CxC Ep30: Building AI Systems That Don’t Break the Business - with Brian Fornelli (Conagra)
May 14, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
Why listen
A senior AI engineering leader at a Fortune 500 food company explains how to ship AI that actually holds up in production.
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In this episode
- Why cross-functional teams beat traditional org structures for AI delivery
- How to know when a simple deterministic system beats a fancy LLM
- What observability and governance look like in real enterprise AI systems
- Why measuring AI ROI is broken and what to do about it
About this episode
This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Brian Fornelli of Conagra Brands to discuss operationalizing AI in large enterprises, why companies are overcomplicating adoption, and where generative AI actually delivers value.
Brian is a Senior Director of Data Solutions and Engineering at Conagra Brands, where he focuses on building production-grade machine learning systems and scalable software solutions that improve operational decision-making. With over 15 years of experience spanning applied machine learning, engineering, and enterprise systems, his work centers on deploying practical AI solutions that drive measurable outcomes in complex operational environments.
In this episode, we discuss:
→ Why cross-functional teams outperform traditional enterprise org structures for AI
→ The risks of deploying probabilistic AI into real-world operations
→ Why most enterprise problems don’t need advanced AI
→ The importance of observability, governance, and traceability in AI systems
→ How enterprises balance platforms like Palantir, Databricks, and Snowflake
→ Why AI-generated software may matter more than AI-powered operations
→ The coming pricing, supply, and GPU challenges facing enterprise AI
→ Why organizations need better ways to measure AI ROI and productivity
→ The risks of unbounded “vibe coded” enterprise applications
→ Why deterministic systems and traditional ML still matter alongside LLMs
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CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
About Code and Connor
Code & Connor is where Connor Deeks and Dorian Smiley ask the questions most AI podcasts won't. Two founders — one strategist, one engineer — in honest conversations with executives, builders, and practitioners about what's actually happening at the intersection of AI and the enterprise.
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