The Leadership Growth Podcast

What if AI were the key to innovation inside your company?

Today’s guest suggests that AI puts innovation in the hands of people who aren’t necessarily scientists or programmers.

Travis Hoppe is the former Assistant Director of AI Research and Development at The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He co-authored The Pile, a pioneering open source dataset used for training large language models that served as a catalyst for promoting open science within the field of AI, and he holds a PhD in physics.

In this conversation, Daniel and Travis discuss everything AI–from the basics of machine learning and algorithms to implications for leaders to the most promising applications of AI.

“Now, people can experiment with some really good idea,” Travis says. About 20% of your organization really wants to build stuff. “Oftentimes you just need to bring them together and you need to give them the freedom to do so.”

Tune in to learn:

• Why guardrails in AI innovation are so important
• Why leaders have a unique opportunity to be pioneers right now
• Why you don’t need to fear “the singularity”

Join us for a fascinating conversation about the present–and future–of AI.

In this episode:

1:35 – Introduction: Travis Hoppe

2:53 – What is AI?

9:25 – Algorithms: A Brief Review

13:05 – How Should Leaders Think About AI?

18:40 – AI Guidance for Teams and Businesses

28:00 – AI in Practice

32:40 – Lightning Round

Dr. Travis Hoppe's profiles:

• @metasemantic on X
• LinkedIn
• Google Scholar

The Pile

Memorandum M-24-10 (listed under “Memoranda 2024”)

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Ways to Encourage a Healthy Failure Culture
• The Power of Imagination in Planning
• 7 Ways to Prepare Leaders for Disruption
• 5 Advantages of Becoming a Digitally Literate Change Leader
• 5 Ways to Help Manage Your Team’s Change Exhaustion
• AI-Powered Talent Retention
• Women and AI