Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®

Episode #732: Using AI to See Video Content with Meenal Nalwaya, Reka

Release Date: September 11, 2025
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Meenal Nalwaya, Head of Product at Reka

Main Theme

This episode dives deep into the rising importance of multimodal artificial intelligence—AI that “sees,” “hears,” and “reasons” about the world across data types, such as images, video, and audio. Greg Kihlström and guest Meenal Nalwaya, Head of Product at Reka, explore practical deployments of advanced AI in sectors like security and media, the shift from text-based to visual AI, and what this means for enterprises, product managers, and the future of customer experience.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Meenal Nalwaya’s Background & Motivation

• [02:01] Meenal describes her trajectory from Amazon and Meta, where she focused on making advanced technologies accessible to billions.

  • Quote: “At Meta...it kind of became clear to me that AI isn’t just about bigger models, it’s really about building solutions that are solving real world problems.” – Meenal [02:15]

• She observed a big gap: most AI focused on text, even as most real-world data is visual or auditory. This motivated her to join Reka, a company dedicated to multimodal AI.

2. What Makes Reka Different

• [03:15] Reka is described as an “enterprise standard for multimodal agents,” with two core pillars:
  • Multimodal-first: Building agents that see, listen, and reason over enterprise data (images, audio, video), not just text.
  • Full-stack: Reka builds its own foundational models, rather than wrapping or relying on others (e.g., OpenAI). This allows for greater customization, quality, and innovation speed.
  • Quote: “We are not a wrapper company…we build our own multimodal foundational models and package them into solutions.” – Meenal [04:05]

3. New Platform Launches: Reka Vision & Reka Research

• [04:43] Two significant launches:
  • Reka Vision: Enables “human-like understanding” and direct Q&A over enterprise images/videos.
    • Example: “Show me every slam dunk from last night” or “Find me all security events this week.”
    • Produces instant highlight reels or structured compliance logs.
  • Reka Research: Adds a reasoning layer, providing cited, structured answers from private and web data.
    • Example: “What themes are trending this season versus last year?” generates a boardroom-ready, fully-cited report.
  • Quote: “If you combine vision and research…that brings together the perception side and then adds the reasoning layer…building blocks for multimodal agents in any industry.” – Meenal [06:16]

4. Real-World Use Cases

• [07:34] Key industries: Security and Media

  • Security:

    • Ohio Police Department deployed Reka-powered agents across 100+ intersections.
    • Results: 65% faster case resolution, 42% reduction in crime, and 40% time savings for officers.
    • Quote: “This wasn’t just about cool tech… it was about solving a real workflow bottleneck and delivering safety for all citizens.” – Meenal [08:24]

  • Media:

    • Studios and broadcasters like Paramount use Reka to unlock, search, and monetize vast video archives at the scene, actor, or emotion level.
    • Easier repurposing for licensing, faster discovery (“Show me every time Brad Pitt was shown in a video”), and automated highlight/content creation for social media and news.
    • Advertising: Tracks every logo appearance or “moment of excitement” for customized ad placements, such as Nike advertising alongside game-winning goals.
    • Quote: “Now if you can search and discover footage faster…you can license the content a lot more efficiently.” – Meenal [09:15]
    • Quote: “You can sell premium placements…like only show ads when there is a moment of excitement.” – Meenal [13:23]

5. Industry Trends and the Future of AI

• [14:05] The Coming Shifts in AI:

  • Transition from text-dominated AI to truly multimodal systems.

  • Shift from “wrapper” companies to full-stack model builders for reliability and control.

  • Quote: “The world will move from text to multimodal…most of the world’s data is how humans perceive the world.” – Meenal [14:13]

  • Quote: “It will become more and more critical for [enterprises] to own the entire stack…not be dependent on someone else’s roadmap.” – Meenal [15:08]

  • Personal experience: At Meta, combating hallucinations in AI models taught the importance of architecting quality at the foundation, not just the fine-tuning layer.

6. Advice for PMs in AI

• [16:03] Meenal’s advice to Product Managers (PMs):
  • Now is the best time to be a PM in AI due to easier coding, but defining the “what” and “why” is more valuable than ever.
  • “Anchor on the customer problem”—cool tech alone won’t drive adoption.
  • In product execution, clear success metrics (evaluations—“evals”) on real data are crucial.
  • Quote: “If the AI doesn’t fit into a user’s problem…it’s just not going to stick, it’ll just remain cool tech.” – Meenal [16:33]
  • Quote: “Evals…are the new pil; your product will really be defined by the success metric and that measurable outcome.” – Meenal [17:25]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “AI isn’t just about bigger models, it’s about solving real world problems.”
  – Meenal Nalwaya [02:15]
• “We are not a wrapper company…we build our own multimodal foundational models and package them into solutions.”
  – Meenal Nalwaya [04:05]
• “65% faster case resolution and 42% reduction in crime—that is a crazy amount of improvement in safety and speed.”
  – Meenal Nalwaya [07:55]
• “Show me a romantic comedy from the 1960s with a happy ending and actually find something exactly that.”
  – Meenal Nalwaya [10:33]
• “The world will move from text to multimodal…most of the world’s data is how humans perceive the world.”
  – Meenal Nalwaya [14:13]
• “Anchor on the customer problem. Adoption of your product really lives or dies there.”
  – Meenal Nalwaya [16:30]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | | --------- | ------- | | 02:01 | Meenal’s background and motivation for joining Reka | | 03:15 | Reka’s multimodal-first/full-stack strategy | | 04:43 | Launch of Reka Vision and Reka Research explained | | 07:34 | Real-world deployments: Security industry (Ohio PD) | | 09:13 | Media use cases: video archives, licensing, discovery | | 12:32 | Advertising and sponsorship use cases, premium ad slots | | 14:05 | Future trends: multimodal shift, owning the AI stack | | 16:03 | Advice for PMs and execution in AI product management |

Conclusion

This episode offers a forward-looking, practical discussion on how next-generation AI is moving beyond text, with Reka’s tools as a case study in meaningful enterprise deployment. Meenal Nalwaya illustrates how multimodal AI is unlocking new value across diverse industries, from public safety to media monetization, and shares actionable insights for building products that genuinely solve user problems. The conversation is an essential listen for anyone shaping or following the future of AI-driven customer experience.