Sumit Arora, VP of Advanced Technology at Ascend Learning, joins the show to unpack the real challenges of turning AI prototypes into production-ready systems. From managing non-deterministic outputs to rethinking the relationship between engineering and product, Sumit shares hard-earned lessons on what it actually takes to build AI that works at scale. If you’re navigating how to move beyond experiments and deliver AI products that stick, this episode will give you a clear look at the path forward.

Key Takeaways

• Scaling AI is not about building smarter prototypes—it’s about mastering distributed systems, security, and availability.

• The best AI teams combine deep systems engineering with practical product sense.

• Traditional software requirements processes won’t work for AI. Co-creation between product and engineering is essential.

• Innovation pods—small, cross-functional teams—can accelerate experimentation without killing momentum.

• Success at scale comes from modular, reusable AI systems that can plug into multiple contexts.

Timestamped Highlights

02:14 — Why building a working AI demo is easy, but scaling it into a reliable product is hard

04:49 — Lessons from the big data revolution and how AI is moving even faster

08:41 — The skill sets AI teams really need and why distributed systems expertise trumps pure ML

13:13 — Designing user experiences for AI and why response times redefine UX expectations

17:00 — The evolving relationship between product and engineering in the AI era

23:10 — How innovation pods help organizations experiment without stalling production teams

26:47 — Why modular, self-contained AI systems are the key to scaling across an enterprise

A Line That Stuck

“You can’t requirement doc your way to AI success. Product and engineering have to co-create and move fast.”

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