Peggy Smedley Show

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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, decentra...

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 forecasting.
• The bullwhip effect in ...

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 be an entrepreneur.
• What vert...

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 environment, green airports, and more.
• T...

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.

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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 cybersecurity talent and good gu...

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 looking at what each individual...

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 also being aware of the challen...

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 should be taken next.

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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 realize they are interacting with AI. H...

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 are impacting the supply chain.
• ...

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 way and what needs to happen nex...

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 levels of automation and how AI (ar...

Peggy and Jeff Winter, senior director, industry strategy, manufacturing, Hitachi Solutions, talk about servitization. He says this concept has become pretty popular in recent years, but what most people don’t realize is it was first described in the 1960s and then nothing really happened much until the 1980s. Now, it means capturing and harnessing the power of data to offer a completely new way of providing value to customers abov...

Peggy talks about a new framework in the United States aimed at cybersecurity. She says we all know digital transformation offers significant opportunities to business, but the challenge is there are too many bad actors who are looking to come after our data. 

She also discusses:

• How many cyber attacks occur every day.
• What the new cybersecurity framework aims to accomplish.
• Three big things she likes about the new draft—and a...

Peggy Smedley and Pamela Evette, lieutenant governor of South Carolina, talk about the future of work and what she calls the “Workforce of Tomorrow.” She says COVID made people readjust and rethink what they think about our technical colleges and what they are thinking about our trades.

They also discuss:

• Where we are right now with the future of work.
• Who the future worker is going to be.
• How we inspire the younger generation...

Peggy Smedley and John Kwant, executive director, Americas, 5G Automotive Assn., talk about C-V2X (cellular vehicle-to-everything) and why that matters. He says C-V2X is a suite of communication technologies that enable vehicles, vulnerable road users, and infrastructure to talk to one another and broadcast their presence and directional intent.

They also discuss:

• Who is fighting for this technology and who is impacted.
• Where ...

Peggy Smedley talks all about energy—and how we can leverage technology to use it more wisely. She says energy is perhaps one of our most vital critical infrastructures and we need to have a candid conversation about the energy transition we are currently on.

She also discusses:

• A new report suggests many countries are developing strategies to access critical materials.
• Five key areas to consider when mitigating supply chain v...

Peggy Smedley and Randy Berry, chair and John A. Dever professor, department of electrical and computer engineering, Northwestern University, talk about the Gs—landing on why 5G is so important. He says G stands for generation, and we mark wireless technologies in these generations that tend to emerge once every 10 years or so.

They also discuss:

• The difference between 4G and 5G.
• The relationship and convergence between the wi...