What happens when AI stops generating answers and starts deciding what’s true?
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael Berk and Ben Wilson dive into GPT-5’s growing role as an interpreter of information — not just generating text, but analyzing news, assessing credibility, and shaping how we understand truth itself.
They unpack how reasoning capabilities, source reliability, and human feedback intersect to build, or break trust in AI systems. The conversation also examines the ethical stakes of explainability, the dangers of “sycophantic” AI behavior and the future of intelligence in a market-driven ecosystem.
Tune in to Episode 24 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• How GPT-5’s reasoning is redefining “understanding” in AI
• Why explainability is critical for trust and transparency
• The risks of AI echo chambers and feedback bias
• The role of human judgment in AI alignment and evaluation
• What it means for machines to become arbiters of truth
Whether you build, study, or rely on AI systems, this episode will leave you questioning how far we’re willing to let our models think for us.
How to fight complexity creep and build software that stays simple, even as it grows.
Every engineer knows the struggle: a simple system slowly buried under complexity.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael Berk and Ben Wilson break down how complexity creeps into code, dependencies and design. And why simplicity almost always wins. They cover how iteration, testing and mentorship can keep software maintainable. So where Gen AI can (and can’t) help reduce friction?
Tune in to Episode 23 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• Complexity shows up in code, dependencies and design decisions
• Incremental iteration helps map the solution space more effectively
• Testing isn’t just QA, it’s how we preserve maintainability
• Gen AI can simplify coding tasks, but it still needs human oversight
• Mentorship remains one of the best ways to fight chaos in code
If you’ve ever wrestled with “complexity creep,” this one’s for you.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael and Ben draw surprising parallels between military strategy and consulting practice. They break down how principles like competence, trust-building and ethical engagement translate into stronger client relationships and long-term success.
From showing quiet confidence to making clients aware of their pitfalls, the discussion explores how consulting is as much about empathy and communication as it is about analysis. Along the way, they highlight why being “nice” is not a soft skill but a strategic one.
Tune in to Episode 22 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• Why competence and confidence create credibility in client work
• How to earn trust by showing clients their blind spots
• Why ethical guidelines are non-negotiable for lasting relationships
• The role of empathy, communication, and culture in consulting success
If you’ve ever wondered how to approach consulting with both rigor and humanity, this episode is for you.
Passion for the product, not compensation, is what keeps the best engineers engaged.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael and Ben sit down with Aleksandr Patrushev, Head of DevRel at Nebius, to explore the evolving role of Developer Relations and the culture that sustains technical talent. From modernizing hardware in data centers to weighing the trade-offs between self-hosted and managed services, Alexander shares how knowledge sharing, process and passion drive both DevRel and product management.
Tune in to Episode 21 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• Why DevRel is built on knowledge sharing and community impact
• The ongoing challenges of modernizing hardware in cloud + AI systems
• How culture influences technical staff retention and motivation
If you’re interested in the future of cloud + AI services and how culture shapes technology, this episode is for you.
Behind every robust AI system is a solution accelerator that makes complex development smarter.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael and Ben dive into the role of solution accelerators in bridging the gap between production-ready software and simpler resources like blogs or cookbooks. They discuss frameworks vs. tools, the challenges of maintainability and how forward deployed engineers can build reusable components.
Tune in to Episode 20 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• Why solution accelerators streamline development
• How to balance abstraction and usability in frameworks and APIs
• Testing strategies that support quality and extensibility
• Where AI tools like GitHub Copilot fit into modern workflows
If you’re focused on building software that lasts while delivering business value, this episode is for you.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael and Ben explore the evolution of prompt engineering and the rise of auto-optimization in AI. We discuss how agents can execute tasks autonomously, why human oversight remains essential and how defining success criteria shapes model performance.
Tune in to Episode 19 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• Why prompt engineering still matters in an era of automation
• How auto-optimization could replace traditional data annotation
• How AI is augmenting business analytics and software workflows
If you’re interested in where AI agents and automated optimization are heading, click through!
In this episode of Free Form AI, we sit down with Tomu Hirata (Databricks), whose journey from medicine to software engineering offers a unique lens on building AI systems. From automating construction machinery to optimizing job postings at Indeed, Tomu has worked at the edge of AI data collection and model design.
Tune in to Episode 18 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• The challenges of gathering real-world data for AI in construction and beyond
• Why human feedback is critical for prompt optimization
• How context and memory augmentation will shape the future of AI agents
If you’re curious about where AI agents are heading, and what it takes to make them truly effective, this episode is for you.
In this episode of Free Form AI, we go behind the scenes with co-host Ben Wilson to explore how his early experiences in the Navy shaped his approach to engineering, risk, and creativity.
From high-stakes problem solving to the importance of failure-friendly environments, Ben and Michael unpack what it takes to build resilient systems and resilient people. Along the way, they discuss why fundamentals matter, how psychology plays into technical decisions, and why hobbies might be the most underrated engineering tool.
Tune in to Episode 17 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• How high-pressure environments foster innovation
• Why testing and validation are non-negotiables in good engineering
• How hobbies support creative problem-solving
• Why failure (with forgiveness) can unlock new approaches
More than a career story, this episode is a deep dive into how experience shapes intuition. The best engineers don’t just know what works. They know why it works.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael and Ben unpack the GPT-5 release, with a focus on what really matters: fewer hallucinations, smarter reasoning and why traditional benchmarks may no longer cut it.
Tune in as we explore open-source OSS, agentic systems and the growing challenge of evaluating models that might already be outsmarting us.
In this episode of Free Form AI, we sit down with Lara Rachidi and Maria Zervou, two AI professionals whose paths defy the traditional tech blueprint.
Lara began her career in law and economics before pivoting into data science. Maria started at the British Library, digitizing manuscripts and unlocking forgotten datasets. Today, they’re building GenAI systems, leading strategy across regions, and shaping the next chapter of machine learning at OpenAI and beyond.
Tune in to Episode 15 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
•What actually makes a technical career resilient
•Why network-driven learning accelerates growth in AI
•How tools like DSPy are revolutionizing prompt optimization for agentic systems
•What the future of LLMs may look like
More than a career story, this episode is a reminder: some of the most effective voices in tech began outside of it.
If you’re looking to pivot into the AI field and want some role models, this episode’s for you.
In this episode of Free Form AI, we sit down with Puneet Jain, Senior Applied AI Engineer at Databricks, to explore what’s really holding back GenAI from reaching production at scale, and why infrastructure, not intelligence, might be the missing piece.
From toy clustering algorithms to national-scale LLMs in healthcare, we unpack how secure data access, agentic tooling, and long-term system design are reshaping the GenAI landscape. We also discuss what “AI agency” really means.
More importantly, is the road to AGI shorter than we think?
Tune in!
In this episode of Free Form AI, we sit down with Mary Moore-Simmons, VP of Engineering at Kibo (formerly GitHub), to explore how career pivots, leadership, and AI are reshaping engineering.
From drying Kona coffee beans with radiant heat to leading complex orgs at GitHub, Mary shares how curiosity, efficiency, and a bias for action can accelerate your career. We discuss the hidden cost of inefficiency in scaling teams, why “just doing the thing” often opens new doors, and how AI is transforming cost and performance optimization at scale.
In this episode of Free Form AI, we explore how AI coding assistants are reshaping the development workflow. From spotting bugs that slip past human review to writing context-aware tests and reviewing entire PRs, these tools are changing how engineers build software. We break down the “secret sauce” behind how they scan a repo with targeted search commands, keeping context focused and results accurate without overwhelming the model. The conversation also tackles the trade-offs, from productivity gains to the risk of skill decay and what this means for the future of engineering.
In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael sits down with Gino Ferrand, CEO of Tecla, to explore how traditional tech hiring misses the mark, especially when it comes to LATAM engineering talent. We break down flawed “rockstar” hiring, AI-proofing your interview process and what successful onboarding actually looks like in a distributed, GenAI-driven world.
Music: “Intro” by DJ RADIK, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Edited for duration and volume by Free Form AI.
In this episode, Michael and Ben discuss the intricacies of building a video clipping service and recommendation engine. They explore the challenges of defining interesting clips, the importance of feature requirements, and the cold start problem when launching without user data. The conversation delves into tagging and metadata extraction, hierarchical models for recommendations, and the significance of user telemetry data. A/B testing is highlighted as a crucial method for optimizing user experience and recommendations.
In this episode, Michael Berk and Ben Wilson discuss the various levels of a data science career, from internships to senior leadership roles. They explore the expectations, responsibilities, and best practices for each level, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, continuous learning, and maintaining a positive team culture. The conversation provides valuable insights for both aspiring data scientists and seasoned professionals looking to navigate their careers effectively.
In this episode, Michael and Ben speak with Mark Fussell, CEO of Diagrid, about Dapr, a runtime for building distributed applications. Mark shares insights on the challenges of microservices development, the importance of durable workflows, and the actor model. The conversation also touches on API design, the future of AI in software engineering, and how Dapr can accelerate development processes. Mark emphasizes the need for best practices in the rapidly evolving AI landscape and how Dapr aims to provide a robust solution for developers.
In this episode, Michael and Ben explore the world of open source projects in AI, focusing on MLflow and its various flavors. They discuss popular machine learning libraries like Scikit-learn, SparkML, and tree-based algorithms such as XGBoost and LightGBM. The conversation also delves into time series forecasting techniques and the rapidly evolving landscape of generative AI, emphasizing the importance of understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different tools in the open source community.
In this episode, Michael and Ben discuss the challenges of decision-making in software engineering, particularly focusing on the sunk cost fallacy, emotional attachment to work, and the importance of prototyping. They explore how to recognize when to pivot or bail on a project, the complexities of ROI calculations, and how to effectively communicate with stakeholders about project scope and trade-offs. The conversation emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to emotional investment in work, the value of iterative development, and the biases that can affect decision-making.
In this episode, Michael Berk and Ben Johnson discuss the essential traits of effective engineering leadership, the importance of customer-centric software development, and the challenges of integrating AI into business processes. They emphasize the need for clear communication, trust, and vulnerability in leadership, as well as the potential risks and ethical considerations surrounding AI technology. The conversation also touches on the evolving nature of human relationships in the age of AI and the importance of fostering a creative and empowered team culture.
