Every August, students go back to school — and business leaders should take note. In this episode of The Peggy Smedley Show, host Peggy Smedley uses the back-to-school season as a lens to examine one of the most critical questions facing organizations today: As we race to adopt AI, automation, and digital transformation, are we actually solving the right problems?

Peggy revisits the foundational principle that has guided Connected World for years — the right balance of people, process, and technology — and explains why that three-legged stool matters more than ever in the age of generative AI, agentic AI, and physical AI.

In this episode, you'll hear why:

• Technology is the enabler, not the destination
• Data without insight is just noise
• AI cannot fix broken processes — it only exposes them
• The next decade will be won by organizations that learn continuously, not the ones that spend the most on tech

This week's tip: Pick one business challenge. Don't start by asking which technology to buy — start by asking why the problem exists in the first place.

Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday, and join Peggy live every Tuesday at 12 PM Central.

PeggySmedleyShow.com | LinkedIn: Peggy Smedley

Peggy talks about one of the biggest business challenges today: turning data into insights, and ultimately better business decisions. She says we have more information available than ever before, but that doesn't automatically mean creating better insights.

She also discusses:

· How too much information can sometimes make decisions harder.

· The next phase of digital transformation.

· Four big trends driving this shift.

· How AI (artificial intelligence) is changing the conversation.

· Her candid thoughts on what construction and manufacturing leaders should be focusing on next.

Peggy talks about one of the biggest business challenges today: turning data into insights, and ultimately better business decisions. She says we have more information available than ever before, but that doesn't automatically mean creating better insights. She also discusses: · How too much information can sometimes make decisions harder. · The next phase of digital transformation. · Four big trends driving this shift. · How AI (artificial intelligence) is changing the conversation. · Her candid thoughts on what construction and manufacturing leaders should be focusing on next.

https://peggysmedleyshow.com

AI is changing everything in the AEC industry — but not in the way most people fear. In this episode of The Peggy Smedley Show, host Peggy Smedley sits down with Claire Rutkowski, Executive Director of AI Productivity and Enablement at WSP, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the engineering workforce.

They dig into how AI is catching recurring clash patterns, flagging spec drift before it becomes costly rework, compressing meeting prep time, and freeing engineers to focus on judgment, creativity, and higher-value decisions. Claire also shares how WSP is upskilling its workforce, why the most skeptical engineers are often the most valuable voices in the room, and what it means to mentor a generation that's ready to go AI-native.

Topics covered:

• Is AI coming for engineering jobs? The honest answer
• How AI agents work alongside engineers today — and where it's heading
• Clash detection, spec inconsistencies, and change order prevention
• Smarter coordination meetings powered by AI
• Upskilling engineers: persona-based training at scale
• The shift from project delivery to full asset lifecycle intelligence
• What separates firms that will lead from those that fall behind

Guest: Claire Rutkowski, WSP Executive Director of AI Productivity and Enablement 🌐 wsp.com | Follow Claire on LinkedIn

What is your sleep really telling you about your long-term health? In this episode, Peggy Smedley sits down with Dr. Pierre Escourrou, Senior Medical Advisor at Withings and practicing cardiologist, to unpack groundbreaking research linking nighttime breathing patterns to arterial aging — and what that means for your cardiovascular health.

They explore:

• How sleep apnea and snoring accelerate arterial stiffness
• Why a single night of sleep data leads to 20% misdiagnosis rates — and how continuous monitoring changes that
• The power of connected device ecosystems (IoT) over standalone wearables
• How AI + IoT data is shifting medicine from treatment to prevention
• What conditions — including hypertension, heart failure, COPD, and menopause — may be detectable years earlier using devices like the Withings Sleep Analyzer and smart scale
• The regulatory and insurance hurdles still standing in the way

Whether you're a health tech enthusiast, a clinician, or someone who just wants to understand their sleep data better, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss.

Learn more at withings.com

The way we work is changing fast — and the 2030 workforce won't look like anything we've seen before. In this episode, Peggy Smedley explores the forces reshaping work: the rise of fractional leadership, AI augmentation (not replacement), portfolio careers, and the urgent need for continuous learning. Peggy breaks down what individuals and organizations need to do now to stay ahead — from skills-based hiring and project-based teams to building cultures where learning never stops. Whether you're a leader, a professional rethinking your career path, or an organization trying to stay agile, this episode gives you a clear-eyed look at what's coming and how to prepare.

Topics covered:

• How remote work and AI set the stage for the 2030 workforce
• The rise of fractional roles and portfolio careers
• AI augmentation vs. replacement — what's really happening
• Why adaptability is the most valuable skill of the decade
• Practical steps for individuals and organizations to prepare

🌐 Visit us: connectedworld.com | peggysmedleyshow.com 📧 Subscribe to our newsletter and follow the conversation on X @ConnectedWorld and LinkedIn. 🎙️ Live every Tuesday at 12:00 PM Central | Podcast every Thursday The Peggy Smedley Show — Your Voice for Our Connected World.

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, joins the Peggy Smedley Show at Think 2026 to share his candid take on AI and the future of music. From how producers are already using AI as a creative collaborator in the studio, to the 75,000 AI-generated songs hitting streaming platforms every day — Harvey breaks down why AI is a powerful tool, not a replacement for human creativity, and why legislation, transparency, and proper crediting are non-negotiable.

Topics covered:

• How artists are using AI iteratively in the studio
• The disruption AI is bringing to streaming and distribution
• Why younger creators see no limits — and what that means for the industry
• Who should set the boundaries for AI in music
• Will we ever have a truly "soulful" AI?

Recorded live at IBM Think 2026.

https://PeggySmedleyShow.com

Freight rail moves 40% of long-distance goods in the U.S., but the industry's biggest challenge isn't infrastructure, it's intelligence. In this episode of The Peggy Smedley Show, host Peggy Smedley sits down with V. Krishnan, industry advisor for Microsoft manufacturing & mobility, to explore how AI agents and realtime decision tools are reshaping the future of rail.

They discuss:

• Why railroads are drowning in data but struggling to act on it
• How CSX used AI to transform customer experience
• The Rumo case study: cutting lookup times from 4 minutes to 3 seconds
• Fuel optimization and how AI can cut costs 3–7% without new infrastructure
• Weather analytics, workforce challenges, and the retiring knowledge crisis
• Why the next 10% of performance won't come from more track — it'll come from smarter decisions

Whether you're in logistics, supply chain, or enterprise tech, this conversation is a must-listen.

https://aka.ms/RumorailAI https://aka.ms/CSXrailAI

What does it take to make AI reliable enough to design a bridge? Peggy Smedley sits down with Francois Valois, senior vice president of Bentley Open Applications at Bentley Systems, to unpack the MCP (model context protocol — an open, agnostic standard that connects AI agents to deterministic engineering tools like STAAD and MicroStation ensuring trust, validation, and accountability in engineering workflows.

They explore why generative AI alone needs to be more trustworthy for infrastructure design, how MCP bridges the gap between non-deterministic LLMs (large language models) and precise calculation engines, and what Bentley's open-source strategy means for the future of connected-infrastructure data.

Topics covered:

• What MCP is and why Anthropic invented it
• Why "90% accurate" isn't acceptable in engineering
• How STAAD and MicroStation are now AI-accessible via MCP
• The role of structured data (and dark data) in AI workflows
• How to start experimenting with AI agents in your firm
• The future of the engineer in an AI-augmented world

infrastructure.ai | connectedworld.com | peggysmedleyshow.com

Peggy shares the 7 lies she has been hearing about AI, challenging some common assumptions. She says these narratives have become so common that many of us have stopped questioning them.

She also discusses:

· A pattern that emerges surrounding the 7 lies.

· Where the real opportunity lies and what the biggest threat is.

· What you should do next inside of your own organization.

https://peggysmedleyshow.com

Peggy Smedley and Sebastian Wernicke, author, talk about moving from being data driven to data inspired. He says most data projects don't fail, they do something much worse, they make you very good at staying the same.

They also discuss:

· Your data framework—how to organize it—and the decision framework in your organization.

· How to keep up with the pace of change and look at all of this in relation to the people in the organization.

· Fatal flaws that they will have to think about in order to overcome hurdles.

https://www.datainspired.org