Making AI Possible

Welcome to the Making AI Possible Podcast—your monthly deep dive into the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and how they’re shaping the world around us. Produced at Caltech in Pasadena, California, this series features in-depth conversations with the people driving AI innovation forward.

In our third episode of Making AI Possible for Season 2, we present Out of This World Autonomy and AI. Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin welcomes guest Issa Nesnas, Principal Robotics Technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, whose work spans multiple generations of martian and lunar rovers and foundational autonomy systems.

Together, Nicholas and Issa will explore the harsh realities of operating on planetary bodies, from communication delays and radiation-hardened processors to unpredictable terrain and irreversible mistakes. The conversation digs into:

• how computer vision functions in unknown environments
• how onboard systems make decisions with limited compute
• what “autonomy assurance” really means when a single error can end a mission

This is a look at the engineering discipline required to build AI systems that are bounded, tested, and trusted where failure is permanent.

Making AI Possible:Building Inclusive AI: Lessons Learned from Production - Feb 2026

Welcome to the Making AI Possible Podcast—your monthly deep dive into the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and how they’re shaping the world around us. Produced at Caltech in Pasadena, California, this series features in-depth conversations with the people driving AI innovation forward.

In our second episode of Making AI Possible for Season 2, Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin, sits down with Will Croushorn, MBA, a leader behind Wendy’s FreshAi initiative, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping one of the most iconic retail experiences: the drive-thru. Will shares how his team moved from experimental pilots to production-grade systems, the unexpected challenges and “aha” moments along the way, and the technical complexity behind building AI that can operate in noisy, real-world environments at massive scale.

We explore how technology is advancing accessibility and inclusion—from language support to physical-ability considerations—and what this democratization of AI means for the future of retail. Will also offers candid advice on measuring ROI in operational AI systems, and a forward-looking view of what’s next as AI begins to mirror the human customer experience.


Will Croushorn, MBA currently leads FreshAi at Wendy's, one of the world's largest deployments of generative AI in a physical retail environment. He focuses on taking AI from "hype" to revenue-generating operational reality and produced a 0-to-1 pilot to a mass deployment across 600+ enterprise locations, achieving ~99% order initiation success and ~95% autonomous handle rate. In addition, Will has pioneered the "Digital Drive-Thru," turning offline voice data into structured business intelligence to optimize operations in real-time. He worked in SaaS innovation for logistics and recruiting, and spent 5 years leading international development operations in the Middle East. Will thrives in ambiguity and specializes in translating complex technical capabilities into intuitive, human-centric user experiences. ♦

As Caltech CTME's Affiliate Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin intersects strategic program development with hands-on curriculum design, positioning AI/ML education programs at the forefront of technological transformation. Leading the AI programs at Caltech's Center for Technology & Management Education, Nicholas' focus is on delivering impactful learning experiences tailored to a diverse clientele, including private and public sectors, as well as government and non-profit organizations.

Adversarial Uses of Artificial Intelligence

"We don’t fear AI because it’s smarter than us.
We fear it because it doesn’t care about us."

Welcome to the Making AI Possible Podcast—your monthly deep dive into the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and how they’re shaping the world around us. Produced at Caltech in Pasadena, California, this series features in-depth conversations with the people driving AI innovation forward.

In our first Making AI Possible episode of Season 2, Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin, sits down with Rob Petrosino, AI Consultant for the US Government, to explore the challenges of AI.

Adversarial uses of AI represent a fundamental shift in the security landscape, where threats are no longer isolated, human-paced, or easily detectable, but instead scalable, automated, and designed to manipulate trust itself.

Rob Petrosino draws on his work advising the U.S. government and industry leaders to explain how AI-powered deception, influence operations, and machine-speed attacks are changing what it means to defend organizations, institutions, and society.

To secure your spot, register below. We look forward to seeing you there!



With over 10 years of experience in emerging technologies, Rob Petrosino focuses on driving innovation and digital transformation. As Chief Innovation Officer at PeakActivity, Rob leads initiatives in generative AI, augmented reality, and machine learning, crafting strategies that integrate cutting-edge technologies into tangible business solutions. His contributions include developing technology roadmaps, exploring intellectual property opportunities, and fostering innovation in collaboration with cross-functional teams. In his role as Artificial Intelligence Consultant for the US Government, Rob focuses on advancing responsible AI adoption and forging partnerships to strengthen national security. His work emphasizes leveraging AI and digital tools to address cybersecurity challenges and create secure communication channels. Passionate about ethical AI implementation, Rob's mission is to harness technology to drive meaningful impact across public and private sectors. ♦

As Caltech CTME's Affiliate Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin intersects strategic program development with hands-on curriculum design, positioning AI/ML education programs at the forefront of technological transformation. Leading the AI programs at Caltech's Center for Technology & Management Education, Nicholas' focus is on delivering impactful learning experiences tailored to a diverse clientele, including private and public sectors, as well as government and non-profit organizations. ♦

Keys to Thriving in an AI-Driven World

Problem-solving skills in AI creation are not just an asset:
they are critical for success.

Welcome to the Making AI Possible Podcast—your monthly deep dive into the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and how they’re shaping the world around us. Produced at Caltech in Pasadena, California, this series features in-depth conversations with the people driving AI innovation forward.

In our December 2 session of Making AI Possible, Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin, sits down with Todd Masilko, Chair of Interaction Design at ArtCenter College of Design to explore the challenges of AI.

A consistent pattern is emerging across AI-impacted professions. From creative fields to computer science and data engineering, AI can generate polished output, but foundational understanding and strong problem-solving remain the differentiators that matter.

Here’s a preview of what we’ll jump into:

• How AI is reshaping creative workflows and early-career roles
• Why process and problem-solving are becoming key hiring signals
• How education must adapt when polished work can be generated with AI
• Why human judgment and taste remain essential in an AI-driven industry

This is a conversation you won’t want to miss!

To secure your spot, register below. We look forward to seeing you there!


Todd Masilko is Chair of the Interaction Design Department at ArtCenter College of Design. The Interaction Design curriculum at ArtCenter emphasizes human centered design methods, tools, processes as well as the impacts and opportunities presented by technologies such as virtual environments and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning on the practice of user experience design. The department is also home to the Immersion Lab, where students and faculty work with a range of emerging technologies including XR, AI, Machine Learning, and virtual production often in multidisciplinary teams. As an instructor, Masilko has collaborated with industry partners including, Adobe, Amazon, Dell, DiDi Chuxing, Microsoft, NIO, Google, Honda, Koenig & Bauer, the Aquarium of the Pacific the Sundance Film Festival and Volvo. ♦

As Caltech CTME's Affiliate Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin intersects strategic program development with hands-on curriculum design, positioning AI/ML education programs at the forefront of technological transformation. Leading the AI programs at Caltech's Center for Technology & Management Education, Nicholas' focus is on delivering impactful learning experiences tailored to a diverse clientele, including private and public sectors, as well as government and non-profit organizations. ♦

We'll talk about the questions that every leader should be asking right now:
Hacker vs. Cybercriminal: When AI joins the fight, do we face a new category? An AI Cyberhacker, or something even more autonomous?
Securing the Foundations of AI: Why data integrity and trust are the real first lines of defense for both traditional and LLM-based systems.
The Hidden Infrastructure: Protecting AI’s compute backbone from invisible threats.
Adversarial AI: The rise of offensive machine learning, and what happens when the model becomes the weapon.
The Human Factor: Building a security-first AI culture that does not rely on a few experts, but everyone.
The future of responsible AI depends on one thing: treating cybersecurity not as a barrier, but as an enabler
 
Ismael Montañez “Ish” is a Cybersecurity Engineer, Ethical Hacker, and Purple Team Specialist with over six years of experience protecting AI-driven systems and cloud environments. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in Cyber Forensics with Network Security and Digital Media, blending technical precision with creative problem solving to design resilient security architectures. Before entering the private sector, Ish served as a Military Intelligence Sergeant, managing classified intelligence operations and developing expertise in threat analysis and secure information handling. He also spent four years in the financial industry, conducting IT and Linux forensics to safeguard critical data and digital assets. Ismael currently works at a leading artificial intelligence company, where he focuses on cybersecurity engineering, cloud security and engineering, AI security and oversight, and proactive defense strategies. His mission is to bridge the gap between human ingenuity and machine intelligence ensuring that innovation in AI remains secure, ethical, and resilient. ♦
As Caltech CTME's Affiliate Director of AI Programs, Nicholas Beaudoin intersects strategic program development with hands-on curriculum design, positioning AI/ML education programs at the forefront of technological transformation. Leading the AI programs at Caltech's Center for Technology & Management Education, Nicholas' focus is on delivering impactful learning experiences tailored to a diverse clientele, including private and public sectors, as well as government and non-profit organizations.  ♦