An expert overview of post-training techniques for language models, covering the entire workflow from data generation and curation to advanced algorithms like Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT), Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), and Reinforcement Learning (RL), along with practical advice on evaluation and iteration.
This talk introduces Anaximander, a system designed to bridge the gap between traditional, GUI-driven Geographic Information System (GIS) workflows and modern, code-heavy machine learning practices. Anaximander integrates geospatial foundation models directly into QGIS, allowing experts to interactively orchestrate, run, and evaluate models for tasks like semantic segmentation and object detection on satellite imagery.
At Applied Compute, efficient Reinforcement Learning is critical for delivering business value. This talk explores the transition from inefficient synchronous RL to a high-throughput asynchronous 'Pipeline RL' system. The core challenge is managing 'staleness'—a side effect of in-flight weight updates that can destabilize training. The speakers detail their first-principles systems model, based on the Roofline model, used to simulate and find the optimal allocation of GPU resources between sampling and training, balancing throughput with algorithmic stability and achieving significant speedups.
Thomas Wolf, co-founder of Hugging Face, discusses his journey from physics to AI, the power of open-source models to accelerate innovation, the practical challenges of productionalizing AI demos, and why the biggest opportunities for founders now lie in the application layer on top of powerful foundation models.
Daren Fields, Co-Founder & CEO of Virtual Select, discusses the future of manufacturing, emphasizing the role of AI as a tool for human augmentation, not replacement. He explores how to modernize manufacturing by combining a carbon-based workforce with silicon-based systems to prevent defects, reduce costs, and de-risk execution.
The panel discusses Anthropic's Claude Cowork and the challenge of user trust in AI agents for everyday tasks. They then analyze the Apple-Google partnership to integrate Gemini into Siri, debating its implications for edge AI, privacy, and hardware limitations. Finally, they explore Linus Torvalds' use of AI for "vibe coding," considering its impact on hobbyist programming and entrepreneurship versus the current limitations in producing production-ready software.
Jeff Crume and Patrick Fussell from IBM's X-Force team share a real-world ethical hacking war story, demonstrating an attack from an 'assume breach' perspective. They break down how vulnerabilities in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and legacy systems can lead to a full compromise, starting from an insider threat and escalating to domain administrator privileges through advanced C2 attacks and lateral movement.
Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, shares his unconventional journey and leadership philosophy. He provides a masterclass in building a multi-platform company through strategic M&A, explains why founders should sometimes ignore customers, and reveals how to lead with conviction while managing imposter syndrome.
Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, shares the product frameworks and leadership principles that guided his success. He delves into concepts like "utility curves" for feature investment, the "owner's delusion" in product design, and why focusing on "comprehension" is often more important than reducing friction. He also introduces powerful mental models for organizational effectiveness, such as combating "hyper-realistic work-like activities" and applying Parkinson's Law to team growth.
Authors James Phoenix and Mike Taylor discuss the evolution of prompt engineering from a creative art to a rigorous engineering discipline. They cover the core principles of prompting, the importance of programmatic evaluation, the role of agents, and how to manage application lifecycles as models evolve.
Experts discuss the dual role of AI in education as a 'cognitive gym,' the shift from UX to Agentic Experience (AX) in software design, AI's application in historical research for decoding ancient texts, and the latest findings from the 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report on AI-driven attacks and defenses.
Anthropic executives and financial industry leaders from S&P Global, Deloitte, DE Shaw, HG Capital, New York Life, and the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund discuss the future of AI in finance and announce Claude for Financial Analysis, a unified intelligence layer designed to transform professional workflows.
A deep dive into the challenges of building production-grade, low-latency voice AI agents, and how the open-source, vendor-neutral framework Pipecat provides a comprehensive solution for development, deployment, and scaling. Learn about voice AI architecture, the trade-offs between speech-to-speech and text-based models, and practical deployment strategies.
Dr. Laschowski discusses his lab's research in computational neuroscience, focusing on three core areas: reverse-engineering human motor control using reinforcement and optimal control models, developing high-accuracy neural decoding algorithms for brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), and creating brain-inspired deep learning models for computer vision. The talk highlights a long-term vision of discovering the fundamental principles of intelligence to build more efficient and robust AI.
In a presentation from Code w/ Claude, AWS advocates Du'An Lightfoot, Suman Debnath, and Banjo Obayami introduce Strands, a new open-source Python SDK for building AI agentic applications on AWS. They showcase how Strands simplifies development by focusing on three core components—models, tools, and prompts—and leverages the full reasoning power of foundation models like Claude 3.5 on Amazon Bedrock. The session includes live demos on creating a multi-tool weather agent, integrating with Modular Connected Protocol (MCP) servers for AWS documentation and diagram generation, and using Claude Code to auto-generate a complete Strands agent for AWS CDK.
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