Making Data Simple

Send us a textFrom Elephant Butts to Ethical AI — Duncan Curtis on De-Risking GenAI at SamaEpisode intro Duncan Curtis, SVP for GenAI & AI Product + Technology at Sama, has shipped everything from autonomous-vehicle platforms at Zoox to game-changing data products at Google. Today he leads a 160-person team that’s reinventing how training data is curated, labeled, and audited so enterprises can ship production-ready GenAI—without the lurking model risk. Sama’s newest release, Sama Automate, is already cutting annotation time by 40 percent while keeping quality above SLAs, and Duncan says they’re “aiming for a 10× improvement by 2025.” (aiuserconference.com, sama.com)If you want the inside track on AI ROI, ethical guardrails, and why A’s hire A’s (but B’s hire C’s!), lean in—this one’s for you. (And yes, we do get to elephant butts.)Timestamped roadmap00:46 Meet Duncan Curtis03:51 The Duncan Brand05:52 Making Time for Yourself08:47 Autonomous Cars — 9× Safer12:21 Favorite Jobs13:24 Inside Sama14:39 Data & LLM Training16:04 De-Risking Models19:08 Ethical AI22:43 Stopping Hallucinations27:18 Data Labeling Deep-Dive31:56 Production-Ready GenAI33:44 AGI Horizons35:34 What Makes Sama Different36:31 Calculating AI ROI38:50 State of the LLMs44:48 Elephant Butts & Closing ThoughtsQuick linksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-curtis/Sama: https://www.sama.com/Latest blog: “Sama Introduces New Data Automation Platform” (sama.com)Hear more: Duncan on “Human Guardrails in Generative AI” (DataCamp podcast) (datacamp.com)Hashtags#MakingDataSimple #AIProduct #GenAI #DataLabeling #EthicalAI #AIROI #AutonomousVehicles #PodcastWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text🎧 Episode Description: This week on Making Data Simple, we welcome David Hirschfeld, Founder and CEO of Tekyz. With a background spanning major tech firms and startup trenches, David brings grounded, data-backed insight into what makes or breaks a startup. From tackling the #1 reason startups fail to exploring the value of validation and the real meaning of product-market fit, this episode is a no-fluff masterclass in entrepreneurial strategy. David’s message is clear: "Don’t focus on your product. Focus on the client’s problem."Whether you're a first-time founder or scaling your next venture, David offers hard-earned truths, including surprising takes on unicorns, VCs, and what really matters more — the founder or the technology?⏱ Time Markers: 01:20 – Meet David Hirschfeld 05:55 – THE Reason Startups Fail 08:50 – Lifetime Value 11:33 – The Value of Validation 14:48 – What Do the VCs Say? 16:20 – Startup Success Rate 17:10 – Tekyz 23:01 – Product Market Fit 29:18 – Startup Ideation 31:37 – Unicorns 38:12 – Unexpected Truths 42:45 – Founder or Technology?🔗 Connect with David: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhirschfeldWebsite: https://tekyz.com #MakingDataSimple #StartupAdvice #ProductMarketFit #TechLeadership #VCInsights #FoundersJourney #Entrepreneurship #DataDrivenDecisions #StartupFailure #Innovation #ClientCentric #PodcastWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a textThis week on Making Data Simple, we welcome Ralph Gootee, CTO and co-founder of TigerEye, a company reshaping strategic sales intelligence with a data-driven edge. Ralph’s journey spans Pixar, Sony, and PlanGrid — and now he’s building tools to help sales leaders see around corners. From the secrets behind TigerEye's intuitive reporting to the realities of entrepreneurship and the affordability of LLMs, this episode hits both the business brain and the tech heart.00:52 Meet Ralph Gootee 01:43 TigerEye 04:49 PlanGrid 07:43 Monetization 08:50 TigerEye's Objective 12:38 Reinventing Reporting 17:06 How it Works 22:21 The Secret Sauce 27:48 LLM Affordability 34:14 Last Call 38:57 The Entrepreneur Dilemma 39:47 Where to Reach TigerEye 40:07 Do Code Assistants Work? 47:32 For Fun🔗 Connect with Ralph & TigerEye LinkedIn: Ralph Gootee Website: TigerEye Blog: TigerEye Blog#MakingDataSimple #SalesIntelligence #AIinSales #EntrepreneurMindset #LLMs #StartupLife #PixarToPipeline #DataDrivenDecisions #TechLeadership #TigerEyeWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text🎧 REPLAY ALERT: The Future of Risk, Powered by AI In case you missed it the first time — we’re bringing back this incredible conversation with Kathy Stares, EVP of North America at Provenir.Kathy dives into how Provenir’s AI-powered risk decisioning software processes over 4 billion transactions annually across 50+ countries. From fintech to traditional banking, learn how this platform is shaking up risk strategies with automation, innovation, and global reach.🌍 Why does risk decisioning need AI? 🚀 What’s driving the next wave of banking transformation? 📊 How can Gen Z shape the future of financial services?Timestamps: 01:14 Meet Kathy Stares 04:34 The Start of Summer 08:01 AI-Powered Risk Decisioning 11:31 The Tech Behind Provenir 13:42 Models 14:32 Data Source 16:43 The Business Problem 17:33 Banking Strategies 18:48 Platform Scope 20:28 Automation 21:46 Provenir’s Differentiator 22:47 Millennials & Gen Z 29:05 Trends to Watch 31:57 Kathy’s Takeaway 33:28 Connect with Provenir 35:25 The Wealthy Barber🎙️ Guest: Kathy Stares 🔗 Learn more: provenir.com#AIinFinance #FintechInnovation #RiskDecisioning #FinancialServices #AIReplay #Automation #FutureOfBanking #GenZFinance #WomenInTech #MakingDataSimple #TechPodcast #ProvenirAI #PodcastReplayWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a textWe’re back for Part 2 of our Automation deep-dive—and the hits just keep coming! Host Al Martin reunites with IBM automation aces Sarah McAndrew (WW Automation Technical Sales) and Vikram Murali (App Mod & IT Automation Development) to push past the hype and map out the road ahead.🎬 Episode Highlights00:12 Observability – why seeing everything is half the battle04:17 IBM Concert – orchestrating dev, ops & business in one score07:42 Tech vs. Culture – the million-dollar question11:34 Real-world use cases that ship value today13:65 Scanning the Future of Automation (spoiler: it’s closer than you think)15:32  Hashi – tooling that scales with you17:42 Top resources to learn more and stay ahead of the curve18:13 Lightning-round fun to wrap it upWhether you’re wrangling legacy systems or architecting cloud-native dreams, this conversation will spark ideas, bust myths, and give you action items of immediate value. Smash that play button, tag a colleague, and join the movement to #MakingDataSimple! 🔗 Connect: Sarah McAndrew LinkedIn | Vikram Murali LinkedIn🌐 Explore IBM Automation: ibm.com/automation#MakingDataSimple #IBMAutomation #Observability #TechPodcast #FutureOfWorkWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a textBuckle up—automation is shifting into high gear! In Part 1 of our Automation mini-series, host Al Martin VP WW Technical Sales sits down with IBM insiders Sarah McAndrew (VP WW Automation, Technical Sales) and Vikram Murali (VP App Mod & IT Automation, Development) to decode the now and next of enterprise automation.🔑 What’s inside00:53 Meet Sarah McAndrew VP WW Automation, Technical Sales01:29 Meet Vikram Murali VP App Mod & IT Automation, Development03:25 A crisp, boardroom-ready definition of automation09:21 Why observability is automation’s super-power11:45 The latest breakthroughs propelling innovation faster than ever22:29 How Aspera rockets data transfer into warp speed23:43 The big “Why IBM?”—and why it matters for your bottom lineExpect practical tips you can deploy tomorrow, myth-busting insights, and bold predictions that will have your Dev & Ops teams buzzing. Hit play, share with a tech-curious friend, and let’s #MakeDataSimple—together. 🔗 Connect: Linkedin Sarah McAndrew | LinkedIn Vikram Murali  🌐 Explore IBM Automation: ibm.com/automation#MakingDataSimple #IBMAutomation #AI #Observability #TechPodcast #FutureOfWorkWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a textIn this powerhouse episode of Making Data Simple, we welcome Dave Martin—CEO, tech entrepreneur, investor coach to elite CEOs, and bestselling author of Mega Thinking: A Simple, Powerful Process to Think Smarter and Make Better Leadership Decisions.From Silicon Valley to boardrooms worldwide, Dave breaks down how top leaders think differently, make high-stakes decisions with clarity, and unlock their full leadership potential. Whether you’re scaling a startup or leading a Fortune 500, these are the insights that move the needle.⏱️ Episode Breakdown02:38 – Meet Dave Martin: From tech entrepreneur to investor coach—Dave’s leadership journey05:27 – Silicon Valley Secrets: What makes this innovation hub tick?08:17 – The Inception of Mega Thinking: Where breakthrough leadership strategies begin10:57 – Startups Unfiltered: What it really takes to succeed (and survive)14:00 – What is Mega Thinking?: The simple yet powerful framework to level up your leadership21:05 – Mega Thinking in Action: How top performers apply it daily24:07 – What Holds People Back?: The hidden barriers between you and your next big idea27:26 – Mega Thinking Summary: Your rapid-fire leadership playbook33:06 – Reminiscing IBM: Timeless leadership lessons from a tech giant34:28 – The Most Powerful Leaders: How they think differently—and why it works36:42 – Final Thoughts: Dave’s rapid-fire leadership advice you can apply today38:46 – How to Reach Dave Martin: Continue the conversation and go deeper🔗 Connect with Dave: LinkedIn 🌐 Website: megathinkingbook.com#MegaThinking #LeadershipUnlocked #ExecutiveMindset #ThinkSmarterLeadBetter #StartupSuccess #SiliconValleySecrets #BusinessInnovation #LeadershipDecisions #MakingDataSimple #CEOInsights #TechLeadership #PodcastPowerWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a textWhat makes IBM TechXchange different — and why is it a must-attend for techies? In this episode, we’re joined by two powerhouses behind the scenes: Amy Tennison, VP of IBM TechXchange & Client Advocacy, and Graeme Noseworthy, TechXchange Content & Experiences. We explore the ethos of TechXchange, how it's curated for technologists of all skill levels, and why it's more than just an event — it's an experience that continues all year long. From strategic content design to the future of tech conferences, you’ll hear insider insights and behind-the-scenes stories that bring TechXchange to life.⏱️ Time Markers:03:06 Meet Amy Tennison03:54 Meet Graeme Noseworthy05:51 What IS TechXchange10:31 TechXchange is Always On!16:32 The Cost of Learning: Time22:12 Targeting Different Skill Levels27:07 Where Are Tech Events Heading?28:52 Session Curation33:03 The WHY of TechXchange34:00 Finally, What to Know36:29 For Fun💡 Whether you're a hands-on architect, an emerging developer, or a tech lead looking to sharpen your edge — this episode is for you. #TechXchange #IBMPodcast #MakingDataSimpleWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text👤 About the Guest Dr. Ruchir Puri is IBM Fellow and Chief Scientist at IBM Research. He’s a master inventor with 70+ patents and decades of leadership in scalable AI, chip innovation, and open-source contributions. From Watson to watsonx, he’s been shaping the AI landscape for decades — and he’s not slowing down.Inside This Episode In Part 2, Ruchir unpacks the macro forces shaping AI — from Jensen Huang’s bold prediction to IBM’s leadership in open-model ecosystems and the emerging blueprint for AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). It’s a mix of sharp insight, grounded realism, and future-forward thinking.⏱️ Chapters & Timing00:12 – Jensen Huang's Prediction Ruchir’s take on NVIDIA’s CEO and whether the 2029 AGI forecast holds water.04:15 – The Open-Model Ecosystem Why IBM is betting on openness — and what that means for enterprise AI.07:21 – Why IBM Granite? A breakdown of Granite’s strengths, flexibility, and why it’s built to scale responsibly.09:58 – Model Indemnification The legal side of LLMs. Ruchir explains how IBM handles risk and accountability.11:32 – AI Implementation Challenges Beyond the hype: What really gets in the way of successful AI deployment?14:20 – AI in Politics A frank look at how AI is already reshaping elections, media, and power dynamics.15:35 – AI Chipsets From GPUs to custom silicon, Ruchir highlights what’s next in the AI compute race.18:37 – AGI = IQ, EQ, RQ Artificial General Intelligence, demystified. Why intellect alone isn’t enough — and how reasoning and empathy fit in.24:15 – The Human Brain’s Efficiency What AI can learn from 20 watts of organic genius.💬 Key IdeasYou can’t have AGI without reasoning. That’s the ‘RQ’ — and it’s the missing piece.The future isn’t one model to rule them all. It’s an ecosystem — modular, open, and responsible.IBM’s commitment to indemnification isn’t just legal — it’s about trust in enterprise AI.🔥 Why You Should Listen This episode goes beyond buzzwords. If you're serious about what’s coming next in AI — how we’ll build it, govern it, and live with it — Ruchir offers a rare combination of technical clarity and visionary leadership.🎧 Subscribe for More Don't miss upcoming episodes that help you lead with clarity in the AI era — the Making Data Simple way.Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text🎙️  Ruchir Puri (Part 1): From Prompt Engineering to Agentic AI Guest: Ruchir Puri, Chief Scientist at IBM Research 📍 Website: ibm.com/watsonx 🎧 Host: Al Martin, Worldwide VP, Technical Sales, IBM 📨 Want to be a guest? Email us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com👤 About the Guest Dr. Ruchir Puri is IBM Fellow, Chief Scientist of IBM Research, and one of IBM’s most prolific inventors. With over 70 patents and a lead architect behind IBM’s AI breakthroughs including Watson and watsonx, Ruchir is a globally respected authority on AI, chip design, and scalable compute. He’s led groundbreaking work from Deep Blue to Agentic AI and is shaping how AI will drive the next era of enterprise transformation.🧠 What’s Inside This Episode This episode is a masterclass in where AI is headed. Ruchir takes us on a journey from the fading relevance of prompt engineering to the rise of agentic AI systems that think, plan, execute, and reflect. You’ll hear his candid views on inference at scale, memory in systems, and why 2025 is the year of agents.⏱️ Chapters & Timing01:22 – Hints for the IBM THINK Conference Sneak peek into what’s coming at THINK — and what not to miss.04:09 – What Drives Ruchir From childhood curiosity to global impact. How does a mind like his stay inspired?10:00 – Where Are We Now: Feedback Systems Why the “training is done” mindset is outdated and how feedback loops change the game.12:21 – Prompt Engineering Gone! Hot take alert! Ruchir declares the death of prompt engineering — and what replaces it.13:39 – Inference Scaling How scaling inference (not just training) is the next AI frontier.16:26 – Systems with Memory Why “forgetting” systems are failing us — and how memory transforms intelligence.17:56 – Agentic AI: Think, Plan, Act, Execute, Observe, Reflect A full walkthrough of what makes AI “agentic” and where we’re headed next.21:02 – Future of Work and MCP (Multi-Contextual Personas) AI in the workplace isn’t about job replacement — it’s about augmentation.23:45 – 2025: The Year of Agents Why this year will be the breakout moment for agents in enterprise AI.23:58 – The Open Ecosystem Open-source meets enterprise grade. Ruchir breaks it down.26:38 – Agentic AI Leader Final thoughts on leadership in AI and how to stay ahead.💬 Quotes to Remember“Prompt engineering is dead. It’s like writing assembler. You needed it at first. But not anymore.”“The true intelligence lies in systems that can remember — not just respond.”“We’re heading into an era where your agent will know you better than your coworkers do.”🔥 Why You Should Listen If you want a front-row seat to the future of AI — especially in enterprise environments — this is it. Ruchir combines deep tech insights with strategic vision, all while keeping it practical and human.📩 Subscribe & Stay Ahead Follow us on your favorite platform and never miss an episode that helps you lead with tech — simply.Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.