The Neuron: AI Explained

Tim Davis, Co-founder and President of Modular and former Google Brain engineer, dives into the revolution in AI infrastructure that his company is spearheading. He discusses the challenges of AI being tied to costly, vendor-specific hardware and introduces Modular's approach to creating a flexible compute layer. Tim highlights the impressive 70-80% cost reductions businesses can achieve and the need for a unified software stack to boost hardware competition. He also shares insights on modular programming and the importance of low-latency inference for real-world applications.

In this conversation, Scott Guthrie, EVP of Microsoft's Cloud + AI Group, shares insights from his 28 years at Microsoft. He discusses the innovative Fairwater AI datacenter designs, boasting the densest GPU concentrations globally. Scott reveals how Microsoft balances performance and sustainability in infrastructure. Topics include the integration of AI agents across various platforms, the significance of observability for operational success, and the commitment to 100% renewable energy for Azure datacenters. This dialogue teases the future of AI and the transformative potential of next-gen infrastructure.

David Hsu, CEO of Retool, dives into the exciting shift where 48% of non-engineers are now shipping production software. He discusses how AI is democratizing software development, predicting that engineers may stop coding internal apps entirely within the next 18-24 months. David highlights insights from Retool's survey of over 10,000 companies and introduces AppGen, a platform empowering business users to create applications effortlessly. He also shares the importance of internal tools and how they represent the biggest opportunity in the development landscape.

Join Alex Wiltschko, olfactory neuroscientist and founder of Osmo, as he reveals groundbreaking advancements in scent technology. Discover how his team achieved scent teleportation, sending the aroma of a fresh plum through their lab. Alex explains the fascinating read/map/write framework for digitizing smell and the potential for AI-designed fragrances. Learn how this innovation could revolutionize health diagnostics and even link scents to emotions and memories, plus how Osmo Studio can let anyone craft custom fragrances in just a week!

Casper Elliott, a leader at Invisible Technologies, discusses the crucial human role behind AI training. He explains how supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning from human feedback are essential for developing top models. Casper emphasizes the importance of high-quality data over sheer volume and warns against the pitfalls of messy enterprise data. He highlights that specialized skills, including surprising ones like gaming, are beneficial for training AI. Lastly, he predicts that future AI deployment will rely on human oversight and develop in robotics and critical industries.

Caspar Eliot, an executive at Invisible Technologies, uncovers the human side of AI training, revealing that 80% of top models rely on a dedicated workforce. He explains how models learn through curated data, not just online scraping, and discusses the critical importance of data quality over quantity. The conversation delves into common enterprise mistakes in AI deployment and speculates on the future of jobs—emphasizing that while automation changes roles, human skills will remain indispensable. Expect insights on unconventional job backgrounds and the rising demand for human data expertise.

Ely Greenfield, Adobe's Chief Technology Officer, shares insights from Adobe Max 2025. He explains the excitement over simple features like AI-driven layer renaming that save time. Ely emphasizes Adobe's 'additive, not subtractive' AI philosophy, focusing on enhancing creative control. He discusses useful tools such as Harmonize and auto-masking in Premiere Pro. With Firefly evolving into a central hub, Adobe aims to support both professionals and casual creators, ensuring AI acts as a collaborative partner rather than a replacement for human artistry.

Logan Lawler, who leads Dell Pro Max AI solutions and hosts the Reshaping Workflows podcast, dives into the evolving landscape of AI in personal computing. He clarifies the difference between GPUs and NPUs, discussing their roles in heavy processing and local AI tasks. Logan emphasizes why professionals should invest in both for future-proofing, shares insights on local model advantages, and highlights the importance of experimenting with AI tools. He also forecasts hardware trends and argues for the value of open-source resources in AI development.

Kari Briski, Vice President of Generative AI for Enterprise at NVIDIA, discusses the powerful capabilities of Nemotron, NVIDIA's open-source AI models. She explains the key differences between the Nano, Super, and Ultra tiers, emphasizing the importance of hardware specs. Briski dives into why businesses might prefer local deployment over cloud solutions for privacy and specialization. She also touches on the potential for Nemotron to enhance specialized applications in sectors like healthcare and banking, making AI more accessible and tailored for various industries.

Mark Williams-Cook, Director at Candour and founder of AlsoAsked, dives into the seismic shifts AI is causing in search dynamics. He labels AI a 'leaky bucket,' highlighting how misinformation and spam are rampant. Discover how expired domains manipulate language models and what the collapse of the link graph means for trust in search. Mark shares strategies for improving AI visibility and discusses the risks of brand impersonation. He also predicts that authentic human content will see a resurgence as users seek credibility.