In this episode, we sit down with Alexa Griffith, Senior Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat, to discuss what’s really happening behind the scenes of modern AI infrastructure.

From her journey transitioning from computational chemistry to software engineering, to building AI systems at scale.

We also dive into:

• How AI systems handle scale, latency, and security

• Why AI infrastructure matters more than ever

• The engineering challenges behind production AI

• OpenAI vs Claude and the current AI model race

• Why many companies still struggle with AI adoption

Learn more about Alexa at https://alexagriffith.com/

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#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #OpenSource #RedHat #TechPodcast #AIInfrastructure #GenerativeAI

In this episode, Boris Berenberg dives deep into the biggest challenges companies face when adopting AI—from security and compliance concerns to poor implementation strategies and organizational resistance.

We discuss why nearly 90% of AI projects fail, how enterprise teams struggle with AI adoption, and what businesses need to do to successfully integrate AI into their workflows. Boris also shares insights on AI agents, Slack-based automation, regulated industries, and the future of knowledge work.

Check us out at AI in NYC — Aiinnycshow.com

Check them at Z0.ai — Z0.a

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #AIAdoption #FutureOfWork #AIInnovation #MachineLearning #AIINYC

In this episode of AI and NYC, we dive into one of the biggest questions in tech today: Will AI agents replace traditional software? Joining us is Kenneth Auchenberg, Partner at Innovation Endeavors, where we unpack the future of software infrastructure, AI-powered workflows, and why the next decade may belong to agent-first systems. In this episode, we discuss:

• Why AI agents are changing how software is built
• The shift from developer experience to agent experience
• Whether traditional SaaS is at risk.
• The future of AI infrastructure and investing
• How businesses can prepare for the AI revolution

A huge thank you to our sponsor, Lorimer Ventures — a venture fund backed by a network of 100+ operators helping founders scale with real hands-on support. If you’re raising capital, be sure to check them out!

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#AI #AIAgents #SaaS #TechPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #Startups #Innovation #AIInfrastructure

Ben Guo is a former early Stripe engineer, Brooklyn musician, and now the co-founder and CEO of Zo Computer.

In this episode of AI in NYC, Rob May sits down with Ben to explore a refreshing vision for personal AI: how managed cloud computers and autonomous AI agents can give regular, everyday people the power to reclaim the internet from corporate tech giants.

We dive deep into the cultural "scaremongering" around AI replacing human potential, why the current attention economy functions like a techno-feudal system making us slaves to algorithms, and the reality of building a company for the pure love of the game rather than just an exit.

This episode is proudly brought to you by Lorimer Ventures an early-stage New York City venture fund with a network of 100 operators who know exactly what it looks like to scale!

Check them out here:

Lorimer Ventures: Check out their hands-on advice at lorimerventures.com

Zo Computer: Explore their consumer-grade server experience at https://zo.computer

#AI #Startups #ZoComputer #Stripe #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #TechPodcast #NewYorkTech

Noah Obstfeld from Pitch Roast runs a venture capital and entrepreneur pitch session where professional comedians roast you while you pitch your startup.

In this episode of AI in NYC, Rob May and guest co-host Stephen Messer dive into the brutal, vulnerable, and hilarious world of fundraising. We discuss why founders willingly subject their confidence to stand-up comics, what happens when a live pitch completely falls apart, and the thick skin required to survive the startup ecosystem.

This episode is proudly brought to you by Boon.ai! Looking to automate your sales and marketing workflows without the manual headache? AI agents to handle your core sales and marketing tasks for you.

Check them out here: https://boon.ai

Check out @PitchRoastLive for more Noah!

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Startups #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #PitchRoast #Comedy #NewYorkTech #TechPodcast

Guy Mounier is a four-time founder, investor, and the CEO of Boon AI.

In this episode of AI in NYC, we explore one of the biggest questions facing technology today: how do we build trust in an AI-powered world?

Our conversation spans entrepreneurship, AI, business, society, and the ideas behind Guy's newest initiative, The Trust Era Project. We discuss how AI is changing the way organizations make decisions, the opportunities and challenges ahead, and why trust may become one of the most important currencies of the next decade.

Learn more:

boon.ai

trusteraproject.org

Subscribe for more conversations with the founders, researchers, investors, and builders shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Startups #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfWork #Trust #Technology

Connect with Guy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guymounier/

Dr. Taniya Mishra shares her remarkable journey from early machine learning research and accessibility-focused AI projects to building SureStart, a company dedicated to bringing AI fluency to students around the world. Together, they explore what it means to prepare the next generation for an AI-driven future—and why responsible AI, mentorship, creativity, and critical thinking matter more than ever.

The discussion covers the evolving workforce, the impact of AI on entry-level jobs, the importance of ethics in technology education, and whether today's race toward advanced AI is overlooking the human element. They also examine how AI can be used to empower people, foster innovation, and create opportunities rather than simply automate work.

Check out SureStart: thttps://mysurestart.com/

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In this episode of AI in NYC, Rob and Ryan are joined by Hilary Mason for a wide-ranging conversation on the evolution of AI in New York — from the early data science era to today’s generative AI landscape.

The discussion dives into the early days of data science in New York, the rise of AGI hype in Silicon Valley, and why practical AI product design may matter more than chasing artificial general intelligence. The episode also explores the growing importance of small language models, harness engineering, and building AI systems that are actually useful for people instead of relying on chatbot-first experiences.

The second half of the episode focuses on the future of AI-powered storytelling and interactive entertainment. The conversation breaks down how immersive narrative engines could allow users to create characters, shape evolving storylines, and participate inside fictional worlds in entirely new ways. Rather than replacing creators, these AI tools are positioned as creative amplifiers designed to help writers, gamers, and storytellers unlock richer and more meaningful experiences.

Check out Hidden Door: https://www.hiddendoor.co/

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In this episode of AI in NYC, hosts Rob May (Co-Founder & CEO, Neurometric) and Ryan Eppley (Co-Founder & CEO, RootAccess) go deep on the biggest AI hardware and infrastructure stories of the week — no guest needed, just two hardware-obsessed founders breaking it all down.

First up: the Cerebras IPO. Rob and Ryan give a technical but accessible breakdown of what makes the Cerebras wafer-scale chip so different — from its distributed SRAM architecture that eliminates the classic Von Neumann bottleneck, to the sheer audacity of using an entire silicon wafer as a single chip. They discuss why inference workloads are fragmenting beyond GPUs, what the Groq acquisition by Nvidia signals about the market, and whether Cerebras' $50B+ market cap at 100x revenue is justified or dangerously frothy. If you've been wondering whether to invest or just want to understand the AI chip landscape beyond Nvidia, this is a must-listen.

Then the conversation shifts to a Washington Post survey finding that 71% of Americans oppose data centers being built in their communities. Rob and Ryan question the methodology, debate whether this NIMBY backlash is rational, and explore what it means for the future of AI infrastructure. Plus: quick updates on the show's growth, the new job board, sponsor transitions, and more topics they planned to cover including dead internet theory, celebrity AI trademarks, and the viral UCF graduation AI backlash.

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In Episode 23 of AI in NYC, hosts Rob May, Anna Kirk, and Ryan Eppley sit down with Gabi Steele, co-founder and CEO of Preql AI, to tackle one of the most overlooked problems in the AI gold rush: your data foundation is probably broken, and that's why your AI agents aren't working. Gabi brings a unique perspective — she went from building data visualizations at the Washington Post during Trump's first term to teaching at Columbia and Parsons, then dove deep into data engineering after watching her co-founder's experience at WeWork, where a 100-person data engineering team still couldn't wrangle the company's spiraling data infrastructure.

The episode kicks off with a deep dive into the bombshell WSJ report that OpenAI is missing key revenue and user targets ahead of its IPO. The panel debates whether this signals a real inflection point for the AI industry or just healthy competitive pressure from open-source models, DeepSeek, and a rapidly shifting market where agentic coding has overtaken conversational search as the killer app. Gabi weighs in with a grounded take from the data trenches — she talks to CFOs every day who tell her LLMs are too slow and they still want dashboards, revealing a massive gap between AI hype and enterprise reality.

The conversation evolves into a fascinating discussion about what interfaces should look like in an agent-first world. Rob shares his love for the physical Wall Street Journal, the group debates tactile vs. digital experiences, and Ryan introduces the concept of "Harness Experience" — designing not for users, but for agents. Gabi's core message resonates throughout: companies are rushing to deploy AI and automation but skipping the critical data layer that makes any of it actually work. If you're building with AI, buying AI tools, or leading a data team, this episode is essential listening.

Preql AI is building the infrastructure layer that reconciles and contextualizes enterprise data from across all your systems so AI agents can actually function. Currently focused on CFO buyers, Preql launched its agent-first product in July 2025. Learn more about Preql and connect with Gabi on LinkedIn.