Shift AI Podcast

In this episode of Shift AI, Dr. Vasi Philomin, VP of Generative AI at Amazon Web Services (AWS) shares his experience as a visionary in machine learning and AI, his insights on applying generative AI at Amazon/AWS, and his thoughts on the ethical dimensions and future potential of AI technologies.

Highlights from Vasi’s comments, edited for context and clarity:

• Early work experiences: Pioneered connected lighting at Philips Lighting with the City Touch system at Philips Lighting, enabling remote management of city lighting grids and achieving global adoption.
• First Paying Job: During a summer internship at Benz in Germany, Vasi delved into computer vision for autonomous navigation.
• Family Life: Growing up in a family of medical professionals, I diverged into a math-focused area of computer science, specifically AI, supported by my family despite our different professional paths.
• Amazon & Generative AI: At Amazon, we identified three key themes in applying generative AI: the diversity of AI models for different use cases, the need for enterprises to differentiate themselves, and the balance of cost-effectiveness and value.
• Amazon Bedrock: Bedrock aims to apply technologies like generative AI at scale. Offering choice, customization, and custom chips for improved generative AI applications.
• Human and AI Congruence: AI should handle tedious tasks, allowing humans to focus on complex problems. While human oversight is still essential for verifying AI outputs and augmenting productivity.
• Amazon Code Whisper: Created to address the challenges of new programming languages, Code Whisperer enhances developer productivity, with recent updates for customization to internal code bases.
• Mentors: Azriel Rosenfield, my grad school advisor, taught me discipline, while Jeffery Cassis at Philips Lighting taught me a more inclusive approach to collaboration and problem-solving.
• Future of Work: Generative AI is set to bring transformational productivity, surpassing the internet in impact, tackling complex problems, and augmenting human performance at an unprecedented scale.

Connect with Vasi Philomin

In this episode of Shift AI, Rand Fishkin, Co-founder and CEO at SparkToro, shares his experience as a successful entrepreneur and offers insightful perspectives on the current state of generative AI, the challenges faced by VC-backed businesses and the importance of prioritizing the lives of founders and team members. sparktoro.com shitaipodcast.com simplyaugmented.com

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In this episode of Shift AI, Neil Mandt, 5-time Emmy Award Winning Producer, shares his experience as a Hollywood producer and director, his take on the implications of AI on our society in the future and how the Studio industry is changing to accomodate this shift.

In this episode of the Shift AI podcast, we cover the following topics:

In this episode of Shift AI, Shane Mac CEO at XMTP Labs shares his experience as a startup founder, how to run a remote-first venture backed startup and his philosophy on how digital messaging and communication will evolve in the future.

In this episode of the Shift AI podcast, we cover the following topics:

• Early Experience: Shane discusses how his early experience as a young CEO of a startup in San Francisco and the imposter syndrome that he felt shaped they way that he approaches his new company and how he treats those around him.
• Family Influence: How Shane’s father’s discipline impacted his work ethic and how growing up in a small town masked some of the anxiety that he would later comes to terms with as an entrepreneur.
• Emotional Intellegence: How alcohol and extreme confidence helped to mask insecurities that he is finally coming to terms with in life.
• Startup Culture: How do you give people the permission to make mistakes, to say I need help to focus on being the best employee they can be without doing things for the sake of being busy.
• AI and Creativity: How AI has transformed our ability to use the computer as a tool to be more creative by helping us prototype our ideas.
• XMTP and Secure Messaging: How securing messaging and payment is changing the way we think about identity and how we can move from carrier to carrier safely with our DM’s and followers in tact.

Connect with Shane Mac

In this episode of Shift AI, Oren Etzioni Founding CEO at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intellegence shares his expertise on AI policy and how this breakthrough technology will transform the way we work in the future. Oren breaks down the ethical and technical issues related to AI adoption and talks about how this AI wave is different from tech hypes in the past.

In this episode of the Shift podcast, we cover the following topics:

• Oren’s early career, family background and his role he has now at The AI2 Incubator
• His private meeting with the President of the United States Joe Biden on AI policy and innovation
• His involvement in incubating cutting edge AI companies in Seattle
• The work he has done and is doing at the University of Washington to prepare the next generation of AI and ML thinkers and innovators.
• Why Seattle is such a hot bed for AI/ML technology breakthroughs
• His feelings about AI will impact our society both economically and culturally

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In this installment of Shift AI, Matt McIlwain, Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group, discusses the influence of AI on different industries, Seattle's place in the technology landscape, ethical concerns surrounding AI, and the evolving nature of work in the digital era. Matt also delves into the opportunities and groundbreaking advancements created by AI, cloud computing, and associated technologies.

In this episode of the Shift podcast, we cover the following topics:

• Matt’s early career, family background and his road to the role he has now at Madrona Venture Group
• Introduction to Seattle's role as a leader in cloud computing and discussion of his past 10+ years of investment in applied AI.
• Deep dive into AI, automation, and machine learning, with historical context.
• Discussion of interacting with predictive capabilities through natural language.
• Insight into generative AI models and their application in various domains.
• Seattle's significance as the cloud capital and a center of excellence for AI and discussion of big companies, startups, and the energy of the Seattle tech community.
• Consideration of how work is changing due to AI, including ethical considerations.
• Exploration of the importance of keeping humans in the loop in AI-driven processes.
• Reflection on mentorship and its impact on personal and professional growth.

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In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Mindy Honcoop, CPO at Agile in HR shares her background and experience that landed her at Expedia and the work she has been doing to advise leaders to focus on their purpose and values to drive organizational change. Mindy breaks down how she thinks about motivating people in the workplace and the role that humans play amidst new technology advances. She also talks about the wave of HR and AI advancements and how we should think about emerging tech in the HR stack.

In this episode of the Shift AI podcast, we cover the following topics:

• Mindy’s early career, family background and her role as CPO in organizations
• Empowering humans in the workplace and how to manage organizational change
• AI and the way that humans stay in the loop as the navigate a new understanding of what it means to work in the future.
• The role that HR plays in navigating AI in the workplace an how certain mundane tasks give way to more opportunities to be creative and strategic as part of your job description.

Connect with Mindy Honcoop

On Shift AI Live, Ashwin Kadaru and Boaz Ashkenazy, discuss the influence of AI on different industries, current events related to the fast changing AI landscape and new use cases that directly impact business ROI.

Connect with Ashwin Kadaru

In this episode of Shift AI, Dan Nieves, Global Executive Engagement at Meta Reality Labs shares his expertise on the convergence of AI and XR at Meta and how this technology will transform the way we work in the future. Dan breaks down the roadmap and how Meta thinks about the emerging competitive VR landscape with the introduction of Apple Vision Pro. He also talks about the hype surrounding the metaverse and explains how Meta thinks about the future of AI and the way we use VR and mixed reality at work.

In this episode of the Shift AI podcast, we cover the following topics:

• Dan’s early career, family background and his road to the role he has now at Meta
• Remote collaboration and the future of work according to Meta
• Meta’s name change and the frenzy surrounding last years metaverse hype
• The introduction of Apple Vision Pro and how Meta is positioning VR at work and in the enterprise
• How Dan thinks about the future of work and how he explains to the C-Suite how AI and XR will fit together in the future.
• Return to office policies and how this affects culture and moral at large enterprises
• Mentorship and how that factors into face to face and remote collaboration

Connect with Dan Nieves

In this episode of Shift AI, Ashwin Kadaru, the CEO of Simply Augmented, shares his expertise on Generative AI and how this technology will transform the way we work in the future. Ashwin breaks down the definitions and history of ChatGPT and then goes deep on how the technology actually works. He also talks about the hype surrounding AI and explains why there is so much excitement and energy around implementing this technology in your business.

In this episode of the Shift AI podcast, we cover the following topics:

• The history and evolution of AI and how large language models and ChatGPT became such a hot topic in our society
• The right way to implement AI into your company with security in mind.
• How to integrate AI in the backend while leveraging current investments that you already invest in.
• Steps to prepare your existing data that flows through your business so you can leverage AI in all aspects of your business including marketing, sales, recruiting, and operations.
• The top 6 most important things to understand when looking to implement AI into your companies workflow.
• Fine tuning a secure large language models on your own proprietary data
• Details around protecting your data while using large language models inside your own cloud environments
• Where do humans factor into the AI process without having there jobs disappear? Through prompt engineering and being the final check before content is delivered humans can always stay in the loop

Connect with AshwinKadaru

In this episode of Shift AI, Alan Smithson, the co-founder of Metavrse, shares his expertise on how technology advancements and AI will significantly impact the way we work in the future. Alan discusses the need to prepare for an age where AI plays a significant role and the challenge of keeping up with its rapid advancements. He also talks about the hype surrounding AI and how the lack of regulation poses risks for ethical concerns and the potential for exploitation.

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In this episode of the Shift AI podcast, we cover the following topics:

• The history and evolution of work and the impact of the pandemic on the way we work and the potential value of blockchain and new technologies such as XR and AI
• The hype surrounding AI and the lack of regulation and the potential for exploitation
• The challenge of keeping up with AI advancements in light of all the hype and the volume of tools that are getting created every week
• The importance of mentors in navigating the entrepreneurial world
• The future of work and how technology advancements and AI will significantly impact it
• The need to prepare for an age where AI plays a significant role
• Alan's future goal of building an education system to prepare people for what's ahead.

Connect with Alan Smithson

In this episode of Shift AI, Jyarland Daniels shares her perspective on company culture and how companies can touch on our emotions and move us in important ways. We touch on topics around being surrounded by mentors and passionate people face to face early in your career and how this can shape your perspective on career development. Jyarland expands on her mentors as she navigated work in the civil rights movement to her time in a corporate environment and into her time in big tech. She also speaks eloquently about how diversity and inclusion can show up for all of us in the office in an inclusive and joyful way.

In this episode of Shift AI, we cover:

• Jyarland’s experience and background including her time at Hallmark Cards within their entrepreneurial business unit that sparked her passion for technology and innovation.
• Family of origin and how an employee’s diversity of experience in early development and how that can shape your perspective on the value of work.
• How mentorship has shown up for her throughout her life and how this has informed he approach to culture in the office.
• Examples of diversity of inclusion at work and the power of being able to communicate with our colleagues in a compassionate, honest and open way.
• The work that Jyarland does at Harriet Speaks, her consultancy that support corporations in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB)
• How DEIB shows up at Niantic in a technology corporate culture based in Silicon Valley.
• Work hacks focused on focus working and daily intentions that set the stage for the following day.
• How inclusiveness coupled with joy can transform the way that people come together to do big things.

Connect with Jyarland Daniels

In this episode of Shift AI, Venture Partner, Martina Welkhoff shares her perspective on investing in AI and XR and how her investment thesis has evolved over time.  Martina was early in VR and AR investing and focussed on funding and empowering female founders.  Her approach to supporting startup founders and vision for the future of work aligns with her new venture fund Goldenrod Ventures and she touches on what kind of founders she is most excited about working with and how AI and XR can transform the future of work..

In this episode of Shift AI, we cover: 

• Martina’s experience and background including her approach to work and her upbringing.
• Key insights on what contributes to startup founder success and how she thinks about supporting her portfolio companies as an investor
• The transition from XR investing to a more varied approach and her positions on the future of work
• Life and work hacks that keep her energized at the office during the week
• We touch on tools and technologies that Martina is excited about and the founders can differentiate their pitch amidst all the noise
• Thoughtful insights into the future of work and how remote collaboration is evolving from XR to AI

Connect with Martina Welkhoff

In this episode of Shift AI we feature Elizabeth Scallon, a prominent figure in the Seattle startup scene who discusses her experiences and insights on co-working, mentorship, and the future of work. Elizabeth highlights the potential of AI and co-creation in scaling and accelerating work processes. and shares her expertise on funding structures for underrepresented small businesses.

In this episode of Shift AI, we cover: 

• Elizabeth discusses her first experience working and her family’s relationship to work growing up in Bellevue Washington.
• Elizabeth’s background as a leader in the Seattle startup accelerator scene, as a mentor and champion for small business people.
• Elizabeth’s experience as the leader of Seattle WeWork Labs and how co-working and face to face serendipity in the workplace accelerate creativity and innovation.
• Ways that early founders and entrepreneurs corroborate to build community and help each other with the loneliness of starting a business.
• Thoughts about hybrid work and remote work post pandemic with a focus on targeted face to face focussed collaboration
• Find Ventures explained and how this unique type of funding structures allows for under-represented small businesses to launch their startups without diluting their equity presence.
• Discusses mentorship for young entrepreneurs given that going into the office has diminished and career building has gotten more challenging
• Elizabeth gives advice to young founders who are just getting their businesses started and off the ground.
• Talk about corporate incubation at Amazon and HP and the similarities between startup accelerators and some of the differences in the enterprise.
• Co-creation with AI and the excitement of what the future of work looks like when robots can help you scale and accelerate.
• How Elizabeth instructs her students at the University of Washington Foster School of business to use Chat GPT and AI to move faster and rapidly iterate with guardrails.
• How to get involved at the University of Washington’s Foster’s MBA program and intro to startups.

Connect with Elizabeth Scallon

In this episode of Shift AI, we cover: 

• Charlie’s career before starting writing for Forbes

• His early experience as a digital pioneer and AOL executive.

• His parents influence on his thinking and approach to his career.

• Specifics about the book Metaverse and thoughts about the frenzy around the term “Metaverse” and Facebook’s change to the name Meta.

• Second Life, VR Chat and how creator economies drive Metaverse platforms

• Discusses Meta’s hardware ecosystem and the way they are contributing to the overall adoption of VR

• The factors that lead to VR adoption and the promise of an integrated and interactive Metaverse.

• Training and simulation VR and the growth of assisted reality applications in the enterprise with frontline workers

• The implications of working remotely vs being present in the office to connect with colleagues and leadership.

• Consumer VR vs Enterprise VR

• Advice to college students about how to manage the transformation in the workplace and how they should adapt to this changing work environment.

• Will mentorship survive in a future remote or hybrid workplace.

• How will AI and Chat GPT alter the way that Charlie does his writing job at Forbes

Links:

Connect with Charlie Fink

In this episode of Shift AI, Arthur CEO and serial entrepreneur Christoph Fleischmann shares his thoughts on the future of work and how remote meeting tools help bring colleagues together to brainstorm and communicate in ways that are powerful for both team building and collaboration.  

Boaz and Christoph discuss how virtual reality technology levels the playing field for both employees and companies looking to grow quickly across time zones.

In this episode of Shift AI, we cover:

• Christoph’s career before starting Arthur
• His early experience as an entrepreneur and his parents influence on his career
• Specifics about Arthur as a collaboration tool and what makes virtual collaboration unique
• Key remote collaboration use cases and the companies that are the early adopters
• Examples of the way that the Arthur team uses their own technology to collaborate as a team.
• Mixed reality and passthrough and how that technology has the potential to transform remote communication
• Christoph ruminates on the future of work for himself, his company and global industries.
• Boaz and Christoph discuss the power of mentorship and the individuals that touched him throughout his life and career.
• Christoph defines the future of work.

Links:

Connect with Christoph Fleischmann