The Inference

The Inference is VKTR's podcast for enterprise AI practitioners and leaders who need more than headlines. Each episode delivers practical insight on agentic AI, AI platforms, ethics, risk, and the business decisions shaping the AI era. Produced by Simpler Media Group.

The Inference is a technology podcast hosted by Michelle Hawley, with 5 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Michelle Hawley hosts The Inference, a technology show with 5 episodes published.

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  Episode #5

  A Pocket Full of Genius, a Head Full of Nothing

  Sep 16, 202632 minS1

  In this episode of The Inference, host Michelle Hawley is joined by Tim Cook, who researches what happens when we outsource our thinking to machines and writes Psychology Today's Algorithmic Mind column, and Dr. Matt Stroud, Chief Scientific Officer at a stealth-mode AI startup and author of "Digital Liberty." The conversation centers on a question most companies aren't asking: is AI making employees more productive or just making their work look better? The trio unpacks a new study on AI-assisted coders, the difference between driving AI as a tool vs rubber-stamping its output and why measuring productivity without measuring comprehension is a trap.

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  Episode #4

  The AUE Framework: How Lenovo Measures Real AI Adoption

  Aug 19, 202619 minS1

  <p>In this episode of The Inference, host Michelle Hawley sits down with Rakshit Ghura, VP and General Manager of Digital Workplace Solutions at Lenovo, to explore why so many enterprises are stuck in the AI experimentation phase and what it takes to move beyond it. Rakshit makes the case for what he calls "cognitive enterprise transformation" — embedding intelligence directly into workflows rather than treating AI as a standalone technology layer — and offers practical guidance on where leaders should start.</p> <p>Rakshit breaks down the biggest barriers holding organizations back, from data silos and process complexity to rising cybersecurity conc...

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  Episode #3

  No One Dies (and Other Rules for Trusting AI With Your Business)

  Jul 22, 202628 minS1

  In this episode of The Inference, Paul Curtis, CTO and Ecommerce Director at easyJet, joins host Michelle Hawley to discuss what it actually takes to move AI from a proof of concept into production inside one of Europe's largest airlines. Drawing on easyJet's experience running over 150 POCs, Curtis shares how the company has narrowed its focus to AI use cases that deliver measurable value, from empathy-aware customer service bots to hyper-personalized holiday content tailored down to the individual. The conversation covers how composable architecture and MCP adoption have become essential prerequisites for agentic AI, why total cost of ownership is the question most executives are still avoiding and how the build-vs-buy calculus is shifting as SaaS products lose ground to custom AI solutions.

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  Episode #3

  No One Dies (and Other Rules for Trusting AI With Your Business)

  Jul 22, 202628 minS1

  <p>In this episode of The Inference, Paul Curtis, CTO and Ecommerce Director at easyJet, joins host Michelle Hawley to discuss what it actually takes to move AI from a proof of concept into production inside one of Europe's largest airlines.</p> <p>Drawing on easyJet's experience running over 150 POCs, Curtis shares how the company has narrowed its focus to AI use cases that deliver measurable value, from empathy-aware customer service bots to hyper-personalized holiday content tailored down to the individual. The conversation covers how composable architecture and MCP adoption have become essential prerequisites for agentic AI, why total cost...

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #2

  Bad Bots, Big Bills and the AI Scaling Problem

  Jun 17, 202620 minS1

  <p>Shri Nandan, VP of AI Products and Experiences at Comcast, joins host Michelle Hawley to discuss what it actually takes to build and scale AI inside one of the largest enterprises in the country.</p> <p>Nandan shares how her team uses agentic frameworks, customer data platforms and cross-functional alignment to drive AI strategy at Comcast. The conversation covers the real costs of scaling AI beyond the pilot stage, how to prioritize ideas using a revenue-cost-KPI-resource framework and why governance has become the most complex part of the job. Nandan also explores where AI delivers the clearest value in...

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