AI Proving Ground Podcast: Exploring Artificial Intelligence & Enterprise AI with World Wide Technology

Nearly 75% of AI leaders have little or no confidence they can demonstrate AI's value to a CFO. As enterprise AI spending accelerates, the pressure to prove a return is growing, and the token bill tells only part of the story.Brian Feldt is joined by J.R. Storment, executive director of the Tokenomics Foundation, and Jack French, who leads Applied AI at World Wide Technology, to examine why organizations are struggling to connect AI costs to measurable business outcomes.They explore the hidden costs of AI, from infrastructure and data preparation to governance and the growing operational demands of AI agents. The conversation also tackles the shift toward open-weight models, why enterprises are adopting hybrid AI strategies, and how FinOps principles can help organizations better understand spending without stifling innovation.As AI becomes a bigger part of enterprise operations, the question is no longer how much AI an organization can deploy, but whether it can demonstrate what that investment is actually delivering.Topics include: AI ROI, tokenomics, total cost of AI, AI FinOps, agentic AI economics, open-weight models, hybrid AI infrastructure, cost attribution, and business accountability.Support for this episode provided by: ProofpointMore about this week's guests:J.R. Storment is the General Manager of Technology Value Umbrella at the Linux Foundation, where he leads vendor-neutral standards and community projects, including the Tokenomics Foundation, the FinOps Foundation, ITAM Forum, and the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS). He is co-author of the O'Reilly's FinOps books and was previously co-founder of Cloudability, from 2011 until its 2019 acquisition by Apptio, where he served as GM of Cloud and VP of Product until 2020, ahead of the IBM acquisition.Jack French brings a depth of experience in AI and Cloud technologies to WWT. As the AVP of the Cloud Global Solutions and Architecture team, his responsibilities include leading the the Applied AI team, which is responsible for Workforce AI, AI Native Engineering, AI Economics / Tokenomics, Data Platforms, and AI Agentic Operations.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

The 2026 midterm elections are behind us, AI infrastructure spending is facing fresh scrutiny, and Wall Street is beginning to rethink where the next wave of AI value will emerge.Michael Wilson, Chief Investment Officer at Morgan Stanley, joins the AI Proving Ground Podcast for a timely conversation about the forces reshaping the AI investment cycle and what they mean for enterprise technology leaders.Wilson examines how election results could influence data center expansion, why investors are becoming more selective about AI capital spending, and how the market is shifting its focus from the companies building AI infrastructure to those using it to create value.Drawing parallels to the dot-com era, he explores the risks of overinvestment, the growing importance of software and applications, and why today's biggest AI spenders may not necessarily capture all the long-term returns.The conversation also looks ahead to physical AI, robotics and the possibility that today's inflationary investment boom could eventually produce significant productivity gains and lower costs.For CIOs, CTOs, business leaders and anyone following the economics of AI, this episode offers a Wall Street perspective on where the market is headed and how to prepare for the next phase of adoption.Featuring: Michael Wilson, Chief Investment Officer, Morgan StanleyHosted by: Brian Feldt, AI Proving Ground Podcast, World Wide TechnologyThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

The promise of physical AI is enormous: smarter factories, less downtime and operations that can increasingly make decisions autonomously.But manufacturers face a difficult reality. Decades-old equipment, fragmented data and cybersecurity vulnerabilities stand between today's production lines and tomorrow's intelligent operations. And when downtime costs thousands of dollars per minute, experimentation carries real consequences.On the AI Proving Ground Podcast, GrayMatter Chief Revenue Officer Alan Hinchman and WWT Manufacturing Practice Manager Shane Kehoe explain why successful AI adoption isn't about pursuing every possibility. It's about identifying valuable problems, aligning IT and operational teams, modernizing foundations and building trust through measurable results.The lesson: Autonomy must be earned.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

Anthropic's IPO filing puts a $40 trillion figure on the global knowledge-work economy, raising a provocative question: As AI transforms how businesses operate, who stands to capture the value?WWT CTO Mike Taylor joins host Brian Feldt to unpack the week's biggest AI headlines, from Anthropic's expanding enterprise ambitions and Wall Street's concerns over AI infrastructure spending to Google's growing challenge in the AI chip market.They explore how Anthropic, OpenAI and Oracle are moving deeper into enterprise workflows, why Google's TPU expansion could reshape infrastructure decisions, and what rising AI-powered cyber capabilities mean for organizations already struggling with legacy systems and security vulnerabilities.For enterprise leaders, the conversation gets to the decisions behind the headlines: where to invest, how to preserve flexibility as AI platforms become more integrated, and whether existing infrastructure and security practices can keep pace.The Weekly Signal is a weekly AI news series from the AI Proving Ground Podcast, connecting the latest developments in artificial intelligence to the decisions facing enterprise technology leaders.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

AI agents are multiplying faster than enterprises can manage them, raising new questions about cost, control and whether existing infrastructure can keep up.WWT's Jason Campagna joins host Brian Feldt to unpack the growing "agent zoo" and the architectural decisions that will shape enterprise AI at scale. From choosing the right models and reducing inference costs to managing agent sprawl and delivering the right context, Jason shares practical insights for building AI systems that are more efficient, reliable and easier to manage.For IT and AI leaders, the conversation offers a clearer framework for deciding where workloads should run, how to control costs and what needs to change before agentic AI can scale.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

AI-powered cyberattacks are accelerating. Anthropic is making enormous bets on computing capacity. And Salesforce could change how enterprises pay for AI agents.In this episode of The Weekly Signal WWT CTO Mike Taylor joins host Brian Feldt to unpack the headlines shaping the next phase of enterprise AI.They explore how autonomous agents are changing the cybersecurity landscape, what Anthropic's reported $500 billion in compute commitments reveals about the economics of AI and why a potential Tesla–SpaceX merger could reshape the AI infrastructure market.Plus, NVIDIA's latest AI infrastructure developments, Gartner's findings on enterprise AI value and Salesforce's proposed agent-based pricing raise a bigger question: As AI becomes more capable, how will businesses manage the cost, risk and complexity of putting it to work?From machine-speed security to AI factories and the changing economics of enterprise software, Mike connects the week's biggest developments to the decisions technology leaders face today.The Weekly Signal is part of WWT's AI Proving Ground Podcast.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

For years, enterprises have been stuck with aging software that's too expensive, too complicated or too risky to replace. AI is changing that equation. But faster code doesn't necessarily mean better software.What happens when AI can rebuild a critical application in a fraction of the time, but the people who understood why it worked that way are long gone?On this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT's Nate McKie joins host Brian Feldt to explore how generative AI is rewriting the rules of legacy application modernization. From reconstructing software without its original source code to the legal gray areas of AI-powered replication, the conversation reveals just how much is becoming possible, and what organizations still need to get right.Because the real challenge isn't simply replacing old code. It's preserving the business decisions buried inside it, proving the new system works and rethinking development practices for a world where AI can write software faster than organizations can approve it.Support for this episode provided by: CoderMore about this week's guest:Nate McKie is Senior Practice Director of AI Native Engineering and Senior Executive AI Advisor at World Wide Technology. With more than 25 years of experience in software and automation engineering, Nate helps organizations turn emerging AI capabilities into practical business solutions. His work focuses on AI-driven software development, legacy application modernization and helping enterprises rethink how they build, manage and evolve critical systems.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

Is your enterprise ready for AI it can't fully control? WWT CTO Mike Taylor breaks down the week's biggest AI news: Bank of America's patching push, Satya Nadella's call for an AI emergency brake, Anthropic's warning about AI that copies itself and the CoreWeave debt jitters.In this episode of The Weekly Signal, host Brian Feldt and Mike Taylor dig into the trust gap behind this week's enterprise AI headlines. The topics include cybersecurity, AI agents, AI governance and GPU infrastructure.In this episode:Why hiring more people is only a stopgap for the surge in AI-discovered vulnerabilities, and why patching needs automation and AI agentsWhat an AI kill switch could look like inside your enterprise, starting with visibility, versioning and the ability to shut agents offWhy JPMorgan and Amazon are limiting outside AI agents, and the "DNS for agents" problem enterprises need to solveHow Anthropic's warning about small AI models copying themselves onto smart devices creates a new kind of security problemWhat CoreWeave's roughly $50 billion debt load means for enterprises buying AI infrastructure, and why older NVIDIA H100 and A100 GPUs still earn their keepThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

For decades, network engineers have been the ones keeping everything running. Now AI is learning to do the job itself. And in some cases, it's already doing it better.As AI agents place unprecedented demands on enterprise networks, the infrastructure supporting them is undergoing its own transformation. Networks that can detect problems, optimize performance and even repair themselves are moving from ambitious concept to operational reality.On this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, HPE's Sudheer Matta and WWT's Christine Fierro join host Brian Feldt to explore what happens when the network starts thinking for itself. From a university engineer who was challenged to step away from his keyboard to an AI-generated application that brought a manufacturing site to a halt, the conversation reveals both the extraordinary potential and very real stakes of autonomous networking.The technology is advancing. The harder question is how much control we're ready to give it.Support for this episode provided by: EquinixMore about this week's guests:Sudheer Matta is a networking technology leader who helped shape Mist Systems' growth through product management and its integration with Juniper Networks. A passionate technologist, he emphasizes disciplined execution, strong teams and lasting customer partnerships. His approach centers on earning trust through customer success — a philosophy reflected in Mist's commitment to building lifelong customer relationships.Christine Fierro has over 17 years of experience in networking, with an initial focus on optical networking. Since joining WWT in 2014, she has held numerous roles and now serves as the Sr. Director for the Networking practice within the Global Solutions & Architecture (GS&A) team. Her team is responsible for the strategy, development, enablement, and pre-sales technical support within the company for Core Networking, Campus & Branch, Data Center Networking, and Enterprise Architectures, representing over $14B in revenue.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments. 

AI-powered cyberattacks are getting faster, billions are pouring into compute infrastructure and the promised productivity gains are still difficult to measure. Is enterprise AI moving faster than businesses can adapt?WWT CTO Mike Taylor joins Brian Feldt to unpack the week's biggest AI developments, from Anthropic's expanding cybersecurity efforts to the growing debate over compute capacity and AI's economic payoff. They explore why stronger security requires more than better tools, how organizations can turn individual AI productivity into measurable business outcomes and what it will take to build teams ready for what's next.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground.The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others.Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.