Stories in AI

Data is the driver for innovation in every industry, and that's why I invited my good friend, Bret Greenstein, back on the Stories in AI podcast. Being a leader in digital transformations with AI and data, Bret offered valuable insights on how data is being used to shape industries around the world. We also talked about the powerful role Chief Data Officers play in the new age of technology and how important it is for them to apply context to data and keep a mindset driven by data. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:35 Data Driven Enterprises 02:30 Competitive Edge with Data 03:55 Business First, Tech Second 07:00 Role of the CDO in Enterprises 13:21 Power of Data and Context 17:00 Circle of Trust of Data 20:25 Data Literacy 24:30 Dealing with Incomplete Data 28:20 News Sources for Data 29:30 Wrap Up Bret's Bio: Bret is the Data and Analytics Partner, PwC US and is focused on helping transform Chief Data Officers transform their businesses through Data Modernization. The Data Practice provides essential capabilities to help companies architect for and adopt cloud, embrace external data, increase accessibility of data, and ensure data governance at scale. Bret is also helping to drive Data transformation across Cognizant’s business units and participates in industry advisory boards to shape Data policy, accelerate education, and share best practices. Prior to this, Bret was the SVP and Global Head of AI & Analytics for Cognizant and prior to that, he lead IBM Watson’s Internet of Things Offerings, establishing new IoT products and services for the Industrial Internet of Things. He built his career in technology and business leadership across a range of roles throughout IBM in software, services, consulting, strategy, marketing, and as IBM’s CIO for Asia-Pacific. He has worked globally in these roles including living in China for 5 years working with clients and transforming IBM’s IT environment. He holds patents in the areas of collaboration systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A note about our sponsor: Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. We empower our clients to manage their data with confidence and build trusted relationships with consumers, using advanced analytics, decisioning technology, and fraud prevention tools. We help businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lend more responsibly, and prevent fraud and financial crime. As the world’s leading repository of consumer credit data, Experian is transforming data into solutions that facilitate transactions, ensure financial safety and improve the financial lives of millions of consumers around the world.

This conversation with Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, was extremely thought-provoking and exciting. We talked about all the ways AI and technology are making a positive impact on the world, the role governments have in this transformation, and much more. I hope you guys enjoy it. Vilas was just honored as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2022. Big congrats! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:50 Vilas' Story in AI 02:00 Patrick J. McGovern Foundation 03:45 The Reality of AI 07:25 Future AI Uses 10:00 Process of Learning from Data 13:35 Using AI to Positively Impact the World 23:25 Government's Role in Technology 34:30 Concerns about AI 36:00 Wrap Up Vilas' bio: Vilas Dhar is President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, 21st-century philanthropy advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Under his leadership, the Foundation bridges technological innovation and social impact with a commitment to justice and equity. These core values sustain his deep optimism that technological advances can ensure a more prosperous and sustainable future for all. Vilas is an entrepreneur, technologist, and human rights advocate with a lifelong commitment to creating more robust social institutions that foster shared opportunities. Vilas has served as an independent Trustee of the Foundation since its inception in 2017 and has served as chair of both the Audit and Investment committees. Fusing his experience as a lawyer, an investor, and a philanthropist, he has dedicated his professional pursuits to exploring solutions for some of the world’s largest challenges like child labor, refugee crises, and data privacy and sovereignty. Vilas holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law, a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Illinois. He is currently completing his doctoral dissertation at the University of Birmingham, where his research drives novel approaches to economic and policy infrastructure for a data-enabled society to support and empower vulnerable populations. Learn more at: https://www.mcgovern.org/about-president-vilas-s-dhar/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vilasdhar/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vilasdhar A note about our sponsor: Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. We empower our clients to manage their data with confidence and build trusted relationships with consumers, using advanced analytics, decisioning technology and fraud prevention tools. We help businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lend more responsibly, and prevent fraud and financial crime. As the world’s leading repository of consumer credit data, Experian is transforming data into solutions that facilitate transactions, ensure financial safety and improve the financial lives of millions of consumers around the world.

In this Stories in AI podcast, Dr. Andy Terrel, VP of Data and Algorithms at Xometry, gave me valuable perspectives on how corporations, product managers, and data scientists should view artificial intelligence. If you are looking to advance your career as a data scientist or just in AI, this is a must listen episode. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Andy's Story in AI 08:25 Start at TACC 20:40 The Current State of AI Market 24:53 Systematic Principles of AI 28:45 Importance of AI Knowledge in PM 31:25 What Makes a Good Data Scientist? 36:55 Andy's Advice to Organizations 38:50 Wrap Up Andy's Bio: Dr. Andy R. Terrel is the VP, Data, and Algorithms of Xometry, Inc. where he is bringing his experience building smart scalable data systems to the manufacturing industry. You will also find him leading the infrastructure committee of the NumFOCUS foundation. As a passionate advocate for open source scientific codes Andy has been involved in the wider scientific Python community since 2006, contributing to numerous projects in the scientific stack. Dr. Andy R. Terrel was previously a Research Associate Scientist for the Computational Hydraulics Group at the Institute for Computational Engineering and Science which is at the University of Texas at Austin and High-Performance Computing researcher at the Texas Advanced Computing Center. Andy's research included utilizing supercomputers with Python and studying methods for speeding up computational fluid dynamics. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2010 and has been programming in Python for the last decade. Andy has contributed to numerous open-source projects notably the FEniCS Project and Sympy. Find more at: http://andy.terrel.us https://www.linkedin.com/in/aterrel/ https://twitter.com/aterrel A note about our sponsors: Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. We empower our clients to manage their data with confidence and build trusted relationships with consumers, using advanced analytics, decisioning technology and fraud prevention tools. We help businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lend more responsibly, and prevent fraud and financial crime. As the world’s leading repository of consumer credit data, Experian is transforming data into solutions that facilitate transactions, ensure financial safety and improve the financial lives of millions of consumers around the world. Learn more at https://Experian.com.

Listen as I sit down with my good friend Usman Shuja, VP & GM at Honeywell. Usman was able to provide a unique perspective on the current AI industry and just how corporations are using it to their advantage. We also talked about AI & ESG, industrial automation, and the future use cases of technology in the area of sports. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:35 Usman's Story in AI 04:45 The Cyber-physical World 05:45 Industrial Automation 09:00 Post-Covid Challenges 11:30 Honeywell's Remote Work Environment 13:25 AI Adoption in Industrials 16:45 ESG & AI 20:15 Digital Assets 22:40 Real Estate Management Systems 28:25 The Future of Tech. & Sports 33:12 Advice for Digital Transformations 35:25 Wrap Up Usman's Bio: As Vice President/General Manager of Connected Buildings, Usman Shuja leads Honeywell's largest and fastest-growing software business. Usman has a chief executive and global P&L responsibility for all functions including product and sales. As the founding executive and CCO at SparkCognition – a Cognitive Analytics startup that is applying artificial intelligence to solve cyber-physical security challenges - he was responsible for developing new markets for Cognitive and AI technologies. Usman has worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and in product development, sales, and BD roles at IBM and Dell. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a leadership certificate from Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He also is a retired professional cricket player who represented Team USA. Find him at: Website: http://www.usmanshuja.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanshuja/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kshuja A note about our sponsors: Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. We empower our clients to manage their data with confidence and build trusted relationships with consumers, using advanced analytics, decisioning technology and fraud prevention tools. We help businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lend more responsibly, and prevent fraud and financial crime. As the world’s leading repository of consumer credit data, Experian is transforming data into solutions that facilitate transactions, ensure financial safety and improve the financial lives of millions of consumers around the world. Learn more at https://Experian.com.

It was a pleasure to have Tom Davenport, AI Author & Independent Senior Advisor for Deloitte Analytics, on the Stories in AI podcast. It was unbelievably fascinating to talk to him about how businesses are implementing AI into their systems, how to lead AI-driven transformations, and the best way to get returns on your AI investments. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:55 Tom's Story in AI 04:15 AI Relevance in Business 09:15 Current AI Market 11:50 Leaders in AI Transformation 19:10 Getting Return on AI 26:25 The Right Data Scientist 29:45 Auto ML 35:00 Responsible AI 40:24 Tom's Current Projects 42:15 Wrap Up Tom's Bio: Tom Davenport is a world-renowned thought leader and author, is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, a Fellow of the MIT Center for Digital Business, and an independent senior advisor to Deloitte Analytics. An author and co-author of 20 books and more than 200 articles, he helps organizations to transform their management practices in digital business domains such as artificial intelligence, analytics, information and knowledge management, process management, and enterprise systems. Find more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davenporttom/ https://www.tomdavenport.com A note about our sponsors: Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. We empower our clients to manage their data with confidence and build trusted relationships with consumers, using advanced analytics, decisioning technology and fraud prevention tools. We help businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lend more responsibly, and prevent fraud and financial crime. As the world’s leading repository of consumer credit data, Experian is transforming data into solutions that facilitate transactions, ensure financial safety and improve the financial lives of millions of consumers around the world. Learn more at https://Experian.com.

Had an amazing conversation with Sanjay Srivastava, SVP & CDO of Genpact. Sanjay gave me his expert insight on the current state of the AI market and all the ways leaders in the industry are creating massive transformations. Amazing customers stories included as well. We also dived deep into ethical AI and dark data. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:37 Sanjay's Story in AI 03:10 Where is AI today? 07:40 Large Scale Transformations 14:32 Contextualizing AI 19:20 Leaders Driving Transformation 23:25 Ethical AI 26:45 Current Problems in AI 35:45 Wrap Up Sanjay Srivastava is senior vice president and chief digital officer at Genpact, a global digital transformation services provider. He runs the company’s Data, AI, Analytics, Automation Software, and Technology Services businesses and oversees Genpact’s AI-enabled digital business platform, Cora. Sanjay is deeply rooted in the innovation ecosystem and is an advisor to Silicon Valley incubators and several startups, and a limited partner in digital-focused venture funds. Sanjay serves on the MMA CDO Board, is a member of the Digital 50, BCG’s Digital Transformation Network, and CNBC’s Technology Executive Council was named IDG “Top 10 Digital Transformation Influencers to Follow”, and blogs frequently on LinkedIn. Prior to Genpact, Sanjay was a serial entrepreneur, and built four startups - in edge networks, data center automation, predictive algorithms, and enterprise SaaS that were acquired by Akamai, BMC, SunGard (now FIS), and Genpact, respectively. He also held operating leadership roles at Hewlett Packard, Akamai, and SunGard, where he oversaw product management, global sales, and various product and services P&Ls. Sanjay earned an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and his undergraduate degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is based in Seattle, WA. Follow him on LinkedIn. A note about our sponsors: A big thank you to Experian. Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. We empower our clients to manage their data with confidence and build trusted relationships with consumers, using advanced analytics, decisioning technology and fraud prevention tools. We help businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lend more responsibly, and prevent fraud and financial crime. As the world’s leading repository of consumer credit data, Experian is transforming data into solutions that facilitate transactions, ensure financial safety and improve the financial lives of millions of consumers around the world. Learn more at https://Experian.com.