Peggy Smedley Show

Peggy and James Arthur Ray, entrepreneur, author, and life and business coach, address what is authentic leadership and how to develop it. He explains that the No. 1 imperative for leaders today is authentic leadership and it has to start inside. He suggests reorganizing our big ideas in the world and our big values.

Peggy and Matt Mason, chief scientist, Berkshire Grey, and professor, Carnegie Mellon University, dive into the topic of robotic manipulation. He says there are a lot of problems and great applications for robotic manipulation and details how robotic manipulation works in conjunction with the sensory input. He recommends that if you are going to tackle something, you need to focus on the problem first because too much robotics research is driven by future applications.

Peggy Smedley talks about how the law is going to play an important role in shaping the cybersecurity landscape going forward. She explains that the lack of awareness about cybersecurity is a real problem in our industry—pointing to one statistic that shows 86% of IT and security decision makers say their organizations need to improve their awareness of IoT threats. She recommends IT leaders focus on becoming more aware of cybersecurity.

Peggy and Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, talk about new technology that is needed in 2019: systems related to automation and technology related to agricultural intelligence. He says the focus needs to be on assistive technology—not replacement technologies.

Peggy and Sotiris Bantas, president and CEO, Centaur, discuss food waste and food safety liability in the supply chain. He also says we are on an exponential curve, with population increasing and more complexity in the food industry that needs to be addressed with innovation and technology. Further, he adds the biggest driver in the last mile that the retail industry is pushing for digitization of the supply chain.

Peggy Smedley dives into the topic of cognitive technologies and how they impact the IoT (Internet of Things). She discusses recent research from Deloitte, which shows roughly 76% of respondents say they expect cognitive technologies to transform their companies in just three years or less, and she explains the business value of cognitive technologies goes beyond cutting costs. Finally, she wraps up with her tip of the week and how to rethink cognitive opportunities for the next 12 months.

Peggy and Dr. Cathy Kapica, founder and CEO, The Awegrin Institute, discuss why food science is important—and how technology factors in. She says 2020 is the next update of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and they are the foundation of health nutrition and health messaging. She adds that food is the original medicine, and food does not become nutrition until it is eaten, and that artificial intelligence has helped to bring a more affordable and safe food supply.

Peggy and Ken Harris, managing partner, Cadent Consulting, talk about the advances in AI (artificial intelligence), blockchain, and digital twins for the food industry. He explains that retailers are beginning to use AI to understand the purchase cycles of consumers. Also, blockchain is one example of a supply-chain initiative that is happening right now, as big-box retailers are using it for tracking. He says that fear is not a strategy and neither is hope—and between those two is reality.

Peggy Smedley shares about emerging tech trends that will help shape the IoT (Internet of Things). She says a big-picture trend that is shaping the IoT is how technology is being used to solve key societal issues such as clean drinking water. In particular, blockchain can serve humanitarian efforts. She points to the example of thousands of refugees in Jordan paying for food using blockchain. She says companies need to start by looking for ways technology can help solve pain points for customers.

Peggy Smedley sits down with show regular Josh Peschel, assistant professor of agriculture and Biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, who also talks about the state of infrastructure—and the role of the IoT (Internet of Things) and robotics in helping rebuild. They also dive into the topic of how to fund and pay for infrastructure development and some of the challenges associated with that.

Peggy is joined by Kristina Swallow, president, American Society of Civil Engineers, who dives into the topic of our nation's infrastructure and why it is receiving a low grade. They discuss three key solutions that can help solve the infrastructure crisis in America today including more investment, leadership, and planning for the future. One big factor that will help is public-private partnerships, among others.

Peggy Smedley kicks off 2019 by looking back at the best podcast from 2018. She says our infrastructure is not as modern as it could be and that sensor systems and predictive analytics need to be applied to manage and maintain our infrastructure—and that this still holds true today and will be another big trend to watch in 2019.

Peggy and 2019 Pioneer Manoj Karkee, associate professor, Washington State University, talk about the explosion of people in the coming years—and how it will lead to a greater demand for food. He explains that we need to develop technologies to apply the right amount of input at the right time. Further, advances in AI (artificial intelligence) and deep learning can automate farming.

Peggy and 2019 Pioneer Matthew Lange, food and health informatician, UC Davis, joins the show to talk about his path in the food industry and technology. He explains that today the industry needs a standard language for food—and that IC-Foods is building a standardized infrastructure. He points to the example of healthcare, where there is a language to encode information inside of medical records—and that is needed in the food industry. He says we need to devote the energy to develop a software infrastructure for food like we have in other industries.

Peggy Smedley shares six startups that are making a mark in key industries. She highlights: a device that can help enterprises protect their computer-held data; a cybersecurity platform for industrial; a startup offering real-time edge intelligence for the IoT; a platform that monitors factory floor production efficiency; a smart road system; and a company that's commercializing technology that harvests energy from radio-frequency signals with the goal of powering low-consumption IoT devices.

Peggy congratulates Josh Peschel, assistant professor, agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, on being named a 2019 Pioneer and they discuss two big projects that he is excited about today. He also shares his story and why he loves being a professor, and that one of the benefits of being a professor is seeing ideas being born. His one piece of advice is that students need to recognize that learning in a career is a marathon, not a sprint.

Peggy and Craig Lee, the director of the AT&T Foundry located in Plano, Texas, talk about the AT&T Foundry and what it provides around the world. He explains that customers often understand problems that need to be solved, and are able to come up with creative solutions such as connected porta-potties. He says it will spend a day with the customer to help articulate the business challenge and develop proof of concept.

Peggy Smedley says the IoT (Internet of Things) is contributing to the greater good, helping create smarter cities, reducing traffic fatalities, and moving toward more patient-centered healthcare. She shares new examples of how AI (artificial intelligence) is helping with mental health coaching, how drones are helping with wildfires, and how a sensing platform can add to society's environmental intelligence, among others.

Peggy chats with author, lecturer, and investor Timothy Chou, about his book Precision Construction: Principles, Practices and Solutions for the Internet of Things in Construction. He says he wrote the book so that he can understand it. Also, he suggests most of the technology that has been built up until now has been for the Internet of People, but that there are five key reasons why things are not people. He also points to examples of IoT projects.

Peggy and Joshua Gans, professor of strategic management, University of Toronto, discuss how AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming better about predicting things and how it can augment or improve humans. He says a big benefit of AI is being able to crack the translation of languages. He suggests looking for places to slide in AI to reduce uncertainty. In order to get young minds to become innovators, he is heavily involved with startups in its AI and machine learning program—and they are innovating in health, smart cities, chemical processes, and more.

Peggy Smedley says revenue for AR (augmented reality) devices and content will be $36.4 billion by 2023. But is it all hype? She dives into different use cases of AR in healthcare, transportation, and more. For example, during operation, a surgeon can see what is in front of him or her—and the key data about the patient. She asks listeners to consider AR in their business, and if not, why?

Peggy chats with entrepreneur, author, and life and business coach James Arthur Ray, who says there are three things that we all need to do to lead our life and business more effectively. He suggests that while technology has made things more convenient, it hasn't made our lives easier. He adds that we have to learn how to redefine ourselves, which is hard.

Peggy and Buck Bard, chief harbinger, Canary Works, talk about putting people and process first—and how design thinking factors into digital transformation. He says that design thinking forces us to back up and look at what we are doing, and it can be applied to internal processes or the supply chain. He discusses the big changes happening in manufacturing today and the myth and fog that currently surrounds digital transformation.

Peggy Smedley says BI (business intelligence) is a set of methodologies, processes, architectures, and technologies that transform raw data into meaningful information—and it helps executives make more informed decisions with the help of real-time data. She shares new examples of how experiential learning can help in the classroom and how platforms can leverage AI (artificial intelligence) to turn structured and unstructured data into real-time insights.

Peggy chats with Tom Aageson, consultant, and Alice Loy, CEO and co-founder, Creative Startups. They explain that the creative economy is growing so fast and it rises out of the digital economy. At the same time, it has given birth to new sectors like 3D printing and AI (artificial intelligence). The first step is to understand that the creative economy is a new field—and it is more than just art. There is a new class of creative entrepreneurs who want to build companies today.

Peggy and Ken Johnson, senior director, product management, Red Hat, talk about the evolution of the term IoT (Internet of Things). He explains that it is all about solving business problems and that the diversity of problems to be solved requires an open ecosystem. When it comes to true plug-and-play applications, he says it may not be practical in the near term, but it will be a progression over time. They also discuss the potential combining of company cultures with IBM and if open source is going to be inherently more secure.

Peggy Smedley explains that advances in AI (artificial intelligence) and the IoT (Internet of Things) is changing industries like healthcare and manufacturing. She says AI is part of a larger part of digital transformation and that an innovation culture can help employees and leaders seek new ways to solve problems. She cites statistics that show growth, including that jobs requiring AI have increased by 450% since 2013.

Peggy and Josh Peschel, assistant professor, agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, talk about the biggest drivers for AI and machine learning in the supply chain today. He says an exciting area right now is augmentation—being able to see what is in a warehouse through AR (augmented reality). Perhaps the most exciting thing is the implementation of machine learning in media and video production, he adds.

Peggy and Basavaraj Patil, a lead member of technical staff in AT&T's Internet of Things business unit, discuss the definition of the terms AI, machine learning, and deep learning. He says the term AI was coined back in 1956, but the technology has morphed today. He also explains how the IoT (Internet of Things) relates to all of it. Today, more and more companies are trying to figure out how to use all the data, he continues, and AI and machine learning can improve prosperity, react faster to malfunctions, and more.

Peggy Smedley talks about the challenges and opportunities for the digital supply chain—and why the IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (artificial intelligence) is playing a greater role. She points to examples of how manufacturers, retailers, and logistics companies are leveraging technology in today's on-demand economy. When done right, data can give businesses critical insights that can drive growth and profitability, she says.

Peggy welcomes back Robin Raskin, founder and president, Living In Digital Times, who says right now there are some big players in the supply-chain space, but we are going to see a lot of innovation happening in this area. She says we lose so many hours a year looking for records—there is fraud and noncompliance and counterfeit, which is costing the supply chain money every year. She adds that it is not going to be easy to get there. She suggests picking one thing and doing it first. She adds that having a record of every transaction in the blockchain is the answer for certain things.

Peggy and Alan Griffiths, principal analyst, Cambashi, says many IoT projects are one-offs or proof-of-concepts. Most of the companies want to buy technology in the form of an application that can help them do their business better. He adds companies that typically own the operational side and process manufacturing, and IoT, used to be apart, but now some companies have a deep understanding of both. He also talks about consolidation and how it impact the industry. While the big mergers tend to hit the headlines, there are many that don't hit the headlines that are impacting edge computing or analytics.

Peggy Smedley talks about how AR (augmented reality) is impacting the retail sector. She explains AR will be adopted where it will provide the most value and it will explode in this sector in the next several years. She adds that Wal-Mart is leading the way in adopting AR technologies. She says now the company is taking its VR (virtual reality) initiatives further, leveraging headsets that make learning experimental. She says one of the keys to success for retail going forward will be finding ways to integrate the online and store experience.

Peggy and Chris Westfall, author, Leadership Language: Using Authentic Communication to Drive Results, talk about communication, and he says just because you say something doesn't mean you should. Communication is key to success or unintended consequences. If you want to create a message with impact, you have to focus on leadership language. He points to a statistic: 69% of managers surveyed were uncomfortable talking to employees for any reason. It is creating an atmosphere where we are afraid to communicate. The importance of communication can't be understated, he says.

Peggy is joined by Carol Bartucci, president, Crisp Consulting, who says her goal is to really help people with IT—including developing a strategy and planning. She says companies can do a five-year plan, but they have to be constantly reevaluating it. She says it is good to do pilots and proofs of concept and it is essential to have integration with existing systems. The reality is people don't like failure because it sets them back and there is a loss of money, but sometimes companies have to go through multiple iterations. She suggests setting expectations. Still, she says the challenge is companies take a leap, buy new technology, invest in a new product, and it doesn't deliver—and it takes months for it to work. When it comes to women in the industry, she says women don't understand the roles. Today, we need to get more people to be involved—and high school is almost a little bit too late. Finally, she says trying to get everyone to agree on a forward path is hard.

Peggy Smedley says research suggests the global blockchain in energy market will grow tremendously in the next decade. For example, in countries like Japan, utilities are testing blockchain tech to determine the value it can offer. She also says there are seven different uses for this technology in energy. She adds that blockchain can help address some of the core challenges in the healthcare industry. Finally, she says blockchain will make an impact in the near future on elections as well.

Peggy and Elise Keith, co-founder, Lucid Meetings, and author of "Where the Action Is: The Meetings that Make or Break Your Organization", discuss meetings. Keith says every aspect of our world is moving faster, and thus we need to bring the people together. For many, meetings are just something that people do—it is not something leaders get training in. She suggests that is not always safe. Some organizations are very intentional and design systems that are very clear about how they make decisions and other techniques. She says there are 16 distinct types of meetings—each of which is designed to achieve a specific goal. Often, problems are caused because people aren't clear on what they are trying to achieve. Three major categories of meetings include: monitoring and moving forward the work we are already doing; create new ideas and solve problems; and partnerships and the art of the deal.

Peggy chats with Senthil Ramakrishnan, lead member of technical staff in AT&T's Internet of Things organization, who says one of the first steps with cybersecurity is understanding what IoT is—and it starts at the c-level. The primary mistake companies make is they deploy IoT without understanding the difference between IT and IoT. Often, they don't include the new cybersecurity challenges that the IoT brings. The second challenge is devices will have a very long lifecycle. He explains that it all starts with education. Today some industrial control systems are still running legacy systems, but a company can use a multilayer strategy to get data off devices to the cloud, he says. Once a company has a multilayer strategy, it can then manage its risk.

Peggy Smedley says too many businesses are undergoing an IoT (Internet of Things) transformation lack a cybersecurity understanding. She says cybersecurity is the c-suite's job too, suggesting responsibility for risk starts at the top and involves everyone. She encourages c-suite executives to engage themselves in cybersecurity and the company's digital transformation. She also looks at cyber insurance—and addresses if it provides a dangerous sense of security. She says we can predict so we don't have to react.

Peggy and Christian Crews, foresight and transformative growth lead, Kalypso, talk about what happens when IoT devices get abandoned by technology developers. He says there are two levels: if you are a company buyer versus if you are an end consumer. He asks: Is it core to the value you are delivering or is it context—something that is allowing you to deliver value separately. If it is core, you need to invest directly into some of these. If it is context, you can outsource it, and if it fails, you learned a lot, but it is not completely damaging your core value that you are delivering. He says, we have been saying that AI (artificial intelligence) is 10 years away for the last 50 years, and then all of a sudden it was here. In the contracting space, we are seeing much stronger emphasis on putting language in the contract to protect companies, but the best thing that IoT does is to move away from some cost in hardware. He suggests considering hardware-as-a-service. There has been a lot of bandwagon with blockchain, but the reality is blockchain works for some things, but not all things, he adds.

Peggy chats with Ben Dolmar, director of software development, The Nerdery, about how people getting into the IoT space look at technology and what they could do. He suggests looking at the needs and the workflow—and then measuring and streamlining. When you go to bring something like this to market, start with a plan and then do research, he says, and next test with groups of people. Then as the build out happens, have a plan for how to maintain a rollout. Further, he talks about machine learning and how it can help automate simple tasks, but there is still human value at the end of it. He suggests there are places where AI (artificial intelligence) may or may not take over a process, but we will end up with new jobs when we automate processes. Today, a big part of what we get out of the IoT is more sophisticated solutions to capture and process a lot more data.

Peggy Smedley tells the story of smart-home devices that were left orphaned in many people's home. She talks about the fallout when technology is abandoned as a result of mergers and acquisitions. She says the FCC sums it up, when it listed the questions IoT businesses should ask itself. Security is another big concern with orphaned technology, as vulnerability could put consumers' lives at risk. One smart move is to make sure you are buying from a trustworthy and reputable company. She suggests to make sure to ask a provider what their plans are. For providers, she says don't pretend that you are never going to change as a company—be upfront about what your plans are.

Peggy and Josh Peschel, assistant professor, agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, says we have been seeing orphaned technology for decades. In some respects, it depends on which part of the technology market, as little guys are more innovative, but have technology that disappears tomorrow, while the big guys are able to absorb those things. An ecosystem enables a company or community to support a technology that may turn into legacy. He adds any technology throughout the world has been vulnerable and the market is responding to that with companies with niches can help address cyber-security issues. We have technologies—that may or not be secure—and next year may have a different protocol, but over time people who educate themselves and become specialists will increase.

Peggy chats with Mobeen Khan, AVP product marketing management Internet of Things Solutions, AT&T, who says the cadre of customers and the customer interaction was just amazing at the AT&T Business Summit last month. Also, he explains that AT&T is becoming very embedded in different verticals. He says the challenges faced by each vertical is different in nature. For example, fleets need to comply with mandates, but they also have a big focus on worker safety—which is one case of how a vertical has unique challenges. On the other hand, retail needs to manage floor space versus online, as another instance. Each has a different pace at which they want to make investments. He explains that just like any other technology, network technology goes through an evolution. There are three things AT&T thinks about when it thinks about 5G: speed, latency, and adoption of IoT.

Peggy Smedley says we can expect 12.86 billion IoT sensors and devices to be in use by 2020 in the consumer sector alone, and vertical-specific sensors and devices will exceed 3 billion by 2020, but she says the IoT has to work to do before it starts living up to all the hype. She explains that as an industry, we need to be really meticulous and slightly cautious when bringing IoT devices and solutions to market. She also says we need to keep talking about performance issues and security issues and sharing best practices with each other—even in cross-industry situations. Finally, the more communication within the industry, the better it will be for everyone in the long run.

Peggy wraps up the show by talking with Robin Raskin, founder, Living in Digital Times, who explains says users get frustrated when each device requires an app of its own. She reveals that there are already more devices than humans on the planet. As an example, a thermostat can be set, or it can learn behaviors about you and can save you money and time. The new generation of IoT devices will have some analytics and machine learning behind it to predict what you want. She also explains that some great things have happened in the IoT space for seniors and accessibility.

Peggy chats with Heikki Laine, VP of product & strategy, Cognata, who says the company was founded two years ago, offering technology for autonomous vehicle testing. Autonomous vehicles have huge potential to increase safety on the road and improve mobility, but in order to keep that momentum and maintain public support, there is a lot that needs to go on beyond just technology, he explains. We need a structured approach that delivers technology and public confidence in parallel and we do see driverless cars on the road today in some limited situations, he says. The regulations need to be around how the vehicle delivers driving functions—that is one shift that is necessary. Another perspective is the jurisdiction issue. Right now, regulation is at a state level for testing, and that varies, he adds.

Peggy Smedley says there is a lot happening in the world of AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning. She's a big fan of making technology available to more people, saying more companies are using resources and taking a look at sustainability. She is also looking forward to how big companies are going to tackle issues with help of AI, machine learning, and IoT (Internet of Things). The IoT has the potential to change the world and help humanity solve some of its most pressing challenges in the years to come. Machine learning, in particular, is going to transform industries such as healthcare. She points to an example of a boy who is leveraging AI to improve pancreatic cancer.

Peggy is joined by Chris Penrose, president, Internet of Things, AT&T Business, and James Brehm, founder and chief technology evangelist, James Brehm & Associates, who identify the biggest hurdles of the IoT including security, integrating IoT into business, scaling IoT, and lack of talent. Penrose explains how AT&T is helping manage security end-to-end. They also talk about the trends going forward, including the fact that every business will change the way they operate by introducing IoT technologies.

Peggy Smedley chats with Chris Penrose, president, Internet of Things, AT&T Business, and James Brehm, founder and chief technology evangelist, James Brehm & Associates, about the approval of new LPWA network technologies and the verticals seeing the most IoT (Internet of Things) penetration including connected car, healthcare, retail, smart cities, and more. They also discuss the AT&T Foundry and why it is important to brainstorm and change how companies operate businesses. Further, they discuss big trends such as surveillance-as-a-service and inspection-as-a-service.