The Semantic Layer and AI Agents // David Jayatillake // #343

The Semantic Layer and AI Agents // David Jayatillake // #343

Author: Demetrios October 24, 2025 Duration: 50:37

The Semantic Layer and AI Agents // MLOps Podcast #343 with David Jayatillake, VP of AI at Cube.dev.


Join the Community:

https://go.mlops.community/YTJoinIn

Get the newsletter: https://go.mlops.community/YTNewsletter


// Abstract

David Jayatillake argues that the real battle in data isn’t about AI — it’s about who controls the semantics. In this episode, he calls out how proprietary BI tools quietly lock companies into their ecosystems, making data less open and less useful. David and Demetrios debate whether semantic layers should live in open-source hands and how AI agents might soon replace entire chunks of manual data engineering. From feature stores to LLM-driven analytics, this conversation challenges how we think about ownership, access, and the future of data workflows.


// Bio

Experienced and world-renowned data, technology, and AI leader. Expert in the application of LLMs to the semantic layer.


Writes at davidsj.substack.com about data, leadership, architecture, venture capital, and artificial intelligence.


Two-time co-founder in the data space. Founded Delphi Labs, which focused on applying LLMs to semantic layers to enable data democratization.


Regular data conference, podcast, panel, and webinar speaker.


// Related Links

Website: davidsj.substack.com


~~~~~~~~ ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ~~~~~~~

Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://go.mlops.community/TYExplore

Join our Slack community [https://go.mlops.community/slack]

Follow us on X/Twitter [@mlopscommunity](https://x.com/mlopscommunity) or [LinkedIn](https://go.mlops.community/linkedin)]

Sign up for the next meetup: [https://go.mlops.community/register]

MLOps Swag/Merch: [https://shop.mlops.community/]


Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: /dpbrinkm

Connect with David on LinkedIn: /david-jayatillake/


Hosted by Demetrios, MLOps.community is a space for honest, meandering talks about the real work of making artificial intelligence systems actually work. This isn't about hype or theoretical papers; it's about the messy, practical, and often surprising journey of taking models from a notebook into a live environment. You'll hear from engineers and practitioners who are in the trenches, discussing the tools, the frustrations, and the occasional breakthroughs that define the day-to-day. The conversations are deliberately relaxed, covering everything from traditional machine learning pipelines to the new world of large language models and even the intangible "vibes" of team culture and process. Each episode peels back a layer on what "production" really means, whether that involves deploying a predictive service, managing an agentic system, or maintaining reliability as everything scales. Tuning into this podcast feels like grabbing a coffee with colleagues who aren't afraid to dig into the technical nitty-gritty while keeping the tone conversational and accessible. It's for anyone who builds, manages, or is just curious about the operational backbone that allows AI to deliver value, offering a grounded perspective often missing from the broader conversation.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

MLOps.community
Podcast Episodes
Are Evals Dead? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:24
AI Conversations Powered by Prosus Group Your AI agent isn’t failing because it’s dumb—it’s failing because you refuse to test it. Chiara Caratelli cuts through the hype to show why evaluations—not bigger models or fanci…
The DuckLake Lakehouse Format // Hannes Mühleisen // #339 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:24
The DuckLake Lakehouse Format // MLOps Podcast #339 with Hannes Mühleisen, Co-founder and CEO of DuckDB Labs.Join the Community: https://go.mlops.community/YTJoinInGet the newsletter: https://go.mlops.community/YTNewslet…
How LiveKit Became An AI Company By Accident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:34
AI Conversations Powered by Prosus Group Russ d'Sa shares how LiveKit went from a small open-source project during the pandemic to powering voice interfaces for giants like OpenAI. He talks about the turning point when L…
Economics of Building Data Centers, GPU Clouds, Sovereign AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:59
AI Conversations Powered by Prosus Group. Craig Tavares, COO of Buzz High Performance Compute, shares lessons from building GPU cloud infrastructure worldwide. He stresses the role of sovereign mandates, renewable power,…
The Era of AI Agents in Marketing // Joel Horwitz // #337 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:56
The Era of AI Agents in Marketing // MLOps Podcast #337 with Joel Horwitz, Growth Engineer at Neoteric3D.Join the Community: https://go.mlops.community/YTJoinInGet the newsletter: https://go.mlops.community/YTNewsletter/…