The Data Exchange with Ben Lorica

Jason Martin, co-founder of Permiso Security and identity‑security specialist, discusses securing machine and AI identities across cloud and SaaS. He covers why AI agents require identity-first security, the scale and risks of non-human identities, ephemeral agent inventories, overpermissioning, prompt injection and poisoning threats, and how zero trust, policy hooks, and detection models can help manage agent risk.

Lior Gavish, CTO and co-founder of Monte Carlo Data, dives into the shift from data observability to agent observability. They explore how AI is transforming data teams into data-and-AI teams and discuss the broad adoption of agents across industries. Lior emphasizes the importance of capturing granular telemetry to understand complex agent decisions and the challenges of measuring output quality with traditional methods. He introduces automated troubleshooting agents and highlights the critical role of observability for optimizing AI performance.

In this engaging discussion, Ben Luria, CEO of Hirundo, dives into the critical concept of machine unlearning for AI. He explains how AI deployments often falter due to risks like bias and PII leakage. Luria emphasizes the necessity of teaching AI to forget undesirable behaviors, contrasting behavioral unlearning with data removal. The conversation also explores practical unlearning workflows, aims for multimodal support, and highlights the potential to safeguard AI models from vulnerabilities like jailbreaks. Luria’s insights illuminate the pathway to safer AI systems.

Evangelos Simoudis, an entrepreneur and investor in technology strategy, joins to discuss breakthroughs from CES 2026. He highlights the proliferation of humanoid robots, noting their current impracticality despite investor excitement. The conversation shifts to software-defined vehicles and the growing push for autonomous capabilities. They also analyze recent U.S. export control changes on AI chips and China's aggressive response in chip self-sufficiency, raising concerns about tech competition. Simoudis warns about potential risks of open-source models in this evolving landscape.

Matthew Glickman, Co-founder and CEO of Genesis Computing, shares his insights on the rise of AI data agents tailored for data engineers. He discusses the challenges of transitioning from demo to production, emphasizing the importance of reliability. Glickman highlights the potential of automation to alleviate the burdens of data engineers rather than replace them. He also explores capturing institutional knowledge and using AI to document legacy systems. Finally, he examines the implications of job shifts and the need for new AI-related skills in the workforce.

Join Samuel Colvin, founder of Pydantic, Aparna Dhinakaran from Arize AI, Adam Jones at Anthropic, and Jerry Liu of LlamaIndex in a fascinating conversation about Agentic AI. They explore impressive agent architectures, the advantages and challenges of multi-agent systems, and innovative memory and state management strategies. Aparna emphasizes the importance of observability with evals, while the group shares thoughts on bridging technical and non-technical users through no-code solutions. They also discuss future capabilities and realistic expectations for agent technology.

Discover intriguing non-fiction reads perfect for the holiday season! Explore NVIDIA's ascent in AI, the evolution of Masayoshi Son's career, and Apple's intricate manufacturing ecosystem in China. Dive into Huawei's unique culture, TikTok's rapid growth strategies, and China's engineering focus. Learn about the historical context of the 1929 crash, challenge the genius myth in tech, and unpack Patagonia's complex founder. Plus, insights into Lennon and McCartney’s legendary partnership make this a must-listen!

Steve Wilson, Chief AI and Product Officer at Exabeam, dives into the complexities of securing Large Language Models and agent workflows. He highlights the unique risks of prompt injection and supply chain vulnerabilities that arise with democratized AI tools. Wilson discusses the importance of guardrails, the dangers of excessive agent authority, and lessons learned from web security mishaps. He also explores the concept of citizen developers and advocates for the OWASP GenAI Security Project to provide rapid community-driven guidance for safer AI practices.

Evangelos Simoudis, a venture investor and corporate innovation expert at Synapse Partners, joins to discuss the dual-edged sword of AI in the workforce. They examine AI-driven layoffs, emphasizing the importance of investment in upskilling and R&D. The conversation highlights how trust in AI outputs can be fragile due to unpredictable behaviors and the need for better government coordination on AI access. They also delve into legal complexities surrounding platform liability as AI systems take on more editorial roles in content creation.

Stefania Druga, an independent researcher and former Google DeepMind scientist, delves into creating AI tools for young learners. She shares insights on how children's natural curiosity informs better AI design. Stefania champions the Socratic method for teaching, highlighting her work on Cognimates as a supportive learning copilot. They discuss the importance of multimodal interfaces and the challenges of current AI education tools. Listen in as she reveals how real-time apps like MathMind address misconceptions in math, pushing for innovative solutions in AI education.