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Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Podcast Series

Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Podcast Series

Members of Technical Staff at the Software Engineering Institute 432 Episodes Sep 17, 2026

The SEI Podcast Series presents conversations in software engineering, cybersecurity, and future technologies, featuring members of the technical staff at the Software Engineering Institute.

Episodes

Why Accuracy Isn't Enough: A New Quality Model for Real-World ML Components
Why Accuracy Isn't Enough: A New Quality Model for Real-World ML Components Sep 17, 2026 24:02 AI components, whether traditional machine learning or generative AI, are embedded in many present-day systems. However, despite advances in automation, infrastructure, and tooling for developing AI components, many do not leave the prototype stage or reach production because they fail to meet overall system quality expectations. In our latest podcast from the Carnegie Mellon University Software
Breaking Down Barriers: How LLMs Enable Software Analysis in Classified Environments
Breaking Down Barriers: How LLMs Enable Software Analysis in Classified Environments Aug 6, 2026 21:58 The recent explosion in large language model (LLM) technology has highlighted the challenges of using public generative artificial intelligence tools in classified environments, especially for software analysis. Currently, software analysis falls on the shoulders of static analysis tools and manual code review, which tend to provide limited technical depth and are often time-consuming in practice
Software-Defined Warfare: Expanding the Frontier
Software-Defined Warfare: Expanding the Frontier Jul 8, 2026 12:43 Software-defined warfare is today's reality for national security, shifting the emphasis in military operations from hardware to software. In the latest podcast from the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute, SEI director Paul Nielsen recently sat down with Matthew Butkovic, technical director of Risk and Resilience in the SEI's CERT Division, to discuss the evolution of softwa
From Coordination Chaos to Mission Focus: The Waypoints Framework
From Coordination Chaos to Mission Focus: The Waypoints Framework Jun 24, 2026 18:38 In aviation, waypoints guide pilots through complex flight plans, providing some structure but maintaining flexibility. Kevin Dooley, a senior Agile transformation leader at the SEI, adopted this concept to solve one of defense acquisition's most persistent challenges: synchronizing dozens of interdependent teams without drowning in administrative noise and overhead. In the latest podcast from the
An LLM Evaluation Framework for High-Stakes AI
An LLM Evaluation Framework for High-Stakes AI Jun 11, 2026 16:33 Experimentation and validation of LLM performance is critical when building LLM-driven systems that must reliably deliver a service, from customer service chat bots to intelligence analysis tools. To help teams meet the need for rigorous evaluation methods, a research team in the SEI's AI Division led by Violet Turri has developed the Evaluating Large Language Models (ELM) library, which is built
Protecting AI Systems Against Data Poisoning
Protecting AI Systems Against Data Poisoning Jun 4, 2026 20:01 Data poisoning—where adversaries tamper with training data to corrupt model behavior—poses significant risks as AI adoption expands across critical sectors. Organizations without mechanisms in place to detect or prevent data poisoning are open to an avenue of attack that, once exploited, is difficult to remediate. Machine unlearning and model retraining are not always viable or effective solution
Goal-Line Defense: A Tool to Discover and Mitigate UEFI Vulnerabilities
Goal-Line Defense: A Tool to Discover and Mitigate UEFI Vulnerabilities Apr 15, 2026 41:19 As recently as December 2025, the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI's) CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) documented a UEFI-related vulnerability in certain motherboard models, illustrating that early-boot firmware behavior continues to present security challenges despite requiring local physical access to exploit. While CERT/CC reported seven UEFI vulnerabilities in 2
Leadership, Legacy, and the Power of Mentors: Insights from Dr. Paul Nielsen
Leadership, Legacy, and the Power of Mentors: Insights from Dr. Paul Nielsen Apr 6, 2026 18:58 In February 2026, Paul Nielsen announced that he will transition out of his role as director and chief executive officer of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University. During Nielsen's tenure, the SEI has marked major institutional milestones that underscore its enduring role in strengthening the security, resilience, and reliability of the nation's software- and AI-int
With a Little Help from Our Civilian Friends: Cybersecurity Reserve Is Both Feasible and Advisable
With a Little Help from Our Civilian Friends: Cybersecurity Reserve Is Both Feasible and Advisable Mar 20, 2026 49:17 Cybersecurity staffing shortages are a major concern in the government given the increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks on the nation's critical infrastructure. In the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress tasked the Pentagon with finding flexible options to address cyber staffing needs. The Pentagon commissioned the SEI to conduct an independent study to assess the feasibil
Maturing AI Adoption: From Chaos to Consistency
Maturing AI Adoption: From Chaos to Consistency Mar 2, 2026 25:32 While Stanford University found that AI investments, optimism, and accessibility are rising, a recent MIT report suggests that 95 percent of organizations are realizing no returns on their generative AI investments. Research from Accenture found that only 8 percent of companies are scaling AI at an enterprise level and embedding the technology into core business strategy to maximize value. Mismat
Temporal Memory Safety in C and C++: An AI-Enhanced Pointer Ownership Model
Temporal Memory Safety in C and C++: An AI-Enhanced Pointer Ownership Model Feb 9, 2026 24:25 In October 2025, CyberPress reported a critical security vulnerability in the Redis Server, an open-source in-memory database that allowed authenticated attackers to achieve remote code execution through a use-after-free flaw in the Lua scripting engine. In 2024, another prominent temporal memory safety flaw was found in the Netfilter subsystem in the Linux kernel: CVE-2024-1086. Bugs related to t
AI for the Warfighter: Acquisition Challenges and Guidance
AI for the Warfighter: Acquisition Challenges and Guidance Jan 29, 2026 24:48 On November 7, the Department of War released an acquisition transformation strategy that seeks to remove bureaucratic hurdles and streamline acquisition processes to enable even more rapid adoption of technologies, including artificial intelligence. Getting AI into the hands of warfighters requires disciplined AI Engineering. In this podcast from the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineerin

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