#43 - Julian LaNeve, CTO of Astronomer

Join Vicky Demas, CEO of identifeye HEALTH, as she shares insights into her journey from a chemical engineer to leading a healthcare AI company. She discusses the innovative work her team is doing in retinal imaging and AI to revolutionize diagnostics, starting with diabetic retinopathy. Vicky also explores the future of AI in healthcare, highlighting the potential to democratize access and improve patient outcomes on a global scale.

Join Babak Hodjat, CTO of AI at Cognizant, as he discusses the latest advancements in generative AI, including foundational model improvements and the rise of agent-based systems. Babak shares insights on the challenges of scaling AI POCs and the growing demand for AI-driven workflows with human-in-the-loop systems. He also teases exciting developments at Cognizant, where agent-based architectures are transforming productivity and decision-making.

Join Adam Burns, VP at Intel, as he explores the future of AI and its integration into edge computing and IoT. Adam shares insights into Intel’s efforts to scale AI applications across various hardware platforms using tools like OpenVINO. He discusses the shift from narrow, rules-based algorithms to broader, AI-driven solutions that enhance efficiency and accessibility. Adam also highlights Intel's focus on developing low-power neural processing units (NPUs) for optimal AI performance on diverse devices. Discover how Intel is democratizing AI, making advanced technology accessible to a wider range of developers and industries.

Join Varun Mohan, CEO of Codeium, as he discusses the evolution of his company from a GPU virtualization startup to a leading AI-powered coding assistant. He explains how Codeium differentiates itself by training its own models, leveraging context from entire codebases, and focusing on improving the entire software development lifecycle beyond just code writing. Mohan also shares his views on the future of coding assistants, predicting an increase in AI-generated code and a profound change in the IDE experience, while emphasizing that these tools will likely create more developer jobs rather than replace them.

Join Matt Fleck, CEO, and Neil Heller, COO, of Anonomatic as we discuss data protection by separating business data from identifying information, a method they call polyanonymization. They emphasize that traditional data protection methods like encryption and firewalls are insufficient against modern threats, especially with the advent of quantum computing and generative AI. Their flagship product, PII Vault, enables organizations to keep data secure by removing personal identifiers, making it useless if stolen, thus balancing security with the need for data utility.

We sit down with Julian LaNeve, Chief Technology Officer at Astronomer. In this episode, Julian provides an in-depth look into Astronomer's journey as a front-runner in data orchestration and engineering. He discusses the innovative strategies and technologies that set Astronomer apart, the evolving landscape of data engineering, and the challenges and achievements that have shaped the company's path. Dive into an insightful discussion about the future of data technology, the culture driving Astronomer's success, and the vision that Julian LaNeve brings to the forefront of this dynamic field.

Join Hagay Lupesko, VP of Engineering at Databricks/MosaicML, in an exclusive backstage access to discuss Databricks AI Summit 2024 GenAI announcements. Hagay discusses the latest generative AI advancements, emphasizing Databricks' shift towards serverless AI services and the importance of leveraging proprietary data for enterprise AI systems. He highlights a new partnership with Shutterstock for a commercially ready text-to-image model and the development of an agent framework to enhance AI functionality with integrated tools. We touch on the future of AI, focusing on the balance between pre-training and fine-tuning models, and addressing security concerns in AI development.

Join Michael Huth, Dean at Imperial College London and Chief Research Officer at Xayn, as he discusses his journey from a mathematics background to leading roles in both academia and a startup, highlighting the importance of strategic control in his department at Imperial and the innovative work at Xayn. He explores topics such as the concept of sovereign legal AI, the global landscape of AI legislation, ethical concerns in regulated industries, and the integration of cybersecurity with AI research and development.

Join Arijit Raychowdhury, Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, and Cheryl Martin, Global Higher Education and Research at Nvidia, as they discuss their pioneering collaboration in AI education. Diving into the genesis of the partnership, they elaborate on how it aims to democratize access to AI tools and resources for students across disciplines. From hands-on experience to mentorship opportunities, they explore the unique setup of the AI makerspace and its potential to inspire the next generation of innovators.

Join Ron Jones and Alexa Tsui, CEO and COO of G2X, as they discuss a recent memorandum from the Biden administration titled "Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of AI." Ron and Alexa highlight the challenges of hiring AI talent in the public sector due to competition with the private industry, but also discuss potential solutions such as recruiting from universities. They touch on the role of universities, including HBCUs, in producing AI talent for the government. Additionally, they discuss the potential synergy between government contractors and the government in addressing the AI talent shortage.