#264 Jeff Lu: How Akool Uses Gen AI to Make Live AI Avatars & Voices
What if you could translate any video into any language—instantly—and make it look like the speaker was really speaking it? In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with Jeff Liu, founder and CEO of Akool, to explore how AI avatars and real-time video translation are eliminating global language barriers. With a background at Apple, Google, and Stanford, Jeff is leading Akool to the frontier of generative AI: cloning faces, voices, and emotions in live video streams. We dive into the technical architecture behind Akool’s real-time avatars, the role of large language models in translation latency, and what the future looks like when the need to "learn languages" may disappear. Whether you're a content creator, marketer, technologist, or just curious about what’s next in AI and communication, this episode is a must-listen. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Creating Digital Clones with AI (01:20) Jeff Liu’s Journey from Big Tech to Startup Founder (02:54) What Akool Does and Who It's For (07:11) Inside the Live AI Avatar Suite (10:32) How Akool Powers Real-Time AI Avatars (16:05) Solving Language Translation with Avatars (21:40) Translating YouTube Videos with One Click (28:36) The Technology Behind Real-Time Translation (33:22) Competing with Tech Giants Like Google (36:26) Akool's Vision (39:36) Avatar Types: Instant, Studio, and Ultra explained (43:39) Building Emotional Nuance into Voice and Video
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#264 Amr Awadallah: Vectara’s Mission To Make AI Hallucination-Free & Enterprise Ready
AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. What’s stopping large language models from being truly enterprise-ready? In this episode, Vectara CEO and co-founder Amr Awadallah breaks down how his team is solving one of AI’s biggest problems: hallucinations. From his early work at Yahoo and Cloudera to building Vectara, Amr shares his mission to make AI accurate, secure, and explainable. He dives deep into why RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) is essential, how Vectara detects hallucinations in real-time, and why trust and transparency are non-negotiable for AI in business. Whether you're a developer, founder, or enterprise leader, this conversation sheds light on the future of safe, reliable, and production-ready AI. Don’t miss this if you want to understand how AI will really be used at scale. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI
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#263 Jarek Kutylowski: How DeepL Is Using AI to Break Language Barriers
What if language was no longer a barrier to global business? In this episode, DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski joins Craig Smith to unpack how AI-powered translation is reshaping the way companies communicate across borders. From real-time speech tools to enterprise-grade language workflows, Jarek shares DeepL’s journey, the tech behind their LLMs, and why accuracy, nuance, and localization matter more than ever. If you're building for a global audience, this conversation is a must-listen. About Jarek: Dr. Jaroslaw “Jarek” Kutylowski is the founder and CEO of DeepL, the Cologne-based Language AI company transforming global communication and breaking down language barriers for businesses worldwide. Born in Poland and having spent a large part of his life in Germany, Jarek brings an international perspective and a lifelong passion for technology - a developer at heart, he began coding at just 10 years old, building tools he found useful in daily life. He holds a PhD in Computer Science with a focus on mathematics and has held roles at several tech companies prior to founding DeepL. Under his leadership, DeepL has grown rapidly, expanding its Language AI platform to offer highly accurate and nuanced human-like translation in both written and spoken formats, as well as a contextual AI writing assistant. Today, over 200,000 businesses and governments - and millions of individuals across 228 global markets - trust DeepL for secure, seamless and effective communication. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Introduction to DeepL and Jarek’s Vision (05:09) DeepL’s Technology Evolution (08:17) The DeepL Platform: Products, APIs, and Enterprise Use Cases (12:39) Why DeepL Outperforms Consumer Tools (15:14) How Enterprises Use DeepL (17:05) DeepL’s Translation Accuracy (21:20) Breaking Language Barriers in Global Workforces (23:46) A Future Without Language Barriers (27:19) Expanding Language Coverage and Industry Verticals (31:44) DeepL’s Role in High-Compliance Sectors (34:04) Tackling Latency and Real-Time Use Cases (38:38) DeepL as the Translation Engine Behind Other Products (42:40) Partnering with News Media and Government (45:40) Pricing Models and Accessibility (46:24) The Human Impact of AI-Powered Language Tools (49:22) What’s Next for DeepL and Global Communication
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#262 Deepak Chopra: How to Use AI to Expand Human Consciousness
AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. Can AI expand human consciousness? Or is it just a simulation of wisdom? In this mind-bending episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with world-renowned spiritual teacher and author Deepak Chopra to explore the future of Artificial Intelligence, consciousness, health, and spiritual awakening. Deepak unpacks the ideas behind his latest book, Digital Dharma, and shares how his team built a small language model—DeepakChopra.ai—designed to serve as a digital health and spiritual guide. Together, they dive deep into quantum theory, the illusion of the physical world, and why consciousness is not something AI can ever possess—but it can help us reach it. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a spiritual seeker, or simply curious about the future of human evolution, this episode will challenge your assumptions and expand your perspective. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Why Deepak Chopra Is Entering the AI Space (04:05) The Promise and Peril of the AI Revolution (09:47) How Deepak Chopra Built His Own AI Model (13:58) Is AI the Future of Human Evolution? (15:39) How the AI Landscape Has Evolved Over Time (21:22) AI in Preventative Healthcare (24:49) Key Insights from “Digital Dharma” (25:40) Using Prompt Engineering for Inner Growth (38:28) Exploring Human Potential Through AI (43:16) Can AI Understand Human Emotions? (47:00) Spiritual Awakening in the Age of AI (50:54) The Future of AI and Consciousness
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#261 Jonathan Frankle: How Databricks is Disrupting AI Model Training
This episode is sponsored by Oracle. OCI is the next-generation cloud designed for every workload – where you can run any application, including any AI projects, faster and more securely for less. On average, OCI costs 50% less for compute, 70% less for storage, and 80% less for networking. Join Modal, Skydance Animation, and today’s innovative AI tech companies who upgraded to OCI…and saved. Try OCI for free at http://oracle.com/eyeonai What if you could fine-tune an AI model without any labeled data—and still outperform traditional training methods? In this episode of Eye on AI, we sit down with Jonathan Frankle, Chief Scientist at Databricks and co-founder of MosaicML, to explore TAO (Test-time Adaptive Optimization)—Databricks’ breakthrough tuning method that’s transforming how enterprises build and scale large language models (LLMs). Jonathan explains how TAO uses reinforcement learning and synthetic data to train models without the need for expensive, time-consuming annotation. We dive into how TAO compares to supervised fine-tuning, why Databricks built their own reward model (DBRM), and how this system allows for continual improvement, lower inference costs, and faster enterprise AI deployment. Whether you're an AI researcher, enterprise leader, or someone curious about the future of model customization, this episode will change how you think about training and deploying AI. Explore the latest breakthroughs in data and AI from Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/events/dataaisummit-2025-announcements Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI
Eye on A.I. is a biweekly podcast, hosted by longtime New York Times correspondent Craig S. Smith. In each episode, Craig will talk to people making a difference in artificial intelligence. The podcast aims to put incremental advances into a broader context and consider the global implications of the developing technology. AI is about to change your world, so pay attention.
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