Fika Interview with Vincent Mayers and Lutske De Leeuw

The video features an interview with Lutske De Leeuw, a software engineer at Craftsmen from the Netherlands, conducted by Vincent Mayers, a senior community manager with Neo4j, at Fika AI.

Talk Summary:

De Leeuw gave a talk titled “Tame your Llama, Run AI in Java”. Her talk focused on how easy it is to integrate AI into existing Java projects. This addresses the common misconception that Python is required for AI development. She presented two examples: one using Llama4j and another using LangChain4j. The talk showed the differences between the two libraries and included “llama jokes and llama quizzes”.

Discussion on AI’s Impact:

The conversation shifted to the growing influence of AI, especially on hardware demand:
Java and AI: The speakers discussed how new frameworks, such as Embable by Spring Framework creator Rod Johnson, are being developed specifically to allow Java developers to work with AI.
Hardware Shortages and Costs: Mayers recounted a story about buying an SD card for a camera podcast, only to find the high-frequency 8K cards were priced at about $1,000 due to a shortage. The shortage is caused by AI data centers buying up the cards. The speaker noted that this trend extends beyond Nvidia chips, impacting items like SD cards.
Environmental Concerns: Both speakers expressed concern that the high turnover rate of hardware (like SD cards and chips), which are thrown away after only one or two years, is “horrible” for the environment.
Consumer Impact: Mayers noted that the power needs of data centers are causing higher electricity bills for consumers in places like Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, items like gaming laptops have become more expensive due to the demands of these data centers.
Conclusion: The speakers agreed that all they can do is focus on making Java developers better prepared for the “new AI age”. The interview concluded with Mayers thanking De Leeuw and wishing her well for the rest of JFocus.