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/
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34:40
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/
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51:02
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/
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35:32
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
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51:51
Leading in the Age of AI with Dr. Maya Dillion
As AI becomes a regular topic in boardrooms, many executives face critical blind spots around strategy, governance, and implementation. Few are AI-native, and many struggle to connect high-level goals with practical, accountable systems.
In this episode of The AI Forecast, host Paul Muller speaks with Dr. Maya Dillon, an astrophysicist turned AI thought leader and CEO of consultancy XSAIA. Maya emphasizes the need for human-centric leadership in AI and the importance of understanding the holistic impact of AI on businesses.
Listen in as they explore Maya's unique journey from the world of astrophysics to AI leadership, discussing the importance of co-creation in AI, the intersection of science and business, and the challenges organizations face in implementing AI effectively.
Stay in touch with Dr. Maya Dillion on LinkedIn.
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About The AI Forecast: Data and AI in the Cloud Era
The introduction of the first computer. The boom of the dotcom renaissance. Now, the dawn of AI. The throughline across each of these momentous inflections in our digital lives has been data. But the presence of data doesn’t mean immediate insights and results. It’s the architectures and systems in place that determine the true value—and trust—of data. In this podcast by Cloudera, The AI Forecast: Data and AI in the Cloud Era explores the past, present, and future of enterprise AI with today’s leading companies and industry experts. You don’t want to miss this.
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