The integration of payment technologies in the automotive realm offers interesting potential, but it has to be done with care to ensure customer experience meets expectations. FinTech’s move into the EV software ecosystem is a first step and analysts Beatriz Minamy and Sophia Furber join host Eric Hanselman to explore automotive as the latest software platform to embed payments, what’s needed, concerns about fraud and how the market is evolving. It can be more than charging, if it’s done well.

While there is no end of generative AI discussion, it’s not often clear how it’s being used. Nick Patience and Alex Johnston return to explore the results of a recent study that digs into AI use cases with host Eric Hanselman. Projects are charging forward and concerns around data dominate. Getting access to data remains challenging, but, as use matures, data quality has become increasingly critical. Interestingly, trust in AI results is declining as understanding grows. Hallucination anyone?

The spring edition of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s KubeCon/CloudNativeCon is about to get underway and Jean Atelsek and William Fellows return to discuss what will be playing out in the sessions and on the exhibit floor with host Eric Hanselman. The next stage of licensing pull back from a number of open source providers is on display, as Open Core revenue models are realigned. FinOps efforts try to tame operational costs and evolution of platform engineering approaches continues.

The curtain has come down on Mobile World Congress for 2024, but the repercussions are just beginning to settle out. Brian Patridge and Rich Karpinski join host Eric Hanselman to look at what happened at the Congress and how the implications are panning out. 5G advanced and 6G were being soft pedaled as operators look to monetize the investments they’ve already made in 5G. The promise of AI loomed large and the promise of API delivered network services offered a new service opportunity.

The world of gen AI is complex, but the web of investments in both cash and infrastructure that are supporting the many AI companies is wildly intertwined. Analyst Melissa Incera returns to look at what these interrelationships mean with host Eric Hanselman. Typical investment priorities have been contorted with strategic investors, in many cases competitors, are vying for stakes in what has become the must-have technology. Funds keep pouring in, but returns are far from assured.

Digital customer interactions are critical to business success. The effect on customer satisfaction can be dramatic, but the technology behind those interactions is often hidden. Raul Castañon Martinez joins host Eric Hanselman to look at Communications Platform and Contact Center as a Service (CPaaS and CCaaS) technologies and how they’re evolving. Gen AI can improve interactions, but is also increasing fraud. Check out the research here.

What has been the premier telecom conference has expanded to be a technology showcase for everything from IoT to AR/VR. Lynnette Luna, Julber Osio and Mohammed Hamza, part of the analyst team braving the 100,000 or so attendees converging on Barcelona, join host Eric Hanselman to discuss what they’ll be looking for. Will satellite have an impact on fixed wireless access? Could spectrum allocations shift focus to the Chinese consumer markets? There’s a lot to digest ahead of this massive event.

Many thought that supply chain woes faded with pandemic concerns, but they’re back and with new dimensions. Analyst Mark Fontecchio returns to explore its cyclic nature and the challenges technological approaches are facing with host Eric Hanselman. Shippers and logistics firms are refocusing on digitizing core processes and data handling. ROI justifications have become critical gates to projects. Recent research and our Digital Infrastructure webinar have more details.

While visions of smart cities might conjure up flying cars and robot delivery, the reality is that many are leveraging digitization today with significant impacts on a smaller scale. Analyst Zoë Roth looks at what’s going on today and the potential for the future with host Eric Hanselman. Digital infrastructure is a key foundation, but effective data management is needed to develop the full potential of smart cities. Recent research and our Digital Infrastructure webinar have more details.

The intersection of technology and financial markets in security is creating interesting dynamics. Analysts Thomas Mason, Dan Kennedy and Scott Crawford join host Eric Hanselman to dig into the complexities of cyber insurance and the technologies surrounding it. Insurers have struggled in the rapidly evolving information security market. Insurance is a key part of managing risk in any business, but the existential risk presented by attacks, like ransomware, has shifted those calculations.