🎙️ Future of Data and AI Podcast: Episode 06 with Robin Sutara

What do Apache, Excel, Microsoft, and Databricks have in common? Robin Sutara!

From being a technician for Apache helicopters to leading global data strategy at Microsoft and now Databricks, Robin Sutara’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode, she shares how enterprises are adopting AI in practical, secure, and responsible ways—without getting lost in the hype.

We dive into how Databricks is evolving beyond the Lakehouse to power the next wave of enterprise AI—supporting custom models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and compound AI systems that balance innovation with governance, transparency, and risk management. Robin also breaks down the real challenges to AI adoption—not technical, but cultural.

She explains why companies must invest in change management, empower non-technical teams, and embrace diverse perspectives to make AI truly work at scale. Her take on job evolution, bias in AI, and the human side of automation is both refreshing and deeply relevant. A sharp, insightful conversation for anyone building or scaling AI inside the enterprise—especially in regulated industries where trust and explainability matter as much as innovation.

In this episode, Raja Iqbal welcomes Jay Alammar, a renowned educator, researcher, and visual storyteller in machine learning. Jay shares his fascinating journey into simplifying complex AI concepts through visual storytelling and his passion for making AI education accessible to everyone.

Raja and Jay discuss the power of visual learning, the role of intuition in understanding AI, and the challenges and opportunities in enterprise AI adoption. Jay also explores how AI is reshaping industries, the importance of tools like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and his experiences at Cohere, where he helps organizations harness the power of large language models for real-world applications.

This episode is perfect for anyone curious about the evolving world of AI, practical ways to adopt AI in business, and the importance of education in driving innovation.

This episode features an engaging discussion between Raja Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Data Science Dojo, and Amr Awadallah, Founder and CEO of Vectara, the trusted GenAI Platform for All Builders.

In this episode, Raja Iqbal sits down with Amr, a successful entrepreneur and a leader in the tech world, to talk about how technology is shaping our lives and work. They discuss how businesses can adapt to the rapid changes brought by new tools, the challenges faced by different industries, and how technology can improve our lives.Amr shares fascinating insights about how AI can help in healthcare and education, making them more accessible, especially in developing countries. He also talks about the skills our kids will need to thrive in the future and how technology is changing everything—from how we work to how we learn.This is a must-watch for anyone curious about how technology changes the world and what it means for the future!

This episode features an engaging discussion between Raja Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Data Science Dojo, and Amr Awadallah, Founder and CEO of Vectara, the trusted GenAI Platform for All Builders. Raja sits down with Amr Awadallah, a visionary who has played a key role in shaping the world of technology. From his early days at Microsoft to his leadership roles at VMware and Vectara, Awadallah has been a driving force behind groundbreaking innovations in data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in a comprehensive outlook on AI's current state and future trajectory.

This episode features the second part of an engaging discussion between Raja Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Data Science Dojo, and Bob van Luijt, Co-founder and CEO of Weaviate, a prominent open-source vector database in the industry. Raja and Bob trace the evolution of AI over the years, the current LLM landscape, and its outlook for the future. They further dive deep into various LLM concepts such as RAG, fine-tuning, challenges in enterprise adoption, vector search, context windows, the potential of SLMs, generative feedback loop, and more. Lastly, Raja and Bob explore Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and whether it could be a reality in the near future. This episode is a must watch for anyone interested in a comprehensive outlook on the current state and future trajectory of AI.

This interview features Raja Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Data Science Dojo, engaging in a candid conversation with Bob van Luijt, Co-founder and CEO of Weaviate. Bob shares his journey, from early childhood and a fascination for tech to his entrepreneurial drive which eventually led to launching his own startup at a very young age. They also discuss the importance of standing out and continuously evolving and adapting in a highly competitive landscape, and the potential of AI in businesses.

But it's not all sunshine and robots. Bob and Raja also discuss the triumphs and tribulations of leading their own start-ups, fostering a culture that fuels sustainable growth, and the key decisions that can make or break a young company. They also explore how to impress investors and build their trust so that funding isn't a constant worry.

Packed with practical advice and valuable insights, this video is a must-watch for aspiring as well as seasoned AI entrepreneurs aiming to make their mark on the industry.

Are LLMs useful for enterprises? Well, what is the use of a large language model that is trained on trillions of tokens but knows little to nothing about your business.

To make LLMs actually useful for enterprises, it is important for them to retrieve company's data effectively. LlamaIndex has been at the forefront of providing such solutions and frameworks to augment LLMs.

In this episode, Jerry Liu, Co-founder and CEO of LlamaIndex, joins Raja Iqbal, CEO and Chief Data Scientist at Data Science Dojo, for a deep dive into the intersection of generative AI, data. and entrepreneurship.

Jerry walks us through the cutting-edge technologies reshaping the generative AI landscape such as LlamaIndex. He also explores Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and fine-tuning in detail, discussing their benefits, trade-offs, use cases, and enterprise adoption, making these complex tools and topics not just easily understandable but also fascinating.

Jerry further ventures into the heart of entrepreneurship, sharing valuable lessons and insights learned along his journey, from navigating his corporate career at tech giants like Apple, Quora, Two Sigma, and Uber, to starting as a founder in the data and AI landscape.

Amidst the excitement of innovation, Raja and Jerry also address the potential risks and considerations with generative AI. They raise thought-provoking questions about its impact on society, for instance, whether we're trading critical thinking for convenience.

Whether you're a generative AI enthusiast, seasoned entrepreneur, or simply curious about the future, this podcast promises plenty of knowledge and insights for you.

In our very first episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with Luis Serrano—one of the top voices in the AI space. Luis Serrano is a technology and science popularizer, researcher, and practitioner and author of the best-selling book Grokking Machine Learning. He is currently the developer relations lead at Cohere, and has previously worked at several tech companies including Google and Apple. He's also the brains behind popular ML courses on platforms like Coursera and Udacity, and the popular YouTube channel Serrano Academy, with over 135K subscribers. In this episode, we unpack Luis's fascinating journey, from his childhood and maths fears to a deep-seated passion for it and all things related, including AI and ML. We explore his career path in detail uncovering the pivotal moments and learnings, as he navigated through big tech players, changing gears from Maths to AI and Quantum AI, and how he ultimately found his true calling. We further venture into the world of AI, exploring its profound impact on education and society—both the positive advancements and the challenges it presents, and how they are reshaping the world and future. And of course, we touch upon the human side of it all—exploring the themes of humanity and empathy and implications for the future. The podcast ends with a fun and engaging rapid-fire round, again packed with bite-sized learning. So tune in, learn and get inspired!