In this episode, Keith sits down with an AI infrastructure leader to unpack what is really happening behind the current AI boom. While most conversations focus on models and hype, this discussion goes deeper into the engineering realities of building reliable AI systems at scale. The conversation explores why observability, telemetry, debugging, and system architecture are becoming critical as enterprises move from experimentation to production AI. They also discuss why terms like “agentic AI” are often misunderstood, why many AI projects end up being rebuilt from scratch, and why the future competitive advantage may come from the tooling built around models rather than the models themselves. Topics covered include: * Why most AI systems fail due to poor observability * The real engineering challenges behind enterprise AI * Why “agentic AI” may be the industry’s most overused term * The shift toward commoditized foundation models * Why telemetry and debugging will define reliable AI systems * The underrated founder skill of ignoring distractions * What the AI stack could look like by 2028 This episode is a practical conversation about the difference between AI demos and real AI infrastructure. Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/ Connect with Greg Whalen: * Website: https://prove.ai/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-m-whalen * Discord Server (Multi-Agent Systems Engineering Group) - https://discord.gg/sXpr2Hh Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 * Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ * Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: sponsorships@wherewithstudio.com #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #MachineLearning #SoftwareEngineering #AIInfrastructure #StartupGrowth #Leadership #FounderMindset #TechLeadership