Peggy Smedley Show

Peggy Smedley and Pamela Evette, lieutenant governor of South Carolina, continue their discussion around the future of work and how to reskill and upskill the worker of tomorrow. She says what businesses are calling for is soft skills. They also discuss: If we are making progress and what we still have to do to get the next generation to understand. The importance of collaboration and that we all...

Peggy Smedley and Veena Harbaugh, director of sustainability, Sendle, talk about why shipping should be elevated for those who are most concerned about the environment. She says we have tuned in so much to the sustainability aspects of products, but the shipping piece is an invisible layer for some of us.  They also discuss: That it is only 3% of our global greenhouse gases, but the troubling part...

Peggy Smedley talks about SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses), their impact on the economy, and how AI (artificial intelligence) fits into this discussion. She says small businesses are the backbone of the economy and they need technology and security support, as artificial intelligence comes in fast and furious. She also: Defines what a small business is and paints a picture of what today's...

Peggy Smedley and David Doermann, professor of empire innovation and the director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, the University at Buffalo, talk about AI (artificial intelligence) and the trends. He says AI is a term that has been around since the late 1950s, and he gives some current examples, answering if AI can be evil. They also discuss: Where AI will complement...

Peggy Smedley and Adhish Luitel, senior analyst, ABI Research, talk about what it means to shore up the supply chain. He says it varies, but the simplest way to shore up the supply chain would be to reshape a supply chain to improve resilience.  They also discuss: The main reasons to shore up a supply chain. The importance of looking at the end-to-end aspect of the supply chain and modernizing the...

Peggy talks all about how the customer experience and customer expectations are evolving, particularly in the travel, transportation, and hospitality industry. She digs into the current state of travel and looks at how it is going to change in the future. She also discusses: How much travel is up this year compared to last year. Examples of how technology can help heighten guest satisfaction while...

Peggy Smedley and Julie Shainock, global managing director for travel, transport logistics, and hospitality, Microsoft, talk about the hurdles, trends, and opportunities in the aviation and airline industry. She says as you look at some of the hurdles we see in the aviation and airline industry today, fuel cost and efficiency are top of mind. They also discuss: Who is driving the changes in the ma...

Peggy Smedley and Matthieu Menanteau, head of product, Withings, talk about the latest innovation at the company and what is coming next. He gives a historical look at the smartwatch and what it is like today. They also discuss: The differences among the smartwatches on the market today. The importance of proactive health tracking today. The driving factors today for more advanced health monitorin...

Peggy provides a fuller picture of who the worker of tomorrow will be, narrowing in on the construction industry. She says the challenges we face in construction mirror many of the challenges we face in other industries like manufacturing and energy, just to name a few. She also discusses: The current state of the construction industry. How technology will enable new transformation in the future....

Peggy Smedley and Jason Corso, professor, University of Michigan and co-founder and CSO, Voxel51, talk about the academic side of AI (artificial intelligence) and generative AI. He says the way data has invaded our everyday lives over the last 5-10 years has been quite unexpected and monumental. They also discuss: How to get students to embrace it while also understanding accuracy with generative...

Peggy Smedley and Ken Simonson, chief economist, the Associated General Contractors of America, talk about if there are factors driving down construction or if there are positive things. He says there has been a huge drop in homebuying, but if you look at housing starts and building permits, it may have bottomed out. They also discuss: The labor shortage and material trends. Three major laws inten...

Peggy talks about a topic that spans nearly every vertical market—the labor shortage—saying there are 1.9 million workers missing from the labor force compared to February 2020. She says it is causing all kinds of chaos for businesses. She also discusses: The problem we are facing. The solutions that can help including four technologies that can help improve productivity. One very specific industr...

We apologize in advance if you experience any difficulties with the audio in this segment.  Peggy Smedley and Laurent Boinot, senior digital architect, worldwide power & utility sector, Microsoft, discuss the challenges power and utilities are facing. He points to a few including: the transition to renewable energy, aging infrastructure, cybersecurity, regulations, resilience, storage, decentraliz...

Peggy Smedley and Jeff Winter, senior director industry strategy, manufacturing, Hitachi Solutions, talk about demand forecasting. He says demand forecasting involves predicting future customer demand for a product or a service—and it is the starting point for all supply chain planning and management activities. They also discuss: Three ways AI (artificial intelligence) can help with demand foreca...

Peggy talks all about entrepreneurship and the future of work. She discusses what it will look like, how technology will factor in, and the importance of environmentally responsible businesses, saying there is a rising impact on manufacturing. She also discusses: A new report that assesses attitudes and perceptions about entrepreneurship. If entrepreneurship is up or down—and who is most likely to...

Peggy Smedley and Julie Shainock, global managing director, travel, transport & logistics, Microsoft, talk about aviation trends. She explains what we can expect from the World Aviation Festival, saying it looks at airlines and airports themselves. They also discuss: Some of the biggest trends in this space, including digital transformation, digital security, a contactless and touchless environmen...

Peggy Smedley and Beth Buerger, director of product management for SYNCHRO, Bentley Systems, talk about what is keeping contractors up at night. She says we have experienced supply-chain disruptions and a labor shortage.  They also discuss: The impact of the labor shortage on construction projects. Prefab and lean construction and how this can help. Digital delivery and the importance of data. ben...

Peggy shares the details of a recent major data breach, giving her thoughts on what needs to happen next with cybersecurity. She says we need to train and mentor the next generation to be excited about securing our businesses. She also discusses: How often a company falls victim to a ransomware attack. A closer look at what exactly cybersecurity professionals are facing today. The need for both cy...

Peggy and Pamela Evette, lieutenant governor of South Carolina, talk about if we need to train our workers differently. She says we have been doing that little by little with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and now we know we have to get our kids more engaged with technology. They also discuss: The importance of l...

Peggy embarks on a fun journey talking all about artificial intelligence through the generations. She is joined by Laura Black, editor-at-large, Specialty Publishing Media, who shares how she came of age as technology came of age. They also discuss: If generative AI is all hype or if there are real opportunities. The importance of looking for the opportunities with artificial intelligence, while a...

Peggy talks all about AI (artificial intelligence)—focusing specifically on the impact and concerns for small businesses. She says we know generative AI offers big opportunities, but is every business ready? She also discusses: What we need to do to prepare and what concerns or cautions we should heed. How many small businesses are experimenting with AI—and how many are investing in it. What steps...

Peggy and Juliette Powell, technologist, strategist, and adjunct faculty at New York University and Art Kleiner, editor, futurist, and adjunct faculty at New York University, discuss AI (artificial intelligence) and the new book The AI Dilemma: 7 Principles for Responsible Technology. She says right now for the first time in our human history, AI is in the hands of people, and many don't even real...

Peggy Smedley and Douglas Kent, executive vice president of corporate and strategic alliances, ASCM (Assn. of Supply Chain Management), talk about the state of the supply chain and if we have made progress. He says if you take a look at the last 2-3 years, we hit an unprecedented level of disruption in the supply chain from a myriad of different events. They also discuss: The macro factors that ar...

Peggy talks about what is in store for AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) in the days ahead. She says there are many benefits for both utilities and consumers and new research points to what is coming next. She also discusses: If adoption is still on the rise—and what is spurring or hindering growth. 7 big trends to watch for advanced metering infrastructure. What hurdles still stand in our wa...

Jay Wilhelm, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Ohio University, shares with Peggy his experience and where we are with automated driving systems. He says he looks at things from a high level first and then breaks them down. They also discuss: Big auto manufacturers working on this and the research side of it. Regulation, the technology gap, and consumer acceptance. The different level...