#42 - Why the future of AI is hybrid and not cloud - Dr. Olena Zhu

#42 - Why the future of AI is hybrid and not cloud - Dr. Olena Zhu

From The Deep View: Conversations by The Deep View

May 11, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

Dr. Olena Zhu discusses the shift from cloud-only AI to on-device AI and its implications for accessibility, affordability, and privacy.

What happens when AI moves from cloud-only to running everywhere, including on your laptop, your phone, and other devices around you? In this episode of Deep View Conversations, senior reporter Sabrina Ortiz sits down with Olena Zhu, who leads AI for the client computing group at Intel, to explore one of the biggest shifts underway in AI: the move toward accessible, affordable, and privacy-first AI systems. Zhu explains why the economics and infrastructure demands of cloud-only AI may not scale indefinitely, and why on-device AI could become a critical part of the industry's future. She also reflects on the evolution from traditional AI systems to LLMs and now to agentic AI, and why this wave feels fundamentally different from the hype cycles that came before it. The conversation also dives into how AI is changing the way people work, learn, and experiment, including the surprising mindset Zhu believes helps people get the most value from AI tools today. Topics covered include: + Why cloud-only AI has limits + The future of on-device and edge AI + AI affordability, energy use, and data sovereignty + How agentic AI changed Zhu’s workflow + Why experimentation matters more than…

People in this episode

Host: Sabrina Ortiz

Guest: Dr. Olena Zhu

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Organizations: Intel

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