Globant’s AI Pods To Redefine the Integration of AI Agents in Software Development Ft. CBO for North America, Nicolás Kaplún | Podcast Ep. 24

You design a solution. When you come back and grab that problem, the problem has mutated into a new version of it. And in that sense, you need to be able to cope with that, to define and to design solutions that might not be perfect at the moment of usage of that solution.And then you need to keep on iterating and you need to manage scarce resources. And I think that all of that humanity about the problems and especially about the solutions build up a tolerance about that lack of definition that in the end is very useful and not always present in everybody else’s mind.

Host: Yeah, great. It’s truly amazing to learn about your experiences and your current role at Globant. Moving ahead, Globant focuses on transforming the world with technology. How is the company achieving this goal?

Nicolás: Well, that’s also very interesting because, you know, change is changing, right? And not only it’s changing in the topics that appear and that dominate the scene, but also in the speed. I still remember that my father in, I think, were the 80s, used to read books from a guy called Nicolás Negroponte from MIT, who basically said that we were becoming obsolete at a faster pace in terms of our knowledge and that in the end we need to keep on investing a higher percentage of our time studying and trying to understand what was going to happen to us, even if predicting that is impossible, right?

I think that in that regard, we are, as a company, very humble, very learners, and we are always trying to see how the new technology not only collaborates and enables our client strategies, but also drives those strategies. Nowadays, technology has become so, so powerful that our clients have defined maybe even new lines of businesses or new products or new pricing strategies because of technology.

Of course, mainly or protagonized by AI, but not just by AI. I think that in that regard, we have to point out that we are seeing two ways in which we are using AI. One is for ourselves to be more valuable, to be faster, and to be more productive and competitive in terms of the software development lifecycle in each one of its instances, but also building up agents and models for our clients in terms of their own business model, operational model, and technological architecture in very specific case uses.

Those use cases are more powerful for them and are granting them competitive advantages. At the same time, by these agents and all of our AI bots, a new value proposition that maybe you have seen in the media in the last weeks, and basically, we are using technology, but at the same time, trying to adapt and to adopt that technology once it’s already best in class. We are trying to push the state of the art to remain competitive and on the edge because the competition is wild.

Everybody’s evolving at a pace that if you ask us five years ago, we would have thought that the option would be so fast and at such a high level of scale. It’s become a reality. No one doubts about this as a reality anymore.

Host: Technology is surely evolving, and it’s fascinating to know how Globant is pioneering in technological aspect. Approaching further, Globant supports software developers and engineers with advanced AI agents. How do these agents enhance efficiency and contribute to error-free software development?

Nicolás: Great question. You know, in the first place, we need to clarify that we never approached AI and agents or artificial intelligence in general, even technology in general, without including the human aspect. So, for us, it’s a blend.

It’s a way in which we empower our clients through the usage of the technology and the agents, but at the same time, orchestrated by expert human beings that ensure that we have understood the mission and that we are providing value effectively. Those agents provide beat. They provide the using of optimal solutions that are being knowledge exchanged across different users in our clients.

And in that sense, we can assure that we are on the way to optimize how close we are to the best solution, how close we are to becoming faster and faster, how close we are to being able to assure that our clients are not spending money that is not needed to be spent because they’re reusing the solutions that they have already designed. It’s great to see how they can focus on the really strategic stuff. And their digital dreams are becoming a reality at record times.

And of course, that is not only great for business, but it’s also inspiring to be a part of.

Host: AI agents are surely streamlining the software development and technological curve as well. So next up, Alongside software development, Globant intends to fulfill business requirements with Enterprise AI. So please give us an overview of this tool.

Nicolás: Well, Enterprise AI is kind of magic because it allows our clients and their users to use, but at the same time to do it in a way that is appropriate, safe and cost efficient for their organizations. The enterprises are using this tool to be able to use the best models for each one of the use cases that need to be designed and built. At the same time, we are being able to even benchmark different blends of models for similar types of uses.

So, I would say that this is great because in the end, the ingredients are there, but you need a great chef to combine them and to understand exactly what’s needed in each case for each client, for each user. And Enterprise AI assures that you have not only the best combination possible at each time, at each use, but also to do so in a way in which it’s not only cost efficient, it’s timely, but at the same time, it’s secure and risk managed, which for certain enterprises is even more important than the cost effectiveness. Certain businesses, they just can’t afford to be wrong, right?

We cannot have a hallucination in certain missions. So I think that this is kind of joining the best of the two worlds, the safety and the stability and the predictability that certain corporations, that certain companies need, but at the same time using the crazy, wild, fast and furious models that are appearing day by day in new versions of them and new functionalities of them. So, in a way, this is the portal that allows the corporations, the enterprises to access this other stuff that in another way would be impossible for them to do so because it wouldn’t even be enabled for them to do so.

Host: So yeah, absolutely. Enterprise AI holds the potential to transform businesses with stability, security and timely effect. So, moving further, How does Globant ensure productive collaboration between humans and AI agents where the prior stays in control, limiting the possibility of over-dependency?

Nicolás: Well, that’s kind of one of the most important key aspects of the AI Pod model, right? Basically, the orchestrators, the human beings in each one of the ports is assuring that the outcomes are flowing like they should, that the speed is happening in the pace that needs to happen and that the final outcome is developing and that the vessel is sailing in the right bearing.

So, I would say that the human aspect of the AI Pods and the fusion, the union of forces is absolutely key all along the way, undividable.

Of course, as time goes by, certain functionalities will be absorbed by the AI side of the Pod. But in any case, we foresee that the orchestration aspect of the value proposition is essential and will keep on being essential for the foreseeable future at least.

Host: Let’s get into AI Pods. So, Globant has recently launched AI Pods to transform traditional IT services. So how will it assist engineers and developers in designing, testing and scaling top-notch products?

Nicolás: Well, as I was saying before, it allows us to be faster, to share knowledge in a way that was not imaginable before. It therefore allows us to be less dependent on the judgment of each human being. We can share the experiences and therefore get the best of each human being, of each agent.

But at the same time, we will be able to ensure that for each similar case, in each similar business condition, we will provide not only a productive and faster, but also consistent solution definition. And of course, we are trying to include that artistic side of coding into the flow. But at the same time, this will assure that we are providing solutions that are closer and closer to the optimal for our clients.

And in that sense, I think that we’re very happy because our clients are not only willing to have this quantum leap, they are needing to do so, to have that new level of productivity, of cost efficiency, of speed, and at the same time of excellence, because our clients are being benchmarked like never before. We are living in the liquid expectation era where a bank is benchmarked against a media streaming company. And the ease of use has to be the same for a bank and, as I was saying, a media company, even if one is much more regulated than the other one.

So, for that, there’s only one way, and that’s technology in general, AI in particular.

Host: So yeah, AI pods match the efficiency level of engineering experts, which will surely revolutionize the IT services. So next up, Planning and executing business development strategies include several components. What do you consider while establishing effective business development strategies?

Nicolás: I think that empathy is and will keep on being of the essence. I think that understanding what our client understands as their challenge is key, but also we believe that it’s very important to be literate and to keep on building business acumen regarding the businesses that our clients have and to be able to add onto their points of view.

Of course, they’ll finally manage their own P&S, but we feel we know that we have a duty, that it is a must for us to have a saying regarding the opportunities that our clients have, the threats that they are being challenged by.

And we need to tell them what we see now and what we see for the next three to four years. And we owe them that much. We want to build solutions that enable them to go for new revenue, to increase their margins, to build up their resiliency, their P&L resiliency, but also their operational resiliency.

I think that that is like the most important factor that we should never forget. We shouldn’t be in love with our solutions. We should be focusing on our clients’ problems.

Host: Yeah, your approach is truly audience-centric and strategic at the same time. So, moving our attention to collaborations, What is your opinion on business collaborations? Do you think such partnerships help companies to progress in the tech industry as well?

Nicolás: Yeah, absolutely. I think that, you know, there’s no way for a company to do everything by itself. I think that many, many ecosystems are being built and have been built among organizations that were otherwise described as very, very intense competitors.

Even banks have been building solutions with a collaborative approach, you know, shared services or payment centrals. And I think that it has been a great, great thing for them to do. Of course, in other aspects, they compete and they compete fiercely.

But I think that there are certain aspects of business that need to have a blue ocean. Of course, there’s the inevitable competition and the other red oceans. But I think that certain collaborations are great and it’s not a utopic approach.

It’s something real. It’s happened. I think it will keep on happening.

You know, each one of us have only 24 hours in a day. And each company has a certain amount of energy and a focus. I think that focus is extremely important to generate an impact with the energy that we have.

And in that sense, sometimes those focuses synergize. Why shouldn’t we compete? I still remember a training course that I did when I was really, really young.

And it spoke about how to deal with multi-role involvement between different companies. And it mentioned that for a certain X company, another company, Y company, was a competitor. Supplier and also a client.

And you need to understand how the same company can be a very different thing for you, depending on the time and the space, right? I think that’s key, actually. Especially in a world that’s evolving, as we said, at a super high pace.

And the challenge is so, so great. And remaining fit is very difficult if we don’t collaborate. And there are certain things that don’t make any sense to compete.

You know, there’s so much to lose and to win there that, for sure, we need to collaborate in certain spaces.

Host: Absolutely. Result-driven collaborations are nothing but crucial for businesses and by advancements, be it any industry, tech or non-tech.

Nicolás: But you need to choose a focus, right?

Host: Yeah. So lastly, leading Globant’s business operations in North America must be a job with several hurdles. So, what challenges do you encounter generally and how do you overcome them?

Nicolás: Well, you know, the US is a great market, right? American general is a great market. It’s a land of opportunity.

Of course, I’m not saying nothing new. And it’s a place where you, you know, it’s great to invest because, you know, people are very responsive. Businesses thrive.

You get feedback. Everything happens at a fast speed, at a fast pace, right? But it’s very large, right?

And it’s very diverse. So, choosing how to manage your time, choosing how to pick your team members, who to rely on, how to focus is probably the hardest thing to do, I think. And if you do that right, it’s golden.

You’re great. It’s one of the best markets in the world. But you need to get that right.

Host: Yeah, of course. Tackling challenges is what success requires, actually. So that’s a wrap.

Thank you, Nicolás. The insights and knowledge you shared are absolutely valuable for us. Thank you for highlighting exclusive takeaways on AI agents, business collaborations, and strategy development. Thank you so much.

Nicolás: Okay, thank you.

Host: Thank you, everyone, for joining us in this episode of ExtraMile by HiTechNectar. I’m your host, Rittika, signing off for today. See you in another insightful conversation with our next visionary leader. Until then, stay tuned.