The timelessness of vector databases | Pinecone’s Ram Sriharsha

Why your AI stack is only as good as its search capabilities

With massive context windows and new agent frameworks, do vector databases still matter? Ram Sriharsha, CTO at Pinecone, joins the conversation to make the definitive case that they’re more critical than ever. He explains that at the core of all AI is search, and externalizing this function is non-negotiable for security, auditability, and control.

Ram offers a clear starting path for engineering leaders: begin with simple Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications, but immediately implement a robust evaluation framework to manage hallucinations and ensure quality. He shares his perspective on the skills that matter most now, arguing that curiosity and the rise of the generalist engineer are critical in an AI-powered world. This episode is a guide to building the AI stack from the ground up, from using AI as a “good junior engineer” for testing to cultivating the engineering mindset of tomorrow.

“At the core of AI is search, and at the core of how AI does search is vectors... People who are working on agents, people are trying to build generative AI applications... may not necessarily realize at first glance that, oh, the thing that underpins emerging AI is actually search.”

Episode Transcript

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The Download

The newsletter with build flags you simply can’t ignore. 🚩

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