In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving landscape of digital marketing and brand storytelling. We explore how the intersection of authenticity, community, and technology is reshaping how brands connect with people—and why it's no longer just about the product, but about the experience.

We talk about how we've shifted our focus from performance-only metrics to a more holistic approach, blending creativity with strategy. There's a big emphasis on human-first marketing—building trust, showing up consistently, and leading with values that resonate.

We also reflect on the role of content creators and influencers in today’s market, and how brands can partner more meaningfully instead of just transacting for reach. It’s about collaboration, not commodification.

Key takeaways:

• Authenticity wins. Audiences can tell when it’s forced.
• Content isn't king—connection is.
• Brand loyalty is built through trust, not just a strong call to action.
• It’s time to ditch the funnel mindset and embrace more circular, relationship-driven marketing.
• Data is powerful, but gut instinct and creativity still matter—a lot.

Whether you’re a marketer, entrepreneur, or creator, there’s something in here for you. Let’s keep pushing the industry forward—together.

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Welcome back to another episode of Adventures in Machine Learning, where hosts Michael Berk and Ben Wilson delve into the intricate process of implementing model serving solutions. In this episode, they explore a detailed case study focused on enhancing search functionality with a particular emphasis on a hot dog recipe search engine. The discussion takes you through the entire development loop, beginning with understanding product requirements and success criteria, moving through prototyping and tool selection, and culminating in team collaboration and stakeholder engagement. Michael and Ben share their insights on optimizing for quick signal in design, leveraging existing tools, and ensuring service stability. If you're eager to learn about effective development strategies in machine learning projects, this episode is packed with valuable lessons and behind-the-scenes engineering perspectives. Join us as we navigate the challenges and triumphs of building impactful search solutions.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.

Welcome to another insightful episode of Top End Devs, where we delve into the fascinating world of machine learning and data science. In this episode, host Charles Max Wood is joined by special guest Pierpaolo Hipolito, a data scientist at the SAS Institute in the UK. Together, they explore the intriguing paradoxes of data science, discussing how these paradoxes can impact the accuracy of machine learning models and providing insights on how to mitigate them.

Pierpaolo shares his expertise on causal reasoning in machine learning, drawing from his master's research and contributions to Towards Data Science and other notable publications. He elaborates on the complexities of data modeling during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the use of simulation and synthetic data to address data sparsity.

Throughout the conversation, the focus remains on the importance of understanding the underlying system being modeled, the role of feature engineering, and strategies for avoiding common pitfalls in data science. Whether you are a seasoned data scientist or just starting out, this episode offers valuable perspectives on enhancing the reliability and interpretability of your machine learning models.

Tune in for a deep dive into the paradoxes of data science, practical advice on feature interaction, and the importance of accurate data representation in achieving meaningful insights.


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What do cows and camels have to do with the human brain? The latest developments in machine learning, of course! In this episode, Michael and Ben dive into a new white paper from Facebook AI researchers that reveals a LOT about the future of modeling. They discuss “cows and camels”, the question of predictive vs causal modeling, and how algorithms are getting scary good at emulating the human brain these days.
In This Episode
Why Facebook’s new research is VERY exciting for AI learning and causality (but what does it have to do with cows and camels?)
 The answer to “Is predictive or causal modeling more accurate?” (and why it’s not the best question to ask)
 Not sure if you need machine learning or just plain data modeling? Michael lays it out for you
 What algorithms are learning about human behavior to accurately emulate the human brain in 2022 and beyond


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Michael Berk joins the adventure to discuss how he uses Machine Learning within the context of A/B testing features within applications and how to know when you have a viable test option for your setup.

Links

• How to Find Weaknesses in your Machine Learning Models
• LinkedIn: Michael Berk
• Michael Berk - Medium

Picks

• Ben- David Thorne Books
• Charles- Shadow Hunter
• Michael- Stuart Russell

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.

In today's episode, we dive into the critical decision-making process of building versus buying technology solutions, especially when it comes to agentic logic-based frameworks. With the industry still in its early stages, I recommend waiting for managed solutions to mature, while Ben suggests the educational value of simple project builds. They discuss the importance of understanding the technology thoroughly before diving into business-focused decisions, using tools like customer user journeys (CUJs) to evaluate scalability, cost-efficiency, and maintainability. They also highlight some initial challenges and missteps in project management and the necessity for pre-evaluation by tech teams.
For non-technical teams engaged in technical projects, they provide structured guidance on navigating these unknowns efficiently. Additionally, they emphasize the value of research spikes and incremental development to manage risk and learn from user behavior. Finally, they explore the promising yet evolving landscape of generative AI and its potential high ROI with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

Socials

• Linkedin: Ben Wilson
• LinkedIn: Michael Berk

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.

Peter Elger and Eóin Shanaghy join Charles Max Wood to dive into what Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning related services are available for people to use. Peter and Eóin are experts in AWS and explain what is provided in its services, but easily extrapolate to other clouds. If you're trying to implement Artificial Intelligence algorithms, you may want to use or modify an algorithm already built and provided to you.

Links

• fourTheorem
• Twitter: Eóin Shanaghy
• Twitter: Peter Elger

Picks

• Charles- The Eye of the World: Book One of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• Charles - Changemakers With Jamie Atkinson
• Charles- Podcast Domination Show by Luis Diaz
• Charles- Buzzcast
• Charles- Podcast Talent Coach
• Eóin- IKEA | IDÅSEN Desk sit/stand, black/dark gray63x31 1/2 "
• Eóin- Kinesis | Freestyle2 Split- Adjustable Keyboard for PC
• Peter- The Wolfram Physics Project
• Peter- PBS Space Time
• Peter- Youtube Channel | 3Blue1Brown
• Peter- Cracking the Code

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.

In this episode, Ben and Michael explore burnout, particularly in machine learning and data science. They highlight that burnout stems from exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficiency and can be caused by repetitive tasks, overwhelming workloads, or being in the wrong role. They also tackle strategies to combat burnout, including collaborating with others, mentoring, shifting focus between tasks, and hiring more people to distribute the workload. A key takeaway is the importance of knowledge sharing and not hoarding tasks for job security, as this can lead to burnout and inefficiency. They also discuss managing burnout and its components, particularly exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficiency, through personal experiences. Finally, they talk about how burnout can lead to inefficiency and physical manifestations, like a lack of motivation to engage in activities outside of work.


Socials 

• LinkedIn: Ben Wilson
• LinkedIn: Michael Berk 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.

Rishal Hurbans is the author of Grokking Artificial Intelligence Algorithms. He walks us through how to learn different Machine Learning algorithms. He also then walks us through the different types of algorithms based on different natural systems and processes.

Links

• Kaggle: Your Machine Learning and Data Science Community
• Rishal Hurbans
• Inktober
• Book giveaway link

Picks

• Chuck- Hero with a thousand faces by Joseph Campbell
• Chuck- Masterbuilt smoker
• Rishal-Learn something new everyday
• Rishal- Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.

In today’s episode, Michael and Ben are joined by industry expert Barzan Mozafari, the CEO and co-founder at Keebo. He delves deep into the evolving landscape of data learning and cloud optimization. They explore how understanding data distribution can lead to early detection of anomalies and how optimizing data workflows can result in significant cost savings and unintended business growth. Barzan sheds light on leveraging existing cloud technologies and the role of automated tools in enhancing system interactions, while Ben talks about the intricacies of platform migration and tech debt.
They dig into the challenges and strategies for optimizing complex data pipelines, the economic pressures faced by data teams, and insights into innovation stemming from academic research. The conversation also covers the importance of maintaining customer trust without compromising data security and the iterative nature of both academic and industrial approaches to problem-solving. Join them as they navigate the intersection of technical debt, AI-driven optimization, and the dynamic collaboration between researchers and engineers, all aimed at driving continuous improvement and innovation in the world of data.
So, gear up for an episode packed with insights on shrinking pie data learning, cloud costs, automated optimization tools, and much more. Let’s dive right in!


Socials

• LinkedIn: Barzan Mozafari

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/adventures-in-machine-learning--6102041/support.