Futurum Tech Webcast

In the main dive for today's episode of Futurum Tech Podcast, we take a look at our recently published research report, The State of Automation 2019: RPA, AI, and Intelligent Automation, developed in partnership with Automation Anywhere. Our research shows that more than half of U.S. companies have implemented some form of automation —either Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or AI-powered Intelligent Automation — and that the majority of those who've not yet implemented automation into business operations intend to within not too distant future. We discuss what you can and can't do with RPA and Intelligent Automation, what you should be using it for and how to most effectively go about that. We also discuss the challenges that our survey respondents shared with us are most common, their expectations for the future, and the role they expect automation will play in their organizations. THIS WEEK's FAST THREE (While we normally cover five topics in our "Fast Five" section of the podcast, this week since we devoted so much time to The State of Automation report, we are only covering three topics.) > Amazon Will Challenge Pentagon's Award of $10 billion JEDI contract to Microsoft > How Knightscope's Security Robots Surveil the Public > Salesforce will adopt Microsoft's Cloud as the Companies Cozy Up This week's Tech Bites Winner: Giphy has an illicit problem. Giphy, perhaps the biggest image search engine and place users flock to create animated GIFs, has a problem with illicit content. A new report from Israeli online child protection startup L1ght has uncovered a host of toxic content with the Giphy community, including content related to child abuse, rape, white supremacy, and hate speech. And it appears as though the people using the platform to hide this content in plain sight very much know what they're doing. Our Crystal Ball: We circle back to automation and the role we predict it will have in businesses moving forward. Tl:dr it's big! INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features Shelly Kramer (@ShellyKramer)and Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

Earlier this week rumors started to circulate about an audacious move by Xerox to acquire its much larger competitor HP. What are the prospects for the acquisition to succeed? What are the downsides and will it be enough to revive the prospects of both companies? We talk about potential branding outcomes and key areas of potential breakthrough like 3-D printing, and other interesting things about the bold takeover bid. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Facebook employees chafed at what they perceived as anti-competitive or unethical practices by the company in 2012-13 > Through its OpenRAN/vRAN assets, Mavenir bolsters the operator use case to accelerate their 5G deployments > NVIDIA announced record-breaking performances for AI inference workloads in data centers and at the edge > DXC acquires Virtual Clarity > Small-satellite startup Kepler is doing something never before accomplished with satellite-based broadband connectivity: providing high-bandwidth to the Arctic This week's Tech Bites Winner: Chris Hylen is stepping down from his role as Imperva's CEO after the cybersecurity specialist's August data breach. Does this serve as a precursor for more C-suite departures following high-profile security breaches? Our Crystal Ball: We discuss the trillionaire's club. Who is next in joining the elite company of Microsoft and Apple? Who is better positioned – Amazon or Google (Alphabet)? What are the impediments to joining the club? Are there any other plausible candidates? INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features , Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV), Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard)and Ron Westfall (@RonaldWestfal14). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

In this special episode of the Futurum Tech Podcast Interview Series, Daniel Newman welcomes Rebecca Gott, IBM Distinguished Engineer. Rebecca has worked for IBM for 20 years and currently focuses on blockchain on the IMB Z and LinuxONE Team. Daniel and Rebecca take a deep dive into blockchain use cases in today's business environment. Thank you to IBM for sponsoring this edition of Futurum Tech Podcast, and for their continued commitment to using tech for good. INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

What is going on at Facebook and does it does it bode for its long-term business model? And can we put a value on news feeds curated by journalists? We talk about Zuck's testimony this week, and other interesting things about the technology giant's behavior. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have just announced that they are joining forces to deliver RCS messaging in the US for Android smartphones in 2020. > NVIDIA's debuts its Smart Everything Revolution proposition at Mobile World Congress Americas (MWCA) 2019. > Samsung's fingerprint sensor "flaw" wasn't what people think it is. > Ericsson provides its perspective on what is essential to make 5G mainstream. > Qualcomm showcased its ecosystem influence at the 5G Summit. This week's Tech Bites Winner: We focused on Softbank and its investment strategies as it relates to the company's Vision Fund. How will Softbank navigate the fallout from the WeWork IPO implosion and ongoing losses at Uber? Our Crystal Ball: Facebook's news tab play. Is it a win or disaster in the making? Who gets paid and how? Is it fostering deeper divisions and split realities for Facebook users? Does Zuckerberg even understand what his platform actually is (as opposed to what he claims it is)? INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features , Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard)and Ron Westfall (@RonaldWestfal14). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

We take a main dive into the topic of Amazon, and whether we are looking at a company that might be described as America's newest military giant. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Facebook playing favorites with news outlets in advance of news page launch > Google says it's going to fix that "oops" in its new Pixel 4 > U.S. Firms reportedly show initial interest in Huawei's 5G licensing proposal > On the Apple front, the news du jour is that the company started selling the locally assembled iPhone XR in India > Shelly's appearance at the UiPath FORWARD This week's Tech Bites Winner: We talk about SoftBank Group Corp. taking control of WeWork in a refinancing rescue plan that removes founder Adam Neumann from the board, purchases nearly $1 billion of his stock, gives him $500 million in credit to help repay a loan, and provides a consulting fee in the amount of $185 million. The employees of WeWork are less thrilled with the deal. Our Crystal Ball: We circle back to Amazon and the JEDI contract. Who will get it? INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features , Shelly Kramer (@ShellyKramer)and Fred McClimans (@fredmcclimans). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

We take a look at what the internet is worth. Can we put a value on free? That's the question Jerome Powell recently discussed at a meeting of economists, and we think that working to figure out the value of free services to the economy is an interesting discussion. We also cover the partnership between Porsche and Boeing in an urban air mobility initiative, the US exploring funding for Huawei rivals, Ericsson and Nokia in the rollout of 5G domestically, and we touch on the move by China to require facial recognition scans for purchases of new devices or internet services. And we also talk about how WeWork is going up in we flames. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Porsche and Boeing partner in "urban air mobility" initiative > The U.S. is considering potentially funding Huawei rivals > WeWork has been WeValued deflating Neumann's WeWorth > China gets even more serious (if that's possible) about facial recognition technology Twitter 'inadvertently' used phone numbers and email addresses of its users to target ads This week's Tech Bites Winner: Apple and Google pulled apps from their ecosystems that China deemed dangerous. Our Crystal Ball: What's next with regard to 'free' online services like search engines, social networks, etc., and what, if anything, can we expect to change as it relates to both consumer behavior as well as how these brands continue to evolve? INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features , Shelly Kramer (@ShellyKramer), Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard) and Fred McClimans (@fredmcclimans). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

Deepfake videos are video forgeries that make people seem to be doing or saying things they didn't actually do or say. As you might imagine these manipulated videos can have a big impact on people who are "featured" in them. California's Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a couple of laws aimed at affording some protection as it relates to deepfake videos used in both politics and porn. AB 730 is intended to offer protection to political candidates, and makes it illegal to distribute deepfake videos intended to deceive voters and discredit a political candidate with 60 days of an election. AB 602 is a bill that provides protection to Californians whose likenesses are used in pornographic videos without their consent, giving them the right to sue. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Microsoft Surface Launch > The cybersecurity danger posed by flipping the "V" sign in photos > Intel Core i9 Price reductions > Amazon comes after the kid business with Kindle Kids launch > HPE Analyst Event This week's Tech Bites Winner: For the Tech Bites portion of our podcast, we cover the Android Zero Day vulnerability. Our Crystal Ball: We circle back to the issue of deepfake videos and cybersecurity and talk about what's next in terms of the protections technology and technology giants like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and beyond can (and should) afford consumers who will at some point be impacted by deepfakes. When you consider there are 2 billion photos uploaded to the web daily, verifying images at scale is a massive undertaking. But it will happen. INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features , Shelly Kramer (@ShellyKramer) and Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

With Amazon's 14 announcements on hardware ranging from various iterations of its Echo and Ring devices, to eyeglass frames, to even a smart oven, it's clear that Amazon aims to be everywhere, and collecting your data and analyzing your buying habits in the process. In this Main Dive, the Futurum team talks about the privacy implications of this move, Amazon's competitors in this arena, and what's ahead. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Uber and Lyft Driverless Cars > DoorDash Security Breach > Microsoft Dynamics 365 app launch > CyberPeace Organization > Oculus Quest introduces hand tracking This week's Tech Bites Winner: We dive into the debacle that is WeWork and discuss the decreased valuation of the company. Our Crystal Ball: We cover the topic of who wins the race for smart speakers? Is it Amazon, Google, Apple, or someone else? INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features , Shelly Kramer (@ShellyKramer), Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV) and Fred McClimans (@fredmcclimans). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

In this special edition episode of the Futurum Tech Podcast, Daniel Newman welcomes Daniel Krook, CTO of the Call for Code Global Initiative and Code and Response Team at IBM. IBM helped launch Call for Code in May 2018 in partnership with the United Nations and a wide range of other public and private partners to inspire developers to use code to solve the world's most pressing problems. In this episode, Krook provides an update on last year's winners and names the top finalists of this year's competition. Thank you to IBM for sponsoring this edition of Futurum Tech Podcast, and for their continued commitment to using tech for good. INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast. ###

In this special edition episode of the Futurum Tech Podcast, Daniel Newman takes a look at the concept of the cognitive enterprise—the effort to bring new technologies and operational models into one's enterprise as part of digital transformation with interviewee Gene Chao, Vice President and General Manager of IBM Automation. In his work, Gene manages IBM's global automation business unit, covering software, platforms, and services both to outside clients and IBM. Thanks to IBM for sponsoring this important episode. INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast.