In this milestone 100th episode, we sit down with Daniel Brown, a Microsoft MVP based in Adelaide, to explore how AI is transforming the rugged world of opal mining. Daniel shares the fascinating story of how he developed Opal AI, a computer vision system that uses Microsoft’s Custom Vision and Azure services to identify precious opals in the harsh environment of Coober Pedy. By leveraging AI to detect opal, and safety hazards in real-time, Daniel demonstrates how edge computing can bring tangible efficiency and safety improvements to a traditionally manual industry.
The discussion delves into the practical challenges of deploying AI in the Australian outback, from using black light properties for opal detection to dealing with connectivity limitations that require robust offline edge processing. Daniel explains how he built and refined his models with over 5,000 tagged images, sharing practical advice for others looking to start their own AI projects using tools like customvision.ai with as few as 15 starter images.
Beyond the technical insights, the episode captures the intersection of ancient geology and cutting-edge technology, highlighting how AI can uncover treasures that are over 100 million years old while automating and securing mining operations.
We also celebrate our 100th episode, reflecting on nine years of community-driven conversations, learning, and evolving alongside the cloud ecosystem.
Daniel Brown is a visionary leader and a driving force in the world of Microsoft 365 and Copilot, based in the vibrant city of Adelaide, South Australia. With a passion for empowering individuals and organisations through technology, Daniel has been at the forefront of innovation, helping businesses harness the full potential of Microsoft's suite of productivity and AI tools for over 2 decades.
Daniel's expertise extends across a wide range of Microsoft technologies, with a particular laser type focus for Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365. With his deep understanding of this groundbreaking AI-driven platform, Daniel has helped numerous organizations revolutionize their approach to productivity and collaboration. You can connect with Daniel on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielbrownau/)
Be sure to check out the user groups:
* Adelaide Microsoft Copilot User Group (https://www.linkedin.com/company/adelaidecopilotusergroup)
* Adelaide Microsoft 365 User Group (https://www.linkedin.com/company/am365ug)
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In this milestone 100th episode, we sit down with Daniel Brown, a Microsoft MVP based in Adelaide, to explore how AI is transforming the rugged world of opal mining. Daniel shares the fascinating story of how he developed Opal AI, a computer vision system that uses Microsoft’s Custom Vision and Azure services to identify precious opals in the harsh environment of Coober Pedy. By leveraging AI to detect opal, and safety hazards in real-time, Daniel demonstrates how edge computing can bring tangible efficiency and safety improvements to a traditionally manual industry.
The discussion delves into the practical challenges of deploying AI in the Australian outback, from using black light properties for opal detection to dealing with connectivity limitations that require robust offline edge processing. Daniel explains how he built and refined his models with over 5,000 tagged images, sharing practical advice for others looking to start their own AI projects using tools like customvision.ai with as few as 15 starter images.
Beyond the technical insights, the episode captures the intersection of ancient geology and cutting-edge technology, highlighting how AI can uncover treasures that are over 100 million years old while automating and securing mining operations.
We also celebrate our 100th episode, reflecting on nine years of community-driven conversations, learning, and evolving alongside the cloud ecosystem.
Daniel Brown is a visionary leader and a driving force in the world of Microsoft 365 and Copilot, based in the vibrant city of Adelaide, South Australia. With a passion for empowering individuals and organisations through technology, Daniel has been at the forefront of innovation, helping businesses harness the full potential of Microsoft's suite of productivity and AI tools for over 2 decades.
Daniel's expertise extends across a wide range of Microsoft technologies, with a particular laser type focus for Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365. With his deep understanding of this groundbreaking AI-driven platform, Daniel has helped numerous organizations revolutionize their approach to productivity and collaboration. You can connect with Daniel on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielbrownau/)
Be sure to check out the user groups:
* Adelaide Microsoft Copilot User Group (https://www.linkedin.com/company/adelaidecopilotusergroup)
* Adelaide Microsoft 365 User Group (https://www.linkedin.com/company/am365ug)
At Microsoft Ignite 2024, we sat down with our old friend Anthony Bartolo to discuss the industry’s shift from traditional infrastructure roles to development, a transition heavily influenced by AI and automation.
As companies increasingly adopt "vibe coding" — the trend where developers focus on rapid prototyping and intuition-driven coding rather than rigid syntax — Anthony’s journey is a perfect example of how infrastructure professionals are embracing this new paradigm. He shared his experience moving from network engineering to full-stack development, and how AI tools helped bridge knowledge gaps. This aligns with vibe coding’s emphasis on leveraging AI-assisted development to lower entry barriers, allowing generalists to build functional applications without deep technical expertise. The discussion highlighted how AI is democratizing software creation, empowering both infrastructure specialists and non-traditional coders to build solutions quickly. While AI lowers the barrier to entry, it also raises questions about shallow expertise and long-term sustainability. Are we building real solutions or just stitching together AI-generated snippets with no real understanding?
Be sure to check out the AI Tour (https://aitour.microsoft.com)
A special thanks to the folks from ENow Software (https://www.enowsoftware.com) for helping us out with a location to record this episode.
The Cloud Architects Podcast
In this milestone 100th episode, we sit down with Daniel Brown, a Microsoft MVP based in Adelaide, to explore how AI is transforming the rugged world of opal mining. Daniel shares the fascinating story of how he developed Opal AI, a computer vision system that uses Microsoft’s Custom Vision and Azure services to identify precious opals in the harsh environment of Coober Pedy. By leveraging AI to detect opal, and safety hazards in real-time, Daniel demonstrates how edge computing can bring tangible efficiency and safety improvements to a traditionally manual industry.
The discussion delves into the practical challenges of deploying AI in the Australian outback, from using black light properties for opal detection to dealing with connectivity limitations that require robust offline edge processing. Daniel explains how he built and refined his models with over 5,000 tagged images, sharing practical advice for others looking to start their own AI projects using tools like customvision.ai with as few as 15 starter images.
Beyond the technical insights, the episode captures the intersection of ancient geology and cutting-edge technology, highlighting how AI can uncover treasures that are over 100 million years old while automating and securing mining operations.
We also celebrate our 100th episode, reflecting on nine years of community-driven conversations, learning, and evolving alongside the cloud ecosystem.
Daniel Brown is a visionary leader and a driving force in the world of Microsoft 365 and Copilot, based in the vibrant city of Adelaide, South Australia. With a passion for empowering individuals and organisations through technology, Daniel has been at the forefront of innovation, helping businesses harness the full potential of Microsoft's suite of productivity and AI tools for over 2 decades.
Daniel's expertise extends across a wide range of Microsoft technologies, with a particular laser type focus for Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365. With his deep understanding of this groundbreaking AI-driven platform, Daniel has helped numerous organizations revolutionize their approach to productivity and collaboration. You can connect with Daniel on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielbrownau/)
Be sure to check out the user groups:
* Adelaide Microsoft Copilot User Group (https://www.linkedin.com/company/adelaidecopilotusergroup)
* Adelaide Microsoft 365 User Group (https://www.linkedin.com/company/am365ug)
