The AIMX Podcast

AI systems, including agentic and generative AI, are increasingly at the core of innovation within enterprises. However, the path from initial pilot projects to successful production deployments is fraught with challenges.At AIMX Singapore 2025, Anup Kumar, Head of Client Engineering for IBM Asia Pacific, shared about the adoption of AI by enterprises from pilot stage to adoption.Key Highlights- The Use Case is Important, But... (00:03:34)- Why the Right Tool and Partner Matter (00:07:56)- Bridging Pilot to Success (00:11:05)- What to Keep an Eye out for (00:13:12)

In recent years, the advancement of large language models in AI has catalysed a significant transformation in research and development (R&D) across industries. As organisations grapple with rapid technological change and increasing competition, the demand for domain-specific AI agents—tailored to address unique industry challenges—has never been greater. In a presentation at AIMX Singapore 2025, Guan Dian, Co-Founder of Singapore unicorn PatSnap shares about this shift from generic AI tools towards purpose-built solutions that integrate deep industry knowledge, domain-specific data, and an acute understanding of workflow pain points.Key Highlights- Purpose-built, verticalized AI Agents (00:02:02)- The AI Agent in the R&D Workflow (00:07:25)- Validation After Ideation (00:13:16)- Real-world Examples (00:15:21)

This episode is edited from the conference panel discussion held at AIMX Singapore 2025. Industry leaders discussed strategies to foster a collaborative, cross-border AI ecosystem in the region, while examining how governments, businesses, and innovators can drive shared growth, knowledge exchange, and responsible AI adoption.Special shout out to the session's moderator, Mei May Soo, Chief of AI at Dell Technologies; accompanied by industry panellists Robin Seow, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sales & Partnerships at Singtel Digital InfraCo, Stephanie Sy, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Thinking Machines Data Science, and Tyler Tang, Director of CyberGovernance at softScheck Singapore.Key Highlights- What does a regional AI ecosystem actually mean? (00:01:53)- Cybersecurity considerations across borders (00:10:36)- Can sovereign AI and cross-border collaboration exist in harmony? (00:22:01)- Enablers of a cross-border regional AI ecosystem (00:29:42)

In a special episode recorded during AIMX Singapore 2025, we had a lively discussion with Create With's James Devonport, on the AI bubble, GPUs in space, the world we live in and life in general.Key HighlightsWhat AI Bubble? (00:02:19)AI needs Energy (00:05:10)Where's the Bubble in Asia? (00:06:14)The Big AI Convergence (00:07:40)Asia's AI Push (00:09:55)

At AIMX Singapore 2025, we had the chance to sit down with Lightelligence and learned about optical computing, potentially the next breakthrough that will unlock faster and more efficient computing power for AI.Dr Hui Chen, Fellow and Principal Packaging Engineer at Lightelligence gave us his expert insights how the future of AI is optical computing.Key HighlightsWhat is Optical Computing? (00:00:48)Advantages of Optical Computing (00:01:59) Creating an Ecosystem (00:04:15) Optical Computing for the Real World (00:08:17)

We speak to Transwarp in a special episode recorded during our flagship event, AIMX Singapore 2025. Transwarp is one of China's largest enterprise-level Big Data, Cloud and AI infrastructure players, counting banks, industrial companies and other organisations as their customers.In this episode, we had a chat with Bingzhuo Yan, Senior Solution Architect at Transwarp on bringing Big Data, Cloud and AI together to enable transformative outcomes at the enterprise level.Key HighlightsThe Future of Enterprise-Level Data, Cloud and AI (00:01:11)Challenges (00:01:56)How companies can turn Data into an Asset (00:03:31)Modelling, AI in a Box (00:05:20) Other Use Cases (00:08:40)

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, startup funding has entered a new era—one shaped by technological innovation, shifting investor expectations, and the growing need for strategic clarity. Two deeply experienced business leaders who have invested in and helped companies grow - Amos Tio, Director of Founders Links and Jeslin Bay, Group CEO of BlackStorm Consulting - take to the mic and gave their views on a virtual session of an AIMX Meetup to a live audience.Key Highlights- Is it really different in the Age of AI Hype? (00:05:31)- AI is not Hype (00:06:37)- Leveraging AI to accelerate go-to-market (00:10:44)- Proprietary vs Licensed (00:13:55)- What Investors are looking out for (00:18:34)- Top 3 criteria for successful fundraising (00:28:24)- What about social enterprises that are fundraising? (00:39:57)

How do large and small enterprises navigate the challenges of deploying AI?This special AIMX Podcast episode features an in-depth panel discussion that took place at the AIMX flagship conference, AIMX Singapore, in 2024.Moderated by Mario Favaits of Rainmakers SG, the stellar panel of industry leaders conducted a deep discussion on AI deployment across sectors with considerations for regulations like the EU AI Act, responsible use and innovation. The panel comprised change makers who had led their organisations in AI deployment: Anand Sachdev, Managing Director of ING APAC, Andy David, Head of Solutions in Southeast Asia of Philips Electronics, Dr Lovneesh Chanana, Asia Pacific Head of Government Affairs at SAP and Karen Tan, Chief Information Officer at DHL Express Singapore.Key Highlights- AI Innovation vs Regulation (00:09:14)- Nuances in the AI Innovation vs Regulation Debate (00:13:21)- Who doesn't have a corporate AI policy? (00:17:09)- Considerations for Using AI Tools within Enterprises (00:23:34)- Adopting AI across industries and Sectors (00:28:33)- Impact of the Brussels Effect on AI regulation (00:33:25)- AI and Reskilling of Employees (00:40:41)- AI for Productivity Gain vs Generating Revenue (00:51:17)

MIT's Project NANDA released findings from a study and validates what we've been hearing from the ecosystem: the vast majority of GenAI pilots are not getting the desired ROI.Find out more as we dive into the findings of the study and dissect the layers of the insights behind the phenomenon. Our usual collaborator, Koo Ping Shung, Co-Founder of Project Asia Data joins Seng Woei Yuan from the AIMX Network for the discussion.Key Highlights- Report Overview (00:08:10)- Planning AI Projects for Success (00:13:23)- How to Measure Impact (00:20:51)- Enterprise-wide vs Individual Adoption (00:24:08)- Success & Adoption Varies across Industries (00:30:53), https://koopingshung.substack.com/p/consulting-in-the-age-of-ai- Why GenAI Pilots Fail (00:38:42)- Training Matters (00:46:34)- How Enterprises Make the Decision to Buy GenAI Solutions (00:49:53)- How the Organisation is Set Up Matters (00:59:52)

Hop on and join us as we bravely face the key issues around AI Adoption by companies and organisations!What are the uncomfortable - and sometimes ugly - truths that business leaders & owners need to confront before adopting and scaling AI solutions?On the episode we have three different business leaders who have direct experience with this: Koo Ping Shung from Project Asia Data who companies consult with for their digital, data & AI adoption journeys; Jeslin Bay from BlackStorm Consulting who has helped companies scale in Southeast Asia; and Paddy Tan, serial entrepreneur and business leader.Inspired by Project Asia Data's LinkedIn posts here, and here. Let's go!Key Highlights- AI is NOT a Magic Pill (00:07:38)- How to Cut the Fat, and Not the Flesh (00:10:16)- You really need to do your Homework and Plan Ahead (00:12:59)- It makes a Difference to Try & Trial (00:15:51)- What Fairy Tale are they trying to Sell You? (00:19:56)- How do you Differentiate the Truth from the Hype? (00:23:53)- Pilots are Useless if you Don't have a Plan for Scaling (00:27:15)- Look at your Business First (00:31:21)- You're Prioritizing the Wrong Problems (00:35:41)- Manage your Data First (00:38:51)

When DeepSeek R1 was released in late January of 2025, we held a special AIMX Meetup webinar to discuss its implications with the community in the AIMX Network.The hour-long discussion was a spirited one and our guests also addressed comments from the community. This episode is the recording of the webinar.A big shout out to Kai Xin Thia, Head of AI & Analytics at ST Engineering, Andrew Chow, Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder of Asia Pro Ventures, and Koo Ping Shung, Managing Director of Project Asia Data, for their time on the AIMX Meetup.Key Highlights- DeepSeek is opening up new avenues for AI innovation (00:06:56)- Enabling Hardware Optimisation (00:08:55)- Democratisation of AI (00:15:25)- Impact on Human Talent (00:28:32)- The West vs the Rest? (00:31:22)- Governance vs Innovation (00:36:29)- Do you Grok? (00:39:39)

In this episode, we explore the transformative world of Fractional Leadership and the rise of Agentic AI. We discuss how fractional leaders are reshaping organizational dynamics by providing flexible executive expertise, while agentic AI introduces new possibilities for autonomous decision-making and strategic innovation.Join our usual collaborators, ⁠⁠Koo Ping Shung⁠⁠ of ⁠⁠Project Asia Data⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Paddy Tan⁠⁠ of ⁠⁠BlackStorm Consulting⁠⁠, as we examine the implications, challenges, and future outlook of these cutting-edge developments in leadership and AI.Hosted by ⁠⁠Seng⁠⁠ from the ⁠⁠AIMX Network⁠⁠.Key Highlights- What is the connection between Fractional Leadership and Agentic AI? (00:05:17)- Example of an Agentic AI-enabled Workflow (00:07:52)- How do leaders make use of Agentic AI-enabled Workflows? (00:09:48)- Taking Advantage of Fractional Leadership to Change the Game (00:12:55)- How do Companies make use of Data-driven Talent Management and Resources Allocation? (00:19:41)- The Importance of AI Literacy for Leaders (00:22:33)- Implementing an AI-led Strategy (00:29:23)- Contextualising it for non-Digital industries (00:32:31)- Structuring Fractional Leadership for Success (00:35:06)- Practical Advice on Corporate Digital Transformation (00:38:04)

This episode of The AIMX Podcast interviews Weiyuan Liu, Senior Engineering Manager at Ascenda. Weiyuan shares his rich experience leading engineering and development teams, and gives some valuable advice for AI engineers and developers.Key Highlights- How do engineers & developers strike a balance between growing their careers and pursuing their technical interests? 00:05:44- Benefits of joining Communities 00:10:16- Learning from one another in the Team 00:11:37- How can other teams better make use of the capabilities of development and engineering teams? 00:17:05- Experiences with Developer Communities 00:23:43- Archipelago 00:33:02- Working with Users directly 00:38:55

Dr Wenxuan Zhang shares his perspective why Southeast Asian and multilingual LLMs need to be further developed, and makes a strong case for advancing AI accessibility. Find out more about Dr Zhang's active contributions to two open-source projects: Babel and SeaLLMs-Audio.Key Highlights- The LLM Divide (00:02:00)- The Large Audio-Language Model (00:08:41)- Babel: Serving over 90% of Global Speakers (00:15:36)- How can the LLM Divide be bridged? (00:21:32)- Education and the advancement of AI accessibility (00:26:20)

We know that LLMs can hallucinate and so prudent users usually corroborate responses with highly reliable sources of truth. Can AI products & solutions claim to be trustable? How does this concept affect the development and use of AI?Join Koo Ping Shung of Project Asia Data and Seng from the AIMX Network on an unbridled discussion on Trustable AI.Key Highlights- What is Trustable AI? (00:04:07)- Trustable vs Trustworthy AI (00:07:43)- Ethics in AI? (00:13:19)- Context is for Kings (00:24:23)- Let's address Responsible AI (00:26:47)- The issue of Accountability (00:36:17)

Several Southeast Asia language models have emerged in the burgeoning space of multilingual LLMs. This session from the AIMX Singapore 2024 conference brings together the open-source Southeast Asia LLM projects for a collaborative discussion on unlocking the benefits of LLMs uniquely tailored to Southeast Asia’s diverse cultural context.ModeratorProf Simon Chesterman, Senior Director (AI Governance) AI SingaporePanellistsDr Leslie Teo, Senior Director (AI Products), AI SingaporeDr Longxu Dou, Lead Researcher, SEA AI LabDr Wenxuan Zhang, former Lead Researcher, Alibaba DAMO AcademyKey Highlights- Can local language LLMs compete with the larger English LLMs? (00:02:28)- Are there benefits with being a smaller local language LLM? (00:06:11)- Cultural uniqueness and inherent guardrails (00:13:41)- Training data vs interests of local communities (00:23:49)- Crystal-ball gazing: what will be the local conversations on LLMs? (00:37:25)

Small businesses know that leveraging new technologies is the way to growth and scale. With the increasingly crowded space of AI solutions, how do small businesses truly make use of AI in a practical and scalable manner?Our usual collaborators, Koo Ping Shung of Project Asia Data and Paddy Tan of BlackStorm Consulting, return to contribute their knowledge and an AI Playbook for small businesses. Humbly hosted by Seng from the AIMX Network.Key Highlights- Why should small businesses even consider AI? (00:03:30)- Misconceptions of AI by small business owners (00:08:39)- Which parts of their businesses can small business owners implement AI tools? (00:13:17)- How can small businesses prepare themselves for implementing AI? (00:17:56)- Future Trends in AI and how small businesses can benefit (00:29:39)- The AI Playbook for Small Businesses (00:36:03)

The entry of DeepSeek-R1 into the LLMs' race has truly changed the global conversation. In this episode we speak to seasoned investor and AI practitioner, Andrew Chow, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder of Asia Pro Ventures. This episode is hosted by Seng from the AIMX Network.Key Highlights- How will DeepSeek-R1 Impact Investments in AI? (00:01:22)- DeepSeek-R1 has Democratized AI (00:05:58)- Working Around DeepSeek-R1's Impact (00:06:39)- Changing the Investor's Game (00:09:28)- Where is the LLM Race Heading? (00:13:31)- Introducing Capabara (00:19:57)- Capabara in Action (00:23:54)- The Next Big Thing (00:33:46)

How can Founders build a successful AI startup? What does it mean by Product-Market Fit? Tune in as Paddy from BlackStorm Consulting shares his insights and experience from investing in and helping tech startups grow and scale in new markets. Big thanks to our host, Koo Ping Shung, Co-Founder & Practicum Director of Data Science Rex! Key Highlights - AI Startups' Landscape in Southeast Asia (00:02:18) - How do AI Startups differentiate themselves from the rest? (00:08:00) - How can AI Startups sell better in Southeast Asia? (00:14:46) - Investment Climate in Southeast Asia (00:26:33) - What should Investors Look for in Startups? (00:36:25) - What should Startups Look for in Investors? (00:42:12) - How should Startups improve their Business Models before approaching Investors? (00:50:10) - Challenges that Startups face when they Expand to Overseas Markets (01:00:20)