Why Your AI Product Needs Evals with Hamel Husain

In a podcast episode featuring AI consultant Hamel Husain and Latent Space podcast host Shawn Wang (Swyx), the discussion explores the critical role of evaluations (evals) in developing effective AI products and the evolving landscape of AI engineering. They emphasize the importance of not just relying on toolsets but also understanding and analyzing data to improve AI systems, particularly when deploying large language models (LLMs). Husain highlights common pitfalls, such as the overemphasis on frameworks without sufficient data analysis and eval implementation. The conversation also delves into the concept of literate programming, which integrates code, documentation, and testing in a unified narrative, offering potential synergy with AI to enhance productivity and software development practices. Additionally, the episode touches on the broader adoption of AI technologies beyond the tech community, suggesting that AI's potential is still underrecognized in wider society.