In this episode we have the opportunity to learn from Chris Van Buren, an AI engineer who has spent his career building the systems and products that turn powerful AI models into real-world applications. Chris began working in AI and machine learning at Duke before joining Lenovo, where he quickly became focused on applying large language models to customer support and building agentic systems for major customers. He later co-founded a company focused on helping researchers navigate the enormous burden of writing NIH grants, building a product that was ultimately used by more than 30 research labs across multiple universities. Today, Chris is focused on using AI to help scientists and researchers plan studies more effectively, using organizational knowledge and past mistakes to identify potential problems before they become costly errors. In this conversation, Chris explains what agentic AI actually is, how AI agents use tools, memory, and context to accomplish complex tasks, and why the “harness” surrounding an AI model can be just as important as the model itself. He shares his perspective on the hype surrounding AI, the future of general-purpose versus domain-specific models, the growing importance of open-source AI, and how individuals and organizations should think about privacy and the information they share with AI systems. Most importantly, Chris explores where AI can have the greatest impact on healthcare—from reducing administrative burdens and improving the efficiency of scientific research to accelerating drug discovery and deepening our understanding of human biology. Listen and learn from Chris Van Buren.
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