Practical AI

In this start-of-year FC episode, Chris and Daniel break down what really mattered in AI in 2025, and what to expect in 2026. They explore the rise of AI agents, the practical reality of multimodal AI, and how reasoning models are reshaping workflows. The conversation dives into infrastructure and energy constraints, the continued value of predictive models, and why orchestration (not just better models) is becoming the defining skill for AI teams. The episode wraps with grounded 2026 predictions on where AI systems, tooling, and builders are headed next.
Featuring:
Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X
Sponsor:
Framer - The enterprise-grade website builder that lets your team ship faster. Get 30% off at framer.com/practicalai
Upcoming Events: 
Register for upcoming webinars here!

As AI reshapes the workplace, employees and leaders face questions about meaningful work, automation, and human impact. In this episode, Jason Beutler, CEO of RoboSource, shares how companies can rethink workflows, integrate AI in accessible ways, and empower employees without fear. The discussion covers leveraging AI to handle routine tasks (SOPs or "plays") and reimagining work for smarter, more human-centered outcomes.
Featuring:
Jason Beutler – LinkedIn
Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X
Sponsor:
Framer – Design and publish without limits with Framer, the free all-in-one design platform. Unlimited projects, no tool switching, and professional sites—no Figma imports or HTML hassles required. Start creating for free at framer.com/design with code `PRACTICALAI` for a free month of Framer Pro.
Upcoming Events: 
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Chris and Daniel talk with returning guest, Ramin Mohammadi, about how those seeking to get into AI Engineer/ Data Science jobs are expected to come in a mid level engineers (not entry level). They explore this growing gap along with what should (or could) be done in academia to focus on real world skills vs. theoretical knowledge. 
Featuring:
Ramin Mohammadi – LinkedIn
Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X
Sponsors:
Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai
Upcoming Events: 
Register for upcoming webinars here!

Chris and Daniel unpack how AI-driven document processing has rapidly evolved well beyond traditional OCR with many technical advances that fly under the radar. They explore the progression from document structure models to language-vision models, all the way to the newest innovations like Deepseek-OCR. The discussion highlights the pros and cons of these various approaches focusing on practical implementation and usage.
Featuring:
Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X
Sponsors:
Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai
Fabi.ai - The all-in-one data analysis platform for modern teams. From ad hoc queries to advanced analytics, Fabi lets you explore data wherever it lives—spreadsheets, Postgres, Snowflake, Airtable and more. Built-in Python and AI assistance help you move fast, then publish interactive dashboards or automate insights delivered straight to Slack, email, spreadsheets or wherever you need to share it. Learn more and get started for free at fabi.ai
Framer – Design and publish without limits with Framer, the free all-in-one design platform. Unlimited projects, no tool switching, and professional sites—no Figma imports or HTML hassles required. Start creating for free at framer.com/design with code `PRACTICALAI` for a free month of Framer Pro.
Upcoming Events: 
Register for upcoming webinars here!

This episode is a special crossover between the Practical AI podcast and The Changelog podcast. Chris was recently invited by longtime friends Jerod Santo and Adam Stacoviak, cohosts of The Changelog, to join them on the show. They discuss AI, drones, robotics, swarming technology, and the rise of high-performance edge computing with Rust.  Chris points out that open source software, small AI models, and affordable hardware are making home automation and local AI accessible to everyone. From automating household functions to experimenting with drones and single-board computers, Chris describes how hands-on maker projects are shaping a bright future for physical AI, on small budgets and right from the comfort of your own home.
Featuring: 
Jerod Santo – LinkedIn
Adam Stacoviak – LinkedIn
Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X
Sponsors: 
Miro – Get the right things done faster with Miro's Innovation Workspace. AI Sidekicks, instant insights, and rapid prototyping—transform weeks of work into days. No more scattered docs or endless meetings. Help your teams get great done at Miro.com.
Shopify – The commerce platform trusted by millions. From idea to checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to launch and scale your business—no matter your level of experience. Build beautiful storefronts, market with built-in AI tools, and tap into the platform powering 10% of all U.S. eCommerce. Start your one-dollar trial at shopify.com/practicalai
Upcoming Events: 
Register for upcoming webinars here!

This week we have extended show notes below from Chris!
Swarming & Fully Autonomous Multi-Agent UxV Systems
Chris’s Definition of Swarming (anchor link in show notes)
Chris’s definition of Swarming
“Swarming occurs when numerous independent fully-autonomous multi-agentic platforms exhibit highly-coordinated locomotive and emergent behaviors with agency and self-governance in any domain (air, ground, sea, undersea, space), functioning as a single independent logical distributed decentralized decisioning entity for purposes of C3 (command, control, communications) with human operators on-the-loop, to implement actions that achieve strategic, tactical, or operational effects in the furtherance of a mission.”
© 2025 Chris BensonConceptual Foundations
Swarm Robotics – Wikipedia
High-level overview of swarm robotics as decentralized robot collectives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_robotics
Swarm Robotic Platforms – Wikipedia
Survey of hardware platforms used in swarm robotics research.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_robotic_platforms
Swarm Intelligence – Wikipedia
Broader algorithms and theory behind collective intelligence (beyond robots).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_intelligence
Ant Robotics – Wikipedia
Nature-inspired “ant-like” robotics as a special case of swarm robotics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_robotics
Open Research & Multi-Robot Resources (Stepping-Stones Toward True Swarms)
Programming Multiple Robots with ROS 2 (online book)
Free book on multi-robot systems, ROS 2, and the Robot Middleware Framework (RMF).
https://osrf.github.io/ros2multirobotbook
Simulation with ROS 2 & Gazebo (ROS 2 Humble tutorial)
Official tutorial on connecting ROS 2 to Gazebo simulation.
https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Tutorials/Advanced/Simulators/Gazebo/Gazebo.html
Spawning Multiple Robots in Gazebo with ROS 2
Hands-on tutorial to launch N robots in Gazebo, each with its own namespace.
https://www.theconstruct.ai/spawning-multiple-robots-in-gazebo-with-ros2
ROS 2 Multi-Robot Simulation Best Practices (Discourse thread)
Discussion of patterns for multi-robot systems (domains, namespaces, Nav2, etc.).
https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/multi-robot-simulation-best-practices/38987
Getting Hands-On: Consumer Robotics, ROS 2 & Gazebo
ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2)
Official ROS 2 Documentation – Humble (LTS)
Main docs for ROS 2 Humble (recommended distro) with tutorials and APIs.
https://docs.ros.org/en/humble
ROS 2 Installation Guide (Humble)
Step-by-step install on supported platforms.
https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Installation.html
“From Zero to Robotics Hero: A Beginner’s Guide to ROS 2” (article)
Beginner-friendly overview with ideas for where to go next (MoveIt, Nav2, multi-robot, etc.).
https://riyagoja.medium.com/from-zero-to-robotics-hero-a-beginners-guide-to-ros-2-90ac9c3b87ba
ROS 2 Tutorial for Beginners (2025 guide)
Up-to-date intro that walks you from install to simulating your first robot in 2025.
https://www.timesofexplore.com/2025/10/ros2-tutorial-beginners-build-first-robot-2025.html
Gazebo Simulation
Gazebo Sim – Official Site
Modern Gazebo (Ignition) simulator; models, worlds, and docs.
https://gazebosim.org
Getting Started with Gazebo (Docs)
Official “start here” guide for using Gazebo and Gazebo Fuel assets.
https://gazebosim.org/docs/latest/getstarted
Classic Gazebo Tutorials (still useful for fundamentals)
https://classic.gazebosim.org/tutorials
micro-ROS (ROS 2 on Microcontrollers)
micro-ROS – ROS 2 for Microcontrollers
Official site for running ROS 2 on tiny embedded boards.
https://micro.ros.org
micro-ROS GitHub Organization
Repositories, examples, and tutor...