Author: Peggy Smedley
COVID-19 changed the workforce: women left, but are they returning? The latest data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows there are 8.1 million job openings in the United States and 6.6 million unemployed workers. Yikes! The numbers are almost too high to comprehend. A shortage of workers creates economic upheaval for many industries—something we can’t afford. As workers and employers, we continue to grapple with finding an answer we can all embrace. It appears the solution lies in aligning the right worker with the right career, but this begs the question, again, are we making the right moves to…
AI (artificial intelligence) is the future of business. Many industries are turning to this technology to speed jobs, heighten efficiencies, achieve access to new data sets, and enable a new shift in the way we work. But will this all unfold as expected in the construction industry? Will it transform how we do bidding, estimating, project management, accounting, and job costing? Let’s explore a new report to see if we can find answers to some of these questions. Deltek’s 45th annual report looks at the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry. To be clear, the report isn’t just about AI.…
Is our critical infrastructure secure? In a word, no. Consider this statistic: 99%. That is the percentage of U.S. critical organizations that say they have security challenges. Personally, I want to know who that other 1% is and have a conversation with them, but we generally see this is a wide sweeping trend that is impacting every organization. From utilities, to railways, to hospitals, our critical infrastructure needs to be secured. What Is Critical Infrastructure? Before we take a closer look at the state of cybersecurity and our critical infrastructure here in the United States, let’s start by defining our…
Peggy Smedley talks about what needs to happen next in order to move to a more autonomous future. She says there is a lot of investment, research, and development that still needs to be done before we reach Level 5, but we have a real opportunity to make our roads more efficient and safer. She also discusses: The five different eras of autonomous vehicles. How many cars on the roads will be autonomous by 2040. A new plan that has been deployed to bring V2X (vehicle-to-everything) to roadways. peggysmedleyshow.com (8/27/24 – 885) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence,…
Peggy Smedley and Simon Floyd, GM, manufacturing and mobility, Microsoft, talk about the current state of AI (artificial intelligence) in the manufacturing industry. He says we simply cannot have a conversation without AI at the moment, and it is something that manufacturers are asking for. They also discuss: How quickly it is being implemented and the barriers to adoption. 7 steps companies can take now to build an AI strategy in manufacturing. Why data quality and governance are so important. Whitepaper: Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing (8/27/24 – 885) IoT, Internet of Things,…
We’ve covered both hardware and software. And we’ve jumped deeper into software. So now let’s look closer at hardware. There’s no question when we talk about hardware, we want to explore speeds and feeds. Right out of the gate it is advisable to purchase computers that are powerful enough to handle the tasks at hand. Powerful usually means speed. Saving a few bucks now only ends up costing contractors more later. As the saying goes, why do you want to shoot yourself in the foot in the long run. View the full article here.
In industries like construction, training is of the utmost importance to ensure workers know how to use the tools to get the job done—and do it in a way that is both efficient and safe. Training is also important to upskill and reskill employees—something that is becoming a greater priority as the future of work continues to evolve. And, yet only 69% of construction people say their company has given them the job-skill training to upskill or reskill to advance their career. To be clear, 69% of construction workers is only slightly larger than the 67% of people across all…
For many, it is time to go back to school. Students are returning to academic life in droves. But how has education changed in the past five years—and how will it continue to change in the next five? Certainly, the pandemic shook things up, but there is another huge force at work that could completely transform how we teach at all levels: technology. One new report suggests digital technologies have completely transformed education in the past two decades, but the metaverse has taken it to a new level. Still in the early stages of adoption, when many refer to a…
Peggy digs into an interesting topic as it relates to EVs (electric vehicles)—that multiple industries are critical for their success. She shares her candid thoughts on some bold predictions for this space. She also discusses: New research about electric vehicles and how different industries fit. Five of the biggest hurdles multiple industries need to work through together. How AI (artificial intelligence) can help in both industries and in the vehicles themselves. peggysmedleyshow.com (8/20/24 – 884) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G, cloud, sustainability, future of work, podcast This episode…
Peggy Smedley and Ani Aprahamian, Frank M. Freimann professor of physics, University of Notre Dame, talk about her research, energy conversion, and how nuclear energy fits into the equation. She says energy is essential to our lives and we have seen increased use of energy in the last 200 years. They also discuss: How we can reach carbon goals. The process of changing energy from one form to another. If we are going to hit the climate goals that we talk about. chemistry.nd.edu/people/ani-aprahamian (8/20/24 – 884) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation,…