Peggy Smedley talks about one of the recent data breach reports. She says there were six mega-breaches in 2024, accounting for 85% of victim notices—and four of the largest breaches were preventable. She also discusses: Where we have been with cybersecurity in the past year—and what are the top five industries targeted. What we can surmise from tod…

Peggy and Calum Mair, commercial director, North America, EPD, talk about sourcing materials for construction and the impact tariffs could have on the industry. He says tariffs from Canada and Mexico have the potential to really shake up the construction space. They also discuss: The pros and cons of tariffs. The hidden opportunities for the constr…

Peggy Smedley and Karen Panetta, fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, talk about trends with AI (artificial intelligence) and smart homes and how it can help with energy efficiency. She says the most visible things people see are energy efficiency, health, and monitoring the smart home—but it is also in our appliances. They als…

Peggy talks about opportunities, drivers, and trends for industrial robots. She shares what manufacturers need to do to prepare for a robotic future, saying robots are coming—and in some instances, they are already here. She also discusses: How much the market is anticipated to grow. An example of a robot in space and what’s happening in warehouses…

Peggy Smedley and Zoltan Nagy, director, Intelligent Environments Lab, talk about what is happening to our data and who is actually looking at it. He says with the democratization of collecting data, the challenge is no longer can we get the data or how do we store all this data, but rather it is what do we do with all this data. They also discuss:…

Peggy Smedley and Deborah Perry Piscione, cofounder, Work3 Institute and coauthor, Employment Is Dead, talk about the 10 operating principles of work and how gen AI (artificial intelligence) can provide advanced training and upskilling. She explains how she and her coauthor came up with the title for the book. They also discuss: The difference betw…

Peggy discusses gen AI (artificial intelligence), data centers, and President Trump’s announcement of the Stargate project. She says gen AI is transforming many things—but we need the infrastructure to help spur growth. She also discusses: Demand, growth, and trends surrounding data center infrastructure. Details surrounding the Stargate project. A…

Peggy Smedley and Brian Green, director of technology ethics, The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, discuss ethics and technology. He says ethics is both the theory and practice of how to make good decisions, perform good actions, and ultimately become a good person. They also discuss: How ethics has evolved in the past se…

Peggy Smedley and Grant Quasha, CEO, Eco Material Technologies, discuss his personal experience in the green cement sector and how it will develop in the coming years. He says the cement and concrete sectors are much bigger than people think, essentially there are 30 billion tons a year of concrete that are poured around the world. It is the most u…

Peggy talks about new research that has come out about cybersecurity and gives her ideas for how to build greater cybersecurity awareness. She says we need to shift our perspective, and we need better cyber resilience, as cybersecurity needs to be a priority across the entire organization. She also discusses: How many companies fail to conduct cybe…

Peggy Smedley and John Reed, global solutions leader, manufacturing and mobility industries, Microsoft, talk about key customer learnings and automotive takeaways from CES 2025 and how it will shape the year ahead. He says the centerpiece was the customers, including manufacturers, and digital, whether it was the technology from Microsoft or that t…

Peggy Smedley talks about the hard reality that if we make devices smarter and more autonomous, then we are naturally going to consume more energy. She says as we build a better tomorrow, we must consider a three-legged stool that we must build upon in the year ahead. She also discusses: How much global data center electricity consumption will grow…

Peggy Smedley and Jason Heron, head of clean fuels for North America, Airbus, talk about how the company is pioneering sustainable aerospace in the fourth wave of aerospace. He says sustainability is at the forefront of a lot of conversations, and the company is focused on a jet fuel that has a sustainable component that reduces the lifecycle of ca…

Peggy Smedley and Reddy Mallidi, AI strategist, COO, chief AI officer, and author of AI Unleashed, talk about a new book, AI Unleashed, and how generative AI (artificial intelligence) is transforming business and the art of AI leadership. He shares a story from 2019 when he needed to screen 50 million accounts for export compliance and how AI helpe…

Peggy talks about the opportunities that exist to improve the travel experience—both long-distance travel to events and vacations and daily travel in and around your own community. She says nearly 80% of American travelers experienced at least one travel-related problem in the first half of 2023—and technology can help reduce this. She also discuss…

Peggy Smedley and Daniel Burrus, a global technology futurist, business strategist and disruptive innovation expert, talk about his top 25 predictions for 2025. He says this is his 42nd annual technology prediction list—and he says they have been pretty accurate. They also discuss: The difference between hard trends and soft trends. An example of h…

Peggy Smedley and Matt Hatton, founding partner, Transforma Insights, talk about AIoT (artificial intelligence of things) and what this means for IoT (Internet of Things) deployments. He says you can’t throw a stone in the technology world without hitting AI at the moment. They also discuss: Key use case examples. The evolution of the hardware and …

Peggy talks about how one initiative is making an impact on plastic use. She says we are certainly making some strong progress with our sustainability goals—but there are still far too many companies that have not yet taken action. She also discusses: Three major highlights that have emerged in the last six years. One case study with impressive res…

Peggy Smedley and Michelle Pellegrin, global VP and managing director of strategic partnerships, IBM, talk about the IBM and Microsoft partnership and what is on the horizon for the two companies and their customers. She says Microsoft is a big user of IBM technology and IBM uses Microsoft technology. They also discuss: How long the partnership has…

Peggy Smedley and Dan Miklovic, founder, Lean Manufacturing Research and leader, Third Eye Advisory, talk about the impact ChatGPT and gen AI (artificial intelligence) has had on manufacturing. He says it has definitely had an impact, particularly in the customer experience—and now in operations. They also discuss: Obstacles to widespread adoption.…

Peggy celebrates her 900th episode with Jules White, senior advisor to the chancellor on generative AI and professor of computer science, Vanderbilt University, who joins to discuss one of the most impactful technologies to debut during her 900 episodes: generative AI (artificial intelligence). He says you hear so much AI stuff that is so nebulous …

Peggy Smedley and John Reed, global solutions leader for manufacturing and mobility industries, Microsoft, give a preview of what we can expect from Microsoft at CES next month, regarding SDVs (software-defined vehicles), gen AI (artificial intelligence), and so much more. He says CES is going to be a great show, and as we have seen in the last few…

Peggy digs into the topic of cybersecurity—looking specifically at the IoT (Internet of Things). She says we all know enterprise adoption of IoT devices is growing rapidly, with dozens of use cases across each vertical market—and now we must ensure it is all secure. She also discusses: The biggest trends and strategies for IoT security. New numbers…

Peggy Smedley and Kim Lovan, associate vice president of industrial manufacturing, Black & Veatch, talk about technologies in the food space. She says the company looked at an opportunity in the food and agriculture space—and how technology can help change how we are feeding the growing population. They also discuss: The process of marrying food an…

Peggy Smedley and Kelly Stratton, founder, president, and chief product officer, Quire, talk about how AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) firms have a two-pronged challenge: the labor shortage and greater customer demands. She says the work is there, but the people are not, and you want to serve customers in every facet, but do not h…