Time to drink something warm, remember to take your vitamin D, and get cozy. And what would be a better time to read and dive into new topics! This month’s Dev Breakfast fills your plates with data and AI topics from book recommendations to podcast tips and great articles.
Meet the curator of the month
Seljais a Data consultant who focuses on the value data and AI can bring to organizations and people’s everyday lives. She studied computer science with a strong interest in economics and has continued to bring data together with business value in industries such as energy, e-commerce, legal, and security. When she is not developing new AI agents or data pipelines, you can find her outdoors hiking, skiing, kayaking, trail running, or whatever fits the season.
In this book, Chip Huyen starts with a great background of foundation models. How the foundation models are built, what components are used and why it is so hard to avoid hallucinations totally. She then works her way to develop examples about foundation models and their fit for different use cases. Her way of presenting the topic with such detail and precision is admirable and the book is an absolutely must read to any one developing with large language models.
One of Selja’s go-to AI podcasts. Even though the name is in Swedish, don’t be scared, they do actually speak English. The visitors in this podcast share interesting industry insights about AI in their specific industries. The podcast is free to listen to on Spotify, and the episodes cover AI topics from a business context, which makes it ideal for a wide variety of people who want to learn more about AI and hear industry examples.
Assessing AI's true environmental cost is complex, as different studies measure different things. This particular study argued that Gemini’s energy consumption is less than what we earlier believed. However, the research highlights an urgentneed for a standardized industry-wide methodfor reporting these impacts, which would allow for accurate and fair comparisons between different AI models. Interesting read to anyone who wants to learn more about AI's environmental footprint!
Data Engineering Weekly offers a very well-combined weekly newsletter about data engineering topics. This is one of the articles that offers an interesting view of the well-known medallion architecture. The author argues that while the traditional model is excellent for Business Analytics (historical trends, quarterly reports), it prioritizes consistency. However, it struggles with the demands of Operational Analytics, which requires near real-time data for immediate action (e.g., fraud detection, instant marketing campaigns). To address this gap, the article proposes extending the model with a Platinum Layer that is built for speed and action, not just reporting.
What’s one skill or technology you’ve learned recently that has had an impact on your work?
I’m definitely using the audio features of AI more and more. Uploading PDFs to an AI to make a podcast I can listen to on the go, or using the voice chat functions to learn about new terms. Recently, for example, I had AI on voice-chat mode on my headphones during a run, and I had a ‘discussion’ about different popular Python libraries and their features.
How do you stay updated on the latest industry trends and technologies?
All the sources mentioned above! So podcasts, news letters, books, and research articles. I also deeply enjoy diving into discussions with my colleagues who always know something I don’t. They are an endless source of inspiration. In addition, I like to participate in different meetups, listen and talk to people working in the same field.
Are there any emerging technologies or trends you’re particularly excited about?
I’m very keen about health tech. In my free time, I love to read about psychology, the human body and our brains. I find this field fascinating and the opportunities technology offers there. Whether it comes to making health monitoring more accessible to the wider audience, improving life quality or doing groundbreaking findings about health.
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