In this episode of The DATA SECRETS Podcast, I sit down with Sairam Sundaresan, Engineering Leader and AI expert, formerly at Qualcomm and Intel. We dig into the real-world data challenges and surprising insights behind building safe, scalable AI systems for autonomous cars and how those lessons translate to any business using data to unlock value.
Sai pulls back the curtain on:
- How teams structure and collaborate to create reliable perception for vehicles
- The complexity of collecting, cleaning, and curating diverse, real-world data (e.g., snowstorms in Colorado vs. perfect San Francisco weather)
- What happens when the data tells you something completely counterintuitive, and how unexpected “secrets” hide in machine learning models
- A real business case where fixing tiny data details meant huge leaps in product success
- The horror story of a “data leak” between training and validation sets and what it teaches about trusting your models in production
- Why accuracy is an overrated metric, and what KPIs actually drive value and curiosity on high-performing teams
- How AI is changing the role (but not the importance) of data analysts in business
- Practical advice for anyone looking to upskill and leverage AI in their data workflows, starting with hands-on projects and tool experimentation
Whether you’re an engineer, data analyst, or business leader, Sai’s stories and advice reveal what it really takes to turn messy, real-world data into business impact. Plus, get a sneak peek at his upcoming book, AI for the Rest of Us, designed to bridge the gap between technical teams and business strategy.
Chapters:
00:00 Understanding Machines and Humans
03:16 Autonomous Driving Software Development
09:13 From Toy Data to Real Insights
10:50 Unexpected Model Bias Lying in the Shadows
14:16 Early Depth Camera Scanning Challenges
17:18 Data Leak Derails Model Performance
20:56 AI Explained for Non-Experts
25:08 Vanity Metrics in Accuracy
27:26 User Behavior Insights
31:12 Evolving Role of Data Analysts
33:08 Master AI Through Practice
36:12 Using AI to Solve Problems
Connect with Sairam:
🔗 Gradient Ascent Newsletter: https://newsletter.artofsaience.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sairam-sundaresan/
📖 Order Sai's Book: 'AI for the Rest of Us'
If you want a ringside seat on how business leaders crack the code, uncover the truth in their data, and translate insights into action, this is one episode you don’t want to miss.
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