So, let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

Doc: I still call myself a data analyst since that was my gateway into tech. But I’ve worn many hats over the years: researcher, software developer, entrepreneur and technologist. My body of work spans human rights, public health, food security, political risk and fighting disinformation and infodemics through the use of computational social science, social listening, remote sensing, artificial intelligence and data engineering.

My current focus is on AI literacy and AI safety, especially around Generative AI. I’m also passionate about reaching audiences not typically targeted by tech events and content. So yes, that’s me with the nuns in that photo. The Daughters of St. Paul. And they are passionate about AI.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

Doc: I wrote about the current fixation on Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) - which is basically a hacky way of making Large Language Models (LLMs) smarter. RAG still is an amazing pattern to use, but I noticed the dev-types are abusing RAG without realizing it. Seems RAG is a hammer, and everything is a nail these days.

Ironically I think these RAG abusers are the same devs who probably also stigmatize Prompt Engineering - not realizing RAG is not a substitute for proper prompting, but rather prompting is the heart and soul of it. That will be another piece I will write about.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

Doc: I have recently been writing about various topics around Generative AI - but trying to look at the technology from a more pragmatic lens. I also write about the social impact of this tech, good and bad, and try to demystify the lore around it. People who follow my work cite this - the ability to break down complex topics into digestable bits - as the single biggest reason they like hearing me talk.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

Doc: I’m a knowledge hoarder! I’ve set up massive aggregators of content of all sorts about topics - Generative AI being the current obsession - and from this treasure trove of info I let my ideas percolate. I don’t have pressures to write for or against any vendor or technology, and this gives me the flexibility of being more authentic about my message. I also write articles that I would love to read myself - since in the current hype-filled environment around AI, there’s literally a lot of garbage out there (not counting AI-generated crap). I also use AI to help me brainstorm ideas and pitches - it would be ironic if I didn’t. I also nurture threads for multiple articles - since new information always presents itself. People who read me will notice that while I keep to a few key messages over the years, the messaging continues to evolve.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

Doc: Allocating time is the biggest hurdle. I consider communication (speeches, articles, podcasts) to be one of my strong suits, but it takes full-on dedication to put yourself out there. Criticisms are also expected - in fact, I live on feedback, good or bad. But I have to admit, after long stretches, this stuff knocks me out, too. Need to recharge to re-ignite the ideas.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

Doc: As of this writing, I’ve been in tech for nearly three decades. Although I could probably still punt an app or two, I humbly admit that younger folks will have the advantage in terms of picking up new tech. So, I feel the best use of my productive years is coalescing all my past experience with tech, combined with some honest views about what’s happening now, into stories that people can relate with and also use for their own journey.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

Doc: I love meeting up with like-minded (and occasionally not-like-minded) people over coffee or drinks and swapping ideas. Occasionally it gets me a podcast guest, sometimes a business collaboration. But I live for the stories - there are many coffee chats that have become an article at some point.

Doc: This question almost feels like an attack, haha. But more than tech, books were my first love. Whenever I can, I love browsing used book stores (there are less and less of them these days), and occasionally find a gem. In a world where the internet and AI can spoil you with fast information, finding time to settle on a good book is an unparalleled luxury, kinda like enjoying a good bottle of wine (which ties to the guilty pleasure above).

Doc: Hype cycles all end the same way - a crash. Then, hopefully, enlightenment. It happened to all major tech trends in the past, and it will happen to Gen AI. As it happens, I will be there to talk about it.

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

Doc: It’s certainly underrated. But the quality of the information on HN has stayed pretty good over the years, which is a massive achievement in itself. I hope to write and read more on HN.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

Doc: Pro-tip on writing: cliches are the easiest fodder for good writing. No one will get tired of reading pieces that surface the cliches and dismantle them.