Author: Connected World
Recently, I came across a CBS News report documenting a new use for animatronic robots, now deployed in Japan. Scare the bears away from humans. What interested me most: The robot is not humanoid. It is a robotic version of a wolf, which makes perfect sense: In nature, a bear is more afraid of a wolf than a human. If you are of an age, like me, you may have had the wonderful experience of attending the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. I remember trudging through many of the pavilions and eventually finding my way into the Illinois…
Confronting a Lying AI I recently wrote a piece called “True Confessions Meets AI.” This article continues the discussion with a focus on the ability of AI to lie. In recent months there’s been a growing number of reports about AI (artificial intelligence) giving misleading and false answers to queries. In essence, deceiving and lying. These reports have been featured in leading publications, including Fortune and Time. No less a human technology luminary than Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel prize winner known as the ‘Godfather of AI’, called out the ability of AIs to lie. The “motivation” is an AI’s desire not…
As sustainability initiatives continue to grow across universities and research institutions, campuses are becoming real-world laboratories for innovation. From food systems and waste reduction to circular economies and renewable practices, organizations are finding new ways to integrate sustainability into everyday operations and long-term research efforts. As one example, the University of Georgia has transformed portions of its campus into a “living laboratory” where students, faculty, and researchers collaborate on sustainability-focused projects. Through initiatives such as green roof agriculture, textile recycling, food sustainability programs, and waste reduction research, the University of Georgia is creating hands-on opportunities to test and implement practical…
Is RCS (rich-communication services) finally becoming a mainstream business messaging channel? New research from Juniper Research suggests adoption is accelerating rapidly, though growth remains uneven across global markets. RCS business traffic is expected to surpass 200 billion messages globally by 2027, rising from roughly 70 billion messages in 2025. The surge is being driven largely by increased adoption in the United States following Apple’s rollout of RCS support on iOS devices. One of the more notable takeaways from the research is RCS is evolving beyond a next-generation SMS replacement into a more interactive, conversational business channel that blends messaging, commerce,…
At IBM Think last week, organizations showcased deploying and scaling innovations such as AI (artificial intelligence) and quantum at speed and scale quickly. This message was front and center that resonated throughout the many stories shared while I was in Boston for the event. I had the pleasure to meet IBM Bob, uncover more about Digital Sovereignty, dig deeper into IBM Quantum, and get firmly planted in what feels like Day Zero of the AI revolution. With today’s pace of change and speed of innovation, the time has come to build the castle while the princess is in it. At…
Connected World Editorial Director Peggy Smedley recently sat down with Twisthink CEO Dave Moelker to get to the heart of why contextual data is so vital today and why this is truly a gamechanger for OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers) as they look to the future to compete, and deliver outcomes that outperform their most challenging competitors in a world that never sleeps, but demands provocative data insights, smart new revenue streams, and excellent winning service anywhere in the globe. And that means data context. CW: Why do so many predictive maintenance solutions still lack critical context? DM: Too many solutions were…
Recently Kelly Ireland, CEO of CBT and Connected World Editorial Director Peggy Smedley had an opportunity to catch up to talk more about the biggest cultural challenges and opportunities reshaping the connected worker across services industries, healthcare, transportation, and beyond. They addressed what’s holding organizations back, what’s finally starting to move, and where mindset and technology must meet if there is going to be real transformation. CW: What’s the biggest cultural belief with the connected worker that still slows transformation today? KI: It’s not the technology. For many companies, the barrier is the culture that has developed over decades—combined with new…
As AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud computing continue to expand, data centers are facing growing pressure to reduce energy consumption while maintaining performance. As a result, researchers are developing new mathematical and algorithmic approaches to make these systems more efficient and sustainable. As one example, researchers at Virgina Tech are exploring how advanced mathematical algorithms can reduce power usage in data centers while also improving data security and system performance. Their work focuses on optimizing how computing resources are allocated and managed. Where this becomes particularly innovative is in the use of mathematical modeling to solve multiple challenges at once.…
3.8 Million Workers by 2030 Are organizations doing enough to protect lone workers? Berg Insight suggests adoption of connected safety solutions is growing steadily, but still far from universal. Around 2.5 million lone workers across Europe, North American, and Australia and New Zealand were using connected safety solutions by the end of 2025. That number reflects consistent growth yet also highlights how early the market remains. The market is projected to grow to roughly 3.8 million users by 2030. Europe alone is expected to grow from 1.4 million users in 2025 to more than 2.2 million by 2030. Perhaps one…
Will AI Agents Confess to Their Mistakes or Cover Them Up? By Tim Lindner During the past year there has been a growing number of reports raising the alarm about AI (artificial intelligence), in formats such as chatbots and agents, giving false or misleading information in response to queries “it” did not like. In short, lying. So, it comes as an interesting counterpoint to this concern that an AI agent admitted its guilt by providing a “true confession” about how it improperly deleted an entire database. The broad spectrum of print and film coverage of “true confessions” as a genre…