
In this episode, co-hosts Emma McGrattan and Ole Olesen-Bagneux sit down with Frédéric Verhelst — a leading voice in semantic technologies and agentic AI, and longtime semantic web advocate — for a practical dive into ontologies, knowledge graphs, and why they matter more than ever in an AI-first world.


From his early work with TotalEnergies to today’s experiments in integrating AI into digital service platforms, Frédéric brings clarity and historical depth to a topic many still find intimidating.


Together, they explore:
What an ontology actually is, and why it’s not as scary as it sounds.
The difference between a knowledge graph and a graph database, and why that difference matters.
Why LLMs need structured knowledge, and why hallucinations were a necessary wake-up call.
What Google, Netflix, and AstraZeneca all get right about semantics.
Why there’s a global shortage of knowledge graph talent, and how philosophy grads might help.


🎧 Tune in for a conversation that moves from data modeling to AI safety, and shows why the most innovative organizations are investing in semantics — not just models.
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, co-hosts Emma McGrattan and Ole Olesen-Bagneux sit down with Frédéric Verhelst — a leading voice in semantic technologies and agentic AI, and longtime semantic web advocate — for a practical dive into ontologies, knowledge graphs, and why they matter more than ever in an AI-first world. From his early work with TotalEnergies to today’s experiments in integrating AI into digital service platforms, Frédéric brings clarity and historical depth to a topic many still find intimidating. Together, they explore:<ul><li>What an ontology actually is, and why it’s not as scary as it sounds.</li><li>The difference between a knowledge graph and a graph database, and why that difference matters.</li><li>Why LLMs need structured knowledge, and why hallucinations were a necessary wake-up call.</li><li>What Google, Netflix, and AstraZeneca all get right about semantics.</li><li>Why there’s a global shortage of knowledge graph talent, and how philosophy grads might help.</li></ul> 🎧 Tune in for a conversation that moves from data modeling to AI safety, and shows why the most innovative organizations are investing in semantics — not just models. Hosted on Ausha. See <a href="https://ausha.co/privacy-policy">ausha.co/privacy-policy</a> for more information.

Enterprise Wide Search 25: Frédéric Verhelst - From Data Chaos to Meaning: The Rise of Ontologies in AI


You’re listening to Enterprise Wide Search — powered by Actian.
Hosted by Ole Olesen-Bagneux, Chief Evangelist at Actian, and now joined by Emma McGrattan, Actian’s CTO and global data leader, this show explores the often-overlooked challenge at the heart of modern enterprises: finding and making sense of data.


Why is it still so hard to search across systems and uncover the data you need to do your job? Ole is obsessed with that question — and together with Emma, he speaks with authors, software inventors, data architects, industry leaders, and academics about the tools, processes, and ideas shaping the future of enterprise data search.


From metadata to data intelligence, governance to AI-powered discovery — Enterprise Wide Search is your guide to navigating enterprise data's wild, tangled world.
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You’re listening to Enterprise Wide Search — powered by Actian.Hosted by Ole Olesen-Bagneux, Chief Evangelist at Actian, and now joined by Emma McGrattan, Actian’s CTO and global data leader, this show explores the often-overlooked challenge at the heart of modern enterprises: finding and making sense of data. Why is it still so hard to search across systems and uncover the data you need to do your job? Ole is obsessed with that question — and together with Emma, he speaks with authors, software inventors, data architects, industry leaders, and academics about the tools, processes, and ideas shaping the future of enterprise data search. From metadata to data intelligence, governance to AI-powered discovery — Enterprise Wide Search is your guide to navigating enterprise data's wild, tangled world. Hosted on Ausha. See <a href="https://ausha.co/privacy-policy">ausha.co/privacy-policy</a> for more information.