AI at Scale

How can businesses prepare their engineering teams for the AI-powered future of software development? In this episode of the AI at Scale podcast, Chitra Sukumar, SVP, Digital Engineering and Tech Depth at Schneider Electric, explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way software and firmware are developed across industries.

“Edge AI is the ultimate and probably only scalable way to do AI in the real world—collecting, analyzing, and acting on data where it lives” says Evgeni Gousev, Chair of the Edge AI Foundation and Senior Director at Qualcomm. In this episode he talks about the transformative power of edge AI and why it's becoming a strategic priority for businesses across industries. Furthermore, he shares use cases that are already delivering measurable impact and addresses the challenges of deploying edge AI at scale.  

How to make the most competitive AI systems? Renée Cummings, a renowned Professor of Practice in Data Science at the University of Virginia and a leading voice in AI ethics, talks about the importance of trust, transparency, and accountability in AI development, making a strong case for why these elements are essential for businesses aiming to leverage AI effectively. Furthermore, Renée shares her expertise on the intersection of AI and data justice, where AI is applied in high-stakes decision-making process.

Where Does AI Governance Stop? Guess what? It doesn't. AI governance extends far beyond setting policies and frameworks. In this episode we meet with Ania Kaci, Senior Principal, Responsible AI Leader at Schneider Electric. Ania shares her journey from AI research to leading responsible AI practices, explaining our comprehensive AI governance structure and multidimensional risk assessment framework. Moreover, she talks about the importance of involving diverse teams, including business, legal, and compliance experts, to fully address potential AI risks.

"AI is today where the Internet was about 30 years ago," says Peter Weckesser, Chief Digital Officer of Schneider Electric, in this episode of the "AI at Scale" podcast. Just as the Internet revolutionized every aspect of business and personal life, AI has the potential to do the same, and it has already become a catalyst for transformation and innovation for many companies.  Peter shares his views on building AI competitiveness through smart, balanced regulation. He highlights AI's current influence and future potential, providing practical advice for businesses navigating the digital landscape. 

The most value for businesses will come from domain-specific models, pre-trained on proprietary data, says Taimur Rashid, Managing Director of GenAI Innovation and Delivery at AWS. In this episode, you can learn how Taimur advices cutomers on identifying successful GenAI use cases, what's key in the design phase, and how his teams are monitoring the models in the production, maintaining their accuracy over time. Taimur also shares about a GenAI use case with Schneider Electric, that resulted in considerable productivity gains.

 How is AI enhancing customer experiences and what's next in this field? In this episode of the AI at Scale Podcast, Audrey Hazak, the SVP of Digital Customer Relationship at Schneider Electric, unveils how her teams are applying AI to drive digital transformation and what she thinks is the next frontier of digital customer experience. 

"The combination of human expertise and the right technology has always been the key to success in manufacturing," says Dominik Wee, Corporate Vice President (CVP) of Industry Solutions Engineering at Microsoft who is today's guest of AI at Scale podcast hosted by Gosia Gorska.   Dominik discusses transforming organizations with hardware and software integration, highlighting AI's impact on industries and technology democratization. Furthermore, he talks about AI augmenting human capabilities and the importance of human-machine collaboration, sharing examples of generative AI's power.

How to properly use AI in data systems? In this episode, host Gosia Gorska talks to Jeff Willert, the Director of Data Science at Schneider Electric, about the effective application of AI in data systems. He shares insights about the groundbreaking Resource Advisor solution and its newly integrated Copilot feature, designed to assist users in understanding and managing their energy consumption as well as carbon footprint.

How to identify risks in AI models? Red teaming is one of the options, says the guest of AI at Scale podcast - Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, CEO of Humane Intelligence, US Science Envoy for Artificial Intelligence.  Rumman guides us through her approach to detecting risks, ensuring transparency and accountability in AI systems. She emphasizes the importance of responsible AI practices and shares her perspective on the role of regulation in fostering innovation. Recognized as one of Time's 100 most Influential People in AI, she offers valuable insights on navigating ethical challenges in AI development.

How exactly do we innovate with AI? In this episode of the AI at Scale podcast, Gosia Gorska is joined by an expert from the Schneider Electric AI Strategy and Innovation team – Julia Peyre. Julia unveils the strategic decision-making process between developing AI solutions in-house versus finding ready-to-use, suitable AI products. What's more, we examine the key criteria to consider when evaluating new AI solutions and the methods that Julia uses to test new AI technologies. As we publish this episode, Julia has been appointed as the Head of AI Strategy and Innovation of Schneider Electric.

What's happening underground in New York City? Gosia Gorska meets Alexander Chia, Engineer from Con Edison, to explore the challenge of detecting faults in underground power system across the area of 700 km². What's at stake? The risk of not finding the fault and not repairing it on time, can put the low voltage grid in a very stressed state, and it can sustain damage that takes weeks or months to repair. Can AI help to find faults more accurately? Listen now to discover the AI project where Alexander joined forces with Schneider Electric's AI experts.

What does it take to create a well-operating AI model? In this episode of the AI at Scale podcast, Gosia Gorska welcomes Manu Sharma, the Founder and CEO of Labelbox, the leading data factory for building next-generation AI. Manu starts with explaining what data labeling is. He highlights the critical role of data labeling in AI development, the evolution of data annotation techniques, and the future of AI technologies. He shares his extensive experience in aerospace engineering, AI research, and entrepreneurship, highlighting how his company supports businesses in aligning and training their AI models through high-quality data labeling. 

In this episode of the AI at Scale podcast, Natalya Philogene, Head of Internal Control at Schneider Electric, describes the Finance Assistant Chatbot, winner of the 2024 Digital Finance Awards by Future of Finance in the Innovation category. Natalya explains how using a finance chatbot transformed the work of her team, and inspired them to drive more innovation. Next, she shares insights about the development of this solution, first reactions, ways to ensure adoption, and achievements. She highlights that collaboration between domain experts and AI experts is the key, and she unveils other conditions that make GenAI solutions work at scale. 

The mission of a non-profit organization AI4All, headed by our guest Emily Reid, is to create the next generation of change makers. In this conversation we tackle the topic of bias – what it is, how it may influence our life when baked into AI applications, and how to mitigate it.  

In this episode of the AI at Scale podcast, Michael Lotfy Gierges, EVP Home and Distribution at Schneider Electric, describes the AI-powered future of homes. He introduces Wiser Home, a home energy management solution that employs predictive algorithms to learn from user habits, real-time weather forecasts, tariff data, and solar production capability.

The fact that AI can be applied in multiple disciplines makes it a powerful technology. Our guest, Sreedhar Sistu, VP Customer Offers at Schneider Electric explains that while AI can create damage when used with wrong intentions, it can also solve critical problems. One of them is growing energy demand - finding solutions to decrease energy consumed in buildings and industry is high on Sreedhar's agenda. 

What does it mean for AI to be ethical? In the AI world, it can be associated with different aspects such as trustworthiness, responsibility, cybersecurity, algorithmic justice, etc. In this episode of the AI at Scale podcast we welcome Mia Shah-Dand, founder of Women in AI Ethics, and CEO of Lighthouse3 to define key aspects of AI ethics and find practical approaches to achieve it. 

Smart watches, smart washing machines, smart homes... what about power systems? Are they also getting smart? In the next episode of the AI at Scale podcast we invite Natasha Nelson, VP, EcoStruxure Power for End User at Schneider Electric to unveil the topic of smart power systems. 

In this episode we welcome Manoj Puthenveetil, Chief Technology Officer at Qmerit - a company that focuses on installation and integration solutions for energy transition technologies. In the show Manoj shares insights on EV's charging trends and how AI helps to unlock access to clean energy.

In this episode we bring questions that customers across market segments are asking today. Ilda Metani, Head of Industry AI Consulting at Schneider Electric, shares insightful stories about creating value from AI. Gosia Gorska, host of the show, asks Ilda how businesses can become more agile and digital driven, how to democratize data and AI internally, and tackle issues like sustainability at the same time. In the second part of the show, Ilda unveils what's the focus area and starting point for businesses that want to use AI at scale. She also gives practical examples from her experience in advising the customers. 

In the fifth episode of the AI at Scale podcast Alex Rykhva, Chief Data Officer at Louis Dreyfus Company, shares insights on how new technology, especially AI, is changing agriculture. Alex explains the evolution of use of technology and data in agriculture, new methods of assessing and predicting yields of different products around the year, and some of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Una Shortt, Chief Data Officer, SVP Data & Performance at Schneider Electric, shares the story about trusted data being the new currency for business. She explains why there is a need to collect and process high-quality data, why not all data holds the same worth, and finally why the type of data is becoming a key differentiator for companies.

Claude Le Pape-Gardeux, Data and AI Domain Leader at Schneider Electric, defines frugality of AI solutions and shares his point of view on the “new energy” demand vs. the current need to be energy efficient. In the show Claude shares with Gosia Gorska, the host of the podcast, useful tactics to measure AI successfully and effectively. The episode's second part is dedicated to the topic of constant improvement of measurement methods and cooperation with academic partners. 

In the second episode, we welcome Allison Sagraves, AI and Data Advisor, Chief AI and Data Officer Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, beekeeper, and forest steward. The main topic of the episode is the discussion about today's search for AI unicorns - not only among start-ups but also C-level executives and AI experts. 

In the first episode Philippe Rambach, Schneider Electric's Chief AI Officer, answers some of the most difficult questions that a Chief AI Officer can receive. He explains when it is necessary to use AI and when not, the sustainable and frugal approach to AI, and finally, talks about three pillars of AI supporting decarbonization and energy savings. Then, in the second part of the show, Philippe shares practical insights for businesses about implementing AI at scale in the company to ensure return on investment and value from AI.