Author: Peggy Smedley
Peggy Smedley and Julie Shainock, global managing director for travel, transport logistics, and hospitality, Microsoft, talk about the hurdles, trends, and opportunities in the aviation and airline industry. She says as you look at some of the hurdles we see in the aviation and airline industry today, fuel cost and efficiency are top of mind. They also discuss: Who is driving the changes in the market and the importance of applying technology around the customer experience. What technologies are growing in popularity in this industry. The importance of collaboration, security, and sustainability. microsoft.com/mobility (10/10/23 – 842) IoT, Internet of Things,…
Peggy Smedley and Matthieu Menanteau, head of product, Withings, talk about the latest innovation at the company and what is coming next. He gives a historical look at the smartwatch and what it is like today. They also discuss: The differences among the smartwatches on the market today. The importance of proactive health tracking today. The driving factors today for more advanced health monitoring. withings.com (10/10/23 – 842) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G, cloud, sustainability, future of work, podcast, Matthieu Menanteau, Withings This episode is available on all…
How is our infrastructure fairing following the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) passage in late 2021? The American Road & Transportation Builders Assn., digs in and provides some interesting data, specifically on the state of bridges. Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at where we are and what we need to do to build a better and more resilient infrastructure future, together. The association says one in three U.S. bridges needs repair or replacement. Yikes. More than 220,000 spans need repair, including 76,600 bridges that should be replaced. Placed end-to-end, these structures span more than 6,100 miles—and…
Many homes across the country have solar panels on their roofs, powering their homes through the rays of the sun, but could solar come to other areas of our world, like our roadways, powering our towns on a grander scale? Roughly a decade ago, there was quite a bit of talk about addressing the energy crisis with solar roadways. The concept is a good one: put panels in the road to produce electricity while also heating the roads to melt the snow and ice. As a longtime Chicagoan, I could appreciate this concept. The University of Minnesota Institute on the…
The power and utilities industries face countless challenges: the transition to renewable energy, aging infrastructure, cybersecurity, regulations, resilience, storage, decentralization, and the aging workforce, just to name a few. But with the right combination of technology and strategies businesses can face these hurdles head on. Let’s explore just a few in more depth today. The Energy Transition Perhaps one of the biggest is this transition to renewable energy. Laurent Boinot, senior digital architect, worldwide power & utility sector, Microsoft, recently told me on The Peggy Smedley Show that all industries are having to adapt in terms of sustainability and what…
Peggy provides a fuller picture of who the worker of tomorrow will be, narrowing in on the construction industry. She says the challenges we face in construction mirror many of the challenges we face in other industries like manufacturing and energy, just to name a few. She also discusses: The current state of the construction industry. How technology will enable new transformation in the future. The workers that will be needed to build it all. peggysmedleyshow.com (10/3/23 – 841) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G, cloud, sustainability, future of…
Peggy Smedley and Jason Corso, professor, University of Michigan and co-founder and CSO, Voxel51, talk about the academic side of AI (artificial intelligence) and generative AI. He says the way data has invaded our everyday lives over the last 5-10 years has been quite unexpected and monumental. They also discuss: How to get students to embrace it while also understanding accuracy with generative AI. The different generations and how they approach AI differently and the access gap to AI. Voxel51 and how we can make video data more useful for others. voxel51.com (10/3/23 – 841) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy…
Peggy Smedley and Ken Simonson, chief economist, the Associated General Contractors of America, talk about if there are factors driving down construction or if there are positive things. He says there has been a huge drop in homebuying, but if you look at housing starts and building permits, it may have bottomed out. They also discuss: The labor shortage and material trends. Three major laws intended to support investment in infrastructure, manufacturing/construction, and renewable power. Advice for construction companies to succeed in today’s market. agc.org (10/3/23 – 841) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data,…
I recently had an opportunity to spend a few days in Chicago at Procore Groundbreak 2023—and while the product announcements certainly hit the mark in terms of meeting the needs of today’s contractors—it was the conversations around workers and culture that had the greatest impact. And to be candid is what the writers, influencers, and attendees are still talking about will continue to talk up in the days to come. Tooey Courtemanche, founder and CEO of Procore, kicked off the show saying everyone in the audience had an obligation to take on the challenge to transform the construction industry, saying…
EVs (electric vehicles) are driving onto the scene in many areas of the world, offering greater opportunities for drivers and communities to save money in the long run and to contribute to a healthier living environment for all. Growth is imminent too, with the share of electric cars in total sales more than tripled in three years from about 4% in 2020 to remarkable 14% in 2022. The IEA expects to see 14 million in sales by the end of 2023, representing a 35% year-on-year increase. As a result, electric cars could account for 18% of total car sales across…