Summary
In this conversation, Maribel Lopez and Jeetu Patel discuss the transformative potential of AI in business, the challenges organizations face in adopting AI, and the importance of security in AI applications. They explore the need for visibility, validation, and guardrails in securing AI, the rise of specialized AI models, and the future of AI agents in automating workflows. Patel emphasizes Cisco's commitment to innovation and the urgency for companies to embrace AI to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Takeaways

• AI is transforming business strategies across industries.
• CEOs are optimistic about AI but feel unprepared.
• Security practitioners face significant staffing shortages.
• AI can both complicate and simplify security challenges.
• Organizations must secure AI models and use AI for defense.
• Visibility, validation, and guardrails are essential for AI security.
• Specialized AI models can be more effective and cost-efficient.
• AI agents will enhance productivity and workflow automation.
• Cisco is innovating rapidly and operating like a startup.
• Companies must embrace AI to thrive in the future.

Chapters

00:00
The Exciting Intersection of AI and Business

02:47
Challenges in AI Adoption and Security

06:34
Securing AI: Visibility, Validation, and Guardrails

12:47
The Rise of Specialized AI Models

18:00
The Future of AI Agents and Automation

25:31
Cisco's Transformation and Innovation

31:10
Embracing AI: A Call to Action

Follow us at:

Jeetu Patel https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeetupatel/

Maribel Lopez https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/

In this episode, Maribel speaks with Shub Bhowmick, the CEO and Co-founder of Tredence on how its using AI internally and externally. Bhowmick also provides advice on what's important for enterprise buyers looking to leverage AI.

Takeaways

• The shift from proof of concept to proof of value is crucial for businesses.
• AI is enabling organizations to achieve more with fewer resources.
• Agentic solutions are becoming increasingly relevant in various industries.
• Internal innovations at Treatance are focused on developing interconnected AI agents.
• Organizations must prepare for a future where they need to do more with less.
• Crawl, walk, and run is a practical approach to AI implementation.
• Creating a robust monitoring and operations foundation is essential.
• Small language models can be more effective and cost-efficient than larger models.
• AI can significantly enhance productivity and creativity in the workplace.
• Health and personal well-being are important considerations in a fast-paced professional environment.

Sound Bites

• "Proof of value is the new proof of concept."
• "AI is enabling you to do more with less."
• "Agents are like smart interns, very analytical."
• "The speed of AI is moving much faster."
• "AI can 10x your productivity."
• "Crawl, walk, and run with AI implementation."
• "Small language models are the new thing."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to Treatance and AI Trends

07:28
Emerging Use Cases in AI

11:46
Real-World Applications of AI in Business

18:33
Internal Innovations at Treatance

30:33
Advice for Organizations on AI Implementation

Summary

In this conversation, Maribel Lopez speaks with Markus Nispel about the integration of AI in networking solutions, particularly at Extreme Networks. They discuss the evolution of AI capabilities, the importance of data governance, and the role of AI in enhancing operational efficiency and security. Markus emphasizes the need for trust in AI systems and the potential of agentic AI to transform networking operations. The discussion also touches on the challenges of skill development and the future of AI in the industry.

Extreme Networks, trusted by tens of thousands of customers globally, delivers AI-native cloud networking solutions that seamlessly connect people, applications, data, and devices.

Info on Extreme Networks Platform One: https://www.extremenetworks.com/platform-one and an explainer video https://vimeo.com/1036922077/58472f1411?ts=0&share=copy.

Takeaways

• AI has been integrated into networking solutions for measurable business value.
• Data quality is crucial for effective AI implementation.
• Generative AI can significantly reduce the time for knowledge acquisition.
• Agentic AI combines various capabilities for enhanced networking solutions.
• Trust and transparency are essential for AI adoption in enterprises.
• AI can optimize security policy configurations and reduce attack surfaces.
• The orchestration of agents is vital for achieving automation in networking.
• AI's role in skill development is critical for new employees.
• The future of AI in networking will involve more autonomous systems.
• Continuous feedback loops enhance trust in AI systems.

Sound Bites

• "AI allows for a consistent support experience."
• "Data governance is critical for AI systems."
• "The orchestration of agents is key to automation."
• "Trust is essential for AI adoption in enterprises."
• "The future is dynamic with AI advancements."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI in Networking

03:40 Evolution of AI Integration in Networking Solutions

06:54 Understanding AI's Unique Positioning in Networking

10:18 AI's Role in Skill Development and Knowledge Acquisition

13:02 Defining Agentic AI and Its Current Capabilities

16:54 The Importance of Orchestration in AI Systems

19:45 Addressing Trust and Resistance in AI Adoption

23:19 Demonstrating ROI from AI Implementations

25:29 Future of AI: The Rise of Agentic Systems

Show Notes:

In this episode of "AI with Maribel Lopez," host Maribel Lopez sits down with Vijay Sundaram, Chief Strategy Officer at Zoho, at Zoho Day 25 in Austin, Texas. They discuss Zoho's strategic evolution and approach to AI.

Key Highlights:

• Zoho's Market Evolution: Vijay explains how Zoho has expanded from primarily serving small and medium businesses to increasingly being adopted by larger enterprise customers worldwide. This evolution has happened naturally as their products became more sophisticated and larger customers discovered them.
• Enterprise Adaptation Challenges: To serve enterprise customers, Zoho had to make changes in three areas:
  1. Technology (their strength as a product-driven company)
  2. Operations (building expertise in account management, solutions consulting, etc.)
  3. Transitioning from an inbound to outbound business model
• AI Implementation Strategy: Vijay clarifies that while generative AI has recently captured public attention, Zoho has been implementing various AI technologies (machine learning, NLP, video recognition) for over a decade. Much of this AI has been "headless" - working behind the scenes in applications rather than through conversational interfaces.
• Three Levels of AI: Zoho approaches AI implementation through:
  1. Contextual AI within business applications
  2. Interactive AI for specific purposes
  3. Expert-level insights that enable non-experts to gain valuable business intelligence
• Platform Approach: By integrating applications and creating a comprehensive platform, Zoho can leverage data across domains (finance, sales, HR, operations) to provide more valuable AI-driven insights.
• AI Market Shift: Vijay predicts that AI differentiation will increasingly move from foundational models to the application layer, where companies like Zoho can add value through their access to business data across domains.
• Privacy and Security: Zoho maintains a strong stance on privacy (no trackers on their websites) and has built a "trust layer" into their platform to ensure proper data access controls for AI interactions.

Summary

In this conversation, Maribel Lopez speaks with Ivana Bartoletti, the Global Privacy Chief Officer at Wipro, about the intersection of AI, privacy, and governance. They discuss the transformative impact of generative AI, the importance of embedding ethics in AI development, and the role of synthetic data in mitigating bias. Ivana also shares insights on the Audrey initiative aimed at promoting human rights in the digital age and highlights common mistakes in AI regulation. The conversation concludes with a positive outlook on the collaborative efforts to build fair and responsible AI.

Takeaways

• Public trust is essential to harness AI's benefits.
• Generative AI is transforming how we live and work.
• Privacy is a crucial collective good that must be respected.
• Ethics in AI goes beyond compliance with laws.
• AI should retain human agency and decision-making.
• Bias in algorithms can perpetuate social inequalities.
• Synthetic data can help mitigate bias but has limitations.
• Transparency in data usage is vital for equity.
• AI regulation should not be seen as opposing innovation.
• Collaboration across sectors is key to responsible AI governance.

You can follow Ivana here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivana-bartoletti-77b2b29/

You can follow me here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/

https://www.youtube.com/@AIwithMaribelLopez

https://x.com/MaribelLopez

Episode Overview:

Maribel Lopez speaks with Tim Marklein, CEO of Big Valley Marketing, about how AI is changing marketing and communications. The conversation explores the practical applications, limitations, and future of AI in the marketing landscape.

Guest:

Tim Marklein - CEO of Big Valley Marketing, an award-winning consulting firm that helps technology companies grow and win in various markets including software infrastructure, AI, cybersecurity, digital health, and supply chain.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Current state of AI adoption in marketing: Despite surveys showing varied adoption rates, most professionals are still "dabbling" with AI rather than fully integrating it into workflows
• Three key areas where AI is proving valuable:
  • As a search alternative for market insights
  • For pattern analysis and audience research
  • For writing and editing assistance
• The continued importance of original thinking: AI can't replace a company's unique point of view, especially in B2B contexts where buyers want to understand a company's beliefs and perspectives
• Brand differentiation concerns: Discussion about whether widespread AI adoption might lead to homogenized marketing content and brand positioning
• AI for audience targeting: How AI can help with audience research but cannot replace strategic decisions about which audiences to prioritize
• Workflow integration challenges: The disconnect between the ideal AI tools and those integrated into existing workflows
• AI and marketing metrics: How AI primarily makes it easier to capture existing metrics rather than creating new ones
• Authenticity and ethics: The research showing that simply disclosing AI use doesn't build trust when 80% of people don't trust AI to begin with
• Appropriate vs. responsible use: The importance of communicating who is using AI and why, not just how it's being used
• Skills development for the AI era: The value of experimentation and curiosity over becoming a dedicated "prompt engineer"

You can follow Tim Marklein, the Founder and CEO, Big Valley Marketing ( bigvalley.co) at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmarklein/ X: @tmarklein

You can follow me at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/

https://www.youtube.com/@AIwithMaribelLopez

https://x.com/MaribelLopez

Episode Summary

In this episode, Maribel Lopez interviews Kate Soule, Director of Technical Product Management for IBM's Granite products. They discuss IBM's third-generation AI models, their focus on efficiency and enterprise readiness, and the latest advancements including vision capabilities and reasoning features.

Guest

Kate Soule - Director of Technical Product Management for IBM's Granite products

Key Topics & Timestamps

00:04 - Introduction

• Maribel introduces the show and Kate Soule
• Brief overview of IBM Granite as fit-for-purpose, open-source enterprise AI models

00:48 - What is IBM Granite?

• Designed as core building blocks for enterprises building with generative AI
• Focus on efficiency with smaller model sizes
• Monthly innovation updates to keep pace with rapidly evolving field

02:19 - Understanding AI Reasoning

• Explanation of reasoning capabilities in AI models
• How allowing models to generate more text at inference time can improve performance
• Cost/benefit tradeoffs of reasoning features

03:13 - Enterprise AI Model Selection Criteria

• Moving beyond "one model to rule them all" thinking
• Importance of fit-for-purpose models
• Why smaller models can be customized more easily
• Trust and transparency considerations

05:38 - AI Governance and Safety

• How to evaluate models for governance requirements
• Safety evaluations and benchmarks as table stakes
• Systems-based approach to safety with guardrails
• IBM's Granite Guardian and protection mechanisms

08:55 - Benefits of Smaller Models

• Why size matters: cost, latency, and customization advantages
• Smaller models are easier to customize and require less computing power
• IBM's transparent approach to training data

10:13 - Future of AI Evaluation

• Performance per cost becoming the key evaluation metric
• The growing importance of flexibility in model selection
• How the "efficient frontier" between cost and performance will differentiate providers

12:41 - IBM's Vision Models

• IBM's pragmatic enterprise focus for multimodal capabilities
• Vision understanding (image in, text out) for practical business use cases
• Specialization for documents, charts, and dashboards
• Delivering powerful capabilities in only 2 billion parameters

15:25 - Understanding Model Size Context

• Evolution from millions to billions of parameters
• Practical considerations of deploying different-sized models
• Finding the right cost-benefit trade-off for specific use cases

This conversation explores the transformative impact of AI on business, particularly focusing on Zoho's evolution as it aims to enhance its enterprise offerings. The speakers discuss the importance of understanding customer data, the global dynamics of AI adoption, and Zoho's unique culture that fosters innovation. They also touch on the future of enterprise software and the integration of AI, emphasizing the need for a holistic view of customer engagement.

Takeaways:

• Massive interest in AI is changing markets and valuations.
• Tools are only as effective as their application in serving customers.
• Zoho is aggressively moving into the enterprise space with a focus on AI.
• Integration of data is crucial for a comprehensive customer view.
• The concept of customer 360 is often misunderstood.
• Global market dynamics affect how AI is adopted in different regions.
• Zoho's culture promotes innovation and responsiveness to customer needs.
• AI will soon be an integral part of enterprise operations.
• Not every enterprise is a fit for Zoho's offerings.
• The future of enterprise software will be driven by AI and data integration.

Chapters

00:00
The Rise of AI and Its Impact on Business

01:59
Zoho's Evolution and Enterprise Focus

06:10
Understanding Customer Data and Integration

10:08
Global Perspectives on AI and Market Dynamics

13:54
Zoho's Unique Culture and Approach to Innovation

21:56
Future of Enterprise Software and AI Integration