InformationWeek Podcast: Rightsizing AI frameworks to avoid failure modes

Robin Gordon, chief data officer at Hippo Insurance, and Gabe Goodhart, chief architect of AI open innovation at IBM, discuss how they match data models with data context.

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth,Senior Editor,InformationWeek

April 21, 2026

AI has introduced a wide range of tools and models that enterprises can explore, but these frameworks are not one-size-fits-all. For example, C-suite tech leaders might use retrieval-augmented generation for more user-friendly results. Meanwhile, a long context model -- designed to process very large inputs in a single pass -- may be more suited for analyzing broad data sets and information resources without relying on retrieval pipelines. The trick is determining which approach makes the most sense for a specific challenge. They may also work in tandem to combine retrieval with broader context analysis.

In this episode of the InformationWeek Podcast, Gabe Goodhart, chief architect of AI open innovation at IBM, and Robin Gordon, chief data officer at Hippo Insurance, shared their experiences of selecting the right available AI resources for their enterprise use cases.

They discussed how they make the first determination about the models they use, whether they let the scope of the data or the outcome they want dictate their choices, and how they address mismatches between organizational needs and the capabilities of the AI resources they deploy.

Related:How CIOs can climb out of the AI governance chasm

In our tabletop exercise, Questionable Ideas, Gordon and Goodhart put their knowledge to work as interim executives to save the fictional company from the latest misuses of technology by the resident gremlins, kobolds and goblins.

About the Author

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth

Senior Editor, InformationWeek

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth edits stories for InformationWeek as well as reports on C-suite tech leaders across a multitude of industries and tech disciplines. He also hosts the InformationWeek Podcast, which brings together CIOs, CTOs, and other C-suite leadership to discuss their different approaches to addressing shared challenges. He joined InformationWeek in 2019, initially as a Senior Writer covering cloud computing and DevOps. He became a Senior Editor in 2023.

His work with InformationWeek garnered American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBE) awards in 2024. This included "Could the DOJ's Antitrust Trial vs Google Drive More Innovation?" as part of the team’s Government Coverage, which collectively won a Bronze National award and a gold Northeast regional award, as well as a bronze regional award for a Web Feature Series on the environmental impact of data-driven organizations published during Earth Month. That award included his story "How Do Supercomputers Fit With Strategies for Sustainability?"

He has been a journalist for more than 25 years, reporting on business and technology first in New Jersey, then covering the New York tech startup community, and later as a freelancer for such outlets as TheStreet, Investopedia, and Street Fight.

Joao-Pierre can be reached via email at [email protected]