Building Reliable AI: Haroon Choudery on Infrastructure, Education, and Scaling Trust

AI is moving faster than ever—but reliability remains the missing layer.In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Haroon Choudery, founder and CEO of Autoblocks AI, to unpack what it takes to build trustworthy AI systems in high-stakes, regulated environments. Haroon has spent over a decade building at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and infrastructure, with a career that spans early work with Mark Cuban on computer vision projects, foundational roles at Komodo Health, and the launch of a nonprofit focused on AI education.Haroon shares how his early exposure to machine learning—and the real-world consequences of rapid technological change—shaped his belief that education, reliability, and proactive risk management are essential to scaling AI responsibly. At Autoblocks, he’s building the testing and evaluation layer that helps companies catch AI issues before their users do, working with customers like Hinge Health to ensure AI applications meet the highest standards of safety and performance.In this conversation, Haroon discusses:Why testing and evaluation are the missing infrastructure layer in AIWhat “reliability” really means for generative AI systemsWhy healthcare is a proving ground for high-stakes AI adoptionHow founders can scale AI safely without sacrificing speedThe role of education in reducing uncertainty and building trustWhy generalist skill sets and wearing many hats matter for early buildersThis conversation explores what it takes to build AI that works beyond the demo, where trust, reliability, and education play a central role alongside innovation.FOLLOW HAROON CHOUDERYLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroonchoudery/https://www.autoblocks.ai/aiready.soFOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERSNewsletterYouTube: @firstbuilderspodInstagram: @thecouncilcapitalTwitter/X: @first_builders_TikTok: @firstbuilderspodLinkedIn: The Council