Episode 13 - AI: The Hidden Layer (Part 1)

What does enterprise AI look like when the user is no longer human?

In this episode of The Intelligent Enterprise, host Tom Stoneman sits down with Ash Ashutosh, CEO of Pinecone and a three-time founder, to explore the next evolution of AI infrastructure: from vector databases built for humans using chatbots, to knowledge engines designed for AI agents that need to understand context, take action, and get work done.

Ash shares why every major technology shift needs new infrastructure, how Pinecone is rethinking the AI stack for agentic systems, and why the best technology eventually becomes invisible — embedded so deeply into how we work and live that it simply does what we need, when we need it.

The conversation also moves beyond the technology itself, touching on creativity, experience, trust, hyper-personalization, and the one place Ash believes AI should not replace us: human relationships.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Why AI agents require a different kind of infrastructure than chatbots

The shift from vector databases to knowledge engines

How Pinecone uses AI internally to move beyond dashboards

Why enterprise AI needs context, trust, and actionability

How experience can become an asset in the age of AI

Why relationships become more valuable as transactional work becomes automated

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Host: Tom Stoneman
Guest: Ash Ashutosh, CEO of Pinecone
Podcast: The Intelligent Enterprise
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