Beyond LLMs: How Jumptuit's Don Leka Is Building AI for the Physical World

In this episode of Intel at the Edge, host Chip Usher sits down with Don Leka, Founder and CEO of Jumptuit, to explore a different kind of artificial intelligence — one built not on text, but on real-time data from the physical world. Don shares his journey from building the Glide OS cloud platform in 2004, to founding Jumptuit, a company using a large dynamic reasoning model to track physical-world signals — from shipping movements and port activity to refinery output and geopolitical indicators — in near real time.   The conversation covers: - Why Jumptuit's approach differs fundamentally from large language models - How cross-sector data intersections can reveal probable events before they happen - Using comparative, causal, and analogical reasoning to forecast geopolitical and economic shifts - Case studies: Russia's GDP resilience despite sanctions, shifting oil demand, and instability in Niger and Albania - What the intelligence community could gain from live, empirical, physical-world data - A must-listen for anyone interested in AI, geopolitical forecasting, and the future of intelligence analysis beyond large language models.   0:00 Intro: AI Beyond LLMs & Meet Don Leka 1:16 Don Leka's Background & Building Glide OS (2004) 3:17 How Jumptuit's Approach Differs from ChatGPT & LLMs 5:10 What Data Jumptuit Collects (Persian Gulf Example) 9:50 Open Source Data & Cross-Sector Event Thresholds 10:48 Case Study: Operation Epic Fury & Iran War Assumptions 13:42 Large Dynamic Reasoning Model as Predictive Analytics Tool 16:16 Lessons from the Arab Spring & Traditional Intelligence Gaps 17:39 Why Historical Data Alone Misleads Forecasting 18:42 Case Study: Russia's GDP Resilience Despite Sanctions 21:10 Persian Gulf Tensions, Oil Prices & China's Reduced Demand 22:23 Ripple Effects: Japan, Albania & Global Instability 23:55 Is It the Data or the Algorithm? The "Secret Sauce" 24:40 Why LLMs Struggle with Outdated, Narrative-Based Data 26:25 Can Jumptuit's Model Be Distilled or Copied? 28:42 Beyond Geopolitics: Climate, Health & Individualized Intelligence 31:12 What the National Security Community Should Be Doing 32:40 How Jumptuit Complements (Not Competes With) LLMs 33:53 Key Customers: Finance, Energy, Defense & More Intel at the Edge Podcast is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.