The TWIML AI Podcast (formerly This Week in Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence)

Wendy Foster, Director of Engineering & Data Science at Shopify, shares her insights on the shift from model-centric to data-centric AI. She discusses the critical role of data quality and freshness in enhancing merchant experiences. Wendy details challenges in product taxonomy and integrating images for identification, emphasizing collaboration. The conversation also touches on innovative inventory solutions and how Shopify's AI leverages user-provided labels for better customization. Get ready for a deep dive into the world of data-driven decision-making!

Bayan Bruss, Senior Director of Applied ML Research at Capital One, explores the intricacies of applying deep learning to tabular data in the financial sector. He addresses the challenges faced, such as messy data and fraud detection, emphasizing the underappreciated significance of this domain. The discussion highlights the need for modern techniques like transformers and transfer learning, aiming to boost model performance and interpretability. Additionally, they delve into the potential of multimodal deep learning for enhancing predictive models.

In this discussion, Orit Peleg, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, dives into her fascinating research on insect communication. She shares how swarming behaviors in honeybees mirror principles in distributed computing and emergent systems. Orit also highlights the unique flash patterns of fireflies, showcasing innovative algorithms used to study their synchronization. Delving into conservation, she addresses the impact of light pollution on fireflies and explores how machine learning enhances our understanding of these complex insect societies.

In this engaging discussion, John Bohannon, Director of Science at Primer AI, chats with Douwe Kiela, the Head of Research at Hugging Face. They dive into the recent evolution of NLP, emphasizing the significance of multimodal understanding and the BLOOM model. Douwe shares insights on how his philosophical background influences AI projects and the ongoing shift from traditional language models to innovative, comprehensive approaches. Their conversation reflects on the collaborative culture at Hugging Face and speculates on the exciting future of AI technology.

Bill Vass, VP of Engineering at Amazon Web Services, discusses groundbreaking advancements in synthetic data generation and its pivotal role in robotics. He highlights the importance of data quality and shares innovative use cases, such as synthetic house creation for iRobot and warehouse automation. Vass also delves into Astro, a home monitoring robot, detailing its navigation capabilities and sensor technologies. The conversation reveals how synthetic data and cloud integration are transforming robotic applications, enhancing everything from defect detection to indoor navigation.

In this engaging discussion, Jeff Gehlhaar, Vice President of Technology at Qualcomm, shares insights on deploying real-world neural networks and the intricacies of on-device quantization. He emphasizes the synergy between product development and research teams, revealing innovations that optimize AI performance across devices. Jeff highlights exciting automotive applications, particularly automated driver assistance, and discusses the evolution of AI development tools, paving the way for future advancements in technology.

In this enlightening discussion, Sharad Goel, a Harvard public policy professor and expert on fairness in machine learning, shares his insights on causal conceptions of fairness. He unpacks the limitations of traditional fairness definitions, emphasizing the role of causality in understanding bias in algorithmic decision-making. Goel explores the tension in policy-making between procedural and outcome fairness, revealing how rigid adherence to causal fairness can lead to suboptimal results. He also delves into surprising findings regarding Pareto dominance and its implications for equitable policies.

Melika Payvand, a research scientist at the Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich, shares her expertise on brain-inspired hardware and algorithm co-design. She discusses how neuromorphic engineering mimics brain architecture to enhance AI efficiency while tackling challenges in online learning algorithms. The conversation highlights the integration of neural networks with innovative memory technologies, coordinates scalability issues, and explores the future potential of brain-inspired tech in practical applications. Get ready for a thrilling dive into the world of low-power AI!

In this discussion, Arash Behboodi, a machine learning researcher at Qualcomm Technologies, dives deep into his groundbreaking paper on equivariant generative models for compressed sensing. He explains how these models can recover signals with unknown orientations, offering theoretical recovery guarantees. The conversation touches on evolving VAE architectures, the challenges of signal recovery in wireless communication, and the exciting applications of his work in fields like cryo-electron microscopy. Additionally, they explore innovative strategies in quantization-aware training and temporal causal identifiability.

Join Audrey Smith, COO at MLtwist and expert in data labeling, as she navigates the intricacies of managing data labeling operations. She shares insights on whether to outsource or keep labeling in-house, and the commitments required for high-quality results. Discover the challenges of remote workforces and the ethical considerations that come with it. Audrey also discusses the evolving roles in data labeling, emphasizing the human element and career opportunities for non-technical individuals in tech. A thought-provoking conversation on the future of AI!