DataTopics: All Things Data, AI & Tech

<p>Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society.<br /><br /></p><p>Dive into conversations that should flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don't), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data, unplugged style!</p>

#92 AI in the Newsroom: Building GenAI tools for De Standaard, Nieuwsblad, Telegraaf, NRC & more

Send us a text We go inside Mediahuis to see how a small GenAI team is transforming newsroom workflows without losing editorial judgment. From RAG search to headline suggestions and text‑to‑video assists, this episode shares what works, what doesn’t, and how adoption spreads across brands. You’ll hear about: Ten priority use cases shipped across the groupHeadline and summary suggestions that boost clarity and speedRAG‑powered search turning archives into instant contextText‑to‑video tools tha...

12-01
50:04

#91 How Kim Smets, VP Data & AI at Telenet, Scales Enterprise AI with Strategy, People, and Purpose

Send us a text In this episode of Data Topics, Ben speaks with Kim Smets, VP Data & AI at Telenet, about his journey from early machine learning work to leading enterprise-wide AI transformation at Telenet. Kim shares how he built a central data & AI team, shifted from fragmented reporting to product thinking, and embedded governance that actually works. They discuss the importance of simplicity, storytelling, and sustainable practices in making AI easy, relevant, and famous across th...

11-13
24:35

#90 How To Make AI Deliver Business Impact: Gaelle Helsmoortel on Turning Strategy Into Tangible Results

Send us a text In this episode, Gaelle Helsmoortel joins us to discuss how to make AI truly deliver business impact, not just proof of concept. With over 25 years of experience spanning L’Oréal, startup leadership, and her current role at Dataroots, Gaelle shares her approach to turning business challenges into measurable value. She breaks down her proven 5Ps framework (Purpose, People, Process, Platform, and Performance) and explains how companies can bridge the gap between strateg...

10-23
30:17

#89 SQLBits Unfiltered: dbt in Fabric, MLOps in Action & Copilot in Question

Send us a text In this episode, we're joined by Sam Debruyn and Dorian Van den Heede who reflect on their talks at SQL Bits 2025 and dive into the technical content they presented. Sam walks through how dbt integrates with Microsoft Fabric, explaining how it improves lakehouse and warehouse workflows by adding modularity, testing, and documentation to SQL development. He also touches on Fusion’s SQL optimization features and how it compares to tools like SQLMesh. Dorian shares his MLOps demo,...

09-25
01:21:25

#88 “Data Shapes AI, and AI Shapes Data,” Emilie Nenquin on VRT’s Digital Transformation

Send us a text In this episode, we explore how public media can build scalable, transparent, and mission-driven data infrastructure - with Emilie Nenquin, Head of Data & Intelligence at VRT, and Stijn Dolphen, Team Lead & Analytics Engineer at Dataroots. Emilie shares how she architected VRT’s data transformation from the ground up: evolving from basic analytics to a full-stack data organization with 45+ specialists across engineering, analytics, AI, and user management. We dive into ...

09-11
52:30

#87 How to Successfully Integrate AI into Your Business, with Tim Leers (Global Generative & Agentic AI Lead)

Send us a text What happens when AI hype collides with enterprise reality? Tim Leers, Global Generative & Agentic AI Lead at Dataroots, pulls back the curtain on what's actually working—and what's not—in enterprise AI deployment today. We begin by examining why companies like Klarna publicly announced replacing customer service teams with AI, only to quietly backtrack months later when quality suffered. This pattern of inflated expectations followed by reality checks has become common, c...

08-14
01:07:28

#86 What’s Next for Kubernetes? KubeCon 2025 Recap with Nick Schouten

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world! Datatopics is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. In this episode of Data Topics, we sit down with Nick Schouten — data engineer at dataroots — for a full recap of KubeCon Europe 2025 and a deep dive into the current and future state of Kubernetes. We talk through what’s actually happening in the Kubernetes ecosystem — from platform engineering trends to AI infra challenges — and why some te...

07-17
01:03:20

#85 From CDO to author: Jackie Janssen on the evolution of AI and implications for business and society

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world! Datatopics is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. This week, co-host Ben is joined by Jackie Janssen, former Chief Data Officer at CM, author of AI: De Hype Voorbij, and an evangelist for pragmatic, human-centered AI. Together, they trace the winding path from early tech roles to enterprise transformation, exploring how AI can actually serve humans (and not just the hype machine). In this ep...

07-03
36:54

#84 Let’s Get Meta: Why the Metadata You Ignore Might Be Costing You - with Special Guest Corentin

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unpluggedis your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that should flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don’t), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data—unplugge...

06-12
01:01:01

#83 Who’s Minding the Metadata? Why Data Quality Matters in GenAI (Quality Time With Paolo)

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that should flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don't), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data, unplug...

04-11
50:49

#82 AI Cracked a Decades-Old Science Problem & Europe’s Push for Digital Sovereignty, The Secret Behind MCP, and The Cloud Hack That Slashes Costs By 62%.

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. DataTopics Unpluggedis your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that should flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don’t), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data—unplugge...

03-20
01:21:02

#81 AI Code Assistants: The Good, The Bad & The Overhyped, plus Python’s UV Glow-Up & Postman’s Existential Crisis

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. This week, we dive into the latest in AI-assisted coding, software quality, and the ongoing debate on whether LLMs will replace developers—or just make their lives easier: My LLM Codegen workflow atm: A deep dive into using LLMs for coding, including structured workflows, tool r...

02-27
01:12:52

#80 AI Agents Run Wild, DeepSeek Breaks Records, Polars Cloud Expands, and Perplexity Reinvents Search

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. DataTopics Unpluggedis your go-to spot for relaxed discussions on tech, news, data, and society. This week, we’re unpacking everything from AI-powered vacations (or the lack thereof) to corporate drama, and even a deep dive into the quirks of COBOL. Join Morillo, Bart, and Alex as they navigate the latest happenings in data and tech, including: Airbnb AI: The CEO of Airbnb thinks AI ...

02-20
01:07:27

#79 The $6 AI Model? France’s $85B Bet, DeepSeek's Censorship & The Python Upgrades You Need

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. DataTopics Unpluggedis your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that should flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don’t), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data, unplugg...

02-13
01:07:42

#78 The AI Act Lands, Meta Pauses, OpenAI Complains & DeepSeek Rises

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Data Topics Unpluggedis your go-to spot for relaxed discussions on tech, news, data, and society. This week, we’re joined by returning guest Tim Leers, who helps us navigate the ever-evolving landscape of AI regulation, open-source controversies, and the battle for the future of large language models. Expect deep dives, hot takes, and a sprinkle of existential dread as we discuss: Th...

02-06
44:36

#77 DeepSeek R1: The ‘Open’ AI That’s Shaking Up OpenAI - Plus OpenAI’s Operator, Stargate, ByteDance, & more

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. DataTopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. This week, we’re joined by Jonas Soenen, a machine learning engineer at Dataroots, to break down the latest AI shakeups—from DeepSeek R1 challenging OpenAI to new AI automation tools that might just change how we use the internet. Let’s dive in: DeepSeek R1: Open-source revolution or...

01-30
01:15:38

#76 AI at what cost? Environmental toll, Trump vs AI regulation, creative impact, & poisoned text for AI scrapers.

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that should flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don’t), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you’re a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let’s get into the heart of data, unplug...

01-23
01:01:44

#75 Developer Productivity in 2025: AI Replaces Engineers, Biden’s AI Chip Regulations, UV’s Killer Feature, and Doom in a PDF

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. In this episode, we delve into the big topics shaping our digital landscape: Car Expo - Brussels Motor Show: Highlights from Europe’s leading auto show, including Tesla’s Cybertruck debut and an innovative AI-powered car configurator that personalizes your vehicle experience.Biden Ad...

01-16
01:14:17

#74 Hello 2025! OpenAI’s O3, Deep Seek V3, Bolt.new and Doom Goes Artsy

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don't), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data, unplugged sty...

01-09
01:09:35

#73 LLM Hunger Games: The Ultimate Showdown - Rootsconf recap (Part 3)

Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. Dive into conversations that flow as smoothly as your morning coffee (but don't), where industry insights meet laid-back banter. Whether you're a data aficionado or just someone curious about the digital age, pull up a chair, relax, and let's get into the heart of data, unplugged sty...

12-26
32:09

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