VUX World

From IVRs to multimodal AI experiences, the hardest problems are rarely technical.

In this episode, we dive into the evolving landscape of conversational AI and enterprise automation with Anne Cantera, Senior Product Designer at Optimum. With extensive experience in transforming traditional IVR systems into conversational interfaces, Anne shares valuable insights on the practical implementation of AI in customer service environments.

We explore the concept of 'hybrid architecture' in AI implementation, discussing how combining rule-based automation with generative AI often provides the optimal solution for enterprise needs. Anne explains how her team strategically deploys generative AI in low-risk scenarios while maintaining deterministic approaches where precision is critical, particularly in their recently launched NLU routing system.

The conversation also covers the importance of customer-centric design in AI implementations, with Anne emphasising that the ultimate goal should be making experiences simpler for customers rather than focusing solely on containment metrics. We discuss how different industries approach AI adoption based on their risk profiles and how businesses are navigating the challenges of integrating new technologies with legacy systems.

Show notes
Follow Anne on LinkedIn
Follow Kane Simms on LinkedIn
Take our updated AI Maturity Assessment
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AI has moved from pilot projects to boardroom urgency. Companies feel the pressure to act, hire, and keep up. Many start with tools or chase a single unicorn hire. Chris Morrow, Founder of Digitalent, explains why this approach fails and why the real battle is for people who can drive transformation, culture change and long-term value.

In this episode, Chris draws on two decades of experience in tech recruitment and his work with VC-backed startups, global enterprises, and governments. He breaks down why AI hiring is unlike any previous talent cycle. Roles are ill-defined, expectations are inflated, and the best candidates command eye-watering compensation, especially in the US. He describes the AI talent market as an arms race, with startups, big tech and even nations competing for the same small pool of elite engineers and researchers.

The conversation goes beyond salaries and job titles. Chris shares what AI-ready companies do differently, why small proof-point projects matter more than grand 18-month programmes and how misuse of AI can kill belief internally before value is ever realised.

The episode also explores the global picture. The US surge in AI investment and talent density. The UK experiences brain drain and risk-averse capital. Australia’s early-stage market. Chris offers a blunt assessment of government readiness, education systems and why countries that fail to treat AI as a productivity and talent priority will fall behind.

This is the ultimate episode on the AI talent war, covering what companies should fix before hiring, which roles actually matter, how the best teams are built, and why the next decade will reward organisations that treat AI as a people-and-change challenge first and a technology problem second.

Show notes
Check out Digitalent: https://digitalent.agency
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismorrow/
Discover UKAI: https://ukai.co/

Follow Kane Simms on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanesimms
Take our updated AI Maturity Assessment: https://vuxworld.typeform.com/to/a26bf9Rr?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=vuxconsulting25
Subscribe to VUX World: https://vuxworld.typeform.com/to/Qlo5aaeW
Subscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/kanesimms
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Cars are becoming one of the most competitive frontiers in AI, and most people don’t realise how complex it really is.

In this episode, we’re joined by BalaKrishna Kolluru, Senior Director of AI at Cerence, the company powering conversational AI in over 500 million vehicles worldwide. With over 25 years of experience in machine learning and speech recognition, Bala brings deep insights into how generative AI is transforming the in-vehicle experience.

We explore how voice AI in vehicles has evolved from basic command-and-control systems to sophisticated conversational interfaces powered by hybrid cloud-edge architectures. Bala explains how Cerence's technology serves around 80 car manufacturers globally, and how their agentic AI approach enables seamless integration with external systems while maintaining functionality even without cloud connectivity.

We address the technical challenges of implementing voice AI in vehicles, from microphone placement to processing capabilities, and explain how Cerence collaborates closely with manufacturers to create systems that minimise cognitive load while keeping drivers connected and safe. We also discuss how generative AI has expanded the capabilities of in-car assistants, enabling more natural, contextual interactions that can anticipate user needs.

Show notes
Discover more about Cerence AI
Connect with Bala on LinkedIn

Follow Kane Simms on LinkedIn
Take our updated AI Maturity Assessment
Subscribe to VUX World
Subscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack
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What does it really take to build AI that can resolve customer support at scale reliably, safely, and with measurable business impact?

We explore how Intercom has evolved from a traditional customer support platform into an AI-first company, with its AI assistant, Fin, now resolving 65% of customer queries without human intervention. Intercom's Chief AI Officer, Fergal Reid, discusses the company's journey from natural language understanding (NLU) systems to their current retrieval augmented generation (RAG) approach, explaining how they've optimised every component of their AI pipeline with custom-built models.

The conversation covers Intercom's unique approach to AI product development, emphasising standardisation and continuous improvement rather than customisation for individual clients. Fergal explains their outcome-based pricing model, where clients pay for successful resolutions rather than conversations, and how this aligns incentives across the business.

We also discuss Intercom's approach to agentic AI, which enables their systems to perform complex, multi-step tasks, such as processing refunds, by integrating with various APIs. Fergal shares insights on testing methodologies, the balance between customisation and standardisation, and the challenges of building AI products in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Finally, Fergal shares what excites and honestly freaks him out a bit about where AI is heading next.

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
02:31 - Welcome to Fergal Reid
05:26 - How to train an NLU solution effectively?
08:56 - What gen AI changed for Intercom
10:57 - How would you describe Fin?
14:30 - Fin’s performance increase
17:18 - Intercom’s custom models
22:14 - Large Language Models vs Small Language Models
30:40 - RAG and 'the full stop problem'
40:08 - Agentic AI capabilities at Intercom
50:40 - Intercom’s approach to testing
1:04:46 - About the most exciting things in the AI space

Show notes
Learn more about Intercom
Connect with Fergal Reid on LinkedIn

Follow Kane Simms on LinkedIn
Article - The full stop problem: RAG’s biggest limitation
Take our updated AI Maturity Assessment
Subscribe to VUX World
Subscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack
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In this episode, Joe Kim, the new CEO of DRUID AI, unpacks what might be the biggest shift in technology since the internet.

We discuss the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and its growing impact on businesses. Joe, who has been in his role for 70 days, brings fresh perspectives on how DRUID AI positioned itself as a workflow automation platform years before the market caught up, a bet that's now paying off as companies move beyond AI experimentation into real implementation.

The discussion covers the current state of the AI market, including the challenges of customer adoption, why some customers actively prefer interacting with AI over humans, and the importance of maintaining a balance between generative and agentic AI.

Joe also shares his vision of AI as the next major distribution platform. Just as Amazon has tried to make Alexa the operating system of our lives, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and similar platforms could become the primary gateway to accessing services in the future.

Chapters
00:00 - Meet Joe Kim
00:33 - Celebrating 70 days at DRUID AI
01:35 - What attracted Joe to DRUID
03:06 - The real value of AI
06:43 - What Joe learnt about the market
11:19 - The AI God Box for enterprises
14:08 - The state of the AI market
20:29 - Why you should learn about AI as much as you can
23:47 - Generative AI adoption among enterprises
27:36 - The concept of agent washing
36:05 - Is AI bigger than the internet?
39:11 - ChatGPT as the new distribution platform
48:52 - Will chatbots replace websites and apps?
50:31 - The next 6–12 months for DRUID AI
56:59 - The biggest AI ultimatum facing businesses today
1:01:29 - AI replacing people is not growth
1:05:33 - The systems of record at enterprises and LLMs
1:08:46 - The future of AI automation
1:14:13 - LLMs could replace apps

Show notes
Find out more about DRUID AI
Follow Joe Kim on LinkedIn
Sign up for our webinar: How to run AI like your business depends on it

Follow Kane Simms on LinkedIn
Take our updated AI Maturity Assessment
Subscribe to VUX World
Subscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.