Today in Tech

Within the financial services spaces, many companies are fast-moving when it comes to technology innovation, but in general the banking space has been slower moving and more conservative, due to regulations and concerns about data privacy. Will this likely continue as companies explore generative AI and agentic AI technologies? Olly Downs, Chief Technology & AI Officer at Curinos, joins the show to discuss where banks, credit-card companies and other financial services firms will deploy AI agents.

Gou Rao, co-founder of NeuBird, discusses the rise of 'digital employees' designed to work alongside humans, addressing the growing talent shortage in tech. He explains how these advanced AI entities can automate mundane tasks while enhancing human creativity. The conversation delves into hiring practices for digital employees, trust-building, and transparency in human-digital interactions. Rao also highlights the importance of personality in communications and the need for realistic expectations as this new workforce emerges.

Debo Dutta, Chief AI Officer at Nutanix and an expert in AI trends, shares insights on the disruptive innovations shaping the future of technology. He dives into the implications of the Chinese startup DeepSeek and its advanced reasoning models. Dutta emphasizes how businesses must adapt to emerging AI trends to ensure seamless integration. He discusses the importance of agility, data privacy, and collaboration in enterprise AI strategies, urging companies to act swiftly and establish strong infrastructures for successful AI adoption.

Gregg Rouse, President of Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM), shares insights on the future of sensor technology. He discusses how breakthroughs in AI and networking are unlocking new use cases for traditional sensors. Notably, millimeter wave technology is now crucial for monitoring the elderly at home, such as fall detection. The conversation also highlights innovations in automotive sensor applications and the potential of edge AI in enhancing real-time data processing across various industries, including healthcare and smart devices.

Aneesh Raman, Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn, dives into the transformative impact of AI on the future of work. He explores how traditional employment is evolving into a skills-oriented landscape. Raman emphasizes the need for continuous learning and adaptability across careers. He also discusses the rising relevance of humanities and philosophy in a tech-driven job market. The conversation advocates for a pro-human mindset, highlighting the importance of interpersonal skills as AI reshapes industries.

Is agentic AI technology the next phase of generative artificial intelligence, or are there some other AI technologies on the horizon? What is being overhyped versus actual projects that will have business impact? Michael Cohen, global chief data & analytics officer at Plus Company, joins the show to discuss the evolutionary nature of generative AI, and where the world is heading next.

With technology touching so many different parts of the business, companies have created so many different “Chief” officers that it now causes confusion about who is responsible for the technology vision. Would a new “Super Chief” role solve this confusion? John Spens from Thoughtworks and Thomas Davenport from Babson College, join the show to discuss this new IT organizational structure.

Many companies exploring generative AI now face the possibility of deploying the next phase of the technology, agentic AI, without yet fully getting a grasp on earlier genAI tools. This could spell disaster for many companies as AI agents inadvertently expose private data to employees or those outside the company. Anneka Gupta, a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the chief product officer at Rubrik, joins the show to discuss why companies need to get ready for AI agents now.

While generative AI, spatial computing, and citizen development all spurred disruptions to businesses in 2024, will those themes continue as we enter the new year? Mike Bechtel, chief futurist at Deloitte and one of the authors of their 2025 Tech Trends reports, joins the show to review the biggest technology trends for companies for the new year.

Has the rise of social media, artificial intelligence and other data tracking platforms broken the original idea of the Internet? Do we truly live in a post-truth society due to these problems? Can TikTok become a platform for good that allows people to decide what they want to see, rather than an unknown and secretive algorithm? Tomicah Tillemann, president of Project Liberty, joins the show to discuss these problems and a potential solution to address several of these bad parts of the Internet.