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

Jack Berkowitz, Chief Data Officer at ADP, shares his insights on cultivating a data-driven culture within the company. He discusses the evolution of machine learning at ADP and how they manage large-scale data processing for their vast client base. The conversation highlights the balance between innovation and data governance, the integration of legacy systems with cloud technologies, and the challenges of attracting top talent to drive growth in such a sizable organization. Berkowitz emphasizes the importance of collaboration and ethical practices in navigating this landscape.

Bratin Saha, Vice President and General Manager of AI and ML at AWS, breaks down key ML advancements announced at the recent re:Invent conference. He discusses exciting new products like Canvas and SageMaker Studio Lab, emphasizing their potential to democratize machine learning. The conversation also dives into challenges of industrialization in MLOps and optimizing model training. Saha highlights the innovative Ground Truth Plus for efficient data labeling, showcasing how these tools aim to enhance developer productivity and accessibility in machine learning.

Doug Burdick, a principal research staff member at IBM Research, specializes in making complex documents machine-readable. He discusses the fusion of NLP and computer vision to tackle PDF extraction challenges, especially for COVID-19 data. The conversation delves into innovative methods for effective table extraction and the importance of evaluation metrics to ensure accuracy. Doug emphasizes collaboration within research communities and the need for robust systems to advance understanding of complex, multi-modal data formats.

Shayan Mortazavi, data science manager at Accenture, dives into innovative predictive maintenance strategies tailored for heavy industries. He discusses a deep learning framework aimed at preventing equipment failures in oil and gas sectors. The conversation highlights the transition from traditional maintenance to advanced machine learning techniques, detailing the challenges of utilizing LSTMs for anomaly detection and the importance of human labeling in model building. Shayan emphasizes the integration of sensory data to optimize machine health monitoring and improve predictive accuracy.

Nasrin Mostafazadeh, co-founder of Verneek, shares insights on simplifying data-informed decision-making through innovative human-machine interfaces. They discuss how personal challenges during the pandemic shaped their entrepreneurial journey. Nasrin highlights the complexities of defining a minimum viable product in NLP and the need for user-friendly AI interactions. She also emphasizes the importance of aligning research with market needs and refining technology to better understand user intent while navigating biases in AI.

Julie Shah, a professor at MIT, specializes in interactive robotics. In this engaging discussion, she explains how robots can predict human behavior, vital for effective collaboration. Shah highlights her ambitious vision for a field robot that operates independently of human control. She also delves into the nuances of cross-training robots and humans for improved teamwork and the challenges of adapting to human unpredictability in dynamic environments. The conversation is a captivating glimpse into the future of human-robot partnerships.

In a lively discussion, Yunyao Li, a Senior Research Manager at IBM Research, tackles the intricacies of natural language processing in enterprise settings. She shares insights on productizing NLP, balancing customer needs with research rigor. Yunyao dives into the complexities of document discovery and the synergy of deep learning techniques. Highlighting the importance of human involvement, she discusses innovative data augmentation strategies to create high-quality datasets. Her unique perspective reveals how IBM empowers users to enhance AI transparency and accuracy.

Kim Branson, SVP and global head of AI and machine learning at GSK, shares insights on leveraging machine learning in pharmaceuticals. He discusses the integration of genetics data for drug discovery and the impressive 500 billion node knowledge graph designed to mine scientific literature. Kim also highlights their recent collaboration with King’s College, focusing on personalized cancer research using AI. The conversation dives into the challenges of building scalable AI infrastructures and the critical need for robust evaluation programs in real-world applications.

David Ha, a research scientist at Google Brain, shares his insights on how constraints and biological bottlenecks can revolutionize AI training. He discusses the evolution of generative adversarial networks, highlighting their journey from basic image generation to sophisticated applications. The conversation dives into neuroevolution, sensory substitution, and adaptive learning techniques, showcasing how these innovations can enhance AI systems. David also explores the importance of collective intelligence and self-organization in neural networks, making profound connections to both biology and technology.

Join Luke Stark, an ethics and AI researcher at Western University, as he critiques facial recognition technology, likening it to plutonium. He discusses his paper on physiognomic AI, highlighting the inherent racism in using facial features for judgments. Luke delves into Facebook's recent announcement to shut down its facial recognition system, suggesting it's not as groundbreaking as it seems. They explore the biases affecting marginalized communities and the urgent need for a regulatory framework to address ethical concerns surrounding this controversial technology.