for anyone navigating modern AI challenges.
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Reliability Blocks Enterprise AI
- Enterprise AI deployments lag far behind experiments due to reliability concerns.
- Being brilliant 95% of the time isn't enough; the remaining errors pose serious risks.
Orchestrate AI For Reliability
- Use orchestration logic outside language models to manage AI workflows.
- Validate each step with explicit plans and checks to improve system reliability.
Beware Agent-Washing Term
- The term "agent" is often overused, causing confusion.
- True agents are ongoing, proactive systems that execute complex flows using multiple tools.
