Artificial intelligence is moving beyond proofs-of-concept and into real-world production—but how do you make it work in highly secure environments? In this episode, Ben Van Roo, CEO & Co-Founder of Yurts, joins Amir Bormand to discuss the challenges of implementing Gen AI in government, financial institutions, and enterprises with strict security requirements.

Ben breaks down why 2024 is the year of POCs, but 2025 will be the year of production, the biggest "gotchas" companies face when scaling AI, and why infrastructure—not just modeling—is the real challenge. We also dive into why AI adoption in enterprises is different, how organizations must navigate governance and security, and whether legacy companies will finally leapfrog into AI or repeat the mistakes of slow digital transformation.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

2024: The Year of POCs; 2025: The Year of AI in Production – Organizations are moving from experimentation to full-scale adoption.

It’s Not Just a Modeling Problem—It’s a Software Problem – Scaling AI in enterprises is about infrastructure, access control, observability, and governance.

Biggest “Gotchas” in Production – Companies underestimate data access, role-based security, and integrating AI into existing workflows.

Legacy Infrastructure Isn’t Going Away – Over 50% of enterprise compute is still on-prem; AI must work with hybrid systems.

AI's Real Value: Corporate Memory & Efficiency – Organizations struggle with managing institutional knowledge—Gen AI can bridge the gap.

⏳ Timestamped Highlights:

[00:01:00] – Yurts’ mission: Connecting secure enterprises to AI without breaking compliance.

[00:03:00] – Why 2025 is the year AI goes into real production.

[00:07:00] – The "gotcha" moments: Scaling from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide AI.

[00:12:00] – AI governance: Why “boring” topics like data security & observability matter more than ever.

[00:18:00] – AI’s potential to transform enterprise productivity, not just replace workers.

[00:22:00] – Will enterprises leapfrog to AI or repeat the slow-moving digital transformation struggles?

[00:27:00] – What makes AI adoption harder for highly secure enterprises (government, semiconductors, etc.)?

[00:29:00] – Ben’s advice: How organizations should start their AI journey today.

📢 Quote to Share:

"AI won’t change your business unless it’s connected to the work you do, the data you use, and the privacy requirements you have." – Ben Van Roo

🔗 Connect with Ben Van Roo:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanroo

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