Interview: Thor Whalen, Integrating AI in our daily business – a threat or a panacea

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On October 14 we had Thor Whalen as a guest and speaker at Lunch at the Circle. Here’s the interview with Thor:

Here’s the brief from the invitation to the event:

Integrating AI in our daily business – a threat or a panacea, with Thor Whalen

Thor Whalen co-founded and was the CTO of the originally French AI innovation company OtoSense, which was based in Silicon Valley and was then acquired by Analog Devices (https://otosense.analog.com).

Thor will share his experience with OtoSense and his journey of implementing AI into business operations.

Thor will be able to share his hands-on view and vision for the future of the LLM invasion and give us some pros and cons concerning its use in our daily businesses.

We’ll discuss how difficult it was and still is to integrate AI effectively into business operations and propose some of the main reasons why this is the case.

Next, we’ll explore how generative AI has expanded possibilities, making language-based tasks—content generation, data extraction, and research—more accessible than ever. This opens up new opportunities for workflow automation, insights from unstructured data, and collaboration tools, but it also introduces risks like privacy concerns, bias, and overreliance on AI.

Thor will provide practical advice on what to do—and what to avoid—when integrating these technologies into your business, along with strategic considerations like balancing automation with human oversight and investing in AI literacy. He will also share some predictions on where this space is heading and how you can position yourself to take advantage of these evolving tools.

Key areas of focus may include (depending on the exchanges):

  • Opportunities: Data-driven insights, task automation, augmenting human expertise, new product offerings, and multilingual support.
  • Risks: Privacy, bias, overconfidence, and the challenge of maintaining collaboration quality.

Finally, we’ll discuss strategic approaches to AI integration, including exploring open-source alternatives and ensuring human oversight in AI workflows.

Can AI replace/mimic a real person? A true and real example – with Maxime Girardeau

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We continue our Lunch at the Circle theme of artificial intelligence with a very different angle on the subject on December 2:

Is AI a threat or a promise?

Can AI replace/mimic a real person? A true and real example – with Maxime Girardeau.

Next L@C on December 2.

Some people worry that artificial intelligence will replace people and make us superfluous. Mass unemployment, if not the end of the world. Other people think that AI has the potential to find a cure for cancer and perhaps avoid a new nuclear war.

What will it be? Can artificial intelligence replace people? Can it mimic personalities?

As it develops, what will the consequences be for people, society and business?

Maxime Girardeau is a French author and consultant who explores these issues in an incredibly real way in his latest novel “Je te mens”. One of the personalities in the book is generated by ChatGPT, not a fictional ChatGPT but a very real one. In other words, the book is written by two “authors”, Maxime Girardeau and ChatGPT. One of the book’s main characters, “Loïe”, is, literally, the output from ChatGPT.

Who is really the author of the book?

Is the story credible?

Maxime will share with us how this happened, how it worked, and his views on what implications this may have for real life and for business.

The presentation will be in French. A French language invitation will follow soon.

Maxime Girardeau:

This L@C event will be an exploration of how generative AI (genAI) became a character in his recent book and how important education and training will be for the future AI transformation.

Maxime will give a short presentation of his book, “Je te mens” to explain the exploratory nature of this project, which is on the borderline between creative and technological exploration.

He will share his conviction about how important the anthropomorphic aspect of genAI is and how it will profoundly shake up organisations, change our ways of working and require new skill sets.

Maxime will also share what he believes to be the core of AI transformation for companies over the next 10 to 15 years. Just as digital technology has profoundly transformed companies, AI will force them to design, develop and protect their “global corpus”. This means, not just their data, but also their processes, know-how, organisation etc.

To conclude, we will discuss the importance of education, training and the ethics underlying this whole transformation. However powerful it may be, genAI and tomorrow’s multimodal AI will also be a potentially dangerous depersonalisation tool for human organisations.

Are you worried about the potentially devastating consequences of AI? Or do you see it as a great tool for making societal, scientific and economic progress? In either case, this is an event for you.

Facts:

  • Date: Monday December 2
  • Time: 12.00-14.00 (welcome from 12:00, seated by 12:30, close at 14.00)
  • Place: contact us for information
  • Speaker: Maxime Girardeau
  • Cost: 63 €: aperitif, main course, dessert, wines, water, coffee

Book now on this link

  • contact us for information
"Je te mens" by Maxime Girardeau, book cover

“Je te mens” by Maxime Girardeau, book cover

Integrating AI in our daily business – a threat or a panacea

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Lunch at the Circle event on October 14, 2024

Integrating AI in our daily business – a threat or a panacea, with Thor Whalen

Thor Whalen co-founded and was the CTO of the originally French AI innovation company OtoSense, which was based in Silicon Valley and was then acquired by Analog Devices (https://otosense.analog.com).

Thor will share his experience with OtoSense and his journey of implementing AI into business operations.

Thor will be able to share his hands-on view and vision for the future of the LLM invasion and give us some pros and cons concerning its use in our daily businesses.

We’ll discuss how difficult it was and still is to integrate AI effectively into business operations and propose some of the main reasons why this is the case.

Next, we’ll explore how generative AI has expanded possibilities, making language-based tasks—content generation, data extraction, and research—more accessible than ever. This opens up new opportunities for workflow automation, insights from unstructured data, and collaboration tools, but it also introduces risks like privacy concerns, bias, and overreliance on AI.

Thor will provide practical advice on what to do—and what to avoid—when integrating these technologies into your business, along with strategic considerations like balancing automation with human oversight and investing in AI literacy. He will also share some predictions on where this space is heading and how you can position yourself to take advantage of these evolving tools.

Key areas of focus may include (depending on the exchanges):

  • Opportunities: Data-driven insights, task automation, augmenting human expertise, new product offerings, and multilingual support.
  • Risks: Privacy, bias, overconfidence, and the challenge of maintaining collaboration quality.

Finally, we’ll discuss strategic approaches to AI integration, including exploring open-source alternatives and ensuring human oversight in AI workflows.

Thor Whalen bio

Thor Whalen is an American-born data scientist who spent most of his formative years studying in France (and Italy and Germany). He earned a PhD in mathematics (specialising in graph theory) and a Masters in computer science from Emory University, USA. His career spans diverse sectors, focusing primarily on data science consulting in business process analysis and automation, online marketing, behavioural modelling, natural language processing, and sound recognition.

Thor co-founded OtoSense, a Silicon Valley-based AI company specialising in sound and vibration analytics for predictive maintenance, security, and healthcare. As the CTO, he led the development of innovative AI-driven software solutions until Analog Devices acquired the company. Following the acquisition, he transitioned to Director of AI and Machine Learning at Analog Devices, where he refined his software architecture and design expertise.

In 2022, Thor moved back to France, where he continues contributing to the open-source community, developing tools to improve development velocity and enhance human-machine communication. He is also an active consultant, helping businesses craft AI strategies and software solutions while conducting workshops on cutting-edge technologies. His career reflects a blend of deep technical knowledge and a commitment to making technology more accessible and effective for various industries.

Contact us if you would like to participate in this L@C lunch event in Paris on October 14, 2024.

AI-generated charts based on human-written tasting notes comparing wine characteristics from the Loire and Steiermark

AI-generated charts based on human-written tasting notes comparing wine characteristics from the Loire and Steiermark, as used by the CMB Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

Succeed in Executive Interim Management with Anne Céline Martel and Jérôme Larue

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Au programme du 10 juin, focus sur le Management de Transition Exécutif :

  • Anne Céline Martel, experte en transformation organisationnelle et management de transition au niveau direction générale, apportera son témoignage sur les défis et opportunités du management de transition exécutif.
  • Jérôme Larue, Directeur Associé chez Chaberton Partners, spécialisé dans le recrutement de managers de transition expérimentés, offrira son expertise sur les meilleures pratiques pour saisir des missions de haut niveau.

Notre événement du 10 juin proposa une interaction dynamique sous forme de questions-réponses dans un cadre convivial.

Speakers:

  • Anne-Celine Martel is an executive interim manager since 2012
  • Jérôme Larue, Associate Director at Chaberton Partners

Theme: Executive Interim Management

This lunch provided expert insights on:

  • The critical business cases and nuanced aspects of executive interim management.
  • Actionable strategies to successfully navigate critical business transitions.
  • Crafting compelling propositions and mastering the art of pitching for interim management

Speaker Biographies:

Anne-Céline Martel

With over two decades of experience as an interim Chief Transformation Officer and CEO/COO, Anne Celine specializes in driving significant organizational changes in diverse industries. Her expertise in navigating growth, decline, and market disruptions has propelled numerous SMEs and mid-cap companies to success.

Jérome Larue

As Associate Director at Chaberton Partners, Jérôme brings over 20 years of expertise in financial management and executive recruitment. Jérôme will offer insights into the executive interim management landscape and actionable strategies for securing high-profile executive interim assignments.

Organised by Lunch at the Circle.

Jérôme Larue and Anne Céline Martel, speakers on the theme of Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle

Jérôme Larue and Anne Céline Martel, speakers on the theme of Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle, copyright F Teboul

Anne Céline Martel, speaking about Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle

Anne Céline Martel, speaking about Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle, copyright F Teboul

Jérôme Larue, Directeur Associé at Chaberton Partners speaking about Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle

Jérôme Larue, Directeur Associé at Chaberton Partners speaking about Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle, copyright F Teboul

Per Karlsson introducing the speakers on Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle

Per Karlsson introducing the speakers on Interim Management at Lunch At The Circle, copyright F Teboul

Guests at the Lunch at the Circle debate meeting for an aperitif in the bar before lunch

Guests at the Lunch at the Circle debate meeting for an aperitif in the bar before lunch, copyright F Teboul

The desk where Alfred Nobel wrote and signed his testament establishing the Nobel Prize, now at the Swedish Club in Paris

The desk where Alfred Nobel wrote and signed his testament establishing the Nobel Prize, now at the Swedish Club in Paris, copyright F Teboul

Guests enjoying the Lunch at the Circle debate and lunch

Guests enjoying the Lunch at the Circle debate and lunch, copyright F Teboul

David Laurent, Entreprises pour l’Environnement, how to prepare companies for a sustainable future

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Déjeuner-conférence L@C – Lunch at the Circle — avec David Laurent, parlant de la manière de préparer les petites et grandes entreprises à un avenir durable.

David Laurent est directeur de la transformation écologique au sein d’Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE). L’EpE est un groupe de réflexion ou association (think tank) créé pour aider les entreprises à faire face aux futurs défis climatiques et durables. Une liste impressionnante de grandes entreprises françaises sont membres de l’EpE. Voir la liste des membres ici :

https://www.epe-asso.org/liste-des-membres/

David parle des défis qu’ils relèvent et de leur approche spécifique pour aider les grandes entreprises (et petites) à développer des processus plus durables et à adapter leur modèle commercial aux exigences futures qui laisseront la Terre en bon état pour les générations futures.

Vous pouvez trouver plus d’informations sur les Entreprises pour l’Environnement ici :

https://www.epe-asso.org/

LUNCH AT THE CIRCLE, L@C, speaker lunch, with David Laurent, speaking on how to prepare small and large companies for a sustainable future.

A pre-lunch talk with the speaker.

David Laurent is head of Climate and Resources for Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE). The EpE is a think-tank created to help companies face future climate and sustainability challenges. An impressive list of major French companies are members of the EpE.

David talks about the challenges they are tackling and their specific approach to help large companies grow more sustainable processes and adapt their business model to future requirements that will leave Earth in good condition for future generations.

A short time-lapse of the beginning of the lunch:

David Laurent, Entreprises pour l'Environnemment, EpE, speaking at Lunch At The Circle

David Laurent, Entreprises pour l’Environnemment, EpE, speaking at Lunch At The Circle

David Laurent, Entreprises pour l'Environnemment, EpE, speaking at Lunch At The Circle

David Laurent, Entreprises pour l’Environnemment, EpE, speaking at Lunch At The Circle

Executive Interim Management – how to succeed in a challenging environment

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Next L@C event, June 10: Executive Interim Management

Lunch at the Circle is inviting you to join us for a special summer lunch on 10th June from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. This lunch will feature two expert practitioners who will share real-world perspectives on Executive Interim Management:

Anne Céline Martel:

Anne-Celine Martel is an executive interim manager since 2012. She will share the challenges and rewards of interim management : why she moved from the comfort of a salaried position to interim management, how she managed that transition and what keeps her going. She will bring an insider’s view on how to find, win an assignment and make a success out of it.

Jérôme Larue:

Associate Director at Chaberton Partners, offers a comprehensive overview of the executive interim management landscape, drawing from over 20 years of expertise in financial management and executive recruitment. His pragmatic approach will explore how to respond to clients’ needs, effective self-presentation techniques, and securing high-profile assignments.

This lunch will provide expert insights on:
– The critical business cases and nuanced aspects of executive interim management.
– Actionable strategies to successfully navigate critical business transitions.
– Crafting compelling propositions and mastering the art of pitching for interim management

Details:

  • Date: Monday June 10
  • Time: You’re welcome from 12.00. We sit down at the table at 12.30. Ends at 14.00.
  • Place:
  • Speakers:
    • Anne-Céline Martel
    • Jérôme Larue

Book now

CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR INVITATION ON EMAIL.

How to prepare your business for a sustainable future

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Join us for the next L@C speaker lunch, with David Laurent, who will speak on how to prepare for a sustainable future.

Time to book your participation now.

David is head of Climate and Resources for Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE). The EpE is a think-tank created to help companies face future climate and sustainability challenges. An impressive list of major French companies are members of the EpE. See the membership list here: https://www.epe-asso.org/liste-des-membres/

David will talk about the challenges they are tackling and their specific approach to help large companies grow more sustainable processes and adapt their business model to future requirements that will leave Earth in good condition for future generations.

You can find more information about the Entreprises pour l’Environnement here: https://www.epe-asso.org/.

Next L@C lunch:

  • Date: Monday September 18
  • Time: You’re welcome from 12.00. We sit down at the table at 12.30.
  • Place: you will receive info when you book.
  • Speaker:
    • David Laurent
    • Head of Climate and Resources for Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE).
  • Fare: 48€, you get a two-course lunch (main + desert) with wine (or water) and coffee (when you book, please let us know food allergies in advance)

Book now!

If you are interested in attending this lunch event, please contact me.

One of the first Lunch at the Circle events, in 2003

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The Lunch at the Circle (LAC, L@C) events started early 2003. The very first meeting was a lunch with twelve friends of mine, all in the tech sector. It was a very turbulent time for technology companies. Much more so than these days.

It was “just” a lunch, without a speaker. Together with two friends (one of whom is in a picture below), we decided to make it a regular event and – to add a little extra value – we agreed to have an invited speaker every time. This made it even more valuable than “just” a networking event.

The events have mostly taken place at the Cercle Suedois (Swedish Club) in Paris. But even if that is the case, there is no link between Lunch at the Circle and the Cercle Suedois. LAC is a totally independent “organisation”.

The first even, as well as several of the following ones, were in “The Nobel Room”. It is called thus since in a corner there is a small 19th century desk, and on that desk Alfred Nobel wrote his will, the will that created the Noble Prize. On the wall above the desk there is also a copy of the will.

After some time, there were too many attendees to fit into that room (it only takes twelve people) so then we move out into one of the salons of the club.

During a couple of years we held the events at the Restaurant Maceo instead. It is an excellent restaurant not far from Les Halles.

I happened to look through my picture archive the other day and by chance if found two photos from one of the first lunches. It is not the very first lunch but rather it is the first or the second, I believe, with a speaker. You can see the speaker at the back of the photo. Some of the people on the pictures are still occasional participants at the LAC.

One of the first Lunch at the Circle event on April 23 2003

One of the first Lunch at the Circle event on April 23 2003

One of the first Lunch at the Circle event on April 23 2003

One of the first Lunch at the Circle event on April 23 2003

L@C on June 5: Anne-Céline Martel: On interim management

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Join us for the next speaker lunch, with Anne-Céline Martel, who will speak on being an interim manager.

Relevant, for example, if:

  • You use or might use an interim manager for speeding up company transformation. How to do it better.
  • You might consider working as an interim manager yourself. How to be successful.

Anne-Céline Martel has worked as an interim executive manager since 2012. She will talk about how she began and how others can do it, why companies resort to outside temporary executives (quite different from consultants), and what the keys are to being successful.

After a 20+ years in corporate executive roles, Anne-Celine decided to continue transforming companies, but in a new role, as interim executive manager. She has since accompanied companies ranging from 100 to 10,000 employees, on short term assignments as a Chief Transformation Officer, CEO or other change-driving roles. Her missions have covered a wide range of responsibilities including implementing post-merger acquisitions, restructuring businesses, optimising performance and delivering changes in business models. Anne-Celine is a graduate of INSEAD and a pilot on her free time.

Next L@C lunch:

  • Date: Monday June 5 (the day before the fête nationale suédoise)
  • Time: You’re welcome from 12.00. We sit down at the table at 12.30.
  • Place:
  • Speaker:
  • Fare:

Book now!

Book your participation in this Lunch at the Circle here: You need to contact someone who is part of the Lunch at the Circle if you want to participate.

Marina Niforos on Web3

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On March 6 we had the pleasure to welcome Marina Niforos to Lunch at the Circle. She spoke about Web3, block-chain, NFTs and much more.

Watch the video interview with Marina below.

Marina Niforos is an experienced board member, advisor, investor and academic, working at the intersection of deep technology and impact. She is world recognized expert on blockchain and web3 and a member of the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum. She is lead author of the IFC-World Bank report on blockchain: Opportunities for Private Enterprises in Emerging Markets and a frequent contributor in media (Bloomberg, FT, CoinDesk and others). She is also Affiliate Professor of the Future of Work at HEC Paris business school EMBA programs. EU Startups named Marina one of “one of five female leaders driving change in the European blockchain ecosystem”.

Marina spoke about web3.

Web3 is an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics (Wikipedia).

I should also point out that Marina is sitting next to the desk where Alfred Nobel wrote and signed his testament creating the Noble Prize. It is just barely visible at the edge of the frame. A copy of the testament hangs on the wall.

Marina Niforos speaking at Lunch at the Circle on Web3

Marina Niforos speaking at Lunch at the Circle on Web3