AI Without Internet? Mark Gamble (Couchbase) on Cloud-to-Edge Innovation | Vancouver Cloud Summit

After his session at the Vancouver Cloud Summit, Mark Gamble, Product & Solutions Marketing Director at Couchbase, sat down with us to unpack the key themes of his talk on Cloud-to-Edge AI — from the future of AI at the edge to how databases can function even without internet connectivity.

Mark explains the risks of relying on cloud-based AI, especially when outages or limited connectivity threaten application performance. He breaks down the concept of Edge AI in simple terms, showing how keeping both the database and AI model on the device allows applications to run faster, more reliably, and securely — even in remote or bandwidth-limited environments.

He also discusses the trade-offs of moving applications from the cloud to the edge. The conversation also touches on the emergence of Small Language Models (SLMs) optimized for edge use, and how Couchbase is helping developers build smart, distributed apps by staying ahead of evolving technology trends. Mark shares what drew him to this space, why it matters now more than ever, and how Couchbase is positioning itself to meet the growing demand for AI at the edge.