In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand interviews Michelle Avery, Group VP of AI at WillowTree, a TELUS International Company. They discuss the process of prototyping Generative AI (Gen AI) solutions and transitioning from prototypes to production-ready applications. Key points include identifying business problems, the importance of intentional prototyping, overcoming data access challenges, and ensuring user acceptance and ROI. Michelle shares insights from her work at WillowTree, emphasizing the role of strategic planning and cross-disciplinary collaboration in successful AI implementation. Highlights 01:34 Prototyping Gen AI Solutions 03:25 Identifying Business Problems for AI Solutions 06:40 Challenges in Prototyping and Data Access 07:55 From Prototype to Production 09:57 Ensuring User Acceptance and Feedback 16:01 Moving Beyond Chatbots Guest: With 17 years of experience across engineering, AI, FinTech, and Robotics, Michelle Avery is a technical leader in the Data and AI space. As the Group Vice President of AI at WillowTree, a Telus International Company, Michelle is passionate about building responsible, production-ready AI applications that address real-world business problems. She leads innovative initiatives in generative AI, oversees impactful research projects, and drives the development of data-intensive applications for Fortune 100 clients. www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-avery-63729bb7 ---- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. We would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)