Author: Peggy Smedley
We all know gen AI (artificial intelligence) is set to redefine work. As companies rush to create AI strategies for businesses, lawmakers are also racing to identify how to best manage AI’s impact on society. In the past year, we have seen states step up to create AI regulations. Let’s take a closer look in today’s blog. Politics aside, I too recognize this may be nearly impossible for some. Still, for the sake of this discussion, let’s try. The Transparency Coalition’s 2025 report identifies 73 new AI laws across 27 states, making this one of the fastest periods of AI…
As we head toward 2026, it becomes important to consider construction market conditions to best determine how to leverage digital transformation and other emerging technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and other emerging technologies that might burst on our radar in the days ahead. Thus, let’s take a few minutes to look at the state of the market to best prepare for what comes next. In October, ABC’s (Associated Builders and Contractors) Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.4 months. The reading is down 0.1 months since September 2025, but unchanged from October 2024. Interestingly, the report suggests roughly 65% of contractors…
Peggy talks about a new benchmark that tests AI models on real freelance projects—and what percentage of AI systems complete tasks at professional human standards. She says we need to consider AI our partner in crime, but we need to determine how to augment, not replace. She also discusses: · The state of the market. · Some of the biggest hurdles we still face today. · How two key trends are colliding at the exact same time. http://peggysmedleyshow.com
Peggy Smedley and Eddie Hartman, partner & board member at Simon-Kucher Partners, and coauthor of Scaling Innovation: How Smart Companies Architect Profitable Growth, talk about why startups fail. He says if you created something people want to buy and pay for, then your startup wouldn’t fail, and we must begin with the question: but do they? They also discuss: · Pricing, packaging, and go-to-market strategy. · The Blockbuster phenomenon—and how markets shift. · What a single-engine track is—and how to become a profitable growth architect. https://www.simon-kucher.com/
Peggy Smedley and Reddy Mallidi, AI strategist, and author, Leading With AI Agents, talk about how AI agents are transforming industries. He says AI agents represent something fundamentally different than ChatGPT, and the distinction matters for manufacturing leaders. They also discuss: · How they represent a shift from reactive to proactive intelligent partners. · Examples of how to scale with AI agents. · What keeps manufacturing executives up at night. https://reddymallidi.com
We have all learned a thing or two in the past five years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit—and since that time things continue to change fast and furious in the supply chain. We have rising costs, global shocks, fragmented logistics, climate risks, and increasing customer demands. The numbers always tell an interesting story. We see 91% of customers demand seamless end-to-end service and yet 75% of logistics leaders admit they have lagged on digital transformation and innovation. There is a disconnect here. The reality is supply chains can no longer operate the way they did 20 years ago. If the…
Peggy talks about how as the use of AI (artificial intelligence) grows, the role of the workforce will evolve. She says job roles will shift, organizations will be disrupted, and business models will need to evolve, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but is a reality that we all must face. She also discusses: · A recent report that aims to look at the future of work and the role of generative AI—highlighting how it will change jobs. · Four distinct categories based on their potential to be transformed by gen AI—and some of the jobs in each category. ·…
Peggy Smedley and David Esposito, industry advisor for logistics, transportation, and supply chain, Microsoft Manufacturing and Mobility, talk about how we can leverage AI (artificial intelligence) agents to help in the supply chain. He says since the pandemic it has been nothing but disruption in this industry. There is overcapacity, oversupply, and tariff uncertainties, just to name a few. They also discuss: · How companies are repositioning operations. · Why it is important to always have a human in the loop and why resiliency matters. · Examples of companies that are taking a step forward with agentic AI in the…
Peggy Smedley and Sam Barker, VP of global telecom market research, Juniper Research, talk about what is driving the surge in global smart building platforms. He says this is driven by many factors including the energy crisis and the ability to monitor and have greater visibility of the energy we are using. They also discuss: · If interoperability is still a barrier and if anything is changing here. · Connectivity and how the market has become saturated. · The IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (artificial intelligence) and how each comes into play in smart buildings. https://www.juniperresearch.com/
If you picked up my book, Sustainable in a Circular World, then you know I sound the alarm about how our world needs to move from grey to green, fueled by design techniques that are sustainable in a circular economy. The construction industry is a big contributor to this movement, as I mentioned in my book and as we continue to see in new reports. A new report from Nature Communications suggests the carbon footprint in the global construction sector is set to double by 2050. Simply insane! It seems we are heading in the wrong direction. Let’s unpack what…