Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn

Ed Donner co-founded AI-driven recruitment platform, Nebula.io, with The SuperDataScience Podcast’s host, Jon Krohn. Ed and Jon reminisce about how they launched their company, the growing opportunities for data scientists, how to choose an LLM, and today’s top technical terms in AI.  Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (11:15) What an AI engineer does (19:23) Defining today’s key terms in AI: RAG, fine tuning, agentic. (27:09) How to select an LLM (49:41) Pitting LLMs against each other in a game (53:14) What to do once you’ve selected an AI model Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/847

In this Five-Minute Friday, Jon Krohn speaks to Anu Jain, CEO of Nexus Cognitive, and Mahesh Kumar, CMO of Acceldata. They talk about the importance of updating data, especially for predictive models that make key financial decisions for a company, as well as the current state of data governance and why it’s overdue its own update. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/846 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

Discover how technology has become the modern belief system shaping our world. Greg Epstein, author of Tech Agnostic: How Technology Became the World's Most Powerful Religion, and Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation, draws striking parallels between tech culture and traditional faiths. From AI's "singularity" echoing prophetic narratives to Silicon Valley’s promises of salvation through innovation, Greg uncovers the profound influence of technology on our lives. He challenges us to rethink blind faith in progress, focus on genuine human connection, and navigate a future where ethics and empathy guide innovation. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (08:30) How can someone cultivate connection without religion? (15:49) Social media as a new form of community (17:00) Tech's transformation into a religion (56:08) How to set boundaries with tech (01:01:32) The singularity as a religious narrative (01:19:53) Transhumanism and effective altruism as tech cults (01:15:00) Defining tech agnosticism (01:26:55) Prioritizing human connection in a tech-driven world Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/845

In this episode of “In Case You Missed It”, in which we round up our favorite moments from the previous month of interviews, Jon Krohn asks his guests about the future of recruitment and job applications, the multiple pathways to a career in AI, the potential of AI in developing proteins for improved healthcare, and how “AI celebrity” doesn’t necessarily equate to “AI expert”. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/844 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

What’s holding your AI projects back from success? Dr. Eiman Ebrahimi, CEO of Protopia AI and former NVIDIA scientist, takes us on a fascinating journey through the challenges of AI data security and enterprise scalability. Learn how to escape "proof of concept purgatory," unlock profitable AI solutions, and tackle the trade-offs between cost, speed, and security. Plus, discover how the philosophy of Alan Watts can inspire innovation and drive meaningful change in the world of AI. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (02:53) Protopia’s role in AI data security and privacy (11:45) The functionality behind Stained Glass Transform (22:20) Eiman’s journey from NVIDIA to founding Protopia (25:37) Challenges enterprises face with ROI on AI projects (36:40) Multi-tenancy in AI systems (55:37) Stained Glass Transform’s privacy-preserving capabilities (01:09:31) Emerging trends in AI (01:14:55) Alan Watts’ philosophies and their link to entrepreneurship Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/843

In this Five-Minute Friday, Jon interviews Chris Bennett and Joseph Balsamo on the importance of flexibility in the way we deploy AI models, Dell’s brand positioning in the AI space, and whether GenAI’s business applications stand up to the hype. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/842 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

In this special episode recorded live at ScaleUp:AI in New York, Jon Krohn speaks to Andrew Ng in response to his conference talk on smart agentic AI workflows. Jon follows up with Andrew about smart agentic workflows and when to use them, how businesses should direct their efforts in investing in AI, and the new ways that AI tools can process visual and unstructured data. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (06:13) How to weigh up cost and effectiveness in new AI workflows (12:08) The crucial elements for building effective vision AI applications (15:34) How large vision models might transform global industries (18:40) How to mitigate risk in people not verifying accuracy in answers generated by agents Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/841

What do AI, robotics, and premium wine grapes have in common? Everything, as it turns out. In this episode, we explore viticultural robotics a revolutionary project combining machine learning, spectroscopic sensors, and VR-controlled robotics to tackle one of agriculture’s trickiest challenges: harvesting delicate wine grapes worth over $6,000 per tonne. From vineyards in the UK to cutting-edge labs, discover how these innovations could transform not just viticulture but the entire future of precision agriculture. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/840 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

Jess Ramos is redefining success in data analytics. As the Founder of Big Data Energy and a Senior Data Analyst at Crunchbase, she’s mastered the art of salary negotiation, built a massive social media following, and turned her passion for data into a thriving personal brand. She reveals how she doubled her salary in under a year, created her own SQL course, and advocates for women in STEM. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (03:42) How Jess got her start in data analytics (09:14) Why SQL is the most critical skill for data professionals (11:46) How Jess more than doubled her salary in less than a year (20:16) Tips for transitioning from a data job to creating your own business (31:20) The various routes to a career in data science (39:13) How Jess challenges STEM stereotypes Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/839

Jon Krohn heads to Lisbon for an interview hosted by Bella Shing, Chapter Lead for Light Dao. He shares the stage with Regarding Consciousness podcast host, Jennifer Hill, where the three discuss AI philosophy and consciousness. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/838 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

Deepali Vyas, Global Head of Applied Intelligence (Data Science & AI) and FinTech at Korn Ferry, talks to Jon Krohn about the best ways for data science and AI professionals to get seen and hired. Hear why video, not text, is the future of recruitment, how to get over camera shyness, and how to make a winning impression on job recruiters. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (09:49) On using GenAI to get hired (27:44) The future of video in recruitment (40:36) Tips for the camera-shy (44:15) How Fearless+ started (54:51) How AI helps organizations to ensure equity (57:43) Green-flag behaviors at work Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/837

Economist and social-impact innovator Dr. Nat Ware reveals how our expectations shape happiness and why chasing it often leaves us unfulfilled. He shares insights on the “hedonic treadmill” and the effects of constant comparison on our well-being. Find out how to build a more meaningful life by making memories, taking chances, and focusing on genuine connections. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/836 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

AI systems are evolving rapidly, and in this episode, Bryan McCann, CTO of You.com, explains You.com’s unique approach to search, the impact of AI-driven research, and the game-changing potential of AI agents. With a background in natural language processing and philosophy, Bryan joins Jon Krohn to share a fresh perspective on where AI is headed and what it means for the future of work and scientific discovery. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (03:55) How You.com’s “do engine” approach connects users to multiple language models (11:34) How AI systems at You.com generate optimized, intent-driven queries for better results (28:39) You.com’s focus on automated workflows sets it apart from other platforms (31:31) AI agents in You.com, with Bryan predicting they’ll outnumber people by 2025 (41:49) Bryan’s path to unified AI models that can perform diverse tasks (50:40) Early experiments with alignment in AI that influenced modern transformers (01:04:45) Bryan’s research on controllable text generation (01:11:27) Language models applied to protein generation, linking text and biology sequences Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/835

Jon Krohn starts the month with his round-up of favorite clips from the previous month. Hear from Bradley Voytek, Natalie Monbiot, Luca Antiga, Chad Sanderson, and Ritchie Vink in conversations about the ongoing potential of AI.   Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/834 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

Martin Goodson speaks to Jon Krohn about what he would add to his viral article “Ten Ways Your Data Project is Going to Fail”, why practitioners always need to be present at AI policy discussions, and Evolution AI’s breakthroughs in computer vision and NLP. This episode is brought to you by epic LinkedIn Learning instructor Keith McCormick. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (04:25) What Evolution AI does  (11:41) How to maintain accuracy in large infrastructures (21:22) How to cultivate innovation and creativity while meeting market demands (24:27) Potential knowledge gaps for machine learning practitioners (30:57) Martin’s viral article, “Ten Ways Your Data Project is Going to Fail” (59:54) Strategies for the UK to become a key player in AI Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/833

Host Jon Krohn unpacks Dario Amodei’s vision of a techno-utopia in his essay Machines of Loving Grace, where “Powerful AI” takes center stage. Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, imagines a future where AI doesn’t just assist but actively shapes fields like healthcare, economics, and governance with unmatched intelligence and autonomy. Jon explores the possibilities and challenges of this AI-driven future, asking how close we are to seeing these revolutionary shifts and what they mean for society. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/832 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

PyTorch Lightning is revolutionizing the AI landscape, and Dr. Luca Antiga, CTO of Lightning AI, joins host Jon Krohn to explain how. In this episode, they explore the tools pushing AI development forward, from Lightning Studios to Lit-Serve, and discuss the game-changing rise of small language models that challenge industry giants with precision and speed. Luca also shares his vision for developers in an AI-enhanced world, where coding meets creativity and collaboration with intelligent tools. This episode is brought to you by epic LinkedIn Learning instructor Keith McCormick, and by ODSC, the Open Data Science Conference. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: How Lightning AI's open-source tools make AI development faster [11:30] The rise of small language models and how they'll rival LLMs [37:47] Luca's journey from biomedical imaging to deep learning pioneer [52:03] How AI will transform software developer tasks [1:03:05] Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/831

Geoffrey Hinton and Sir Demis Hassabis: The Nobel Prize committee is an achievement of the highest order, awarding physicists, chemists, physiologists, medical practitioners, writers, pacifists and economists perhaps the greatest honor in their respective fields. In this week’s Five-Minute Friday, Jon Krohn discusses how two AI pioneers came to win prizes in chemistry and physics. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/830 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

Neuroscientist Bradley Voytek outlines to Jon Krohn the incredible use of data science and machine learning in his research and how recent discoveries in action potentials and neurons have completely skyrocketed the field to a new understanding of the brain and its functions. You’ll also hear what Bradley thinks is most important when hiring data scientists and his contributions to Uber’s algorithm when it was still a startup.  This episode is brought to you by epic LinkedIn Learning instructor Keith McCormick, and by Gurobi, the Decision Intelligence Leader. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: Breakthroughs in brain region communication [04:08] The future of brain research and MedTech [35:24] The libraries and software used at the Halicioglu Data Science Institute [45:11] Brain rhythm as a diagnostic tool [1:02:58] Bradley’s curriculum structure at UC San Diego [1:12:21] How Uber applies data science [1:20:07] Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/829

The citizen data scientist: Fact or fiction? Jon Krohn holds a conversation across episodes in this Five-Minute Friday, with today’s guest Keith McCormick, in part responding to Nick Elprin’s interview in episode 811: Scaling Data Teams Effectively. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/828 Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.