Industry Roundup #5: AI Agents Hype vs. Reality, Meta’s $15B Stake in Scale AI, and the First Fully AI-Generated NBA Ad

Welcome to DataFramed Industry Roundups! In this series of episodes, we sit down to discuss the latest and greatest in data & AI. In this episode, with special guest, DataCamp COO Martijn, we touch upon the hype and reality of AI agents in business, the McKinsey vs. Ethan Mollick debate on simple vs. complex agents, Meta's $15B stake in Scale AI and what it means for data and talent, Apple’s rumored $20B bid for Perplexity amid AI struggles, EU’s push to treat AI skills like reading and math, the first fully AI-generated NBA ad and what it means for creative industries, a new benchmark for deep research tools, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:Meta bought Scale AIApple rumoured to buy trying to acquire Perplexity for $20BnMcKinsey's Seizing the Agentic AI Advantage reportThe first fully AI-generated NBA AdEU Generative AI Outlook reportMary Meeker's Trend in AI reportDeep research benchmarkRewatch RADAR AI New to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

The enterprise adoption of AI agents is accelerating, but significant challenges remain in making them truly reliable and effective. While coding assistants and customer service agents are already delivering value, more complex document-based workflows require sophisticated architectures and data processing capabilities. How do you design agent systems that can handle the complexity of enterprise documents with their tables, charts, and unstructured information? What's the right balance between general reasoning capabilities and constrained architectures for specific business tasks? Should you centralize your agent infrastructure or purchase vertical solutions for each department? The answers lie in understanding the fundamental trade-offs between flexibility, reliability, and the specific needs of your organization.Jerry Liu is the CEO and Co-founder at LlamaIndex, the AI agents platform for automating document workflows. Previously, he led the ML monitoring team at Robust Intelligence, did self-driving AI research at Uber ATG, and worked on recommendation systems at Quora.In the episode, Richie and Jerry explore the readiness of AI agents for enterprise use, the challenges developers face in building these agents, the importance of document processing and data structuring, the evolving landscape of AI agent frameworks like LlamaIndex, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:LlamaIndexLlamaIndex Production Ready Framework For LLM AgentsTutorial: Model Context Protocol (MCP)Connect with JerryCourse: Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with LangChainRelated Episode: RAG 2.0 and The New Era of RAG Agents with Douwe Kiela, CEO at Contextual AI & Adjunct Professor at Stanford UniversityRewatch RADAR AI New to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

The line between generic AI capabilities and truly transformative business applications often comes down to one thing: your data. While foundation models provide impressive general intelligence, they lack the specialized knowledge needed for domain-specific tasks that drive real business value. But how do you effectively bridge this gap? What's the difference between simply fine-tuning models versus using techniques like retrieval-augmented generation? And with constantly evolving models and technologies, how do you build systems that remain adaptable while still delivering consistent results? Whether you're in retail, healthcare, or transportation, understanding how to properly enrich, annotate, and leverage your proprietary data could be the difference between an AI project that fails and one that fundamentally transforms your business.Wendy Gonzalez is the CEO — and former COO — of Sama, a company leading the way in ethical AI by delivering accurate, human-annotated data while advancing economic opportunity in underserved communities. She joined Sama in 2015 and has been central to scaling both its global operations and its mission-driven business model, which has helped over 65,000 people lift themselves out of poverty through dignified digital work. With over 20 years of experience in the tech and data space, Wendy’s held leadership roles at EY, Capgemini, and Cycle30, where she built and managed high-performing teams across complex, global environments. Her leadership style blends operational excellence with deep purpose — ensuring that innovation doesn’t come at the expense of integrity. Wendy is also a vocal advocate for inclusive AI and sustainable impact, regularly speaking on how companies can balance cutting-edge technology with real-world responsibility.Duncan Curtis is the Senior Vice President of Generative AI at Sama, where he leads the development of AI-powered tools that are shaping the future of data annotation. With a background in product leadership and machine learning, Duncan has spent his career building scalable systems that bridge cutting-edge technology with real-world impact. Before joining Sama, he led teams at companies like Google, where he worked on large-scale personalization systems, and contributed to AI product strategy across multiple sectors. At Sama, he's focused on harnessing the power of generative AI to improve quality, speed, and efficiency — all while keeping human oversight and ethical practices at the core. Duncan brings a unique perspective to the AI space: one that’s grounded in technical expertise, but always oriented toward practical solutions and responsible innovation.In the episode, Richie, Wendy, and Duncan explore the importance of using specialized data with large language models, the role of data enrichment in improving AI accuracy, the balance between automation and human oversight, the significance of responsible AI practices, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:SamaConnect with WendyConnect with DuncanCourse: Generative AI ConceptsRelated Episode: Creating High Quality AI Applications with Theresa Parker & Sudhi Balan, Rocket SoftwareRegister for RADAR AINew to DataCamp?Learn on the go...

The modern data stack has transformed how organizations work with data, but are our BI tools keeping pace with these changes? As data schemas become increasingly fluid and analysis needs range from quick explorations to production-grade reporting, traditional approaches are being challenged. How can we create analytics experiences that accommodate both casual spreadsheet users and technical data modelers? With semantic layers becoming crucial for AI integration and data governance growing in importance, what skills do today's BI professionals need to master? Finding the balance between flexibility and governance is perhaps the greatest challenge facing data teams today.Colin Zima is the Co-Founder and CEO of Omni, a business intelligence platform focused on making data more accessible and useful for teams of all sizes. Prior to Omni, he was Chief Analytics Officer and VP of Product at Looker, where he helped shape the product and data strategy leading up to its acquisition by Google for $2.6 billion. Colin’s background spans roles in data science, analytics, and product leadership, including positions at Google, HotelTonight, and as founder of the restaurant analytics startup PrimaTable. He holds a degree in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University and began his career as a Structured Credit Analyst at UBS.In the episode, Richie and Colin explore the evolution of BI tools, the challenges of integrating casual and rigorous data analysis, the role of semantic layers, and the impact of AI on business intelligence. They discuss the importance of understanding business needs, creating user-focused dashboards, and the future of data products, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:OmniConnect with ColinSkill Track: Design in Power BIRelated Episode: Self-Service Business Intelligence with Sameer Al-Sakran, CEO at MetabaseRegister for RADAR AI - June 26New to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) continues to be a foundational approach in AI despite claims of its demise. While some marketing narratives suggest RAG is being replaced by fine-tuning or long context windows, these technologies are actually complementary rather than competitive. But how do you build a truly effective RAG system that delivers accurate results in high-stakes environments? What separates a basic RAG implementation from an enterprise-grade solution that can handle complex queries across disparate data sources? And with the rise of AI agents, how will RAG evolve to support more dynamic reasoning capabilities?Douwe Kiela is the CEO and co-founder of Contextual AI, a company at the forefront of next-generation language model development. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in Symbolic Systems at Stanford University, where he contributes to advancing the theoretical and practical understanding of AI systems.Before founding Contextual AI, Douwe was the Head of Research at Hugging Face, where he led groundbreaking efforts in natural language processing and machine learning. Prior to that, he was a Research Scientist and Research Lead at Meta’s FAIR (Fundamental AI Research) team, where he played a pivotal role in developing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)—a paradigm-shifting innovation in AI that combines retrieval systems with generative models for more grounded and contextually aware responses.In the episode, Richie and Douwe explore the misconceptions around the death of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), the evolution to RAG 2.0, its applications in high-stakes industries, the importance of metadata and entitlements in data governance, the potential of agentic systems in enterprise settings, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:Contextual AIConnect with DouweCourse: Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with LangChainRelated Episode: High Performance Generative AI Applications with Ram Sriharsha, CTO at PineconeRegister for RADAR AI - June 26New to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

GPU acceleration is transforming how data scientists tackle computationally intensive problems in the AI and materials science fields. When dealing with billions of potential molecular combinations or massive datasets requiring dimensionality reduction, traditional CPU approaches often become prohibitively slow and expensive. How can data professionals determine when GPU acceleration will provide meaningful benefits to their workflows? Understanding the right applications for this technology can mean the difference between waiting hours versus minutes for critical results.Nick Becker is a Group Product Manager at NVIDIA, focused on building RAPIDS and the broader accelerated data science ecosystem. Nick has a professional background in technology and government. Prior to NVIDIA, he worked at Enigma Technologies, a data science startup. Before Enigma, he conducted economics research and forecasting at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the central bank of the United States.Dan Hannah is an Associate Director at SES AI Corporation. At SES, Dan leads a research program focused on discovering new battery materials using machine learning, chemical informatics, and physics-driven simulations. Prior to joining SES, Dan spent several years as a data scientist in the cybersecurity industry. Dan holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University and did a postdoctoral fellowship at Berkeley National Lab, where his focus was the discovery of novel inorganic materials for energy applications.In the episode, Richie, Nick, and Dan explore the quest for new battery technologies, the role of data science and machine learning in material discovery, the integration of NVIDIA's GPU technology, the balance between computational simulations and lab work, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:NVIDIA RAPIDSSES AI CorporationConnect with Dan and NickCareer Track: Machine Learning Scientist in PythonRelated Episode: Data Science Trends from 2 Kaggle Grandmasters with Jean-Francois Puget, Distinguished Engineer at NVIDIA & Chris Deotte, Senior Data Scientist at NVIDIARewatch sessions from RADAR: Skills EditionNew to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

AI maturity isn't achieved through technology alone—it requires organizational alignment, cultural readiness, and strategic implementation. Companies across industries are working to move beyond experimental AI use toward systematic integration that delivers measurable business value. How do you assess where your organization stands on the AI maturity spectrum? What frameworks can help prioritize your efforts?Eryn Peters, Co-founder & co-creator at AI Maturity Index, is a future of work evangelist. She is the co-creator of a tool for assessing AI maturity, and regularly advises companies on how to assess and improve their AI maturity. Eryn is also the Editor of the Weekly Workforce newsletter and the Principal at the Startup Consortium consultancy. Previously, she was the Global Director of the Association for the Future of Work, and VP of Marketing at Andela.Iwo Szapar is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for creating impactful solutions that enable people to work smarter, not harder. He is the co-founder of several innovative initiatives, including Remote-how, Remote-First Institute, AI-Mentor, and the Saudi AI Leadership Forum. Throughout his career, Iwo has helped transform how over 3,000 companies—including Microsoft, Walmart, and ING Bank—approach the future of work.In the episode, Richie, Eryn, and Iwo explore AI maturity in organizations, the balance between top-down and bottom-up AI adoption, the relationship between data and AI maturity, the importance of change management, practical steps for AI implementation, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:AI Maturity IndexEryn’s WebsiteIwo’s Book: Remote Work Is The WayConnect with Eryn and IwoState of Data & AI Literacy Report 2025Eryn’s previous webinar: Assessing Your Organization's AI MaturityRelated Episode: Scaling Responsible AI Literacy with Uthman Ali, Global Head of Responsible AI at BPRewatch sessions from RADAR: Skills EditionNew to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

AI tooling continues to expand with specialized solutions for every step of the development process. For data scientists and engineers, this creates a paradox: more options but potentially more complexity and integration challenges. How do you determine which tools actually improve productivity versus adding unnecessary overhead? Should you prioritize flexibility with individual best-of-breed components or streamline with integrated platforms? What's the most effective way to bridge the gap between experimentation and production-ready AI applications?William Falcon is an AI researcher and the CEO of Lightning AI. He is the creator of PyTorch Lightning, a lightweight framework designed for training models of any size. As the founder of Lightning AI, he leads the development of Lightning AI Studios and the AI Hub. Falcon also shares his expertise in AI research and machine learning engineering through educational content on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). He is passionate about leveraging AI for social impact.In the episode, Richie and William explore the NY AI hub, the journey from AI idea to production, diverse perspectives in AI development, how Lightning AI simplifies AI workflows, the significance of open-source models, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:Lightning AIPyTorch LightningConnect with WilliamCourse: Introduction to Deep Learning in PyTorch CourseRelated Episode: Building Multi-Modal AI Applications with Russ d'Sa, CEO & Co-founder of LiveKitRewatch sessions from RADAR: Skills EditionNew to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

The like button has transformed how we interact online, becoming a cornerstone of digital engagement with over 7 billion clicks daily. What started as a simple user interface solution has evolved into a powerful data collection tool that companies use to understand customer preferences, predict trends, and build sophisticated recommendation systems. The data behind these interactions forms what experts call the 'like graph' - a valuable network of connections that might be one of your company's most underutilized assets.Bob Goodson is President and Founder of Quid, a Silicon Valley–based company whose AI models are used by a third of the Fortune 50. Before starting Quid, he was the first employee at Yelp, where he played a role in the genesis of the like button and observed firsthand the rise of the social media industry. After Quid received an award in 2016 from the World Economic Forum for “Contributions to the Future of the Internet,” Bob served a two-year term on WEF’s Global Future Council for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics. While at Oxford University doing graduate research in language theory, Bob co-founded Oxford Entrepreneurs to connect scientists with business-minded students. Bob is co-author of a new book, Like: The Button That Changed the World, focussed on the origins of the ubiquitous Like Button in social media.In the episode, Richie and Bob explore the origins of the like button, its impact on user interaction and business, the evolution of social media features, the significance of relational data, and the future of social networks in the age of AI, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:Bob’s book—Like: The Button That Changed the WorldConnect with BobCourse: Analyzing Social Media Data in PythonRelated Episode: How I Nearly Got Fired For Running An A/B Test with Vanessa Larco, Former Partner at New Enterprise AssociatesRewatch sessions from RADAR: Skills EditionNew to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

Welcome to DataFramed Industry Roundups! In this series of episodes, Adel & Richie sit down to discuss the latest and greatest in data & AI. In this episode, we touch upon the launch of OpenAI’s O3 and O4-mini models, Meta’s rocky release of Llama 4, Google’s new agent tooling ecosystem, the growing arms race in AI, the latest from the Stanford AI Index report, the plausibility of AGI and superintelligence, how agents might evolve in the enterprise, global attitudes toward AI, and a deep dive into the speculative—but chilling—AI 2027 scenario. All that, Easter rave plans, and much more.Links Mentioned in the Show:Introducing OpenAI o3 and o4-miniThe Median: Scaling Models or Scaling People? Llama 4, A2A, and the State of AI in 2025LLama 4Google: Announcing the Agent2Agent Protocol (A2A)Stanford University's Human Centered AI Institute Releases 2025 AI Index ReportAI 2027Rewatch sessions from RADAR: Skills EditionNew to DataCamp?Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business