Author: Peggy Smedley
The telecommunications industry is facing big transformation, especially with the rise of gen AI (artificial intelligence)—and perhaps there is no greater place where this has been on display recently than MWC Barcelona, which took place March 3-6 in Barcelona. Taking a closer look at MWC, we are seeing a few big trends emerging that are remarkably interesting for the coming year. Once a year, roughly 100,000 thought leaders come together to talk about the top trends in technology and telecommunications. From digital agriculture to transportation to manufacturing, one big trend is that many industries are impacted by telecommunications and the…
Those working in the construction industry know the statistics. Roughly 47% of women are employed in the overall workforce and, yet only around 11% are employed in the construction industry, and even less are skilled trade. Progress is slow to say the least. This is unfortunate because there are several advantages for women working in the construction industry, according to a new survey. The survey was conducted by the New York chapter of PWC (Professional Women in Construction) New York. Regina Rivera, executive director, PWC NY, says today there are only 1.3 million women employed in the construction industry, despite…
Is higher confidence in gen AI (artificial intelligence) associated with less critical thinking? New research says yes. Let’s take a closer look and determine how we can better prepare and train our workforce for this new era of work side-by-side with gen AI. A new report—The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking—examines how 319 knowledge workers perceive the enaction of critical thinking when using gen AI and when and why gen AI impacts their effort to do so. The research done by Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft is interesting to say the least and will shape the future of…
Statistics show by 2030, there will be $15 trillion spent per year on projects. The challenge is statistics also show about a 70% failure rate, including being over budget, missing the schedule, or not meeting the requirements in some other way—and 80% of the value of an asset is after it is built. Certainly, technology can help solve this challenge. This data was conveyed by Huw Roberts, CEO, PMWeb at the PMWeb conference in February. As we know, there is new investment in PMWeb. In November 2024, the company announced a strategic growth investment from Bregal Sagemount, a private capital…
Each year, ABI Research unveils must-know tech stats for the year ahead. Each year, Gartner does its top 10 predictions for the year ahead. Each year, Deloitte does a state of the industry market for verticals like transportation, construction, and manufacturing. For today’s blog, I will share my thoughts on what has been found for the year ahead, and I will share my thoughts on how you can best parse through all this information to make decisions for your business. ABI Research Must Know Tech Stats For 2025, ABI Research has analyzed 66 critical trends across 33 growth sectors and…
Have you ever thought about securing your home or building? It’s an interesting question to ponder. The point here is, do smarter homes and buildings bring greater safety and security (we are looking at you Ring doorbells!) or do these devices put the occupants at greater risk? Surely all these connected devices and automation systems can keep a closer eye on our homes, ensuring greater security on the perimeter of the home—but does it put our data at risk? First, a primer. We recognize smart-home devices bring home-security opportunities. The 2024 Nationwide Homeowners Survey on Smart Home Insights shows homeowners…
President Donald Trump is rolling out tariffs, which at the time of this writing continues to evolve, and there are a lot of mixed feelings about it. Rather than focusing on politics, for today’s blog I want to focus on the opportunities and the technologies. It is time to pave a path forward. Let’s use the tools at our disposal to gain a competitive advantage in today’s supply chain. First a primer: In a release from the White House at the beginning of February, we see President Trump is implementing a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico…
Data Centers Sustainability Workforce Technology In 2025, will construction be up? Will it be down? What will be some of the top trends that take hold? Which markets will soar? And how does technology fit into all of this? These are just a few of the most pressing questions on the minds of today’s construction executives. Fortunately, we can get a handle on some answers in FMI’s 2025 North American Engineering and Construction Overview: First Quarter. One big takeaway is while there is an assumed recession for the broader U.S. economy in 2025, FMI predicts construction and engineering spending will…
Natural disasters such as wildfires continue to damage property, requiring restoration and rebuilding of towns around the world. Candidly most of us can’t truly imagine the devastation of a natural disaster, let alone any type of devastation from a disaster, unless we are faced with it. So, for today’s discussion, let’s consider how technology might help in times of need following the emergency crises and response of a disaster. Consider the Palisades Fire, which began January 7, 2025, and burned most of the month. While field damage inspection is still ongoing and subject to change as of this writing, we…
Construction equipment continues to evolve, with the rise of autonomous, electric, AI (artificial intelligence), GPS, telematics, the IoT (Internet of Things), and other vehicle technologies. For today’s blog, let’s look at three big construction fleet trends to watch in the days ahead. Autonomous Construction Equipment Perhaps one of the biggest trends the industry continues to watch is the rise of autonomous equipment in construction. This is a trend I have been watching, as I have attended many conferences in the past. Autonomous is certainly something to keep in mind, as we build more infrastructure and cities of the future. Grandview…