# chris daniel (audio feeds) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover chris daniel. Page: Feed: --- ## [Models, Harnesses, and Multi-Agent Systems](https://share.transistor.fm/s/063cfaad) _2026-08-06 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ AI has moved far beyond chatbots, but what exactly are AI models, agents, agent harnesses, and multi-agent systems, and why do they matter? In this episode, Daniel and Chris break down the terminology behind today's AI landscape, explain the differences between AI features and autonomous agents, and explore why organizations are shifting toward fleets of AI agents powered by multiple models. They… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/063cfaad/23dc320d.mp3) ## [Reconstructing how OpenAI agents attacked Hugging Face](https://share.transistor.fm/s/9d74230b) _2026-07-30 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ What happens when AI agents driven by a top frontier model escape their secure sandbox? Join Daniel and Chris as they unpack the AI wonk's equivalent of a murder mystery! OpenAI agents went rogue and successfully attacked Hugging Face private infrastructure. Our Dynamic Duo uncover how OpenAI's agents exploited vulnerabilities, moved through networks, and launched a large-scale autonomous attack.… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/9d74230b/ed549250.mp3) ## [Surviving the New Economics of a Post-Agentic World](https://share.transistor.fm/s/8a2e4fc0) _2026-07-23 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ The agentic transformation isn’t coming. It has already begun. Companies are deploying thousands — and sometimes tens of thousands — of AI agents. Enterprise software giants are watching their old economic moats erode. Capital is moving, productivity is being redefined, and human labor is being repriced in real time. In this Fully Connected episode, Daniel and Chris explore the new economics of a… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/8a2e4fc0/e08735dd.mp3) ## [The Future of AI Infrastructure with CoreWeave](https://share.transistor.fm/s/01c30767) _2026-07-17 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As AI applications become more complex, the infrastructure powering them needs to evolve. Corey Sanders, SVP of Product at CoreWeave, joins Chris to discuss why AI requires a fundamentally different approach than traditional cloud computing. They explore AI-native infrastructure, training and inference workloads, the rise of agentic development, optimizing GPU performance, AI research workflows,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/01c30767/eed885fc.mp3) ## [Building Durable AI Agents](https://share.transistor.fm/s/facb92e2) _2026-07-09 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ What does it take to move AI agents from demos to reliable production systems? In this episode, Hamza Tahir explores how MLOps principles are shaping the future of generative AI, covering workflows, agent harnesses, fleets, and the infrastructure needed to build durable, scalable systems. The conversation dives into open source tools, production challenges, and how ZenML's new project, Kitaru,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/facb92e2/33d1bc96.mp3) ## [Image Generation and Visual Intelligence with Black Forest Labs](https://share.transistor.fm/s/6d8dad5f) _2026-07-02 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ How has AI image generation evolved from blurry outputs to powerful visual intelligence models? Dustin Podell, Co-Founder and Researcher at Black Forest Labs, explains the progression from diffusion to flow matching, how modern image models work, and how they're being used for image editing and practical visual workflows. The conversation also explores the FLUX family of models, running image… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/6d8dad5f/f006d8d2.mp3) ## [AIUC-1: Building trust in AI agents](https://share.transistor.fm/s/e039d1ca) _2026-06-25 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ How do we build trust in AI agents before the AI hailstorm arrives? Emil Lassen from the Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company (AIUC) joins the show to discuss how the enterprise flywheel of standards, certification, audit, and insurance is being applied to AI agents. They explore the AIUC-1 framework, the challenges of securing agentic AI systems, and why red teaming (based on standards)… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/e039d1ca/db5071bc.mp3) ## [Zero Trust for AI Agents](https://share.transistor.fm/s/5c1a087d) _2026-06-11 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As AI agents become more capable and autonomous, they also introduce new security challenges. In this 'Fully Connected' episode, Dan and Chris unpack Anthropic’s Zero Trust for AI Agents security framework and what it means for organizations deploying agentic systems. They examine the key security risks facing agentic systems and discuss how organizations can apply Zero Trust principles to deploy… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/5c1a087d/89d77a53.mp3) ## [Breaking down the 2026 Stanford AI Index Report](https://share.transistor.fm/s/302b36f8) _2026-06-04 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ AI models can win math olympiads… but still struggle to read an analog clock. In this fully connected episode, Dan and Chris break down the latest Stanford AI Index Report and explore what it reveals about the current state of AI. They discuss AI adoption and safety, disappearing junior tech jobs, robotics, AI’s “jagged frontier” of intelligence, and the growing race between the U.S. and China.… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/302b36f8/d474795e.mp3) ## [Rebooting Enterprise AI with MCP and Kubernetes](https://share.transistor.fm/s/d76e02d5) _2026-05-28 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ What happens when AI agents start acting less like chatbots and more like coworkers? In this episode, Dan and Chris sit down with Craig McLuckie, CEO of Stacklok to explore MCP, Kubernetes, ToolHive, enterprise AI, and the emerging infrastructure powering AI-native applications. From identity management to agent orchestration and system architecture, this conversation dives into how organizations… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/d76e02d5/e934139b.mp3) ## [Finnish Seedboxes — Up to 20Gbps (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ymKdijkJvhvs) _2026-05-28 · **Sponsored**_ Private Finnish seedboxes with 1–20Gbps speeds, RAID storage and 14‑day refund ## [Hermes Agent: Agents that grow with you](https://share.transistor.fm/s/451da102) _2026-05-21 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Open Source AI is entering a new era, one shaped by self-improving AI Agents, recursive learning systems, and rapidly evolving AI Tools that blur the line between software and autonomous collaborators. In this episode, Daniel and Chris sit down with Nous Research co-founder and CTO Jeffrey Quesnelle to explore Hermes Agent. Along the way, they discuss models vs. harnesses, the changing role of… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/451da102/629a058c.mp3) ## [U.S. Congressman Beyer on AI challenges facing America and the World](https://share.transistor.fm/s/9ac73d0a) _2026-05-14 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ U.S. Congressman Don Beyer returns to Practical AI for another far-reaching conversation with Chris about many of the most important AI challenges facing America and the world. Blending political savvy and statesmanship with his unique technical understanding as an active Ph.D student in AI at George Mason University (making him the coolest member of Congress!) , the congressman shares his… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/9ac73d0a/a5131751.mp3) ## [The Myth of Model Wars: Open vs Closed AI in 2026](https://share.transistor.fm/s/6095edc5) _2026-05-07 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this fully connected episode, Dan and Chris break down one of the biggest questions in AI today: do open vs. closed models still matter? From the rise of physical AI and edge devices to the shifting landscape of open-source models like LLaMA, they explore whether the “model wars” are becoming irrelevant. The conversation then dives into a bigger transformation, the rise of agentic systems,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/6095edc5/d370f038.mp3) ## [The mythos of Mythos and Allbirds takes flight to the neocloud](https://share.transistor.fm/s/b11bd219) _2026-04-23 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this Fully-Connected episode, Dan and Chris start with Anthropic's Mythos frontier model, parsing what is publicly known about its cybersecurity capabilities and projecting its possible implications from " We've been here before. 🙄 " to "See ya, cybersecurity! 😱 " It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. 🙃 Then they have fun with the craziest AI announcement of the year… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/b11bd219/8827ba44.mp3) ## [Open Source Self-Driving with Comma AI](https://share.transistor.fm/s/9d157a1b) _2026-04-16 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Autonomous driving is not just a big tech or closed-source game, it's becoming accessible through open innovation and real-world deployment. Dan and Chris sit down with Harald Schäfer, CTO at Comma AI, to explore how OpenPilot is bringing self-driving to everyday vehicles using open source AI. We dive into the intersection of machine learning, robotics, and simulation, including how world models… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/9d157a1b/d3175cb9.mp3) ## [Post-Mortem of Anthropic's Claude Code Leak](https://share.transistor.fm/s/44e59b0b) _2026-04-09 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this fully connected episode, Dan and Chris break down the Anthropic Claude Code leak, what went wrong and what it reveals about agentic systems, AI architecture, and AI safety. They also explore how the open source community is responding and why this moment could reshape how AI systems are built and secured. Featuring: Chris Benson – Website , LinkedIn , Bluesky , GitHub , X Daniel Whitenack… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/44e59b0b/1ecd61fa.mp3) ## [Agentic Coding and the Economics of Open Source](https://share.transistor.fm/s/7d8e0293) _2026-04-02 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ AI is rapidly transforming how software is built, shifting economic incentives from open source code and collaboration toward on-demand, personalized development through agentic coding a.k.a. vibe coding. In this episode, Chris speaks with Miklós Koren of Central European University about how AI is reshaping open source and the software industry. They explore the economics of incentives, evolving… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/7d8e0293/0bbed6a2.mp3) ## [AI at the Edge is a different operating environment](https://share.transistor.fm/s/ea7694a9) _2026-03-25 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ What does “AI at the edge” really mean in 2026, and why does it matter now more than ever before? In this episode, we’re joined by Brandon Shibley, Edge AI Solutions Engineering Lead at Qualcomm’s Edge Impulse, to discuss the current state and future of Edge AI in 2026. We discuss Gen AI, Small Models, and Cascades of Models, along with real-world constraints like latency, power, and privacy. We… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/ea7694a9/378817af.mp3) ## [Humility in the Age of Agentic Coding](https://share.transistor.fm/s/7e1ca2c8) _2026-03-17 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ What happens when an AI hater starts building with AI agents? In this episode, we talk with software engineer Steve Klabnik, known for his work on the Rust programming language, about his journey from criticizing AI to experimenting with it firsthand. We explore Steve’s programming language Rue, largely built with the help of AI tools like Claude, and discuss what this means for software… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/7e1ca2c8/3ade85d6.mp3) ## [AI policy and the battle for computing power](https://share.transistor.fm/s/1923dca1) _2026-03-09 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ AI is reshaping global power, from chip manufacturing and computing power to AI governance and US-China relations. In this episode, Ben Buchanan, Assistant Professor at The Johns Hopkins University and former White House Special Advisor for AI, explores how AI policy, geopolitics, and international cooperation intersect with AI innovation and AI safety. We discuss the strategic importance of… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/1923dca1/0dd54a72.mp3) ## [Dissecting Series A Rounds (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/d9ANUh0d0Af1) _2026-03-09 · **Sponsored**_ Two real Series A cases: timelines, investor sequencing, and common founder mistakes. ## [Cognitive Synthesis and Neural Athletes](https://share.transistor.fm/s/4aaf31b4) _2026-02-18 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As AI accelerates innovation and adoption, leaders are facing rising cognitive load, shifting systems, and new emotional realities inside their organizations. In this episode, Deloitte’s Chief Innovation Officer Deborah Golden joins us to explore how AI is reshaping leadership, why vulnerability and empathy are critical in this moment, and how anti-fragility, not just resilience, will define the… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/4aaf31b4/4eefa767.mp3) ## [AI incidents, audits, and the limits of benchmarks](https://share.transistor.fm/s/1b8e65f4) _2026-02-13 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ AI is moving fast from research to real-world deployment, and when things go wrong, the consequences are no longer hypothetical. In this episode, Sean McGregor, co-founder of the AI Verification & Evaluation Research Institute and also the founder of the AI Incident Database, joins Chris and Dan to discuss AI safety, verification, evaluation, and auditing. They explore why benchmarks often fall… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/1b8e65f4/5f10a20b.mp3) ## [Inside an AI-Run Company](https://share.transistor.fm/s/bc10d952) _2026-02-02 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ AI agents are moving from demos to real workplaces, but what actually happens when they run a company? In this episode, journalist Evan Ratliff, host of Shell Game , joins Chris to discuss his immersive journalism experiment building a real startup staffed almost entirely by AI agents. They explore how AI agents behave as coworkers, how humans react when interacting with them, and where ethical… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/bc10d952/62cf79c5.mp3) ## [How is AI shaping democracy?](https://share.transistor.fm/s/0d2fa64e) _2026-01-27 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As AI increasingly shapes geopolitics, elections, and civic life, its impact on democracy is becoming impossible to ignore. In this episode, Daniel and Chris are joined by security expert Bruce Schneier to explore how AI and technology are transforming democracy, governance, and citizenship. Drawing from his book Rewiring Democracy , they explore real examples of AI in elections, legislation,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/0d2fa64e/d7cf6a15.mp3) ## [Controlling AI Models from the Inside](https://share.transistor.fm/s/df33214d) _2026-01-20 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As generative AI moves into production, traditional guardrails and input/output filters can prove too slow, too expensive, and/or too limited. In this episode, Alizishaan Khatri of Wrynx joins Daniel and Chris to explore a fundamentally different approach to AI safety and interpretability. They unpack the limits of today’s black-box defenses, the role of interpretability, and how model-native,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/df33214d/9c2dd1a8.mp3) ## [2025 was the year of agents, what's coming in 2026?](https://share.transistor.fm/s/e7fda8ce) _2026-01-09 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this start-of-year FC episode, Chris and Daniel break down what really mattered in AI in 2025, and what to expect in 2026. They explore the rise of AI agents, the practical reality of multimodal AI, and how reasoning models are reshaping workflows. The conversation dives into infrastructure and energy constraints, the continued value of predictive models, and why orchestration (not just better… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/e7fda8ce/c218cdfa.mp3) ## [Beyond chatbots: Agents that tackle your SOPs](https://share.transistor.fm/s/49afc59f) _2025-12-17 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As AI reshapes the workplace, employees and leaders face questions about meaningful work, automation, and human impact. In this episode, Jason Beutler, CEO of RoboSource, shares how companies can rethink workflows, integrate AI in accessible ways, and empower employees without fear. The discussion covers leveraging AI to handle routine tasks (SOPs or "plays") and reimagining work for smarter, more… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/49afc59f/0704690c.mp3) ## [The AI engineer skills gap](https://share.transistor.fm/s/e3639074) _2025-12-10 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Chris and Daniel talk with returning guest, Ramin Mohammadi, about how those seeking to get into AI Engineer/ Data Science jobs are expected to come in a mid level engineers (not entry level). They explore this growing gap along with what should (or could) be done in academia to focus on real world skills vs. theoretical knowledge. Featuring: Ramin Mohammadi – LinkedIn Chris Benson – Website ,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/e3639074/9b5391ce.mp3) ## [Technical advances in document understanding](https://share.transistor.fm/s/ba36c917) _2025-12-02 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Chris and Daniel unpack how AI-driven document processing has rapidly evolved well beyond traditional OCR with many technical advances that fly under the radar. They explore the progression from document structure models to language-vision models, all the way to the newest innovations like Deepseek-OCR. The discussion highlights the pros and cons of these various approaches focusing on practical… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/ba36c917/9f513f05.mp3) ## [Chris on AI, autonomous swarming, home automation and Rust!](https://share.transistor.fm/s/50ac2613) _2025-11-26 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ This episode is a special crossover between the Practical AI podcast and The Changelog podcast. Chris was recently invited by longtime friends Jerod Santo and Adam Stacoviak, cohosts of The Changelog, to join them on the show. They discuss AI, drones, robotics, swarming technology, and the rise of high-performance edge computing with Rust. Chris points out that open source software, small AI… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/50ac2613/493156dd.mp3) ## [Reach prospects with real signals (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/f8ihCSb0qcxj) _2025-11-26 · **Sponsored**_ Find prospects talking about your problem and get context-backed moments to engage ## [Beyond note-taking with Fireflies](https://share.transistor.fm/s/a3018119) _2025-11-19 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Fireflies CEO, Krish Ramineni shares how the company is transforming AI-powered note-taking into a deeper layer of knowledge automation. He breaks down the technology behind real-time functionality like Live Assist, the user behavior patterns driving product evolution, and how Fireflies is innovating far beyond meetings. Krish also shares insights on future trends in AI and the potential for… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/a3018119/3a4ba1ea.mp3) ## [Autonomous Vehicle Research at Waymo](https://share.transistor.fm/s/7b9cfe10) _2025-11-13 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Waymo’s VP of Research, Drago Anguelov, joins Practical AI to explore how advances in autonomy, vision models, and large-scale testing are shaping the future of driverless technology. The conversation dives into the dual challenges of building an onboard driver and testing that driver (via large scale simulation). Drago also gives us an update on what Waymo is doing to achieve intelligent,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/7b9cfe10/fe5031af.mp3) ## [Are we in an AI bubble?](https://share.transistor.fm/s/533b0b3f) _2025-11-10 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Dan and Chris unpack whether today’s surge in AI deployment across enterprise workflows, manufacturing, healthcare, and scientific research signals a lasting transformation or an overhyped bubble. Drawing parallels to the dot-com era, they explore how technology integration is reshaping industries, affecting jobs, and even influencing human cognition, ultimately asking: is this a bubble, or just a… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/533b0b3f/ebbf2629.mp3) ## [While loops with tool calls](https://share.transistor.fm/s/ca41b93c) _2025-10-30 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Dan and Chris sit down (again) with Jared Zoneraich, co-founder and CEO of PromptLayer, to discuss how prompt engineering has evolved into context engineering (and while loops with tool calls). Jared shares insights on building flexible AI applications, managing tool calls, testing and versioning prompts, and empowering both technical and non-technical users in AI development. Along the way, they… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/ca41b93c/a54b2afe.mp3) ## [Tiny Recursive Networks](https://share.transistor.fm/s/e568790b) _2025-10-24 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this fully connected episode, Daniel and Chris explore the emerging concept of tiny recursive networks introduced by Samsung AI, contrasting them with large transformer based models. They explore how these small models tackle reasoning tasks with fewer parameters, less data, and iterative refinement, matching the giants on specific problems. They also discuss the ethical challenges of emotional… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/e568790b/ebe47dbc.mp3) ## [Dealing with increasingly complicated agents](https://share.transistor.fm/s/e60866e6) _2025-10-16 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ As AI systems move from simple chatbots to complex agentic workflows, new security risks emerge. In this episode, Donato Capitella unpacks how increasingly complicated architectures are making agents fragile and vulnerable. These agents can be exploited through prompt injection, data exfiltration, and tool misuse. Donato shares stories from real-world penetration tests, the design patterns for… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/e60866e6/972751fe.mp3) ## [The impact of AI on the workforce: A state-level case study](https://share.transistor.fm/s/0da5a2b1) _2025-10-09 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Daniel sits down with Chelsea Linder, VP of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at TechPoint, to explore the what AI innovation and impact look like on the ground. They discuss Chelsea's journey from the VC world into economic development/ innovation, the growth of an AI innovation network in Indiana (funded by the SBA), lessons learned from fostering AI communities, and how businesses are actually… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/0da5a2b1/3081228f.mp3) ## [We've all done RAG, now what?](https://share.transistor.fm/s/e13d399b) _2025-09-29 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Longtime friend of the show Rajiv Shah returns to unpack lessons from a year of building retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and reasoning models integrations. We dive into why so many AI pilots stumble, why evaluation and error analysis remain essential data science skills, and why not every enterprise challenge calls for a large language model. Featuring: Rajiv Shah – LinkedIn Daniel… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/e13d399b/bf9fec0b.mp3) ## [Creating a private AI assistant in Thunderbird](https://share.transistor.fm/s/c73dd974) _2025-09-23 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this episode, Daniel and Chris are joined by Chris Aquino, software engineer at Thunderbird to hear the story of how they developed a privacy-preserving AI executive assistant. They discuss various design decisions including remote (but confidential) inference, local encryption, and model selection. Chris A. does an amazing job describing the journey from "let the big LLM do everything" to… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/c73dd974/7b2ed2ac.mp3) ## [Cracking the code of failed AI pilots](https://share.transistor.fm/s/2cde3de8) _2025-09-11 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this Fully Connected episode, we dig into the recent MIT report revealing that 95% of AI pilots fail before reaching production and explore what it actually takes to succeed with AI solutions. We dive into the importance of AI model integration, asking the right questions when adopting new technologies, and why simply accessing a powerful model isn’t enough. We explore the latest AI trends,… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/2cde3de8/d2cafdc4.mp3) ## [GenAI risks and global adoption](https://share.transistor.fm/s/522b45c8) _2025-08-27 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Daniel and Chris sit with Citadel AI’s Rick Kobayashi and Kenny Song and unpack AI safety and security challenges in the generative AI era. They compare Japan’s approach to AI adoption with the US’s, and explore the implications of real-world failures in AI systems, along with strategies for AI monitoring and evaluation. Featuring: Rick Kobayashi – LinkedIn Kenny Song – LinkedIn Chris Benson –… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/522b45c8/587aa613.mp3) ## [Inside America’s AI Action Plan](https://share.transistor.fm/s/f9da825c) _2025-08-19 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Dan and Chris break down Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan , issued by the White House in July 2025. Structured as three "pillars" — Accelerate AI Innovation , Build American AI Infrastructure , and Lead in International AI Diplomacy and Security — our dynamic duo unpack the plan's policy goals and its associated suggestions — while also exploring the mixed reactions it’s sparked across… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/f9da825c/8f07ed62.mp3) ## [Confident, strategic AI leadership](https://share.transistor.fm/s/05d1bf50) _2025-08-12 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Allegra Guinan of Lumiera helps leaders turn uncertainty about AI into confident, strategic leadership. In this conversation, she brings some actionable insights for navigating the hype and complexity of AI. The discussion covers challenges with implementing responsible AI practices, the growing importance of user experience and product thinking, and how leaders can focus on real-world business… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/05d1bf50/1451323b.mp3) ## [Educating a data-literate generation](https://share.transistor.fm/s/a952cb30) _2025-08-08 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Dan sits down with guests Mark Daniel Ward and Katie Sanders from The Data Mine at Purdue University to explore how higher education is evolving to meet the demands of the AI-driven workforce. They share how their program blends interdisciplinary learning, corporate partnerships, and real-world data science projects to better prepare students across 160+ majors. From AI chatbots to agricultural… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/a952cb30/c4daf7a6.mp3) ## [Workforce dynamics in an AI-assisted world](https://share.transistor.fm/s/12268c7d) _2025-08-01 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ We unpack how AI is reshaping hiring decisions, shifting job roles, and creating new expectations for professionals — from engineers to marketers. They explore the rise of AI-assisted teams, the growing compensation bubble, why continuous learning is now table stakes, and how some service providers are quietly riding the AI wave. Featuring: Chris Benson – Website , LinkedIn , Bluesky , GitHub , X… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/12268c7d/5821e976.mp3) ## [Reimagining actuarial science with AI](https://share.transistor.fm/s/4771f92e) _2025-07-25 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this episode, Chris sits down with Igor Nikitin, CEO and co-founder of Nice Technologies, to explore how AI and modern engineering practices are transforming the actuarial field and setting the stage for the future of actuarial modeling. We discuss the introduction of programming into insurance pricing workflows, and how their Python-based calc engine, AI copilots, and DevOps-inspired workflows… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/4771f92e/5b998ce7.mp3) ## [Agentic AI for Drone & Robotic Swarming](https://share.transistor.fm/s/6743e631) _2025-07-15 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this episode of Practical AI, Chris and Daniel explore the fascinating world of agentic AI for drone and robotic swarms, which is Chris's passion and professional focus. They unpack how autonomous vehicles (UxV), drones (UaV), and other autonomous multi-agent systems can collaborate without centralized control while exhibiting complex emergent behavior with agency and self-governance to… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/6743e631/0661990d.mp3) ## [AI in the shadows: From hallucinations to blackmail](https://share.transistor.fm/s/60675819) _2025-07-07 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In the first episode of an "AI in the shadows" theme, Chris and Daniel explore the increasing concerning world of agentic misalignment. Starting out with a reminder about hallucinations and reasoning models, they break down how today’s models only mimic reasoning, which can lead to serious ethical considerations. They unpack a fascinating (and slightly terrifying) new study from Anthropic, where… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/60675819/fc06806a.mp3) ## [Finding Nemotron](https://share.transistor.fm/s/6b9fa11e) _2025-07-02 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ In this episode, we sit down with Joey Conway to explore NVIDIA's open source AI, from the reasoning-focused Nemotron models built on top of Llama, to the blazing-fast Parakeet speech model. We chat about what makes open foundation models so valuable, how enterprises can think about deploying multi-model strategies, and why reasoning is becoming the key differentiator in real-world AI… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/6b9fa11e/e7dbbada.mp3) ## [AI hot takes and debates: Autonomy](https://share.transistor.fm/s/2492fb57) _2025-06-27 · Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson · Practical AI_ Can AI-driven autonomy reduce harm, or does it risk dehumanizing decision-making? In this “AI Hot Takes & Debates” series episode, Daniel and Chris dive deep into the ethical crossroads of AI, autonomy, and military applications. They trade perspectives on ethics, precision, responsibility, and whether machines should ever be trusted with life-or-death decisions. It’s a spirited back-and-forth… [Listen](https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/2492fb57/9e049748.mp3)