LIVE from AI Summit: The Impact of Strategic Fine Tuning on Achieving Peak Performance

LIVE from AI Summit: The Impact of Strategic Fine Tuning on Achieving Peak Performance

Author: Brave Software January 15, 2025 Duration: 25:08

Senthil Padmanabhan, VP of Platform and Infrastructure at eBay, discusses how eBay's use of fine-tuning is improving their operational workflows. He explains why fine-tuning existing models can often be more cost-effective than training from scratch, and how methods like low-ranking adaptation (LoRa) are pivotal in improving AI performance.

Key Takeaways: 

  • The impact of strategic fine tuning on achieving peak performance

  • AI's broader impact on eBay's infrastructure, fraud detection, and customer-facing experiences

  • The challenges of tech debt and software upgrades

  • Case studies from eBay that illustrate productivity gains via fine-tuning

  • Considerations for choosing between open and proprietary AI models

  • The importance of data quality over quantity in fine-tuning processes

  • Predictions for the future of AI development and fine-tuning techniques

Guest Bio: Senthil Padmanabhan is a Vice President and Technical Fellow at eBay, where he runs Platform and Infra (private cloud) Engineering for the global eCommerce marketplace, providing infrastructure for 4000+ engineers to deliver products at scale. Before this role, he was in the Product engineering space, building consumer-facing applications at eBay and Yahoo.

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About this Show:

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Hosted by Brave Software, The Brave Technologist is a series for anyone curious about the real human impact of our digital evolution. It moves past the surface-level buzzwords to ask how technologies like AI, machine learning, and Web3 actually affect everyday decisions, privacy, and the fabric of society. The conversations here are grounded and thoughtful, prioritizing the user's perspective in a landscape often dominated by abstract visions of disruption. You'll hear from builders, thinkers, and technologists who are shaping these tools, discussing not just what is possible, but what is responsible and meaningful. This podcast sits at the intersection of technology, business, and marketing, examining how these forces converge to shape our collective future. It’s for listeners who want to understand the "why" and "for whom" behind the code, offering a nuanced take that is often missing from tech commentary. Tune in for a deeper, more inclusive dialogue about the systems that are redesigning our world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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