diff --git a/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.cpp b/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.cpp
index 28bc9c51d..8a749b6d5 100644
--- a/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.cpp
+++ b/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.cpp
@@ -100,6 +100,20 @@ const char* MLModelService::tensor_info::data_type_to_string(const data_types da
     return nullptr;
 }
 
+std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, MLModelService::tensor_info::data_types dt) {
+    const char* str = MLModelService::tensor_info::data_type_to_string(dt);
+
+    if (str) {
+        os << str;
+    } else {
+        // Cast to unsigned because uint8_t is unsigned char, and 0-9 are whitespace or non printing
+        // characters
+        os << static_cast<unsigned>(dt);
+    }
+
+    return os;
+}
+
 MLModelService::tensor_info::data_types MLModelService::tensor_info::tensor_views_to_data_type(
     const tensor_views& view) {
     class visitor : public boost::static_visitor<data_types> {
diff --git a/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.hpp b/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.hpp
index fec2ad0d3..7797e86bd 100644
--- a/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.hpp
+++ b/src/viam/sdk/services/mlmodel.hpp
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
+#include <iosfwd>
+
 #include <boost/mpl/joint_view.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/list.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/transform_view.hpp>
@@ -177,5 +179,7 @@ struct API::traits<MLModelService> {
     static API api();
 };
 
+std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream&, MLModelService::tensor_info::data_types);
+
 }  // namespace sdk
 }  // namespace viam
diff --git a/src/viam/sdk/services/private/mlmodel_server.cpp b/src/viam/sdk/services/private/mlmodel_server.cpp
index ddd831b9e..680446568 100644
--- a/src/viam/sdk/services/private/mlmodel_server.cpp
+++ b/src/viam/sdk/services/private/mlmodel_server.cpp
@@ -48,10 +48,8 @@ ::grpc::Status MLModelServiceServer::Infer(
             const auto tensor_type = MLModelService::tensor_info::tensor_views_to_data_type(tensor);
             if (tensor_type != input.data_type) {
                 std::ostringstream message;
-                using ut = std::underlying_type<MLModelService::tensor_info::data_types>::type;
                 message << "Tensor input `" << input.name << "` was the wrong type; expected type "
-                        << static_cast<ut>(input.data_type) << " but got type "
-                        << static_cast<ut>(tensor_type);
+                        << input.data_type << " but got type " << tensor_type;
                 return helper.fail(::grpc::INVALID_ARGUMENT, message.str().c_str());
             }
             inputs.emplace(input.name, std::move(tensor));
@@ -74,11 +72,9 @@ ::grpc::Status MLModelServiceServer::Infer(
                     MLModelService::tensor_info::tensor_views_to_data_type(tensor);
                 if (tensor_type != input.data_type) {
                     std::ostringstream message;
-                    using ut = std::underlying_type<MLModelService::tensor_info::data_types>::type;
                     message << "Tensor input `" << input.name
-                            << "` was the wrong type; expected type "
-                            << static_cast<ut>(input.data_type) << " but got type "
-                            << static_cast<ut>(tensor_type);
+                            << "` was the wrong type; expected type " << input.data_type
+                            << " but got type " << tensor_type;
                     return helper.fail(::grpc::INVALID_ARGUMENT, message.str().c_str());
                 }
                 inputs.emplace(std::move(input.name), std::move(tensor));
@@ -122,12 +118,8 @@ ::grpc::Status MLModelServiceServer::Metadata(
                     MLModelService::tensor_info::data_type_to_string(s.data_type);
                 if (!string_for_data_type) {
                     std::ostringstream message;
-                    message
-                        << "Served MLModelService returned an unknown data type with value `"
-                        << static_cast<
-                               std::underlying_type<MLModelService::tensor_info::data_types>::type>(
-                               s.data_type)
-                        << "` in its metadata";
+                    message << "Served MLModelService returned an unknown data type with value `"
+                            << s.data_type << "` in its metadata";
                     return helper.fail(grpc::INTERNAL, message.str().c_str());
                 }
                 new_entry.set_data_type(string_for_data_type);