Still Essential: Ruchir Puri, IBM Chief Scientist, on the Death of Prompt Engineering and the Rise of Agentic AI {Replay}

Send a textFirst Aired Apr 23, 2025If you've been following the AI space lately, this episode hits differently the second time around.When Al sat down with Ruchir Puri — Chief Scientist of IBM Research, IBM Fellow, and the architect behind Watson and watsonx — the conversation covered ground that's only gotten more relevant since: the death of prompt engineering, the rise of agentic AI, and why 2025 was always going to be the year agents broke through in the enterprise.Ruchir doesn't deal in hype. He deals in systems — real ones, running at scale, in industries where a hallucinated number has consequences. In this masterclass, he walks through inference scaling, memory in AI systems, and what it actually means to build AI that's useful rather than just impressive.If you're new to the show, this is the episode to start with. If you've heard it before — trust us, it lands differently now.Key moments:12:21 — Why prompt engineering is already fading (and what replaces it)13:39 — Inference scaling: the frontier that's not about training anymore16:26 — Why AI systems that "forget" are failing us17:56 — The full agentic loop: Think, Plan, Act, Execute, Observe, Reflect23:45 — Why enterprise AI agents are no longer a future stateMaking Data Simple is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM.Ruchir's LinkedinAl's LinkedInExplore IBM's WatsonxWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple?  Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next.  The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun. 

Send a textMaking Data Simple dives into the exciting world of synthetic data with Adam Kamor, Co-Founder & Head of Engineering at Tonic.ai — a company building a synthetic data platform to power AI and software development. Adam unpacks how synthetic data is revolutionizing the way we build smarter, safer AI systems.01:31 Meet Adam Kamor 08:43 The Road to Software Engineering 11:10 Defining Synthetic Data 13:46 The Need for Synthetic Data 15:17 Synthetic Data with AI 17:59 Tonic.ai 18:57 Pros & Cons of Synthetic Data 25:40 Tonic.ai's Differentiation 27:58 The Tech 30:16 Biggest Competitor 32:34 The Use Case 33:37 Where Synthetic Data Fails 37:59 For FunLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamkamor Website: https://www.tonic.ai/Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textMaking Data Simple dives into the world of data security with Josh Scott, CISO and VP of Security at Hydrolix — a real-time data platform built for massive scale. Josh unpacks critical challenges like AI adoption, cybersecurity priorities, and how organizations can harness data to stay ahead, all while keeping performance high and costs down.01:02 Investing 04:25 Meet Josh Scott 10:54 Adopting AI Safely 14:42 What IS a CISO? 17:14 What Keeps a CISO Up at Night? 19:11 Using AI for Security 20:47 Two Phones? 21:36 Password Sharing 23:03 CISO Prioritization 27:39 Signal From Noise 29:29 Leadership Style 32:27 The Crystal BallLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuascott/ Website: https://www.hydrolix.io/#MakingDataSimple #DataSecurity #Cybersecurity #CISO #AIAdoption #AIAndSecurity #Hydrolix #RealTimeData #DataPlatform #InfoSec #CyberLeadership #TechPodcast #Leadership #BigData #AI #DataPrivacy #CloudSecurity #SignalVsNoiseWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textTom Griffiths, Henry R. Luce Professor at Princeton University, joins the show to explore the surprising science behind how we actually think. His new book, The Laws of Thought, bridges computational cognitive science and AI—challenging assumptions about decision-making, neural networks, and the path to artificial general intelligence.Show NotesTimestamps 01:21 – Meet Tom Griffiths 05:27 – Tom's Book 06:58 – A Neural Network 09:55 – AGI? 19:10 – Writing the Book 20:45 – The Laws of Thought 27:24 – The Neural Network Surprise 31:33 – Learning from Experts 35:19 – Decision Making vs. Probability 42:36 – Government AI ConsiderationsLinks LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-griffiths-7b31a0364 Book: The Laws of Thought – Macmillan#TheLawsOfThought, #CognitiveScience, #ArtificialIntelligence, #AGI, #NeuralNetworks, #DecisionMaking, #Probability, #AIResearch, #Princeton, #TechPodcast, #MakingDataSimple, #AIGovernment, #MachineLearningWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textWelcome back to Making Data Simple, where we explore how data-driven strategies ignite innovation and transform businesses. In this exciting episode, we sit down with Marco Rota, VP of Strategic Technology Alliances at Lumen Technologies, whose incredible journey spans from the glitz of Hollywood to leading-edge telecommunications. Tune in as Marco reveals how embracing a vibrant culture, drawing on lessons from the entertainment industry, and championing new technologies can propel teams and organizations to new heights of success. Get ready for an inspiring, behind-the-scenes look at how “culture eats strategy for breakfast”—and why that’s a game-changer for your organization, too!01:47 – Meet Marco RotaMarco shares his background and how his career path took him from the dynamic world of Hollywood to a leadership role at Lumen Technologies. He underscores his passion for storytelling, collaboration, and innovation—elements that continue to shape his work in tech.03:35 – Learnings from HollywoodDrawing on Hollywood’s fast-paced environment, Marco highlights the importance of creative thinking and adaptability. He explains how these traits help push organizations to stay ahead of disruption and continually evolve, just like the film industry does to meet audience demands.10:56 – Transitioning to Lumen TechnologiesMarco describes his shift from entertainment into the telecommunications and technology space. He emphasizes the parallels between Hollywood and tech—both thrive on communication, audience engagement, and cutting-edge production processes.15:55 – What IS Lumen TechnologiesMarco explains Lumen’s core mission: powering next-generation connectivity, cloud, edge computing, and security solutions. By marrying technology services with an innovative culture, Lumen seeks to help organizations accelerate data-driven transformation.18:29 – Culture versus TechnologyAn organization’s culture can be its greatest asset—or its biggest hurdle. Culture “eats strategy for breakfast” because fostering collaboration, trust, and continuous learning is what truly drives successful technology initiatives forward.24:20 – The Management SystemMarco talks about the framework for leadership and team alignment at Lumen, which integrates vision, purpose, and measurable goals. This system ensures that cultural values and strategic objectives reinforce each other—resulting in cohesive, energized teams ready to tackle the biggest challenges in tech.Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/marcorotapixWebsite: https://www.lumen.com/en-us/home.htmlWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple?  Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next.  The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun. #MakingDataSimple #CultureEatsStrategy #DataInnovation #DigitalTransformation #TechLeadership #PodcastEpisode #HollywoodToTech #LumenTechnologies #BusinessInsights #InspirationWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textTackling the messy reality of data fueling artificial intelligence, Andrea Muttoni—President & CPO at Story—joins the show to unpack how Story is building an AI-native infrastructure for intellectual property and training data. We dig into making the $80T IP asset class programmable, traceable, and monetizable, and how Story aims to turn “mysterious training data blobs” into transparent rights and payments for creators and enterprises.01:10 Meet Andrea Muttoni 06:49 Story's Core Mission 13:41 IP Monetization 21:08 Biggest Competitor 22:49 Compute, Models, & Data 27:46 What to IP, Where Not 31:16 Blockchain 34:54 Protecting Your IP 41:36 Reaching StoryAndrea explains how Story is building a blockchain-based IP and data layer so AI systems can train on licensed content while proving usage, enforcing licenses, and automating payments to rights holders. We talk about the practical challenges of cleaning and labeling real-world data, what “IP-safe” datasets look like in practice, and how developers and companies can plug into Story’s infrastructure. Andrea also shares where blockchain actually adds value (and where it doesn’t), why he thinks “AI can’t scale on legal ambiguity,” and concrete steps creators and founders can take today to protect and monetize their IP in the AI era.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/muttoni Website: https://www.story.foundation/#AITrainingData, #IntellectualProperty, #IPEconomy, #StoryProtocol, #DataInfrastructure, #AIGovernance, #AILaw, #Web3, #Blockchain, #CreatorEconomy, #DataOwnership, #RightsManagement, #Licensing, #TechPodcast, #Developers, #MachineLearning, #AIEthics, #DataMonetizationWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textPrasad Calyam, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and Center Director at the University of Missouri, joins the show to explore how knowledge graphs, modern data platforms, and AI are reshaping power grids and cybersecurity. He breaks down graph database fundamentals, real-world research projects, and how industry can tap into cutting-edge university work—all in language that engineers, data folks, and developers can put to use.Timestamps 01:30 Meet Prasad Calyam 02:57 Why Higher Education? 05:22 Data Analytics 06:59 The Modern Power Grid 09:40 Graph DB Fundamentals 12:21 Cybersecurity via Graphs and RAG 13:45 Research Projects 14:38 Industry Leveraging University Research 16:07 Advice for Students 17:16 What's Fun for ProfessorsLinks LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/prasadcalyam Website: http://www.missouri.edu#KnowledgeGraphs #GraphDatabase #RAG #Cybersecurity #PowerGrid #DataEngineering #AI #MLOps #TechPodcast #Developers #ResearchToProduction #UniversityResearchWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textManav Gupta, Vice President & CTO at IBM Canada, returns to the podcast to unpack the fast-changing landscape of artificial intelligence. From keeping a technical edge to navigating the rise of sovereign AI, Manav shares insights on how emerging trends are shaping both industry and society.Timestamps 01:25 – Manav Gupta is back! 02:39 – Maintaining your technical edge 04:38 – Ship AI 05:58 – The state of AI 19:37 – Reason for concern? 30:35 – Does the U.S. lead the race? 41:30 – LLMs or SLMs? 44:22 – Sovereign AI 46:05 – The social impactPrevious episode: How to Choose, Use, and Trust AI Models with Manav Gupta Connect with Manav on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mgupta76#SovereignAI #AISocialImpact #AITrends #FutureOfAI #EthicalAI #AIPodcast #TechPodcast #SpotifyPodcast #ApplePodcasts #TechLeaders.Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textThis was a fantastic 2 part series on how to design intelligent organizations.  Check it out!Part 1 of 2How do we make organizations not just run — but run intelligently?In this episode of Making Data Simple, we welcome Phanish Puranam, Professor of Strategy and Organizational Design at INSEAD, to explore the intersection of AI, organizational science, and intelligent design. From tools and teammates to blockchain and the metaverse, Phanish walks us through the evolving relationship between humans, algorithms, and the systems we build.We dive into real-world use cases, research-backed insights, and surprising pitfalls — plus a contrarian take on why bad ideas might be the key to better innovation.⏱️ Chapters01:50 – Meet Phanish Puranam03:36 – Organizational Design08:39 – Where is Org Design Today12:41 – A Research Example15:59 – Technologies as Tools & Teammates17:54 – A Real Use Case Example20:30 – The Metaverse, Eliminate Bad Ideas Fast21:28 – Pitfalls23:30 – Use Case Deep Dive30:06 – The Power Structure🔗 Connect with Phanish PuranamLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phanishpuranamINSEAD Profile: insead.edu/faculty/phanish-puranam#OrganizationalDesign #ArtificialIntelligence #PhanishPuranam #FutureOfWork #AIinBusiness #AlgorithmicOrganizations #Leadership #INSEAD #MakingDataSimple #AIandWork #BusinessStrategy #DigitalTransformation #OrgDesignWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send a textWe're joined by Ron Brill, President and Chairman of the Board, and Kris Johnson, Chief Product Officer of Anglepoint, a global leader in software asset management. From their startup origins to tackling massive compliance challenges, we'll dive into the world of SAM, licensing, and what the future holds for optimizing IT assets – a conversation essential for anyone in this space.⏱️ Timestamps:01:38 Meet Ron Brill and Kris Johnson05:32 Deciding on Startup Roles07:32 The Ah-Ha Founding of Anglepoint12:03 Largest Challenges13:03 One Word to Encapsulate Anglepoint16:23 Anglepoint's Differentiation21:03 Gartner's Leadership Quadrant23:50 Licensing Skills25:17 Difficult Licensing Scenarios28:11 Clients Biggest Compliance Issues31:12 Unique Technology33:19 The Infamous Audit37:26 Trends in SAM41:40 Systems-based Token Consumption43:17 SAM Advice47:03 Anglepoint in 3 to 5 Years48:38 For Fun49:53 Right TalentConnect with our guests:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronbrillLinkedin.com/in/johnsonkristianWebsite: https://www.anglepoint.com/Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at [email protected] and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.