
Practical AI
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!
Latest episodes

Oct 21, 2019 • 50min
AI in the browser
Victor Dibia, a research engineer at Cloudera's Fast Forward Labs, dives into the exciting world of machine learning in browsers. He explains why porting models to the browser captivates developers, emphasizing user privacy and interactivity. The discussion includes TensorFlow.js versatility, allowing for innovative projects like real-time hand tracking and offline training. Dibia showcases practical applications, including image analysis by companies like Airbnb, illustrating how AI can enrich web experiences while maintaining security.

Oct 15, 2019 • 49min
Blacklisted facial recognition and surveillance companies
The discussion dives into the U.S. blacklisting of Chinese AI companies, revealing the geopolitical tensions tied to facial recognition and surveillance technologies. The ethical dilemmas surrounding these innovations, particularly in relation to human rights issues involving the Uyghur population, are examined. Public perceptions of surveillance tools like those from Hikvision are scrutinized, alongside a humorous take on transparency in government-business relationships. The contrast between U.S. and U.K. approaches to surveillance is also highlighted, raising crucial questions about privacy.

Oct 7, 2019 • 48min
Flying high with AI drone racing at AlphaPilot
Keith Lynn, the AlphaPilot Program Manager at Lockheed Martin, leads groundbreaking efforts in AI and drone racing. He shares the thrilling story behind the AlphaPilot challenge, which invites university teams to create autonomous drones for high-speed races. The drones will compete on intricate 3D tracks without human intervention. The winning team stands to win up to $2 million! Lynn highlights the event's debut and its potential to inspire interest in STEM while revealing the innovative technologies driving this futuristic sport.

Sep 30, 2019 • 45min
AI in the majority world and model distillation
Discover the rising AI momentum in the majority world, including developments in Africa and Asia. The discussion touches on notable conferences like ICLR in Ethiopia and initiatives in Singapore focused on fostering AI talent. Delve into how AI is being utilized in astrophysics to explore dark matter. Learn about the concept of teacher-student models for efficient AI training, and the importance of people-centered design to reduce bias. Finally, they highlight a paper on face anonymization techniques, emphasizing the evolving landscape of AI.

Sep 25, 2019 • 46min
The influence of open source on AI development
In this discussion, Samuel Taylor—a data scientist at Indeed with a focus on open source tools for machine learning—shares insights on the vital role of open source in AI development. He emphasizes the importance of accessibility and community contributions. Samuel dives into career-building strategies through engaging AI side projects and discusses navigating bias in algorithms. He also highlights popular tools like Jupyter and Scikit-learn, showcasing their impact on ethical AI practices and innovative solutions.

Sep 17, 2019 • 48min
Worlds are colliding - AI and HPC
Chris Benson, Principal AI Strategist at Lockheed Martin, dives into the fascinating world where High Performance Computing (HPC) meets AI. He explains how HPC outshines traditional infrastructure and shares unique challenges in combining the two. The conversation highlights the complexity of HPC clusters and the environmental impact of machine learning models. Chris also emphasizes the evolving relationship between AI/ML and HPC, showcasing the importance of strategic partnerships in advancing technology.

Sep 9, 2019 • 59min
AutoML and AI at Google
Sherol Chen, a machine learning developer at Google, shares her journey into AI, starting from her childhood passion for gaming. She dives into how different AI teams within Google collaborate and explains the practical applications of AutoML. Listeners will learn step-by-step how to get started with AutoML, including dataset preparation and model training. Sherol also highlights the balance between user-friendly interfaces and technical expertise, making AI more accessible.

Aug 26, 2019 • 56min
On being humAIn
David Yakobovitch, a principal data scientist at Galvanize and host of the HumAIn podcast, dives deep into the evolution of data science and the tools shaping its future. He shares insights from his journey from math competitions to AI, emphasizing the importance of practical skills in tech education. The conversation highlights the need for empathetic design in AI as automation reshapes job markets, and explores how human-centered approaches can bridge the gap between technology and society.

Aug 12, 2019 • 46min
Serving deep learning models with RedisAI
Pieter Cailliau, a Senior Product Manager at Redis Labs, dives into the world of RedisAI and its groundbreaking applications. He explains how RedisAI integrates deep learning models into the Redis ecosystem, enhancing AI deployment efficiency. The discussion also covers Redis's versatility as an open-source database and shares insights on using RedisAI for chatbot conversation management and dynamic knowledge graphs. Pieter emphasizes community involvement in developing RedisAI, inviting developers to contribute and collaborate for future advancements.

Jul 30, 2019 • 55min
AI-driven studies of the ancient world and good GANs
Explore how AI is revolutionizing the study of ancient civilizations, with exciting advancements in deciphering long-lost languages. Dive into the world of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and their unexpected applications, such as improving cancer detection. The hosts share insights on AI in gaming, discussing AI bots designed for fairness. Plus, discover valuable resources for leveling up your AI skills and strategies to align AI learning more closely with human capabilities.