Thoughts On Tech & Things

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Brad Thompson, Senior Vice President of Technology at Target , to talk about what happens to shopping when AI starts doing the finding — and what it would take before you'd let it do the buying. In this episode, they get into Target's bet on agentic commerce: the Target app inside ChatGPT, the open Universal Commerce Protocol Target helped shape with Google,...

joe_show_notes.html 1 100% Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Joseph Thibault , founder and CEO of Cursive Technology , to dig into one of the most contested questions in education right now: in a world where AI can write anything, how do you know if the thinking actually belongs to the person who submitted it? In this episode, they explore what "plagiarism" even means anymore — how the old d...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Frank J. Lee, Professor of Digital Media at Drexel University and the founding director of the Entrepreneurial Game Studio , to take a deceptively simple question seriously: what is a game? Frank is the cognitive psychologist who turned a 29-story Philadelphia skyscraper into the world's largest video game — Pong in 2013, Tetris in 2014, both Guinness World...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Chris Wink , cofounder and CEO of Technical.ly , to explore whether AI is becoming a performance-enhancing drug for founders — and what that means for workers, entrepreneurs, and the cities trying to build ecosystems around both. Recorded in Philadelphia during Philly Tech Week at the WHYY studios, the conversation digs into Chris's framework for cutting thr...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Derek Willis, a lecturer at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism and affiliate professor at AIM — Maryland's Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute — to explore what happens when the newsroom's most powerful new tool is also its most dangerous. In this episode, they dig into how journalism schools are preparing the n...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Gary Shapiro , Executive Chair of the Consumer Technology Association and the man who led CES for more than 35 years, for a conversation about what it really takes to pivot when everything around you is changing. Recorded on site at CTA's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, this episode traces the arc of pivoting through Gary's career: from the forced pivot...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Jason Stanek , Executive Director of Governmental Services at PJM Interconnection, to unpack why Maryland electricity bills keep climbing — and how the structure of the grid itself is at the center of the problem. Maryland is a net importer — the state produces about 60 percent of the electricity it uses and buys the rest from the regional market...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Janey Park , founder of The Digital Runway and global marketing strategist, to explore how AI is reshaping the fashion industry — from the design studio to your shopping cart. In this episode, they dig into fashion's long history of failed tech experiments (remember Google's touch-sensitive Levi's jacket?), the Vogue controversy over AI-generated model...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Marcus Penny , VP of Technology and Digital Services at Bruce Bolt and founder of boutique AI consulting firm Techabo , to dig into one of the most talked-about — and least understood — tools in tech right now: OpenClaw. In this episode, they unpack what OpenClaw actually is, why it feels so different from anything we’ve seen before, and...

What does a Chief AI Officer do? Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Andy Quick , former Chief AI Officer at Entergy, to explore what it actually means to lead AI inside a Fortune 500 company. In this episode, they unpack what a Chief AI Officer actually does inside a Fortune 500 company. Andy shares what it takes to align AI with business outcomes in a regulated utility, how to plan when mode...

Episode: WTCI Agile Presents Episode Title: WTCI Agile Presents: Can You Trust What You See Anymore? Host Jason Michael Perry brings a special live episode from the World Trade Center Institute Agile Global Innovation Series , hosted in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School . Joined by panelists Tina Williams-Koroma , Yolanda Reid , and Joel M. Benge , with an introduction from...

Episode 9: Is Solving Disability the Real Test of Emerging Technology? Episode 9: Is Solving Disability the Real Test of Emerging Technology? Show: Thoughts on Tech & Things Host: Jason Michael Perry Guest: Rebecca Rosenberg, Founder & CEO of Rebokeh Show Description Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Rebecca Rosenberg, Founder & CEO of Rebokeh, to explore how technology is reshaping what it...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Chris Frew, founder and CEO of BioBuzz and CEO of Workforce Genetics , to explore how AI is reshaping the job market — not just by changing what work looks like, but how people get hired in the first place. In this episode, they dig into what Jason calls an “AI arms race” in hiring, where job seekers and employers are both using automation at scale. From AI-...

Host Jason Michael Perry returns from Las Vegas with a special CES 2026 edition of Thoughts on Tech & Things . Jason breaks down the Consumer Technology Association’s 2026 megatrends, including Longevity, Intelligent Transformation, and Engineering Tomorrow, and connects them to what actually showed up at CES. From Nvidia’s vision for “Physical AI,” to robots, and life sciences With far more c...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Tina Williams-Koroma, founder and CEO of CyDeploy and TCecure , to explore a simple but unsettling question: do hackers hack computers — or do they hack people? In this episode, they dig into how social engineering, AI-generated content, and human psychology have become the primary attack surface for modern cyber threats. From deepfakes and impersonation sca...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Andrew Parlock, founder and CEO of Space Phoenix Systems , to explore how the space economy is moving from science fiction to everyday reality. From reusable launch systems to returnable payloads and zero-gravity manufacturing, they unpack how falling launch costs are turning low Earth orbit into an operating environment — not a destination. They dig into wh...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Dawn Shirey, Director of Virtual Learning and Instructional Technology for Baltimore City Public Schools , to explore how one of the nation’s largest urban school systems is preparing teachers and students for the age of AI. They discuss the district’s new AI Guidance, how teachers are learning prompt-writing and responsible tool use, and why Baltimore chose...

jenny-abamu-podcast-notes.txt Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Jenny Abamu, education and infrastructure reporter for WAMU, to unpack Maryland’s rapidly growing data center boom — and the community backlash that’s followed. They explore how Governor Wes Moore’s push to make Maryland a data center hub has collided with local concerns about energy, land use, and environmental impact. From bil...

Host Jason Michael Perry moderates a special live panel for the World Trade Center Institute 's AGILE Global Innovation Series, digging into what quantum actually is, why it matters, and how Maryland became a powerhouse in the global quantum race. The session opens with remarks from Jeremy Rosendale , VP of Membership & Business Development at the World Trade Center Institute, and Kim Mentzell...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Andy Janaitis , founder of PPC Pitbulls, to unpack what happens when Google search traffic falls to zero — and how businesses can survive the shift. As search engines turn into answer engines and clicks give way to conversations, Jason and Andy explore how SEO, PPC, and digital advertising are evolving in real time. They dive into the rise of “Answer Engine...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Will Gee, founder and CEO of Balti Virtual, to unpack the mixed-reality moment: the sudden wave of headsets and AI-powered glasses from Meta, Apple, Samsung, and Amazon. They talk about the roadblocks still ahead, the social stigma left over from Google Glass, and what it might take for wearables to truly replace the smartphone. Along the way, Will shares hi...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Ben Slavin , an AI entrepreneur and researcher, to unpack what OpenAI’s DevDay 2025 conference really means. From Sora 2, the next-generation AI video tool, to ChatGPT 5, and connectors, they explore how OpenAI is shifting from product to platform and what that means for developers, creators, and the broader ecosystem. Head to wypr.org/podcast/thoughts-on-te...

Host Jason Michael Perry sits down with Joel Benge, a communications strategist and author, to ask what a photo even means in an age where AI can rewrite reality. From fake principal voicemails to AI-generated films, Perry and Benge explore how synthetic media is reshaping trust and what that means for security, family, and everyday life. Benge brings his perspective from years in risk and cyberse...