Peggy Smedley Show

Freight rail moves 40% of long-distance goods in the U.S., but the industry's biggest challenge isn't infrastructure, it's intelligence. In this episode of The Peggy Smedley Show, host Peggy Smedley sits down with V. Krishnan, industry advisor for Microsoft manufacturing & mobility, to explore how AI agents and realtime decision tools are reshaping the future of rail. They discuss: Why railroads a...

What does it take to make AI reliable enough to design a bridge? Peggy Smedley sits down with Francois Valois, senior vice president of Bentley Open Applications at Bentley Systems, to unpack the MCP (model context protocol — an open, agnostic standard that connects AI agents to deterministic engineering tools like STAAD and MicroStation ensuring trust, validation, and accountability in engineerin...

Peggy shares the 7 lies she has been hearing about AI, challenging some common assumptions. She says these narratives have become so common that many of us have stopped questioning them. She also discusses: · A pattern that emerges surrounding the 7 lies. · Where the real opportunity lies and what the biggest threat is. · What you should do next inside of your own organization. https://peggysmedle...

Peggy Smedley and Sebastian Wernicke, author, talk about moving from being data driven to data inspired. He says most data projects don't fail, they do something much worse, they make you very good at staying the same. They also discuss: · Your data framework—how to organize it—and the decision framework in your organization. · How to keep up with the pace of change and look at all of this in rela...

Peggy Smedley and Jeff Ton, author of Uncharted Moments, talk about his leadership background and how he learned to navigate without a map. He says he is a career technologist and most of that was in leadership positions, and the story in the book is about tracing the Lewis and Clark trail. They also discuss: · Leadership lessons from the Lewis and Clark expedition. · How leaders can navigate unce...

Peggy talks about how manufacturers have production systems, improvement programs, and even data, but fail to implement consistently across their organizations. She says we need to move beyond reactive data and to better connections between data, people, learning, and action. She also discusses: · How many have a global production system—and how many report that it is fully implemented across all...

Peggy Smedley and Angie Wordell, executive vice president and chief operations and supply chain officer, Graco, talk about the company reaching 100 years and how it achieved the longevity. She says it is about staying close to customers and solving real-world problems. They also discuss: · The two founders who solved an industry problem and the pivotal inflection points. · The technology transform...

Peggy Smedley and Dave Moelker, CEO, Twisthink, talk about why connected products, data, and AI matter today more than ever before. He says customers' expectations continue to move forward and too often there is a gap between insight and action. They also discuss: · Why so many connected product efforts stall at the pilot stage. · A good place to start with these efforts today. · Advice for the ne...

Peggy gives her thoughts about why humanity stands at a crossroads with AI (artificial intelligence). She says we need to have a conversation about what kind of future we want to build. She also discusses: · What the Pope has to say about AI. · What happens when AI becomes increasingly autonomous. · The steps to take to develop successful technology ecosystems. https://peggysmedleyshow.com

Peggy Smedley and Chris Willis, chief design officer and futurist, Domo, talk about the danger of moving too fast with AI (artificial intelligence). He says real strategy doesn't start with fear; it starts with trying to solve a problem. They also discuss: · What history tells us about this movement, such as the PC revolution. · What needs to happen to greenlight AI projects. · How to go faster on...

Peggy Smedley and Tim Lindner, warehouse automation consultant, talk about the widening gap between China and the United States in robot manufacturing and why the disparity is growing. He says robot manufacturing isn't just a technology sector anymore, but rather a foundational geopolitical battleground. They also discuss: · The ways the United States is falling behind in robot manufacturing. · Th...

On Aiglatson, Peggy Smedley and cohost Dennis Draeger, foresight director, Shaping Tomorrow, talk about how workers are gaining autonomy, the inherent complexity with that, and how organizations protect collaboration and creativity when work becomes personalized. He says looking broadly the market doesn't seem to be responding to the idea that AI (artificial intelligence) is going to make a workle...

Peggy Smedley and Andrew Moore, founder and CEO, Lovelace, talk about the move from raw data to real, trusted context. He has been working in AI his whole career, both in academia and industry, and he wants to make sure AI is useful. They also discuss: · Good data versus bad data and how to determine what is the most important information. · Why independent data is so important today—and an exampl...

Peggy talks about why women are adopting AI (artificial intelligence) tools at a lower rate than men on average. She says when more people understand and use AI effectively, everyone benefits. She also discusses: · Why framing women as behind is too simplistic because some skepticism around AI is healthy. · Five major concerns that could come as a result if this gap persists. · What needs to happe...

Peggy Smedley and Bryan Reimer, research scientist, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, talk about some of the tough AI (artificial intelligence) questions: Who pays for its impact? How will we tax it? Who is liable when it fails? Who gets hit hardest in the workforce? What happens when innovation outruns governance? How do we make AI really useful? He says we forget that AI today may be...

Peggy Smedley and Boris Martin, Engineers Without Borders USA, talk about healthcare workers that are fighting to save lives without the basics like clean water, safe sanitation, and dependable energy. He says the question of fair, equitable access to infrastructure is seldom in the news and people don't pay much attention to it, but health often is. They also discuss: · Engineering solutions and...

Peggy shares why the next 10 years may define the future of infrastructure more than the last 10. She says the question is not whether the technology is coming, but rather the bigger question we need to be asking is if our infrastructure is ready for it. She also discusses: · What cities, manufacturers, construction companies, and policymakers must do right now to prepare for the next decade of sm...

Peggy Smedley and Angelia O'Neal, founder and chief learning officer, MWI Workforce Institute, talk about the essential life skills people need to succeed and the habits people can start building right now to show up stronger at work. She shares what led her to start her nonprofit. They also: · Define what the essential life skills actually are. · Talk about why it is important to always put your...

Peggy Smedley and Dave Moelker, CEO, Twisthink, take a closer look at a team that is redefining what real innovation looks like. He says the company focuses on helping companies turn their physical products into smart, intelligent, and connected systems. They also discuss: · How the company connects strategy, design, and engineering. · A case study of remote monitoring in the mining industry. · Ho...

Peggy shares her thoughts on how to scale AI (artificial intelligence), breaking down what it really looks like to move from pilots to production. She says companies must have a plan for scaling the agentic and physical AI. She also shares: · Lessons learned from M2M and the IoT (Internet of Things). · Core business challenges that exist today. · What successful implementations include. https://pe...

Peggy Smedley and Ross Eisenberg, president, America's Plastic Makers, American Chemistry Council, talk about advanced recycling and the future of American manufacturing. He explains the difference between advanced recycling and traditional mechanical recycling, explaining it is like un-baking a cake. They also discuss: · The biggest benefits of advanced manufacturing. · Two things in the governme...

Peggy Smedley and Andreas Welsch talk about the governance that will determine whether AI (artificial intelligence) agents actually help the business or quietly create more challenges. He says it is so important to have this conversation at this moment in time. They also discuss: · What an AI agent control plane is and why leaders should be paying attention. · How to create governance for an entir...

On Aiglatson, Peggy Smedley and cohost Dennis Draeger, foresight director, Shaping Tomorrow, talk about our "used future," which is a future imagined decades ago and built on metaphors and assumption about what intelligence is, which ultimately impacts how we talk about AI (artificial intelligence) today. He says people seem to have different understandings of what AI actually is. They also discus...

Peggy Smedley and Andrea Janzen, founder and CEO, Ambition Theory, talk about how leadership is shifting fast, and organizations are feeling the pressure to evolve. She says research shows when there is at least one woman on a construction team, everyone on the team is more productive, and explains why this is. They also discuss: · The differences between transactional and transformational leaders...

Peggy talks about physical AI (artificial intelligence), sharing real-world use cases, industry momentum, and the foundation required to scale physical AI. She says it is quickly becoming a reality in many businesses, and it is accelerating faster than many expected. She also discusses: · The percentage of manufacturers that plan to adopt physical AI within the next two years. · How many organizat...