Today in Tech

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.

General Motors kills the robotaxi Cruise division, ceding the market to Waymo and Tesla; Embodied runs out of money, spelling doom for its Moxie robot. Guest co-host Lindsey O’Donnell-Welch joins the show to discuss what this means for the tech industry, along with other stories from recent weeks.

Is the Silicon Valley culture the same as it once was? Recent big technology leaders moving towards the political space is shining the light on a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs that is different from previous generations. Rob Lalka, author of “The Venture Alchemists” and a professor of entrepreneurship at Tulane University, discusses these issues as well as the impact of artificial intelligence on future generations.

Intel says goodbye to Pat Gelsinger; Amazon invests heavily into an AI supercomputer and Panasonic aims to revive its founder via AI. Cybersecurity journalist Lindsey O’Donnell-Welch joins Keith and Chris to discuss these and other tech stories.

While 2024 was not as difficult than 2023 in terms of the number of technology job layoffs, there are still mixed signals in the job market. While tech unemployment remains low, anecdotally we are discovering that it’s harder for many people to find a new job. What gives? Lucas Mearian, senior reporter at Computerworld, joins the show to discuss job hunting strategies, why companies continue to put obstacles in place on finding good candidates, and the impact of AI on the whole situation.

Recent cyberattacks on industrial facilities, including one of the country’s largest water suppliers, has turned the spotlight on whether utilities and other critical infrastructure are properly protected from attacks. What challenges do groups face, and how will artificial intelligence affect potential future attacks or defense? Ian Bramson, vice president of global industrial cybersecurity at Black & Veatch, joins the show to discuss these and other issues facing industrial organizations.

While experts may speculate that an AI bubble burst is due to happen, someone forgot to tell companies that continue to spend money on the technology. A new report says business spending on generative AI has surged 500% this year, reaching $13.8 billion. Guest co-host Lindsey O’Donnell-Welch talks with Keith about this and other tech stories, including the latest financial firm data breach, and why it’s so much work to monitor streaming services spending.