Author: Peggy Smedley
Every day my inbox is flooded with news and reports about gen AI (artificial intelligence). Some of it is interesting, some of it is innovative, some of it is inspiring, and some of it sounds far-fetched. Let’s look at some of the recent research. An interesting statistic passed my desk in May. It states nearly two out of three small business employees say AI can increase or retain headcount. Cox Business surveyed small business owners and employees on their view of the technology. The study found 52% of small business owners said AI enables them to increase or retain employees,…
Construction projects—specifically infrastructure projects—are becoming more complex than ever before. As Julien Moutte, CTO, Bentley Systems, recently told me on The Peggy Smedley Show, the demand on infrastructure has never been so high for many reasons, which he explains on the podcast. Here at Constructech, we have been talking about failing infrastructure around the world and in the United States, the need for greater resiliency and sustainability, and the need for greater security of our infrastructure systems. With the help of technology, there are opportunities to build infrastructure that is modern, resilient, and sustainable. However, building these projects is easier…
Peggy Smedley talks about the skills gap and looks at some of the top technology trends. She says resignations among healthcare workers have increased steadily, citing the most recent statistics compared to 2020. She also discusses: The impact of a skills gap on industries. The solution—or, better yet, solutions—to the skills gap. How AI (artificial intelligence) and digital transformation can help in healthcare. peggysmedleyshow.com (6/4/24 – 874) 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 is available on all major streaming platforms. If…
Peggy Smedley and Julien Moutte, CTO, Bentley Systems, talk about how generative AI (artificial intelligence) has evolved, specifically in construction and infrastructure. He says AI has been here for quite some time, but there was a tipping point recently and the technology has exploded in the last two years. They also discuss: The value of data and digital twins and the opportunities that exist for generative AI in construction. Examples of new technology on the jobsite that are creating a new flow of data from the field. How the industry can best prepare to use the technology. bentley.com Can GenAI…
Peggy Smedley and Louise Herring, partner and UK leader of QuantumBlack, McKinsey’s AI arm, talk about the opportunities AI (artificial intelligence) can offer and how companies can best leverage this new world. She says gen AI could generate $2.6 to $4.4 trillion of impact, which is tremendous. There are opportunities across all sectors in customer engagement, improving productivity, and core processes. They also discuss: Upskilling and reskilling the talent we need. Examples of use cases and what we learned in 2023. What steps companies should take first. mckinsey.com (6/4/24 – 874) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine…
We live in a world where there is a rise in extreme weather events, cost of energy is soaring, energy companies have a lack of skilled workers, and we have a responsibility to improve our carbon footprint. All of this points to the need for greater connectivity at the grid—which is something we have seen steadily rising in recent years. The U.S. Dept. of Energy suggests the U.S. electric grid has more than 9,200 electric generating units, having more than 1 million megawatts of generating capacity connected to more than 600,000 miles of transmission lines. But it also states the…
Here at Constructech, Connected World, and The Peggy Smedley Show, I have been sounding the alarm for years about the dangers of distracted driving. Awareness is particularly important in the construction industry, where work zone safety is a top priority for many. The hard reality is that work zones are still not a safe place, according to recent numbers from the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America). In fact, the organization’s recent survey found nearly two-thirds of firms working on highway upgrades experienced vehicles crashing into work zones during the past year. What’s more, 24% of respondents report experiencing five…
The cloud and SaaS (software-as-a-service) are rising trends for many business and IT professionals—and it is something we saw play out last week at Microsoft Build, which took place May 21-23, 2024. I thought it might be worth looking at what came out of the event and the impact such technology is having on enterprises, especially considering this is happening alongside the rise of AI (artificial intelligence). Let’s consider the rising trends of cloud and SaaS first. In the earliest days of computing, large mainframe systems acted as the central processor and networked terminals as the clients. Cloud computing is…
Peggy Smedley takes a closer look at the sustainability and energy concerns that are currently driving the global smart building market. She shares her thoughts on where we have been, where we are today, and where we are headed with the smart building market. She also discusses: A historical look at the development of programmable logic controllers and the evolution of smart buildings. Predictions for the estimated market value of industrial smart building deployments in the future. Some of the challenges that still persist. peggysmedleyshow.com (5/28/24 – 873) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data,…
Peggy Smedley and Sanjeev Pannala, senior researcher, NREL, and adjunct faculty at Washington State University, talk about research and the rapid transformation that is happening in the electric distribution sector. He says he says been working on diverse topics and how technology factors in. They also discuss: Who will be the beneficiary of all this resilient and sustainable power. Operational forecasting of power and leveraging machine learning. How to derisk the critical energy infrastructure. school.eecs.wsu.edu/faculty/profile (5/28/24 – 873) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G, cloud, sustainability, future of work,…