AI Rising Podcast

In this thought-provoking episode of AI Rising, hosts Jayanth and Leslie navigate the fast-moving currents of artificial intelligence.They begin with China’s latest AI breakthrough—a cutting-edge open-source reasoning model poised to challenge OpenAI’s dominance. What does this mean for the global AI landscape, and how might it redefine innovation in the field? The discussion then shifted to the Stargate Plan, a staggering $500 billion initiative under Trump’s vision for American AI supremacy. Will this bold move give the U.S. an unshakable edge in the AI arms race, or does it risk being another moonshot with uncertain outcomes? The host also explore the intersection of tradition and technology, uncovering how Mahakumbh 2025 is leveraging AI to transform one of the world’s largest religious gatherings into a seamless, tech-enabled experience.

Welcome to the brand new season of AI Rising. Join hosts Leslie Damonte and Jayantan Kolla as they explore how AI is reshaping our world in 2025. In this episode, we kick off the new year with a closer look at the innovations unveiled at CES, like NVIDIA’s groundbreaking robotics and AI-powered personal devices. We’ll dive into how AI is blending with human creativity, transforming industries like healthcare, workforce management, and even personal tech.

In this thought-provoking episode of AI Rising, our hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla unpack a whirlwind of topics shaping the AI landscape. First, Leslie and Jayanth delve into the buzz surrounding Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, whose controversial remarks in a Stanford University interview sparked a stir before the video was taken down from YouTube. From criticizing Google’s work culture to drawing parallels between coding and learning a language like English, Schmidt's candid observations have left the tech world buzzing. Next, the discussion shifts to generative AI—does it live up to the hype, or is it a technology in a frantic rush to prove itself? Jayanth also explores the challenges investors face when betting on AI startups and the growing emphasis on building responsible AI models that balance innovation with ethics. Join us for a deep dive into the controversies, debates, and opportunities defining the rapidly evolving AI industry.

In this episode of AI Rising, Leslie and Jayanth discuss the hype surrounding OpenAI's rumored "Orion" project. Jayanth sheds light on the state of agentic AI in India, where flashy pitch decks often overshadow substance. He draws attention to trends like Indic language LLMs, many of which are mere wrappers on existing English models rather than innovations built from the ground up. Are these developments genuine breakthroughs, or are they simply marketing tactics aimed at impressing investors? Joining the conversation is Dhruv Rastogi, Senior Vice President & Head of Data Science at Medi Assist. With over 15 years of experience spanning finance, marketing, sales, and healthcare, Dhruv is a versatile data scientist driving innovation in India’s healthcare ecosystem. As SVP at Medi Assist, he’s leveraging AI to make healthcare services more efficient and accessible. Dhruv discusses how Medi Assist is tackling a critical issue—reducing the wait time for insurance claims during hospital discharges. “A patient or their family, in such vulnerable situations, just want a smooth experience,” says Dhruv. By using predictive analytics, Medi Assist estimates bills with an accuracy of around ₹500, more or less, streamlining the process for patients and caregivers alike. Tune in for a compelling discussion on the intersection of AI innovation, healthcare transformation, and the ever-evolving tech landscape.

In this insightful episode, hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla engage with Shashank from Tredence to discuss the evolving landscape of AI and data analytics. Shashank delves into the role of AI in creating interconnected solutions for supply and demand, emphasizing Tredence's unique approach in delivering actionable insights over mere predictions. The conversation spans the growth trajectory of AI startups like Fractal, the critical role of cloud computing, and India’s emerging influence in the AI ecosystem, showcased by models like Ola’s Krithrim. Additionally, Shashank shares the culture of innovation at Tredence, inspired by initiatives like Tredence Studio, a space reminiscent of Google’s Area 120, where employees can nurture their entrepreneurial spirit. He also touches upon India’s booming startup landscape, his investments in a VC fund supporting Indian startups, and Tredence's culture of mentorship-driven growth. Tune in for an engaging discussion on AI’s transformative power in business, India’s role in the global AI scene, and the importance of fostering a culture of innovation within organizations.

In the latest episode of AI Rising, hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla sit down with Tathagato Rai Dastidar, founder of SigTuple, a company transforming diagnostic healthcare through AI-driven solutions. The discussion opens with the rise of AI agents like Salesforce's AgentForce AI and Microsoft’s new Copilot. Leslie poses the big question: can AI truly reason like humans? Tathagato offers an intriguing perspective, asking, “Do we even understand how humans reason?” Jayanth shares insights from his recent Europe trip, where he met AI innovators struggling to scale solutions due to the continent’s fragmented landscape. Tathagato then explains how SigTuple is streamlining diagnostics using AI-powered microscopes, making healthcare more efficient and accessible. Tune in for a compelling conversation on AI’s real-world impact and the future of healthcare technology.

In the latest episode of AI Rising, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla sit down with Ankur Pal, Chief Data Scientist at Aplazo, a leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) FinTech platform based in Mexico. Ankur, who leads the company’s data organization, is deeply committed to democratizing financial access through innovative technology. In addition to his role at Aplazo, he is an active angel investor with a portfolio of over 40 global companies, including Spenmo, Otipy, Rupifi, and TeachMint. The conversation begins with a discussion of Gartner’s Hype Cycle Report 2024 for emerging technologies, which projects a plateau for generative AI in 2 to 5 years, autonomous agents in 5 to 10 years, and artificial general intelligence (AGI) in more than 10 years. Ankur shares insights on how investors are navigating the rapid evolution of foundational AI models, while the hosts also explore the unique regulatory landscape in Latin America, which is fostering innovation in the fintech space. Tune in to this enlightening discussion to learn more!

In the latest episode of AI Rising, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla are joined by Anant Vidur Puri, a seasoned Venture Capitalist from Bessemer Venture Partners. The discussion kicks off with an exploration of the Listening-while-Speaking Language Model (LSLM), a model that integrates listening and speaking capabilities, allowing for real-time, seamless interaction.  The conversation then shifts to the broader implications of AI on the workforce, with insights from a recent Accenture report revealing that up to 44% of working hours in the US are poised for automation or augmentation, with even higher percentages in the UK. The hosts, alongside Anant, delve into the risks this poses, particularly for workers with lower digital skills, and the potential widening of the digital divide. Anant brings his expertise to the table, emphasizing the critical role of Gen AI in the future of software development. He cautions that businesses not adopting AI will be left behind, as both competitors and clients increasingly demand AI-driven solutions. In a more personal segment, Leslie asks Anant what excites him about entrepreneurs, providing listeners with a glimpse into the mind of a leading venture capitalist. Tune in to explore the forefront of AI innovation and its far-reaching impacts on both technology and the workforce.

In the latest episode of AI Rising, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla are joined by Srinivas Gattamneni (Srini), CEO of ADA, a global data and AI company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The episode dives deep into how AI and Generative AI are revolutionizing digital marketing, with Srini sharing insights on funnel management, content automation, and personalized advertising. The conversation further explores how companies are approaching AI adoption, with Srini emphasizing the importance of foundational platform readiness and data preparedness. Additionally, he provides a comprehensive overview of the AI landscape in Southeast Asia, drawing parallels to the Indian market while noting the unique challenges posed by fragmented government structures, regulations, and cross-border complexities. Tune in for an engaging discussion on the latest in AI, digital marketing, and the evolving landscape of Generative AI!

In the latest episode of AI Rising, our hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla moderated the Accel Cybersecurity Summit roundtable discussion discussing the latest trends and concerns in cybersecurity, particularly in light of recent high-profile incidents and the growing influence of AI. The discussion features cybersecurity experts and industry professionals including Prayank Swaroop, Partner at Accel, Jossef Harush, Head of Supply Chain Security at Checkmarx, and Ross Haleliuk, Product Manager at LimaCharlie. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from recent cyber attacks and the increasing sophistication of modern threats to the impact of AI on cybersecurity and the challenges faced by businesses in protecting their digital assets. The experts explore software supply chain security, the role of social engineering in attacks, and the potential of AI to both enhance and complicate cybersecurity efforts. They also discuss the delicate balance between innovation and security for startups, as well as the evolving landscape of enterprise IT security in an era of rapid AI adoption. Tune in for an insightful episode!

In the latest episode of AI Rising, our hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla, debunk the news of a ‘robot suicide’ in South Korea and discuss what exactly went down. Recently, a case was reported from Gumi City Council in South Korea where a civil servant robot allegedly 'committed suicide', which was termed as the country’s first 'robot suicide'. The Daily Mail had reported the incident and stated that the 'Robot Supervisor' allegedly committed suicide on 26 June as its parts were found scattered under the stairs between the first and second floors of the council building. The robot used to work as an employee of Gumi City Council every day from 9 am to 6 pm. While the news brings attention to the question of a robot’s rights, it also exaggerates the event. ‘Robot suicide’ would imply that the robot had become sentient. Leslie points out that there was no such thing. Moreover, he adds, the manufacturing company of the robot had released a statement highlighting that the robot was malfunctioning. Attributing the exaggeration of the news to Korean’s love for robots, our hosts discuss whether a robot has rights. Tune in for an insightful episode!

In the latest episode of AI Rising podcast, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla delve into the latest developments in the Gen AI space, the intersection between Data Science and AI, the pros and cons of rapid AI development, and cyborgs. To discuss all this and more, we were joined by Ashwin Swarup, the VP of Data Science and Data Engineering at Nimblework Inc. Ashwin is also the lead of KAIron - a Gen AI platform for Digital Transformation. He points out the similarities between how humans and AI learn - through minimizing the error between an attempt and the objective. He adds that since AI is developing rapidly and learning through its mistakes, coders or writers, who were to have gained expertise through such mistakes will now miss out on the same. Our hosts, amicably agree to the point, "A fool with a tool remains a fool." Tune in for the latest developments in the world of AI and expert insights!

In the latest episode of AI Rising podcast, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla delve into the latest AI developments. They discuss Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's former chief scientist, who is venturing out to establish his own AI company, Safe Superintelligence. This move follows the attempt to unseat CEO Sam Altman in November last year. The hosts also discuss Anthropic's latest marvel, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, which has rapidly outpaced rivals like OpenAI's GPT-4o, Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro, and Meta's LlaMA-400b in both speed and performance, showcasing the relentless competition among tech giants to dominate AI innovation. Jayanth points out how the leaderboard will keep shifting as better and better LLM models are launched. The hosts also discuss how businessman Steve Endacott is campaigning in Britain's national election with an AI-generated avatar, “AI Steve,” as the face of his independent candidacy. His initiative to introduce more AI candidates sets a new precedent in the intersection of technology and politics. We also delve into the latest insights from IBM's 2024 CEO study, revealing that 59% of CEOs believe competitive advantage hinges on advanced generative AI, with 72% viewing industry disruption as a risk rather than an opportunity. The survey underscores the necessity for companies to adapt their business strategies to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market. Tune in as we explore cutting-edge developments and their implications for the future of AI and beyond.

In the latest episode of AI Rising, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla discuss the seismic shifts in the tech world, starting with Nvidia's monumental achievement on June 18th. Nvidia has overtaken Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company, boasting a market capitalization of $3.3 trillion—more than 20 times its value in January 2020. Investors are clamoring for its shares just as tech giants are eagerly snapping up its advanced AI chips. In the quarter ending in April, Nvidia's revenue soared by 262% year-on-year, while its net income skyrocketed by an astounding 628%. "Nvidia has its fingers in all AI pies," Jayanth remarks. The hosts also tackle the pressing issue of LLM hallucination, a significant challenge in generating accurate and reliable AI responses. They explore how source-reference divergence, biased training data, and privacy concerns can contribute to the spread of misinformation, discriminatory content, and privacy violations. Additionally, they delve into catastrophic interference, also known as catastrophic forgetting, explaining how artificial neural networks can abruptly and drastically forget previously learned information when new information is introduced. Tune in to this insightful episode for a deep dive into Nvidia's meteoric rise and the complexities of maintaining accuracy and reliability in AI systems.

In the latest episode of AI Rising, hosts Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla, discuss the major developments in the world of AI, starting with Apple's announcements of its AI features, world's first AI beauty pageant, and the rise of AI-led startups. During last week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), an information technology conference held annually by Apple Inc, Apple announced major AI features coming to its iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems later this year. While the announcements were underwhelming for many, Jayanth points out that Apple is consumer-scaling AI. He adds how Apple fans know well to skip the 1st gen launch and compares the announcements to the launch of Apple iPhone in 2007. What has Aerosmith's "Hole in my Soul" got to with the world's first AI beauty pageant? Discussing "Miss AI" - models created using generative AI, our hosts also talk about AI companions, and what this means for our future interactions. Tune in to listen to this insightful episode.

In the latest episode of AI Rising, we delve into the transformative impact of AI on education and the urgency of skilling for the future in a tech-dominated world. Join our hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla as they speak with Mr. Rajendra Singh Pawar, Chairman & Co-Founder of NIIT Group. Mr. Pawar is a pioneering leader in the field of IT and education. Under his leadership, NIIT has become a global leader in skills and talent development, significantly impacting the tech industry. He has been a part of Prime Minister Vajpayee's National Taskforce (1998) and was a member of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's National Council on Skill Development (2009-2014). Additionally, he chaired the NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force, contributing extensively to the nation's tech landscape. In recognition of his contributions, Mr. Pawar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011. In this episode, we explore how AI, particularly Generative AI, is revolutionizing education and shaping the future of learning. Mr. Pawar shares his insights on the critical need for future-focused skilling to keep pace with rapid technological advancements. How is AI transforming the way we learn and teach? How is NIIT supporting this growth? Does the responsibility for skilling lie with individuals or organizations? Tune in to AI Rising for an enlightening discussion on the intersection of AI and education with one of the leading minds in the industry.

Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5th June to encourage protection and action to protect the Earth’s drastically deteriorating climate. With AI revolutionizing every industry, how is it helping climate activists fight? What is its impact on environment conservation? Join Vamsi Krishna M, Founder and Managing Director, Kosher Climate, as he speaks to our hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla on the latest episode of AI Rising, where they discuss carbon credits, how AI can be used to map deforestation, predict the weather, track pollution, among other applications. AI can also be used to improve agriculture and reduce its environmental impact, as per the World Economic Forum. Does responsibility to protect the climate lie with individuals or organizations? What are the latest tech developments in the area? Tune in to listen to expert insights.

Join Leslie D'Monte and Jayanth N Kolla on the latest episode of AI Rising, where they discuss potential game-changer announcements such as the launch of Microsoft's Copilot+PCs, AI agents, neural processing units (NPUs), and more.Our hosts delve into the world of AI PCs, now equipped with NPUs that will accelerate AI models directly on the device. Jayanth points out how this can drastically reduce latency and enhance efficiency. They discuss how these capabilities are seamlessly integrated into Microsoft Office tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, potentially revolutionizing enterprise productivity.The conversation moves to the impressive growth projections for AI PCs and generative AI phones, expected to reach 295 million units by the end of 2024. Leslie and Jayanth also explore the future of AI agents, examining how these technologies differ from large language model chatbots and the potential they hold for becoming ubiquitous in our daily lives.Tune in to the AI Rising Podcast for an insightful discussion on the future of AI, the innovations driving Microsoft's evolution, and the exciting developments shaping our digital world.

The European Council on 21 May approved a first-of-its-kind law aiming to harmonise rules on artificial intelligence - the AI Act. This sets a global benchmark for the regulation of a technology drastically gaining use in business and daily life. The new legislation follows a ‘risk-based’ approach, which means the higher the risk to cause harm to society, the stricter the rules. Join Josianne Cutajar, Member of the European Parliament, as she speaks to our hosts Leslie D’Monte and Jayanth N Kolla on the latest episode of AI Rising, where they discuss the AI Act, its implications, its extent, and other big developments in the world of AI. Recently, Open AI launched Chat GPT-4o; where O stands for Omni. The next day, Google I/O took place where Google unveiled the new version of Gemini 1.5 Flash and announced integration of AI into Google Search. As our hosts discuss the tech giant bouts, Jayanth points out how Google aims to integrate AI and use several of its products as a distribution channel. Tune in to the listen to the full episode.

In the latest episode of AI Rising Podcast, Mint Sr. Associate Editor Leslie D'Monte and Convergence Catalyst co-founder and principal analyst Jayanth N Kolla delve into the evolving landscape of AI, touching upon intriguing developments and debates. Leslie and Jayanth dissect OpenAI's recent blog post, which hints at the impending release of ChatGPT 4.5 Turbo and potentially ChatGPT 5.0 in June. They scrutinize Sam Altman's candid critique of GPT-4's performance, juxtaposed against the hefty $520 million investment, as incremental steps towards achieving AGI. Financial insights into OpenAI's daily expenditure of $700,000 to maintain ChatGPT spark discussions on Microsoft's countermove with the development of Athena chips. Meanwhile, the revelation of a mysterious GPT-2 Chatbot outperforming GPT-4 ignites curiosity, raising questions about Microsoft's partnership alignment with OpenAI. Rumors swirl around the potential release of GPT-5 and its implications on ownership, while Microsoft diversifies its AI portfolio with projects like Mistral-Large and MAI-1. Leslie and Jayanth caution against taking CXOs' rumors at face value, prompting reflections on AI leadership within organizations. Tune in to the listen to the full episode.