Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast

Bret Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Sierra and former co-CEO of Salesforce, shares his remarkable journey from engineering at Stanford to pivotal roles in creating Google Maps. He discusses the emerging role of AI architects in companies, emphasizing their importance in managing AI agents. The conversation also covers the transformative impact of OpenAI and ChatGPT, as well as insights on balancing impactful work with personal fulfillment. Taylor’s anecdotes reflect a blend of technical innovation and personal passion, making for a captivating exploration of AI's future.

Samuel Colvin, the creator of Pydantic and Logfire, discusses the evolution of Pydantic as a critical tool in AI engineering. He reveals its staggering monthly downloads and integration with OpenAI. Colvin also explores the innovative use of graphs in agent engineering, emphasizing their importance for control and observability. Furthermore, he shares insights on the challenges of integrating AI models and the quest for adaptable APIs in observability. He also introduces Pydantic.run as a resource for better user experiences.

Karina Nguyen, Research Manager and Post-training lead at OpenAI, shares her impressive journey from working with Claude at Anthropic to creating innovative tools like ChatGPT Canvas. She dives into enhancing human-computer interaction and the collaborative spirit that drives her team. The conversation highlights the importance of user feedback, the complexity of AI behavior, and innovative approaches to improve writing through AI. Karina also discusses the need for trust in AI interactions and the cultural dynamics between AI organizations.

William Beauchamp, Founder of Chai Research and ex-hedge fund trader, shares insights on building a successful consumer AI company with just 11 people. He highlights their impressive growth, reaching 1.4 million daily active users and over $22 million in revenue. The conversation explores the innovative Chaiverse platform that drastically cuts A/B testing time and enhances user engagement through unique features. Beauchamp also discusses the challenges of data sharing, compliance, and the importance of user feedback in refining AI models.

Join Amir Haghighat, co-founder of Baseten, and Yineng Zhang, lead software engineer at Baseten, as they dive into the groundbreaking DeepSeek v3 model. This model boasts 671 billion parameters and has shaken up LLM inference platforms. They unravel the complexities of deploying massive models, discuss the innovations of SGLang, and delve into the challenges of caching technologies. With insights on optimizing AI workflows and a clear manifesto for crucial applications, this conversation is a must-listen for AI enthusiasts!

Simon Willison, a leading AI blogger, and Swyx, an AI expert, share insights on the evolving landscape of AI in 2025. They discuss exciting advancements in large language models, focusing on cost efficiency and competition challenges. The duo tackles the skepticism around AI agents, emphasizing their limitations and potential applications in various industries. They also dive into the role of AI influencers and the need for credibility in AI-generated content. Finally, they explore the future of AI interfaces and the rising interest in local LLMs and wearable technologies.

Join Will Bryk, CEO of Exa.ai and former SpaceX engineer, as he dives into redefining search technology. Explore how the shift from link-based to semantic search is revolutionizing user experience. Will discusses the power of neural PageRank, hyper-personalized results, and a groundbreaking $5M AI infrastructure. He contrasts traditional search models with a future focused on understanding context and enhancing scalability. Additionally, he offers insights into startup culture and innovative workplace solutions—like nap pods!

Discover the fascinating journey of ComfyUI, an innovative open-source tool for AI image generation that challenges traditional interfaces. Unpack the technical intricacies of diffusion models, prompt weighting, and model customization. Learn about the clever design philosophy behind a node execution engine and how it enhances the user experience. Explore the rise of ComfyUI among competitors, community contributions, and future projects, including the integration of new text features and exciting advancements in AI art.

Celebrate the evolution of AI engineering over the past two years. Discover insights into the shift from research to practical applications and the future of AI agents. Dive into discussions around agent collusion, synthetic vs. real data, and the competitive dynamics between major AI players. Explore the latest trends from AI conferences and the impact of memory technologies on machine learning. Reflect on the past year's achievements and exciting prospects for the coming year in AI.

Graham Neubig, a Professor at CMU and chief scientist at All Hands AI, dives into the future of coding agents. He discusses the rise of agents by 2025, highlighting the outstanding achievements of OpenHands in software engineering. The conversation covers the integration of human expertise into agent functionality, the significance of effective prompts, and the advancements in AI agents within the Sweebench repository. Neubig also tackles challenges in AI development, emphasizing the role of accessible technology and innovative benchmarks for improvement.