The Decision Intelligence Lab

In this episode, Mike & Vijay sit down with Peter Cacioppi, Principal Operations Research Scientist at Decision Spot to dive into the intersection of model building and production software development. Peter shares insights on the tools he's developed, the role of Python in the Gurobi ecosystem, and the transformative impact of LLMs on software development workflows, particularly in real-t...

In this episode of the Decision Intelligence Lab podcast, host Vijay Mehrotra and co-host Michael Watson engage with Zahir Balaporia, an expert in analytics and decision-making. They explore the concepts of the 'last mile' and 'extra mile', and the politics of analytics. Zahir also shares real-world examples of how organizational dynamics can impact the success of analytics initiatives. The conver...

In this episode of the Decision Intelligence Lab podcast, Ganesh Ramakrishna joins our hosts Vijay & Mike to share his journey from co-founding Opex Analytics to launching Lyric. He discusses the challenges of building a software company, the importance of fundraising with scaled ambitions, and the critical role of product-market fit. Ganesh emphasizes the need for an AI-first mindset in suppl...

In this podcast episode, Michael Watson & Vijay Mehrotra interviews Harley Davis, Founder and CEO of Athena Decision Systems. They discuss the rise of generative AI and its integration with business rules, emphasizing the importance of reliable decision-making in mission-critical applications. Harley explains the limitations of LLMs, referring to them as 'stochastic parrots,' and highlights th...

We live in a world filled where our lives and livelihoods increasingly depend on complex systems.  In this episode, Professor Laura Albert from the University of Wisconsin discusses a recent paper on the “ Grand Challenges in Industrial and Systems Engineering ” and offers some suggestions on how educational programs must evolve in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview &amp...

In this episode’ of the Decision Intelligence Lab podcast we have Doug Gray, Director of Data Science at Walmart Global Tech and co-author of Why Data Science Project Fail. Whether you are a business leader trying to capture value from your analytic investments, a practicing data scientist, or a student in a technical field aspiring to bring your skills to solve real world problems, this episode w...

In the first episode of the Decision Intelligence Lab podcast, hosts Vijay Mehrotra and Michael Watson interview Dr. Irv Lustig from Princeton Consultants about the Princeton 20, a framework for identifying and mitigating AI and Optimization project risks. This evaluation framework includes both business and technical factors, and is a valuable methodology for project discovery, effective selling,...

The Decision Intelligence Lab podcast explores the practical challenges of implementing data science, analytics, and AI projects, shining a light on many diverse links in the information value chain that transform raw data into real business outcomes.  Each episode features conversations with leaders from technology firms, consultancies, enterprise data science teams, and academia. Hosted by Profe...