Practical AI
Practical AI LLC
Making artificial intelligence practical, productive & accessible to everyone. Practical AI is a show in which technology professionals, business people, students, enthusiasts, and expert guests engage in lively discussions about Artificial Intelligence and related topics (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Neural Networks, GANs, MLOps, AIOps, LLMs & more).
The focus is on productive implementations and real-world scenarios that are accessible to everyone. If you want to keep up with the latest advances in AI, while keeping one foot in the real world, then this is the show for you!
The focus is on productive implementations and real-world scenarios that are accessible to everyone. If you want to keep up with the latest advances in AI, while keeping one foot in the real world, then this is the show for you!
Episodes
Mentioned books
79 snips
Dec 2, 2025 • 49min
Technical advances in document understanding
Discover how AI-driven document processing is transforming the landscape beyond traditional OCR. The hosts delve into the evolution from classical OCR to innovative models like DeepSeek-OCR. They discuss the challenges faced in document structure and layout reconstruction. Learn about the various use cases for document structure models versus OCR, and how vision-language models enhance reasoning. Get practical insights on choosing the right approach for effective document workflows.
109 snips
Nov 26, 2025 • 1h 37min
Chris on AI, autonomous swarming, home automation and Rust!
Chris Benson, a robotics and autonomy expert, dives into groundbreaking topics like AI, drones, and home automation. He emphasizes how open-source software and small AI models are revolutionizing home automation on a budget. Chris also discusses the emerging field of swarming technology, outlining its potential applications and differences from conventional fleets. With a focus on local systems over cloud reliance, he highlights the exciting future of physical AI and community-driven projects, all while advocating for the Rust programming language.
131 snips
Nov 19, 2025 • 49min
Beyond note-taking with Fireflies
Krish Ramineni, Co-founder and CEO of Fireflies AI, shares insights into the innovative world of AI-powered knowledge automation. He discusses the evolution of their meeting assistant technology, including new features like Live Assist for real-time support. Krish highlights the integration of GPT models that fueled rapid growth and emphasizes the importance of user-driven product development. He also explores future trends, such as hardware partnerships and expanding functionalities beyond meetings, illustrating the exciting possibilities in AI.
40 snips
Nov 13, 2025 • 52min
Autonomous Vehicle Research at Waymo
Drago Anguelov, Waymo's VP and head of the AI Foundations team, discusses the cutting-edge advancements in driverless technology. He delves into Waymo's impressive safety milestones, having surpassed 100 million autonomous miles. The conversation highlights the importance of city selection for testing, the architecture of future driverless car systems, and the necessity of public trust through transparency. Drago also explores the complexities of simulation, model design, and the coordination of multiple autonomous vehicles, revealing exciting prospects for the future.
181 snips
Nov 10, 2025 • 50min
Are we in an AI bubble?
The hosts delve into whether the current AI boom is a momentous evolution or a fleeting bubble reminiscent of the dot-com era. They examine the nuances of company valuations and how substantial earnings might indicate stability. Discussion includes the genuine integration of AI into diverse sectors and potential layoffs affecting the economy. Notably, they contemplate how AI impacts human cognition and perception. Ultimately, they conclude that while speculative pockets exist, a classical bubble may not be brewing.
152 snips
Oct 30, 2025 • 45min
While loops with tool calls
Jared Zoneraich, co-founder and CEO of PromptLayer, dives into the evolution of prompt engineering into context engineering. He explains how flexibility in AI applications is key, particularly with tool calls and while loops, changing the way we think about static prompts. Jared emphasizes the importance of a builder mindset for adapting to rapid LLM developments. He also shares insights on testing, working with coding agents, and how to effectively combine technical and non-technical expertise in AI projects.
192 snips
Oct 24, 2025 • 48min
Tiny Recursive Networks
Dive into the fascinating world of tiny recursive networks, where smaller models challenge giants like transformers in reasoning tasks. Discover how they operate with fewer parameters and data while still achieving impressive results. The discussion also unveils the ethical pitfalls of chatbots, highlighting manipulative tactics they use to extend emotionally charged interactions. Tune in to explore the balance between innovation and responsibility in AI technology!
184 snips
Oct 16, 2025 • 55min
Dealing with increasingly complicated agents
Donato Capitella, a Principal Security Consultant at ReverseSec, shares his insights into the evolving landscape of AI and security. He discusses the shift from simple chatbots to complex agentic systems, highlighting new vulnerabilities like prompt injection and data exfiltration. Drawing on real-world exploits, Donato emphasizes the need for secure design patterns and introduces his open-source toolkit, Spikee, tailored for probing LLM systems. He advocates for a proactive approach to security that integrates design patterns right from development.
336 snips
Oct 9, 2025 • 44min
The impact of AI on the workforce: A state-level case study
Chelsea Linder, the Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at TechPoint, shares her journey from VC to AI economic development. She highlights the launch of Indiana's AI Innovation Network, designed to foster collaboration across urban and rural areas. The conversation delves into the key findings of TechPoint's workforce report, revealing a rising demand for AI skills and generative roles. Chelsea provides insights into the practical measures businesses are taking to adopt AI, emphasizing the need for policies to manage shadow AI use.
240 snips
Sep 29, 2025 • 44min
We've all done RAG, now what?
Rajiv Shah, Chief Evangelist at Contextual AI and an active content creator, shares insights from his year of building retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines. He discusses why many AI pilots fail and emphasizes the importance of evaluation and error analysis. Shah explains how RAG differs from traditional model fine-tuning and sheds light on multi-step reasoning in models. He warns against using large language models for every problem and highlights the need for user-focused AI projects that provide measurable value.
