S04E01 - Meaningful uses of AI - with Scott Hanselman

S04E01 - Meaningful uses of AI - with Scott Hanselman

Author: Half Stack Data Science March 3, 2025 Duration: 42:55

Season 4, all about AI, has launched! In the first episode of the new season we talked to Scott Hanselman.


Scott is a programmer, teacher, and speaker. He works out of his home office in Portland, Oregon for Microsoft as the Vice President of Developer Community. He works on .NET, Open Source, and the Azure Cloud Developer Experience, but he also blogs about technology, culture, gadgets, inclusion, code, the web, where we're going and where we've been, and has a number of podcasts and a YouTube channel.


We talked to Scott about his role at Microsoft and how he still loves to build things. We talked about AI as a brand, the risks of relying too much on tools like ChatGPT, and how developers can use these technologies meaningfully. We also discussed one of our favourite topics on the podcast, dark matter developers, a term we originally learned from a blog post by Scott himself. See episode 4, Getting Data in our first season for even more about this term.


Please enjoy our conversation with Scott Hanselman!


You can find Scott at https://www.hanselman.com

--


David's book, The Well-Grounded Data Analyst is out! https://www.manning.com/books/the-well-grounded-data-analyst


If you want to find out more, we have a whole episode about it: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5D0iDtQRh3tWiIhokrjz3x?si=AiX6YyRET16lnzXDlvdcfw


Hosted by David Asboth and Shaun McGirr, Half Stack Data Science pulls back the curtain on what it really means to build and deploy data science within large organizations. This isn't a theoretical discussion of algorithms, but a grounded conversation about the messy, human, and often political challenges that define the field in an enterprise setting. Each episode delves into the practical hurdles-from managing stakeholder expectations and navigating legacy systems to communicating value and dealing with imperfect data. You'll hear candid reflections on projects that succeeded and those that didn't, offering a rare, unvarnished look at the day-to-day work beyond the hype. The Half Stack Data Science podcast is for practitioners who want to move beyond textbook examples and for leaders seeking to understand how to foster effective data teams. It’s a dialogue focused on the tools, processes, and soft skills necessary to deliver impact, making it an essential listen for anyone navigating the complex intersection of data, technology, and business reality. Tune in for honest talk about building things that actually work.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 33

Half Stack Data Science
Podcast Episodes
002: The Insight Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:26
In the second episode of the Half Stack Data Science podcast, David and Shaun talk about the strategy companies can employ to become more data-driven, using what they call "the Insight Journey".
001: What is Half Stack Data Science? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:37
In the first episode of the Half Stack Data Science, David Asboth and Dr. Shaun McGirr answer the question "what is Half Stack Data Science"?