AI Rebels

What if rebellion looked like collaboration instead of chaos? Plotly’s VP of Marketing Dominic Revita traces his journey from coding the first internet-only bank in the 90s to shaping the next generation of AI-native tools. He reveals how open source innovation and AI-driven creativity are merging to make data storytelling more human—and more powerful. The conversation dives into the philosophy behind building transparent tech that empowers rather than replaces. It’s a visionary look at the future of AI as a partner in progress, not a threat to it.https://plotly.com/00:00 – Welcome to AI RebelsSetting the tone: why innovation and rebellion matter in AI.00:45 – Meet Domenic Revita (Plotly VP of Marketing)From engineer to marketer: bridging tech, data, and storytelling.03:00 – From the Dot-Com Era to the AI AgeHow Domenic went from coding the first internet-only bank to building modern data platforms.08:30 – Lessons from TIBCO and SingleStoreReal-time analytics, distributed systems, and the rise of product-led growth.13:45 – Inside Plotly’s VisionHow open source and interactivity changed the way we visualize data.20:00 – The AI Shift: From Tools to TeammatesWhy the future of data analysis is agentic, automated, and deeply human-centered.27:30 – Behind Plotly StudioExploring their AI-native app that turns raw data into insights in minutes.35:00 – Serving the Next Billion Knowledge WorkersEmpowering everyday users, not just data scientists.40:00 – The Power (and Future) of Open SourceHow open ecosystems are outpacing closed models like “closed AI.”46:00 – The Future of AI CollaborationWhere human creativity meets intelligent systems — and what’s next.49:00 – Final ReflectionsDomenic’s advice for builders in the age of AI innovation.

Derek Crager, founder of Practical AI, joins AI Rebels to explain how voice is set to become the next one-click revolution. Derek shares his journey from industrial construction to Amazon, weaving in lessons about simplicity, usability, and the power of capturing tribal knowledge. We dive into how voice AI can transform the workplace by making expertise instantly accessible and breaking down barriers to learning. Derek also unpacks the “AI gold rush,” explaining why the real winners will be those building the tools rather than chasing hype. Whether you’re curious about the future of jobs, usability breakthroughs, or the practical side of AI, this conversation is packed with insights and humor.https://www.linkedin.com/in/amazonleadershiphttps://www.practicalai.app/

What’s the one thing every enterprise overlooks when building AI? According to Jim Liddle, Chief Innovation Officer at Nasuni, it’s not the model, it’s the data architecture. In this episode, Jim explains why unstructured data is both the biggest risk and the biggest opportunity for enterprise AI. He highlights the persistent compliance gap around sensitive information, the challenge of fragmented storage, and the dangers of agentic autonomy without safeguards. Resilience takes center stage, with a focus on immutable snapshots and instant recovery to keep systems reliable. Jim also shows how agent orchestration works in practice, from splitting prompts to managing context windows. Looking ahead, he shares how Nasuni’s FileIQ and OpsIQ can help organizations build AI-ready data foundations without drowning in tool sprawl.https://www.nasuni.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimliddle

What do magic tricks and AI marketing have in common? A lot, according to Jeff Greenfield, CEO of Provalytics. In this conversation, we unpack the challenges of data privacy, the rise of Amazon and Walmart’s closed ecosystems, and why AI ads may be unavoidable. Jeff explains how his background as a magician and chiropractor shaped his approach to stress reduction and business problem-solving. It’s a fascinating, fast-paced look at how AI is reshaping advertising — and what that means for trust.

AI power-broker Mike Spaeth doesn’t mince words: if we fail to reskill fast, automation will wipe out one in five jobs. He points to Texas’s Alpha School, where AI squeezes a whole school day into two turbo-charged hours—proof that the education rulebook is already being torched. Spaeth calls out companies hoarding the “time dividend,” insisting that every minute saved by bots must be plowed back into people or productivity gains will evaporate. He cites Malaysia’s nationwide up-skilling blitz and even recommends Karpathy’s two-hour language-model primer, turning lofty ideas into a step-by-step survival kit. Stick around to the final beat, when the crew dares you to hit replay in 2035 and judge whether we chose equity—or let AI widen the divide.

Take a front-row seat as Jake and Spencer chart AI’s breakneck advance—progress so fast that many observers still look the other way. They highlight Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s forecast that the very shape of work could shift within a decade, then demo the new Veo 3 video model, which can generate multi-scene, lip-synced video with layered vocals, background sound and “vibe”. Rounding things out, the hosts weigh deep-fake ethics and consider how lawmakers and faith communities might craft sensible guardrails rather than panic. .

Can AI save us from the toxic digital world it helped create? In this episode, Polish AI engineer Grigorij Dudnik shares how he's building AI agents that handle our digital drudgery—from Tinder GPT that automates online dating conversations to Clean Coder that writes code autonomously. His most fascinating project puts language models on Raspberry Pi to create physical robots that make ethical decisions, like a toy train solving the trolley dilemma in real-time. Grigorij's philosophy is revolutionary: instead of AI keeping us glued to screens, it should free us to focus on real human connections and meaningful work. Through his three groundbreaking projects, he demonstrates how AI can disrupt the attention economy rather than feed it, offering a glimpse of a future where our digital servants handle the boring stuff while we live our actual lives.

What if your next coworker is an AI agent? In this episode of AI Rebels, developer Nim shares his journey building AI Agent Dot App, exploring how solo entrepreneurs can now harness agents to do the work of entire teams. From bootstrapping with terminal-based scripts to creating sticky, memory-driven agents, Nim breaks down the evolution of autonomous AI tools, the psychology of adoption, and the legal grey zones ahead. It's a raw, insightful dive into the future of work, where personalization, iteration, and adaptability define the edge.https://x.com/sup_nimhttps://nime.sh/

In this discussion, James Villarubia, a former Pentagon model-fixer turned NASA innovator, dives deep into the potential of AI's "hallucinations" as tools for early crisis detection. He shares insights from his work at NASA’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions, showcasing how they leverage large language models to explore thousands of future scenarios. James raises critical points about biases in AI, the urgent need for secure government models, and the power of foresight over reactive strategies in technology and policy.

Explore the future of AI as Ropirito reveals his journey from rule-based systems to ambitious passive LLM agents. Delve into the ethical challenges of granting AI autonomy and the intricacies of human-like cognition. Discover the tough roadblocks in automation, like API restrictions on social media and visual understanding in machine learning. The conversation also highlights the complexities of web scraping and the pressing need for innovation in personal assistant technologies. Tune in for insights on the next wave of intelligent, independent agents.