The Brave Technologist

Chris Ghent, Chief Growth Officer at Input Output, explores the intersection of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, focusing on the empowerment of users through decentralization and privacy advocacy. He discusses strategies crucial for community engagement, the importance of developing meaningful relationships in tech, and the role of privacy in shaping the future of digital transactions.

Key Takeaways:

• The evolution and integration of AI and blockchain

• Strategies for effective marketing in the blockchain space

• The role of privacy in digital transactions

• The potential of AI to enhance user experience and security

• Navigating volatility within the cryptocurrency market

• The future of digital identities and user empowerment

Guest Bio: Chris Ghent is the Chief Growth Officer at Input Output. With 16+ years in marketing and entrepreneurship, he specializes in advancing human-centric blockchain technology and driving usability and adoption.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Daniel Hulme, Chief AI Officer at WPP, discusses the transformative role of AI in marketing, leadership, and society. We explore the use of synthetic audiences, ethical considerations of AI, and the future of work influenced by AI technology.

Key Takeaways:

• The use and impact of synthetic audiences in marketing and content creation

• AI's potential to enhance human creativity, and future job implications due to AI advancements

• Overview of the current regulatory landscape, and ethical challenges regarding AI development

• Practical advice for engaging with and understanding AI technology

Guest Bio: Daniel Hulme is a globally recognised AI expert. He is the Chief AI Officer at WPP, and the CEO at Satalia. With over 25 years experience in research and applied AI, Daniel is cited as one of the top ten Chief AI Officers in the world.

Daniel is a serial TEDx speaker, has contributed to numerous books and articles on AI, and is a faculty member of SingularityU. He is passionate about how technology can help govern organisations and bring a positive impact to society.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Kai Zenner, Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for German Member of the European Parliament Axel Voss, discusses the emerging regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence in Europe and its implications for innovation and consumer safety. He also discusses implementation hurdles of the EU AI Act, specifically the shortage of AI experts and the complexity of enforcement across 27 member states.

Key Takeaways:

• Challenges with the AI Act (such as vague use cases, balancing innovation with regulation, and the impact on SMEs)

• Lessons from GDPR, including upcoming changes being considered that could impact data privacy

• Horizontal legislative approaches and their implications

• Future prospects for AI regulation in Europe

Guest Bio: Kai Zenner is Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss in the European Parliament, focusing on AI, privacy, and the EU's digital transition. He is involved in negotiations on the AI Act, AI Liability Directive, ePrivacy Regulation, and GDPR revision. A member of the OECD.AI Network of Experts and the World Economic Forum's AI Governance Alliance, Zenner also served on the UN's High-Level Advisory Body on AI. He was named Best MEP Assistant in 2023, and ranked #13 in Politico's Power 40 for his influence on EU digital policy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Katie Winterbottom, Director of AI (Digital and Merch) at Nordstrom, discusses a new pilot program that uses AI-powered trend reports and agentic architecture to craft unique fashion journeys. She also emphasizes the need for tech education within companies, and updating antiquated processes to leverage the benefits of emerging tech.

Key Takeaways:

• How AI is revolutionizing the fashion industry by capturing precise fashion trends and assisting in areas such as product surfacing, merchandising, and customer personalization.

• Operational challenges of integrating AI, and the importance of infrastructure scalability.

• The development of AI-powered trend reports and agentic architecture to enhance customer experiences.

• Limitations of recommendation models, and the importance of modern architectures like sequential transformers.

Guest Bio: Katie Winterbottom leads AI innovation at Nordstrom, where she directs a team of 32 data scientists and engineers building next-generation personalization and recommendation systems. She's particularly passionate about responsible AI deployment, and has pioneered frameworks for measuring and monitoring AI's business impact while ensuring ethical implementation.

Prior to her current role, Katie scaled multiple data science organizations and built enterprise-wide platforms that transformed Nordstrom's digital capabilities. Her teams' innovations have generated hundreds of millions in revenue through enhanced personalization, fraud prevention, and automated merchandising solutions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Jo Davaris, Global Chief Privacy Officer at Booking Holdings, discusses how to build trust in AI, emphasizing privacy and ethical governance as the pillars of AI innovation. We explore the importance of feedback mechanisms and transparency in AI systems, along with how to maintain user control without compromising innovation.

Key Takeaways:

• Building trust in AI systems and the role of privacy in AI governance

• The need for public and private collaboration on AI regulations

• Concerns with AI's rapid advancement

• The importance of integrating privacy and ethical considerations into AI development from the start

Guest Bio:

Jo Davaris is the Global Chief Privacy Officer at Booking Holdings, where she established a unified privacy framework across brands like Booking.com and OpenTable. She leads AI Governance, Digital Trust, and Cybersecurity efforts, integrating privacy and innovation globally. Previously, Jo was Mercer's first Global Chief Privacy Officer, developing a privacy program that protected data while enabling growth. At American Express, she strengthened privacy governance for institutional & network businesses. Earlier, as an attorney for New York City's Administration for Children's Services, she prosecuted child abuse cases. Jo serves on advisory boards, speaks at conferences on privacy and governance, and advocates for social services in NYC.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Sophia Rowland, Senior Product Manager at SAS, discusses her journey from data science to product management at SAS, focusing on the integration of AI and analytics. She explains the concepts of Model Ops and ML Ops, the challenges organizations face in operationalizing machine learning models, and the critical role of analytics in this process.

Key Takeaways:

• Dependency management errors that occur when IT and data science teams work in silos

• The connection between algorithms and psychology, using data and software to tap into motivation

• How to discern hype from meaningful advancements in emerging technologies

• The influence of user behavior on AI adoption

• Ways to stay updated in the rapidly evolving field of AI

Guest Bio: Sophia Rowland is a Senior Product Manager focusing on ModelOps and ML Ops at SAS. In her previous role as a data scientist, Sophia worked with dozens of organizations to solve a variety of problems using analytics. As an active speaker and writer, Sophia has spoken at events like the AI Summit, All Things Open, SAS Explore, and SAS Innovate; she has also written dozens of articles and blog posts. As a lifelong North Carolinian, Sophia holds degrees from both UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke, including bachelor's degrees in computer science and psychology, and a Master of Science in Quantitative Management: Business Analytics from the Fuqua School of Business. Outside of work, Sophia enjoys reading an eclectic assortment of books, hiking throughout North Carolina, and trying to stay upright while ice skating.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Senthil Padmanabhan, VP of Platform and Infrastructure at eBay, discusses how eBay's use of fine-tuning is improving their operational workflows. He explains why fine-tuning existing models can often be more cost-effective than training from scratch, and how methods like low-ranking adaptation (LoRa) are pivotal in improving AI performance.

Key Takeaways:

• The impact of strategic fine tuning on achieving peak performance

• AI's broader impact on eBay's infrastructure, fraud detection, and customer-facing experiences

• The challenges of tech debt and software upgrades

• Case studies from eBay that illustrate productivity gains via fine-tuning

• Considerations for choosing between open and proprietary AI models

• The importance of data quality over quantity in fine-tuning processes

• Predictions for the future of AI development and fine-tuning techniques

Guest Bio: Senthil Padmanabhan is a Vice President and Technical Fellow at eBay, where he runs Platform and Infra (private cloud) Engineering for the global eCommerce marketplace, providing infrastructure for 4000+ engineers to deliver products at scale. Before this role, he was in the Product engineering space, building consumer-facing applications at eBay and Yahoo.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Ishita Ghosh, Senior Manager of Data Science at Walmart, discusses AI innovations within retail, highlighting Walmart's initiatives that enhance customer experiences and operational efficiencies.​​ She also stresses the importance of balancing technological advancements with trust, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder engagement.

Key Takeaways: 

• AI innovations at Walmart, including generative AI for employee assistance and inventory management

• Navigating regulatory hurdles in highly regulated sectors, and the challenges of gaining stakeholder buy-in for AI implementation

• The importance of human oversight in implementing AI solutions

• Speculation on the future of AI, and how we can use AI as a tool for creating a better world (particularly in healthcare)

Guest Bio: Ishita Ghosh is the Senior Manager of Data Science at Walmart USA. Ms. Ghosh is a skilled leader in data science and machine learning, combining technical expertise with strategic insight. With a Master's in Data Science, she excels in both research and practical applications. At Walmart, as well as in previous roles at Schlumberger and Abbvie, she drove innovation and delivered results in computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, and Generative-AI across manufacturing, safety, and operations. Her active research contributions and leadership at major organizations highlight her significant impact on the field.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Jacqueline Karlin, Sr. Director of AI Product & Personalization at PayPal, discusses how AI is revolutionizing the financial technology landscape, particularly in payment transactions and operational efficiency. She highlights the importance of mindful product management and the balance between innovation and responsible AI usage.

Key Takeaways:

• PayPal's three main AI investment areas

• How PayPal is using AI to drive product innovation and improve customer experience

• How to be a responsible technologist, contributing positively to the community

• Ethical practices to find product-market fit while avoiding biases

• The need for transparency, trust, and responsible AI

• How we can develop AI literacy among consumers

Guest Bio: Jacqueline Karlin is the Sr. Director of AI Product & Personalization at PayPal. With a rich background at industry giants like Amazon, Meta, and Santander, Jacqueline has launched AI-powered products used by millions of consumers around the world today. As a thought leader in the AI space, she is dedicated to advancing industry standards and exploring the transformative potential of AI in financial technology. Her approach combines a pursuit of driving value to customers with a passion for responsible AI, with the ultimate goal of building products that matter. Join us as we explore her insights on the transformative power of AI in financial technology!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Vivek Kumar, Director Of CX Innovation & Strategy, Oracle Corporation, discusses the integration of generative AI into enterprise solutions, with a focus on its transformative impact on customer experience and CRM systems. He highlights Oracle's decade-long journey with AI, the evolution of agentic workflows, and the challenges and opportunities in AI adoption.

In this episode of The Brave Technologist Podcast, we discuss:

• How generative AI is transforming enterprise solutions, automating processes, and enhancing productivity.

• Strategies for overcoming resistance to AI within organizations.

• Oracle's innovative use of agentic workflows for dynamic decision making and complex business automation.

• The critical role of user experience and collaboration with developers and customers in driving successful AI adoption.

• The importance of continuous learning and adaptation as AI reshapes the future of enterprise and customer experiences.

The views expressed in this podcast are of Vivek's and do not necessarily represent Oracle.

Guest Bio: Vivek Kumar is Director of CX Innovations and Strategy at Oracle. He is based in Austin, Texas and has spent the past 18 years working in the CRM industry. He has been awarded 5 patents and has filed another 15 patents in the area of CRM automation, generative AI, and agentic workflows. In his early career, Vivek was an evangelist for developer productivity, and tooling to help speed development and delivery of enterprise solutions. Vivek was involved in early efforts to explore and democratize chatbot solutions for CRM systems at Oracle. His latest work is primarily focused on applied generative AI and agentic workflows. Today, he spends most of his time exploring the limits of genAI, working to make it practical for enterprise adoption.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte