Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com
The convergence of artificial intelligence and edge computing is reshaping how frontline workers perform their jobs across industries. In this thought-provoking conversation with Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer at Zebra Technologies, we explore the revolutionary concept of the "far edge" – bringing computational intelligence directly to mobile devices and fixed infrastructure at the point of activity.
Tom explains how Zebra has evolved from basic barcode scanning to creating comprehensive solutions that provide visibility, mobility, and intelligent orchestration for retail associates, warehouse workers, nurses, and manufacturing personnel worldwide. Their mission centers on empowering these essential workers with technology that drives productivity exactly where the work happens.
The heart of our discussion focuses on agentic AI, which goes beyond simply informing workers what to do—it actively implements workflow steps by autonomously interacting with other systems. Tom shares compelling examples of how this technology returns valuable time to workers, reduces training requirements, and minimizes errors. In retail environments, these capabilities can produce astonishing efficiency gains of 10-20x for tasks like shelf analysis.
Particularly fascinating is Zebra's development of specialized AI agents for different domains: knowledge agents for operating procedures, sales agents for customer interactions, merchandising agents for retail execution, and device agents for hardware management. This domain specificity delivers significantly more value than generalized AI tools by addressing the detailed requirements of specific workflows.
Looking toward the future, Tom reveals Zebra's vision for wearable AI companions that can see what workers are doing, hear what's happening around them, and provide guidance through audio or haptic feedback. These innovations dramatically compress the "time to competency" for new workers—a critical advantage in industries facing labor shortages and high turnover.
Ready to see how AI and edge computing can transform your frontline operations? Discover practical applications that deliver real ROI today while positioning your organization for the next generation of workplace technology.
"A Case Study in Corporate Fear" deconstructs how fear transforms successful...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel