Orchestrating Smarter AI Systems with AI21 Labs’ Yoav Shoham | AI Basics with Google Cloud
In this episode of AI Basics, Jason sits down with Yoav Shoham — Stanford professor emeritus and co-founder of AI21 Labs, creators of Jurassic-2, Wordtune, and the new orchestration system Maestro.
They unpack:
- Why enterprise AI struggles with reliability
- What orchestration really means (and why LLMs alone aren't enough)
- The pitfalls of “agent-washing”
- Small vs large models, agent-to-agent protocols, and where real opportunities lie
This one is for founders building with AI — if you're navigating hallucinations, chasing automation, or exploring multi-agent workflows, this episode is a must.
*
Timestamps:
(0:00) Yoav Shoham joins Jason to discuss AI Basics.
(1:05) What AI21 Labs is building — from Jurassic-2 to Maestro
(5:49) The overuse and confusion of the seductive term “agent”
(8:22) Small models vs large models: what's best for enterprise?
(10:53) The verticalization of AI: legal, accounting, and beyond
(12:17) The challenge of agent-to-agent communication and shared semantics
(17:08) What’s overhyped vs underhyped in AI — Yoav’s advice for founders
*
Uncover more valuable insights from AI leaders in Google Cloud's 'Future of AI: Perspectives for Startups' report.
*
Explore Further
Google Cloud’s Report: The Future of AI
Get insights from 23 leading experts on how startups can leverage AI for real business impact.
More AI Basics Episodes
Founders, operators, and builders — catch up on our full Startup Basics series (Legal, Finance, Growth & AI):
👉 thisweekinstartups.com/basics
Links from episde:
- Google Cloud — Build smarter with AI tools built for startups
- AI21 Labs — Makers of Wordtune, Jurassic-2, and Maestro
- Maestro — Orchestrate AI agents and tools across workflows
- Jamba — AI21’s hybrid language model with breakthrough efficiency
Learn About Google’s A2A (Agent-to-Agent) Protocol
The next evolution in agent interoperability and coordination:
Follow Yoav:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoavshoham/
*
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
*
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com