IBM thinkLeaders

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guest Kate O'Neill (author of Tech Humanist: How You Can Make Technology Better for Business and Better for Humans) to discuss how we can leverage AI for good, the need for a transdisciplinary approach to AI, and what it means to be an Optimistic Futurist. Kate talks about her own career path and the holistic, integrative approach to advocates using when employing AI to tackle major societal issues.

Connect with us on Twitter @ IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders)

Kate O'Neill @ KateO

“There is potential for it [AI] to go badly and there is potential for it to go off the rails. But there is also always so much power to use it for the good of humanity. And that's the way I prefer to be focused to steer us in that direction.”

“So even at this stage of A.I., we have demonstrable experience of being able to say, here's a human problem, here's a category of human problems, and here's how we could leverage emerging exponential technology to help humanity solve that problem.”

“If we only look at human problems and the solutions to human problems through one lens, like technology or A.I., then we'll only get a very narrow read on it. But if we bring an integrative, holistic lens that has sort of a generalist philosophy, we stand a chance of really recreating human experience writ large in a very meaningful way. And that's the future I would like to see.”

How can we tap into the value of human communication? What are the insights we can glean using natural language processing (NLP)? How can NLP capture sentiment and tone?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guest Phil Anderson (Senior Offering Manager for the Watson Discovery Service) to learn about Watson Discovery and how NLP has evolved. We talk to Phil about how Watson Discovery can help you better understand business specific data and be more productive, along with hearing about the innovation needed to grasp the nuance of natural language.

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders)

“Where natural language processing is, is it understands not just the words that are in there, but also the intent and also sentiment and the emotion and all the things around that that are too nuanced traditionally for computers to understand. And so when I talk of NLP, I really think of how you take those technologies of communicating human language, and understanding a real business need you can use to serve your customer.”

Can we teach algorithms to understand human emotions? Are humans okay with being vulnerable toward an AI agent? How can biofeedback help us to be caring, empathetic, and aware individuals?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guest Ivy Mahsciao (founder & CPO at Evermind AI) to discuss whether AI has the potential to make us “more human.” Ivy describes her motivations for founding Evermind AI, a live journaling platform, and the difficulty of capturing the context of feeling versus mere content.

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders)

“But as we know, the human emotions are so complex and there's nothing efficient about feelings. Having Evermind positioned in a way that can start to train our models to be empathetic and to have the human sense and tone is one way of getting to that generalized artificial intelligence.”

“The added dimension of triangulation is what will be really important. Voice is just really one aspect of being able to understand and the deeper meanings of how people are feeling and sensing. And obviously, if you overlay on top of that with eyes and reading to their facial expressions, I think that's another layer.”

What are the ways that AI can be leveraged for good? How can we increase AI and digital literacies? What are some ways we can expand AI for everyone?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guest Karen Bhatia (Senior Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation) to discuss how we can expand access to digital literacies, the need for a multidisciplinary approach to AI, and the importance of "responsible AI."

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders) & our guest at:

@karenbhatia

“There is also another critical component, too, and that is thinking about the other types of jobs that are being created as a result of these emerging technologies and as a result of artificial intelligence growing. And that is people who are better able to understand what the technology is capable of and people who have the business savvy. Not only the technology skills. You don’t have to be a coder in order to understand what the benefits of this technology could be.” -Karen Bhatia

"We're also thinking about the kind of digital literacy and literacy about data, as well as artificial intelligence, that needs to happen across the board, including with government. Also including just the public sector. And what I mean by that is just civil society, the everyday public. Better understanding what their data is being used for, how it's being used, what are their rights when it comes to data. Secondly, better understanding of what is artificial intelligence? How is it being used right now? How is it affecting them right now as well?" -Karen Bhatia

How can we better promote AI literacy? What skills are commonly lacking in organizations? Are new people entering the field considering bias in AI?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guest Hugo Bowne-Anderson (Data Scientist at DataCamp) to discuss how we can better promote AI and digital skills. We talk to Hugo about the skills that people often overlook, how to build out successful teams, and how new people interested in AI can overcome hesitations.

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders) & our guest at:

@hugobowne

@DataCamp

Can something as esoteric as wisdom be gathered through AI? Listen to our conversation about wisdom, AI, and building new tech leaders to tackle big problems.

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by Dana Griffin. Dana is the founder & CEO of INNRwisdom, an AI company seeking to capture the wisdom of our elders. We talk to Dana about her motivation for wanting to gather the wisdom of others, how we can focus more attention on AI for Good projects, and the ways in which women are well-suited toward AI as a field.

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders) & Dana Griffin at @DanaAGriffin

“The only way that we can go from having intelligent algorithms that can help solve one problem very well in a container, if you may, to something that can actually help us develop new solutions for some of the biggest issues we have globally is by taking in as much of our humanity as possible and mixing it together with the technology.”-Dana Griffin

“As humans we've adapted to technology rather than technology adapting to us. The beautiful thing that our elders have done and now the very young generation is doing, is that they're using technology in a way that's very human.”-Dana Griffin

How can we increase the number of women in AI? What is the role of successful women in AI to provide future opportunities? How should businesses be adjusting?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guests Lili Gil Valletta (Co-Founder and CEO, CIEN+ and Culturintel) & Amanda Stent (Natural Language Processing Architect in the Office of the CTO at Bloomberg). We talk to Lili and Amanda about building a culture of mentorship around women in AI, how they can be strength in vulnerability and the importance of creating pathways for non-traditional backgrounds to work in AI.

“I think we need both men and women together realizing that getting more women in tech is not about being P.C. and doing the right thing...It's about recognizing that 80 percent of consumer spending decisions in this country are done by a woman. So anything you're designing, if it doesn't have a female perspective, you're probably going to have an incomplete perspective.” Lili Gil Valletta (Co-Founder and CEO, CIEN+ and Culturintel

“If we can support women when they are inside computing and technical careers and really allow them to reach the stage where they are running companies, provide them with the mentorship, the venture capital, if we have men who are willing to be mentored by and collaborate with women actively, not just mentor them, but be willing to be led by women, that way we can encourage women to really become part of and continue as part of technology as a field.” Amanda Stent (Natural Language Processing Architect in the Office of the CTO at Bloomberg)

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders (#thinkLeaders) & the guests at:

@AStent

@techatbloomberg

@liligil

@culturintel

How do we display a clear ROI with AI? What are the common pain points in the workforce that AI can be applied to? How are we adjusting to disruption?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guests Denise Broady (COO At WorkForce Software) & Roy Girasa (Professor of Law, Pace University). We talk to Denise and Roy about the delicate issue of trust when integrating AI in the workplace, what we can do to increase AI literacy, and how AI is augmenting their own intelligence.

“[Y]ou really have to look at the use case and make sure that's getting adopted appropriately and tied with the ROI, not just purely rolling out technology for technology's sake.” -Denise Broady, COO At WorkForce Software

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders & the guests at:

@dvubroady

@WorkForceSW

What professions will be most impacted by AI? How can we ensure we are using AI to solve meaningful problems? Are companies prepared for the ongoing digital transformation?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guests Jason Tan (co-founder & CEO of Sift) & Karina Grosheva (founder & CEO of TaQadam. We talk to Jason and Karina about making sure humans are in the loop, adding greater diversity in the data, and the importance of AI literacy.

“[A]s a buyer of software, I think it's important to educate yourself and understand the nuances of the different types of machine learning, the different qualities of machine learning, and make sure that you're trying to solve a problem in a meaningful way rather than having a hammer where everything looks like a nail.” -Jason Tan, co-founder & CEO of Sift

“[T]he idea that we bring more diversity into the data and training the data is where we need to be investing in.” -Karina Grosheva, founder & CEO of TaQadam

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders & the guests at:

@GetSift

@JasonTan

@MovetheGlobe

@taqadamprogress

How can AI better serve as a companion for employees to improve efficiency and quality? Are companies applying AI to the right problems? How has the narrative around AI changed in recent years?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by guests Josh Miramant (CEO of Blue Orange Digital) & Joe Ciuffo (Product Marketing Director for Genesys). We talk to Josh and Joe about using AI to improve the employee experience, focusing on core problems with AI, getting employee buy-in by better explaining its benefits, and also how society's impression of AI has gone from the threatening Terminator to the helpful Pokemon.

Hosted by Amanda Thurston & Emily Winchurch.

"The actual adoption of successful artificial intelligence is directly related to how people understand it and use it." -Josh Miramant, CEO of Blue Orange Digital

"I think we first saw it [AI] maybe as Terminator, everyone was afraid it was going to take over the world. And now it's more like a cute Pokemon. It's there to help you. So it's been a good transition, but I think our expectations are getting more realistic and grounded too."-Joe Ciuffo, Product Marketing Director for Genesys

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders & the guests at:

@jmiramant

@BlueOrangeData

@Joe_Ciuffo

@Genesys

@MandyLewToYou (host)