Intelligent Automation Radio

"To me, Microsoft is about empowerment... we are the original democratizing force, putting a PC in every home and every desk." That quote by CEO Satya Nadella, of course, reflects the ubiquity achieved by the Windows operating system. His company’s feat of democratization however, is just prologue to the coming revolution Microsoft foresees in automation. An upheaval expected to be so disruptive to the status quo, it will empower the information worker masses to finally overthrow the oppressive yoke of robotic tasks smothering their productivity.  With newfound freedom to unleash their ingenuity, they’ll not only enrich their own lives, but add greater value to the organizations employing them.

 

The Microsoft executive charged with redressing the imbalance between toil & talent plaguing white collar wage earners is Charles Lamanna.  As Corporate Vice President, Low Code Application Platform, his portfolio of responsibility encompasses all the critical assets needed to bring Microsoft’s lofty vision to life.  In this wide-ranging discussion, we get first-hand insight from a senior executive on the vital role automation plays in the software giant’s Cloud-First, Mobile-First strategy.  Along the way we’ll also learn why the shifting ratio of repetition to creativity within a given task will determine which automation type it’s best suited for; the automation skills one should master to position themselves for success in the future; and what the single biggest disruptor for automation will be over the next few years.

HBO’s emmy-nominated comedy series Silicon Valley offers a humorous behind-the-scenes take on the trials and tribulations of technology startups.  Its techie-driven dialogue is unusual for mainstream entertainment, but refreshing for those of us in IT.  Pulling back the curtains on life at Silicon Valley IT departments is a specialty of our guest on this episode, Mark Settle.  As a 7-time CIO of companies such as Oxy, BMC Software, & Okta, Mark reveals quite a bit in his latest book "Truth from the Valley, A Practical Primer on IT Management for the Next Decade".

 

Drawing upon his many experiences leading IT shops, Mark succinctly articulates both the problems with current approaches to IT, and his prescription for how people, processes, and technology must adapt to a digitally transformed future.  Along the way we’ll learn what he thinks are the top three characteristics a CIO should look for when hiring an IT professional (other than intelligence), the key to overcoming robophobia among staff, and why a CIO’s success depends on them picking a handful of things to be Best-in-Class at.

The Millennial generation is still retail's most coveted demographic, but Generation Z isn't far behind.  Both cohorts grew up as "digital natives" with computers, game consoles, and mobile phones.  It's no surprise then that being online is second nature to them, and increasingly, chatbots is where Millennials & Generation Z can be found interacting online with retailers & other businesses.  Conventional marketing wisdom has long dictated that you have to meet your customers where they are.  Our guest on this episode argues that means chatbots are where marketers should go.

 

As Co-Founder and CEO of Gupshup, Beerud Sheth knows quite a bit about chatbots.  His bot-building platform is already being used by over 30,000 businesses worldwide, and was selected by Amazon as one of two preferred bot builders for their .bot registry services. With bots increasingly automating many tasks & activities currently done manually, Beerud also has interesting insights on how they may disrupt the labor market, another topic he's well-versed in having previously co-founded eLance which kick-started the gig economy. Beerud shares his vision with us about the opportunities that lie ahead, and the steps businesses must take to maximize their return from automating this growing customer touchpoint.

"First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the treasure chest." Some of you may recognize this old children's poem, variations of which can be found on the internet that replace the last two words "treasure chest" with....well, I'll leave it up to you to find out. Though quaint, this rhyme is actually quite germane as shorthand for the many iterations AI projects must cycle through before they start delivering trusted data, trusted decisions, & trusted outcomes. The worst results are at the beginning, but as time goes on and the AI continues learning & improving, the results can be quite good, and for organizations who stick with it, very successful. When it comes to AI projects, significant time often passes between inception and dividends, due to the many steps which must be taken to get things right. Our guest Matt Sanchez argues that in order to protect customer’s trust in your brand, there should be no short cuts taken along this route. In fact as Founder & CTO of CognitiveScale, a company focused on helping clients to pair humans with machines, he advocates for “responsible AI” as a framework to ensure that AI never breaches customer trust. Matt joins us for a broad-based discussion that taps into his wide-ranging insights on AI dating back to his days as a Leader of IBM’s Watson Labs. In this episode, we'll learn about the 6 key components that make up responsible AI, why data needs to be "nutritious, digestible, and delicious", and the bottomline proof that leaves him so optimistic about AI's future.

In ancient times the task of threshing, sifting edible grains of wheat from chaff, was performed with an agricultural tool called a flail. Modern farmers today accomplish the same undertaking at significant scale using huge mechanized vehicles called combines. When it comes to threshing the real from the imagined about AIOps, many IT executive decision-makers literally feel like they're flailing about. Everywhere they look, vast undulating fields of marketing buzz extend deep over the horizon making inflated claims about what AIOps can do for them. If only there was a metaphorical combine to sift facts from hype, expectations regarding the practical capabilities of AIOps would be more realistic, leaving the disappointment of unrealized objectives to flutter away like chaff in a light breeze. Since no such apparatus exists, metaphorical or otherwise, we turn instead to John Gentry, CTO & Sr. VP of Virtana, a leading AIOps provider. John's trenchant perspective on the current state of AIOps & its near-term prospects leaves listeners with a clear-eyed, pragmatic view of how this transformative technology is reshaping the data center. Along the way we'll learn what differentiates General Purpose AIOps from Domain-Specific AIOps, how AIOps helped one major company grow their transaction volume 700% while only scaling their infrastructure 300% with no head count increase, and why geography might be the key to attracting data scientists who perform the critical work AIOps relies upon.

When you think of Scandinavia, what comes to mind? If you're like most, then fjords, saunas, ABBA, the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and LEGO's are probably among your first thoughts. What about Skype, Linux, Spotify, Nokia, SMS texting, and "Erwise" - the first GUI browser? These innovations also emerged from the Nordic countries, who it turns out have a heritage of high tech innovation as rich & varied as a holiday smörgåsbord. That tradition has led to a high level of digital maturity among Scandinavian enterprises, and a culture eager for digital transformation. To better understand the unique IT characteristics that differentiate this region of the world, we speak with Himadri Das, Head of Automation at TietoEVRY, Scandinavia's biggest IT, business consulting, and outsourcing services provider. Himadri shares with us how best to sell AI, ML, and other advanced technologies in Scandinavia, the 3 "buckets" Scandinavian C-suite executives want addressed when these technologies are proposed to them, and Himadri's advice on moving forward with digital transformation based on his extensive experience with organizations in Nordic countries.

Fans of "Westworld", HBO's dystopian science fiction drama, recognize the understated yet outsized role of Lee Sizemore's character as crucial to the series plot. As head of the Narrative and Design division of Westworld’s Mesa Hub, Lee is responsible for the storylines of the "hosts". The scripts he creates for them ultimately determine the experience of Westworld's guests, and whether or not they'll become repeat customers. Lee Sizemore's futuristic-sounding job is somewhat paralleled in the present-day by people who architect conversations for AI chatbots. It's a field of growing importance that's crucial to the outcomes generated by conversational AI, and ultimately, digital transformations. For insights on the current state of this craft, we turn to one of its more notable practitioners, Rebecca Clyde, CEO & Co-Founder of Botco.ai. Rebecca shares many of her unique insights with us, and along the way we learn how early adopters of conversational AI are experiencing triple-digit percentage improvements in their sales conversion rates, how technology can make AI-driven chat conversations more engaging for people, and why taking the ontology learning approach to natural language processing might ultimately be better long term than machine learning.

Much of the world was caught off-guard when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted. As governments began issuing stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow transmission of the virus that causes the disease, the corporate world struggled to redeploy their staff to remote work. A notable organization that didn't break stride during this upheaval was OneShare Health from Irving, TX, who leveraged automation and AI to execute a seamless transition to telecommuting for their workforce. The result enabled their personnel to continue working at the same or higher levels of productivity as before the shutdown. The man behind this impressive feat was Toby Buckalew, OneShare Health's CIO. As a veteran of digital transformations in healthcare, Toby had already laid the groundwork that would be crucial to OneShare Health continuing to offer uninterrupted services to its end users. Toby joins us on this episode to share numerous insights, including why transforming people is the most important part of an enterprise digital transformation, why introverts may not be cut out for the job of CIO, and why road maps are better than detailed plans when it comes to transformation journeys.

Every moonshot needs a rocket. For many enterprises around the world, digital transformation is their moonshot, and automation + artificial intelligence is their rocket. In order for those digital transformations to achieve mission objectives though, enterprises must scale up their automation & AI deployments. When they do, the results can be out-of-this-world. But why do some automation & AI initiatives deliver such extraordinary returns while others fail to launch? Why do others manage lifting off, but fail to break free from the gravitational bonds of corporate inertia? For answers to these & other questions, we turn to Danilo McGarry, Global Head of Automation at Alter Domus. Danilo's track record of producing outsized results with automation and AI at his current & prior roles might be unprecedented. He shares his valuable insights with us, including the surprisingly aggressive minimum ROI you should aim for in year one of your automation projects, the specific steps to take to overcome internal robophobia about automation & AI, and why proof of concept projects are a waste of money.

Worldwide spending on digital transformation services is expected to reach nearly $2 Trillion by 2022. However, anecdotal evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating digital transformation initiatives ahead of schedule at many organizations. This has more than a few IT executives wondering how they can best move faster in the midst of a global health emergency, while contending with the notoriously high failure rates digital transformation projects have become known for. In seeking insights & advice, we turn to what may seem to some a bit of a surprising source. Micro Focus is the company most synonymous with COBOL, a legacy programming language entering its 7th decade of operation. Yet Joe Garber, its Global Head of Strategy and Solutions, explains why Micro Focus' primary focal point today is helping enterprises with digital transformation. During our conversation, he provides insights on a number of use cases, one of the most important things to consider when formulating a digital transformation strategy, & what organizations need to fundamentally do right now in response to the changing work reality.