A photo of a crowded event—how many people are in it? A phone call transcript—who spoke when? Not long ago, these were “unstructured” data points. Today, AI extracts faces from images and timestamps from conversations … yet many teams still draw their data transformations in visual tools—then jump to a “free-hand SQL” section when complexity strikes.

“The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”
– William Gibson

Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory (1962) reminds us that breakthroughs spread in stages—early adopters get the benefits first while many lag behind. Today, three vivid examples highlight this uneven progress:

A fly zips through the air with just 150,000 neurons, consuming only microwatts of energy. It stabilizes mid-flight, dodges obstacles, and reacts faster than you can swat. Meanwhile, large AI models require vast computational resources, scaling energy consumption with every generated token.

Are we building intelligence the wrong way?

Did you learn to swim without water? 🏊‍♂️ Building data solutions without real data is just as impossible!

For years, IT has relied on the Dev → Test → Preprod → Prod model. While this works for classic software, it falls short for data and AI. Test data rarely captures the real-world complexity created daily in fast-paced, unpredictable business processes. Only live data reveals the true patterns needed to build robust pipelines and train accurate models. 📊

Recently, I strapped on the same glucose monitor people with diabetes rely on, all to learn more about my food patterns. What surprised me: how stable my blood sugar remained—even overnight. I assumed it would steadily drop in the wee hours, but our body is great at tapping into reserves.

It turns out blood sugar and body temperature aren’t the only strictly regulated markers. A new study in Nature…

For centuries, many believed the Earth was fixed, continents never shifted, and diseases came from “bad air.” Then science stepped in—with simple observations like falling apples, fossil records, and microscopic bacteria—to set the record straight.

A modern example is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. It’s flying closer to the Sun than ever (unlike Icarus, it’s doing just fine) to uncover hidden truths.

Companies recognize the pivotal role of data and AI in driving success. This realization challenges data systems to process more sources, meet rising expectations, and deliver faster decisions.

The key? Balancing stability for consistent, reliable outcomes with agility to adapt and innovate.

The solution lies in a platform built on four focus areas…

TechCrunch’s list of disruptive startups for 2024 puts a spotlight on innovation. Here are topics which particularly resonate with me - proof of what’s possible when data, AI, and brilliant engineering come together:

🏥 Healthcare
Abridge transforms doctor-patient conversations…

Es beginnt alles mit einer Idee.

Es beginnt alles mit einer Idee.