The AI Forecast: Data and AI in the Cloud Era

From Concept to Capability: Making AI Actually Useful with Whippy’s Jack Kennedy

In this episode of The AI Forecast, we’re joined by Jack Kennedy, CTO and co-founder of Whippy. From SMS to email to voice, Whippy helps unify fragmented communication channels—boosting efficiency with real-time AI tools.
Jack joins host Paul Muller for a wide-ranging conversation covering the evolution of Whippy from a scrappy consulting operation to a fully productized platform, the surprising advantages of building with niche programming languages, and why speed—not just scale—is a critical differentiator in enterprise AI.
You’ll hear Jack’s reflections on working with large language models before ChatGPT changed the game, how he evaluates AI tooling amid a rapidly evolving ecosystem, and what it takes to separate hype from substance when applying AI to business problems. He also shares pragmatic advice on how leaders can responsibly introduce AI to their teams—by starting small and focusing on useful outcomes.
Stay in touch with Jack: 
Jack Kennedy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackbkennedy/
Whippy: https://www.whippy.ai/ 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

Engineering for GenAI: Lessons from Past Hype Cycles with Ryan Ries of Mission Cloud

Generative AI is entering the enterprise at scale, following patterns set by the rise of cloud computing. As organizations shift from buying tools to building custom solutions, architecture and integration become key to long-term success.
In this episode of The AI Forecast, Ryan Ries, Chief AI and Data Scientist at Mission Cloud, joins host Paul Muller to discuss AI infrastructure built for success. The conversation delves into the hype cycles surrounding AI and other technologies, the expectations versus realities of AI capabilities, the build vs. buy debate, and lessons learned from the cloud computing era that can inform AI adoption. Ryan also touches on the power of partnerships and Mission Cloud’s relationship with Cloudera to help customers maximize their cloud infrastructure for AI.
To learn more about Cloudera’s work with Mission Cloud, visit: http://bit.ly/4jWDnsf 
 
Stay in touch with Ryan: 
Ryan Ries on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-ries-0376783/ 
Website: https://www.missioncloud.com/ 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.
 

Leading with Joy in the Age of AI with Kevin Surace

In this episode of The AI Forecast, host Paul Muller is joined by Kevin Surace—Chair & CEO of Appvance.ai, Chair of Token Ring, and a pioneering force behind the first human-like AI virtual assistant—for a deeply human conversation about what it means to lead through disruption.
From building billion-dollar companies to holding 94 worldwide patents in AI, automation, and sustainability, Kevin brings unmatched insights into how technology and leadership must evolve together. He introduces his “Joy Success Cycle” philosophy, exploring why joy, creativity, and emotional resilience are essential for sustainable innovation in the AI era.
Kevin shares his vision for navigating the AI revolution, not just as professionals, but as people. You’ll hear why he believes leaders must choose joy in the face of rapid change, and how cultivating a culture of experimentation (without fear of failure) could be the secret to long-term success.
Stay in touch with Kevin:
Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksurace/
Kevin’s Website: https://www.kevinsurace.com/ 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

Artificial Useful Intelligence: A More Impactful Future for AI with Dr. Ruchir Puri

In this episode of The AI Forecast, host Paul Muller welcomes Dr. Ruchir Puri, Chief Scientist at IBM Research, to cut through the noise surrounding Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and spotlight a more pragmatic path forward: Artificial Useful Intelligence (AUI).
Dr. Puri—a globally recognized AI pioneer with over 50 patents, 100+ publications, and academic roles at Stanford, Columbia, and Bonn University—argues that AGI is a distraction from the urgent, practical ways AI can transform industries today. From healthcare to logistics, he shares compelling examples of how AUI is already enhancing human potential and accelerating innovation.
This episode dives into the mindset shift needed to move from hype to real-world impact and explores why the future of AI isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about working alongside them.
Stay in touch with Dr. Puri:   
Puri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchir-puri-b117021a/  
Puri on IBM Research: https://research.ibm.com/people/ruchir-puri
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

Keeping AI “In” and Risk “Out” with Vineet Jain

In this episode of The AI Forecast, host Paul Muller sits down with Vineet Jain, CEO and co-founder of Egnyte, for a conversation on one of the biggest enterprise challenges in AI: protecting corporate data while enabling innovation.
Vineet shares his perspective on the real risks of generative AI in the workplace—from inadvertent data leaks to the shadow IT resurgence—and outlines why governance and data security must come before widespread deployment. He explains why this year is the time for experimentation, how knowledge workers will push AI adoption faster than execs realize, and why general-purpose LLMs are heading toward a domain-specific future.
Stay in touch with Vineet: 
Vineet on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vineetkjain/ 
Egnyte’s Website: https://www.egnyte.com/ 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.
 

Why AI Agents Are the Future of Enterprise AI with Cloudera’s Abhas Ricky

AI agents are quickly becoming one of the most powerful tools in the enterprise AI toolkit. According to Cloudera’s latest Agentic AI Survey, 96% of enterprises plan to expand their use of AI agents. But what’s driving this surge, and how can organizations turn hype into results?
In this episode of The AI Forecast, host Paul Muller sits down with Abhas Ricky, Chief Strategy Officer at Cloudera, to explore the real momentum behind agentic AI. From healthcare to telecom, Abhas unpacks how AI agents are already transforming operations with speed, intelligence, and autonomy.
The conversation touches on key findings from the survey, the biggest barriers to adoption (spoiler: data privacy tops the list), and how to scale responsibly—starting with fast-to-value use cases like internal IT agents. Abhas also shares his outlook for the next 12–18 months, and what it will take for enterprises to move from proof-of-concept to production.
Stay in touch with Abhas: 
Abhas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhasricky/ 
Abhas on X: https://x.com/rickyabhas  
Read about the future of Enterprise AI agents: https://www.cloudera.com/campaign/the-future-of-enterprise-ai-agents.html?internal_keyplay=AI&internal_campaign=Other---AlwaysOn-FY26-Q1-GLOBAL-CT-Report-The-Future-of-Enterprise-AI-Agents&cid=701Ui00000SH4IQIA1&internal_link=on-page-body 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

From Poker Tables to Boardrooms: AI, Risk, and Business Communication with David Daneshgar

In high-stakes environments like professional poker and startup entrepreneurship, precision, timing, and strategy are everything. And nobody knows that better than David Daneshgar.
In this episode of The AI Forecast, we’re joined by David Daneshgar, a World Series of Poker champion and now Co-founder and CEO of Whippy, a company using AI to transform how businesses communicate with their customers.
David and our host Paul Muller dive into how the same decision-making frameworks that power elite poker play — like game theory and pattern recognition — are now being applied to AI-driven business tools. The conversation explores how AI is reshaping both gaming and enterprise communication and the importance of data quality.
Stay in touch with David: 
David Daneshgar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-daneshgar-a47474b/ 
Website: https://www.whippy.ai/ 
 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

Lessons in Tech and the Two-Way Street of Mentorship with AWS’s Melissa Dougherty

As part of our Women Leaders in Technology (WLIT) series on The AI Forecast, we’re joined by Melissa Dougherty, Global Managing Director of Partner Sales, Financial Services at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Each quarter, we’ll take a break from the regularly scheduled AI programming on The AI Forecast to direct our attention to this important topic in tech. 
Melissa shares her unconventional journey in the tech industry, including how her biggest career opportunity taught her the greatest lesson. She also touches on the bi-directional nature of mentorship, the need for accountability, and the significance of stepping out of comfort zones. 
To learn more about Cloudera’s Women Leaders in Technology, join the LinkedIn community and visit the home page.
LinkedIn Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13104138/ 
WLIT Website: https://www.cloudera.com/about/women-leaders-in-technology.html 
And to stay in touch with Melissa Dougherty, follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaadougherty/ 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

AI’s Growing Appetite: Can Data Centers Keep Up feat. Scott Jarnagin

As AI booms and workloads skyrocket, data centers are being pushed to their physical and operational limits. Meanwhile, massive growth has sparked conversations about the environmental impacts of greater computing requirements. 
Data center electricity consumption will grow by an average of 23% annually between 2023 and 2028. Additionally, the same report forecasts that AI-specific data center energy usage will increase by an average of 43% annually during the same period. 
In this episode of The AI Forecast, Scott Jarnagin, CEO of Caddis Cloud Solutions, joins the podcast to discuss the evolving landscape of data centers in the age of AI. He touches on the significant increase in energy consumption associated with AI workloads, the historical shifts in data center strategies, and the challenges faced in designing and planning for future data center needs.
Stay in touch with Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-jarnagin-24b6131/ 
+++
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.

The Path to Safe AI – Education with Peter Norvig

In a world where AI is rapidly reshaping everything from how we work to how we live, one truth stands out: education is the cornerstone of both innovation and safety. 
In this episode of The AI Forecast, host Paul Muller speaks with Peter Norvig, an education fellow at Stanford and the co-author of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, the leading textbook for AI education. Peter explores the critical role of accessible, up-to-date AI education in building skilled practitioners, guiding policy, and fostering public understanding.
Listen in as they explore concepts like "AI literacy" and unpack why continuous learning is essential to keep pace with technological change—and how it can help us build a more informed, ethical, and responsible AI future.
Stay in touch with Peter Norvig:
Peter on LinkedIn
Peter’s Website
+++
 
Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.