The AI in Business Podcast

Today's guest is David Carmona, Vice President of Discovery & Quantum at Microsoft. David leads work at the intersection of AI, scientific discovery, and advanced computing, with a focus on scaling research innovation in complex, regulated environments. David joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how enterprise leaders should think about AI's role in transforming R&D beyond productivity gains—toward net-new discovery, augmented scientific reasoning, and structurally different innovation workflows. The conversation explores why R&D represents one of the highest-impact domains for AI adoption, and how coordinated systems of specialized models and agents are reshaping the scientific method itself. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast! If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show! Watch Matthew and David's conversation on our new YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@EmerjAIResearch.

Today's guest is Ylan Kazi, Chief Data and AI Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. Ylan joins Emerj Client Narrative & Content Strategy Lead Nick Gertsch to explore balancing AI innovation with risk governance in regulated healthcare sectors. Ylan also shares practical takeaways like forming cross-functional teams for realistic policy development, applying an AI Hippocratic Oath by starting with low-risk use cases to refine processes, and leveraging AI to improve patient experiences through lab result explanations and wait time predictions. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Today's guests are Daniel Lidar, Holder of the Viterbi Professorship of Engineering at USC, Director of the USC Center for Quantum Information Science & Technology, co-founder and CSO of Quantum Elements, Inc., and Izhar Medalsy, Co-founder and CEO of Quantum Elements. Quantum Elements develops tools to reduce noise in quantum computers for scalable performance. Daniel and Izhar join Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to explore why quantum computing is entering enterprise strategy now, explaining qubits, quantum simulation, and practical applications beyond hype. Daniel and Izhar also share practical takeaways like quantum simulation for accurate materials and drug design, optimization for financial portfolios, post-quantum encryption for data centers, and assessing business impact by identifying problems quantum solves today. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Today's guest is Nina Edwards, Vice President of Emerging Technology and Innovation at Prudential Insurance. With decades of experience driving strategy, innovation, and AI-enabled growth at leading financial and consulting firms, Nina brings deep expertise in applied intelligence and emerging technology. Nina joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how enterprises can adopt AI safely and effectively, balancing innovation with compliance while mitigating data and copyright risks. She also shares practical takeaways, including implementing instrumented sandboxes, structured licensing, and governance frameworks that boost experimentation confidence, reduce risk, and deliver measurable ROI across business workflows. This episode is sponsored by CCC. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1. Join an exclusive circle of executive leaders shaping the future of AI. Apply to be a guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast at emerj.com/expert2 – share your insights with peers, cement your reputation as a forward-thinking innovator, and have your expertise highlighted to a curated audience of decision-makers.

Today's guest is Thomas Holmes, Chief Actuary, North America at Akur8. Holmes works at the intersection of actuarial pricing, AI governance, and operationalizing analytics inside regulated insurance environments. Thomas joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how insurers move from AI experimentation to enterprise deployment — particularly when models must satisfy regulators, executives, and the realities of day-to-day actuarial and IT workflows. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast! This episode is sponsored by Akur8. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.