Shows
A Beginner's Guide to AIAI At Work: Agents Are Already Here - A Conversation with Sam RansbothamAI agents are rapidly becoming one of the most influential technologies inside modern organizations — often without leaders even realizing the shift. In this episode, Dietmar Fischer sits down with MIT Sloan podcast host Sam Ransbotham to uncover why AI agents and agentic AI systems are spreading through enterprises at remarkable speed.Based on a global study of 2,100 executives across 116 countries, Sam shares how AI agents improve productivity, increase job satisfaction, and fundamentally reshape how companies work. From Chevron’s proactive exploration tools to the rise of autonomous knowledge assistants, we explore the surprising ways ente...
2025-12-1748 min
MIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedOn today’s episode, Wendy’s product manager Will Croushorn joins Sam to share how FreshAi, the fast-food restaurant’s voice-based AI ordering system, is reinventing the drive-through experience for millions of customers. From handling 200 billion ways to order a Dave’s Double burger to making fast food more accessible for guests in multiple languages, Will reveals how empathy and innovation will positively impact the future of convenience. Learn how his team turns speech data into insight, builds trust in automation, and can even hide a few Easter eggs in your next order. Read the episode transcript here. That's a wrap on...
2025-12-1600 min
Me, Myself, and AIHungry for Learning: Wendy’s Will CroushornOn today’s episode, Wendy’s product manager Will Croushorn joins host Sam to share how FreshAi, the fast-food restaurant’s voice-based AI ordering system, is reinventing the drive-through experience for millions of customers. From handling 200 billion ways to order a Dave’s Double burger to making fast food more accessible for guests in multiple languages, Will reveals how empathy and innovation will positively impact the future of convenience. Learn how his team turns speech data into insight, builds trust in automation, and can even hide a few Easter eggs in your next order. Read the episode transcript here. That's a...
2025-12-1631 min
Modern CTOMIT Sloan’s Guide to Navigating a New Age of AI, with Sam Ransbotham, Host of the Me, Myself and AI PodcastAll tech is witchcraft…until it isn’t.
Today, we're talking to Sam Ransbotham, AI editor at MIT Sloan Management Review and host of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast. We discuss why 76% of executives now view AI as a coworker rather than a tool, how healthcare privacy laws from 1996 can't handle modern AI capabilities, and why cheaper coding will create more programming jobs instead of eliminating them.
All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!
Thank you to Digital Ocean for sponsoring this episode. For simple cloud and power...
2025-12-1554 min
GeekWireFinding signal in the AI noise, with ‘Me, Myself and AI’ host Sam RansbothamWhat's the real value in AI tools — and what separates those who use them well from those who don't? Sam Ransbotham, professor of business analytics at Boston College and host of the "Me, Myself and AI" podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review, compares notes with GeekWire Podcast host Todd Bishop in a two-part collaboration between the shows. On this episode, they discuss the new digital divide emerging in the classroom, AI's measurement problem (and what Wikipedia teaches us about it), the "race to mediocre," how AI is democratizing startup creation, and the tension between AI productivity, time, an...
2025-11-2529 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedAI isn’t taking jobs — it’s changing what jobs are. On today’s episode, GeekWire’s Todd Bishop joins host Sam Ransbotham to dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, learning, and creativity — not by replacing humans but by amplifying what we can do.
From classrooms where students use AI on exams to newsrooms rethinking how news stories get written, they explore the opportunities (and headaches) of this new era. It’s a smart, funny, and refreshingly real look at how we’re all learning to work with our newestcoworker — artificial intelligence. Read the episode transcript here.
Guest bio:
Todd Bishop is...
2025-11-2500 min
Me, Myself, and AICreating More, Not Less, With AI: GeekWire’s Todd BishopAI isn’t taking jobs — it’s changing what jobs are. On today’s episode, GeekWire’s Todd Bishop joins host Sam Ransbotham to dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, learning, and creativity — not by replacing humans but by amplifying what we can do.
From classrooms where students use AI on exams to newsrooms rethinking how news stories get written, they explore the opportunities (and headaches) of this new era. It’s a smart, funny, and refreshingly real look at how we’re all learning to work with our newestcoworker — artificial intelligence. Read the episode transcript here.
2025-11-2527 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedVishal Gupta, engineering manager, machine learning at Reddit, joins the podcast to explain how the social media community platform uses artificial intelligence to improve user experience and ad relevance. Much of the advertising work relies on increasingly sophisticated recommender systems that have evolved from simple collaborative filtering to deep learning and large language model–based systems capable of multimodal understanding.
Vishal and Sam also explore the philosophical and ethical aspects of
AI-driven platforms. Vishal emphasizes the importance of balance —
between exploration and exploitation in recommendations, between
advertiser goals and user experience, and between human- and
machine-generated content. He argues that desp...
2025-11-1100 min
Me, Myself, and AIFrom Rabbit Holes to Recommendations: Reddit’s Vishal GuptaVishal Gupta, engineering manager, machine learning at Reddit, joins the podcast to explain how the social media community platform uses artificial intelligence to improve user experience and ad relevance. Much of the advertising work relies on increasingly sophisticated recommender systems that have evolved from simple collaborative filtering to deep learning and large language model–based systems capable of multimodal understanding.
Vishal and Sam also explore the philosophical and ethical aspects of
AI-driven platforms. Vishal emphasizes the importance of balance —
between exploration and exploitation in recommendations, between
advertiser goals and user experience, and between human- and
machine-generated content. He a...
2025-11-1125 min
Filene Research InstituteFilene Fill-in Ep. 82: Design for Digital Pt. 1 - Sam RansbothamIn this special Design for Digital Takeover episode of The Filene Fill-In, Jerry Kane sits down with Boston College professor and Me, Myself, and AI co-host Sam Ransbotham to unpack the truth behind the AI hype cycle. From fraud detection and generative tools to agentic AI and the future of work, they explore where artificial intelligence is really creating value and where it’s still catching up to the buzz. Along the way, they swap stories, share laughs, and reflect on how organizations can experiment smartly without losing their footing. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or already knee-deep in AI, this...
2025-10-1657 min
Me, Myself, and AINever Fight a Megatrend: Cisco’s Jeetu PatelCisco is well known for its data, networking, security, and collaboration products. On today’s episode, Cisco’s president and chief product officer, Jeetu Patel, joins Sam for a discussion about artificial intelligence, a “megatrend” Jeetu sees as perhaps more significant than the development of the internet or the automobile because of its ability to build on past technological advances.
Jeetu and Sam discuss how to manage AI and how to staff for it — Jeetu argues that replacing less experienced or younger workers with technology deprives organizations of key perspectives and new ideas, and instead advocates for developing...
2025-10-1432 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedCisco is well known for its data, networking, security, and collaboration products. On today’s episode, Cisco’s president and chief product officer, Jeetu Patel, joins Sam for a discussion about artificial intelligence, a “megatrend” Jeetu sees as perhaps more significant than the development of the internet or the automobile because of its ability to build on past technological advances.
Jeetu and Sam discuss how to manage AI and how to staff for it — Jeetu argues that replacing less experienced or younger workers with technology deprives organizations of key perspectives and new ideas, and instead advocates for developing reverse-mentoring programs inside org...
2025-10-1400 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedThomas Wolf is the cofounder and chief science officer of open-source AI platform Hugging Face, which provides access to thousands of pretrained AI models that can be downloaded and run locally. With over 10 million users, getting started on the site can be a daunting task. Thomas explains how the company aims to improve its accessibility through documentation on the company blog as well as community feedback, similar to social media likes and upvoting.
Thomas and Sam discuss the benefits and trade-offs of both open-source and closed-source AI models, as well as the evolution of microchips and the future of hardware...
2025-09-1600 min
Me, Myself, and AIChallenging the Average With Open-Source AI: Hugging Face’s Thomas WolfThomas Wolf is the cofounder and chief science officer of open-source AI platform Hugging Face, which provides access to thousands of pretrained AI models that can be downloaded and run locally. With over 10 million users, getting started on the site can be a daunting task. Thomas explains how the company aims to improve its accessibility through documentation on the company blog as well as community feedback, similar to social media likes and upvoting.
Thomas and Sam discuss the benefits and trade-offs of both open-source and closed-source AI models, as well as the evolution of microchips and the...
2025-09-1634 min
Becoming RadicalInside Fortune 500 AI Strategy: Sam Ransbotham Breaks It DownDid you know that only about 11% of companies are leveraging AI to its full potential? In this episode of Becoming Radical, host Michael Gaizutis sits down with Sam Ransbotham, professor of analytics at Boston College and co-host of Me, Myself and AI (in partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review). From the cultural foundations that shape successful adoption to the hype vs. reality debate raging across C-suites, this episode gets honest about what AI can (and can’t) do. Sam also explores why the next wave of disruption may come from AI agents, not humans, and what businesses ne...
2025-06-1733 min
Business Accelerator SeriesArtificial IntelligenceIn this episode, we dive into the transformative power of artificial intelligence in the business world with Sam Ransbotham, Professor of Business Analytics at Boston College and co-host of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast. Sam brings a rare blend of academic rigor and real-world insight, having taught courses like “Analytics in Practice” and “Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence,” and served as editor and contributor for leading publications such as MIT Sloan Management Review and Management Science.We explore how organizations can thoughtfully integrate AI into their strategies, what business leaders often get wrong about data and automati...
2025-06-0743 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedDelivering More Connected Care Through AI: CVS Health's Josh WeinerJosh Weiner, senior vice president of consumer engagement and analytics at CVS Health, is passionate about making health care more personalized, connected, preventative, and accessible. On today’s episode, Josh joins Sam and Shervin to explain how the integrated health care company is structured and how it is using AI to achieve those goals. Read the episode transcript here.
Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the executive producer is Allison Ryder.
Guest bio
At CVS Hea...
2025-05-2700 min
Me, Myself, and AIDelivering More Connected Care Through AI: CVS Health's Josh WeinerJosh Weiner, senior vice president of consumer engagement and analytics at CVS Health, is passionate about making health care more personalized, connected, preventative, and accessible. On today’s episode, Josh joins Sam and Shervin to explain how the integrated health care company is structured and how it is using AI to achieve those goals. Read the episode transcript here.
Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the executive producer is Allison Ryder.
G...
2025-05-2727 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedThe suggestions and support offered by AI are helpful only if they’re relevant. On today’s episode, Walter Sun, senior vice president and global head of artificial intelligence at SAP, joins Sam and Shervin to share how his organization is helping employees get smarter about artificial intelligence through the company’s AI Days. Additionally, Walter gives specific examples of support that AI agents could provide to an end user, and makes the case that small language models (fine-tuned large language models) can be built to assist in decision-making.
Read the episode transcript here.
Guest bio:
Walter Sun is senior vice p...
2025-05-1300 min
Me, Myself, and AIBuilding Better Answers With AI Agents: SAP’s Walter SunThe suggestions and support offered by AI are helpful only if they’re relevant. On today’s episode, Walter Sun, senior vice president and global head of artificial intelligence at SAP, joins Sam and Shervin to share how his organization is helping employees get smarter about artificial intelligence through the company’s AI Days. Additionally, Walter gives specific examples of support that AI agents could provide to an end user, and makes the case that small language models (fine-tuned large language models) can be built to assist in decision-making.Read the episode transcript here.G...
2025-05-1333 min
The FAIK FilesFeed Drop: AI Hype & Skepticism - Me, Myself, and AI
Subscribe to Me, Myself, and AI: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio-series/me-myself-and-ai/
Today we're sharing with you an episode of another show we like called Me, Myself, and AI.It's a podcast produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group, where hosts Sam and Shervin interview various folks from all sorts of industries and walks of life about the constantly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.This episode is called "AI Hype and Skepticism", and features nobel-prize winning economist Paul...
2025-04-1428 min
AI+HI ProjectCreativity and Collaboration: How AI Is Shaping Them in the WorkplaceFrom AI acting as your “coworker” to sparking team imagination and adaptability, Sam Ransbotham, professor of analytics at Boston College, explores the impact of AI tools in the workplace. Discover why Ransbotham says, “The first day is the worst day for AI…[but] it’s going to improve. The idea of machine learning is exactly that: learning.”Rate/review AI+HI on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
2025-02-2041 min
Me, Myself, and AIMonetizing Data With AI: MIT CISR's Barb WixomBarbara Wixom, principal research scientist at MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), draws on 30 years of research in this bonus episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast. She believes data monetization is the key to enterprise success with AI and breaks down why.With hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh, Barb details case examples to highlight best practices for AI implementation and how to measure value, as well as how data governance and ethics play a critical role in successful AI projects. They also talk about what companies get wrong and the challenges and re...
2025-02-1834 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: Lessons From Jobs in the Age of AIOn Sept. 4, 2024, Me, Myself, and AI host Sam Ransbotham moderated a panel discussion at a Georgetown University/World Bank event, Jobs in the Age of AI. Afterward, he interviewed keynote speaker Carl Benedikt Frey, Dieter Schwarz Associate Professor of AI and Work at the Oxford Internet Institute, and panelist Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s chief economist. In this bonus episode recorded during this discussion, hear from Frey and Kimbrough about how artificial intelligence is impacting workers, labor trends, and the economy. Read the episode transcript here.For further information:
Watch sessions from the AI in Action event on...
2024-11-2625 min
Me, Myself, and AIThe Risks of Too Much AI: Fortune’s Jeremy KahnJeremy Kahn’s investigation into the risks and effects of artificial intelligence are reflected in a new book, Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future. But he has also written extensively about the technology in his role as Fortune magazine’s AI editor. On today’s episode, he joins Sam and Shervin to share the insights on AI that he has gained through his work.heir conversation explores a range of subjects, including people’s growing reliance on AI technology — specifically, generative AI, whose outputs are difficult, if not impossible, to trace back to a reliable s...
2024-10-2935 min
Modern CTOFEED DROP! AI on Mars: NASA’s Vandi VermaToday, we’re bringing you a special episode from our friends over at Me, Myself and AI hosted by Sam Ransbotham, who was our guest on the podcast earlier this year. Sam is talking to Vandi Verma from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory about how AI is revolutionizing space exploration on Mars. Be sure to check out Me, Myself and AI on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
2024-08-0825 min
Me, Myself, and AIFeed Drop: Why Only 10% of Companies Succeed With AI With Sam Ransbotham, Professor at Boston CollegeIn the time before Me, Myself, and AI returns for Season 10, we're pleased to bring you a special episode from our friends at the Modern CTO podcast. Read the episode transcript here.From Modern CTO:Today we’re talking to Sam Ransbotham, professor at Boston College. Sam shares with us the reason that the vast majority of companies are falling behind the AI curve, why most people just slap AI onto a problem instead of fixing it, and the ways in which technology can improve not only our business processes but also our quality of li...
2024-07-3045 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: How Can Organizations Better Measure and Manage Artificial Intelligence?On this bonus episode, we head to the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C., where hosts Sam and Shervin joined organizers Jonathan Timmis and Timothy DeStefano from the World Bank and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business for the day-long conference, “How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Firms?” in December 2023.In our final of three bonus episodes derived from this event, we explore how AI has shifted policy discussions, and what new types of management are needed.This episode offers an abridged listen to the panel discussion; for the full session video, please visit the con...
2024-03-1221 min
Modern CTOWhy Only 10% of Companies Succeed With AI with Sam Ransbotham, Professor at Boston CollegeToday we’re talking to Sam Ransbotham, Professor at Boston College. Sam shares with us the reason that the vast majority of companies are falling behind the AI curve, why most people just slap AI onto a problem instead of fixing it, and the ways in which technology can improve not only our business processes but also our quality of life.All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Sam's podcast, "Me, Myself and AI," check it out here or wherever you get your podcasts.Hav...
2024-03-1145 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: Artificial Intelligence Podcasts With Jennifer StrongWhile Me, Myself, and AI is on winter break, we hope you enjoy this episode. Jennifer Strong, longtime journalist and creator of the SHIFT podcast, joins Sam and Shervin to talk about their favorite Me, Myself, and AI episodes. Read the episode transcript here.Find the additional podcasts mentioned in the episode below:SHIFT podcastIn Machines We TrustWSJ’s The Future of Everything Guest Bio:Jennifer Strong is an audio journalist covering the impact of AI on the way we live and work. She’s the c...
2024-02-2728 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: How Is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Manufacturing?On this bonus episode, we head to the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C., where hosts Sam and Shervin joined organizers Jonathan Timmis and Timothy DeStefano from the World Bank and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business for the day-long conference, “How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Firms?” in December 2023.In our second of three bonus episodes derived from this event, we explore how AI is used in manufacturing. Sam hosts this panel featuring Shervin alongside Ness Shroff, director of the AI Edge Institute at Ohio State University, and Matthew Wilding, colead of U.S. Steel’s Digital...
2024-02-2029 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: Generative AI Trends for 2024 With Tom DavenportWhile Me, Myself, and AI is on winter break, we hope you enjoy this episode. Tom Davenport, President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, joins Sam and Shervin to talk about their predictions for AI trends in 2024. Read the episode transcript here. Find the additional studies and resources mentioned in the episode below:Tom Davenport’s articles with MIT SMR2024 CDO Insights: Data & Generative AI(form required for download via AWS)Why Companies That Wait to Adopt AI May Never Catch UpWhat the data...
2024-02-0629 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: How Is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Retail Organizations?*New! for a limited time, please take our short listener survey. We value your feedback!*On this bonus episode, we head to the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C., where hosts Sam and Shervin joined organizers Jonathan Timmis and Timothy DeStefano from the World Bank and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business for the day-long conference, “How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Firms?” in December 2023.In our first of three bonus episodes derived from this event, we explore how AI is used in retail in a discussion facilitated by Shervin featuring Walmart’s Prakhar Mehrotra...
2024-01-3025 min
Me, Myself, and AIMarketing With Generative AI: Harvard Business School’s Ayelet IsraeliAs an associate professor at Harvard Business School and cofounder of the Customer Intelligence Lab at the school’s Digital Data Design Institute, Ayelet Israeli’s work is focused on how data and technology can inform marketing strategy, as well as how generative AI can be a useful tool in eliminating algorithmic bias. One of the products of her recent work is a paper she coauthored with two Microsoft economists and researchers on how generative AI could be used to simulate focus groups and surveys to determine customer preferences.Ayelet joins Sam and Shervin to discuss the oppo...
2023-11-0734 min
Me, Myself, and AIEntrepreneurial AI in the Enterprise: LG Nova's Shilpa PrasadA former startup employee herself, Shilpa Prasad knows the level of commitment and effort required to begin a new venture. That’s what led her to join LG Nova, electronics manufacturer LG’s innovation incubator, as an entrepreneur in residence. In her role, Shilpa identifies promising startups — particularly those working with AI — and coaches and nurtures entrepreneurs while keeping a close eye on the products that might one day find their way into LG’s ecosystem.On this episode, Shilpa explains how keeping a finger on the pulse of startups helps LG Electronics stay open to innovation and new bu...
2023-10-2426 min
Me, Myself, and AIFueling Interdisciplinary Innovation With AI: Volvo’s Anders SjögrenStarting a career with the ambition of becoming a medical doctor and ending up a technical leader for a major automaker might seem an unlikely path, but for Anders Sjögren, who leads data and AI innovation projects for Volvo Cars, it was a perfect trajectory. On this episode, Anders joins Sam and Shervin to explain the ways the carmaker uses data and artificial intelligence to inform manufacturing — ensuring that parts are made consistently and as efficiently as possible — as well as driver experience and safety. He also outlines some specific ways smart technology keeps drivers alert and a...
2023-10-1022 min
Me, Myself, and AIProtecting Society From AI Harms: Amnesty International’s Matt Mahmoudi and Damini Satija (Part Two)At Amnesty Tech, a division of human rights organization Amnesty International, Damini Satija and Matt Mahmoudi leverage their expertise in technology and public policy to examine the use of AI in the public sector and its impact on citizens worldwide.In Part 1 of Matt and Damini’s conversation with Sam and Shervin, they described scenarios in which AI tools can put human rights at risk and how their work is helping to expose those risks and protect people from the technology’s misuse. In this episode, they resume their conversation and dig deeper into the ways AI regu...
2023-09-1322 min
Me, Myself, and AIProtecting Society From AI Harms: Amnesty International’s Matt Mahmoudi and Damini Satija (Part One)Amnesty International brings together more than 10 million staff members and volunteers worldwide to advocate for social justice. Damini Satija and Matt Mahmoudi work with Amnesty Tech, a division of the human rights organization that focuses on the role of government, Big Tech, and technologies like artificial intelligence in areas like surveillance, discrimination, and bias.On this episode, Matt and Damini join Sam and Shervin to highlight scenarios in which AI tools can put human rights at risk, such as when governments and public-sector agencies use facial recognition systems to track social activists or algorithms to make automated...
2023-08-2928 min
Me, Myself, and AIImages and Inspiration With AI: Pinterest’s Jeremy KingJeremy King leads a team of 1,400 passionate engineers working on the continuous improvement of Pinterest’s image-driven platform. With a background that includes heading up a translation team at eBay and overseeing the technology behind Walmart’s U.S. retail stores and e-commerce business, Jeremy is now responsible for technology operations at Pinterest. To support the company’s mission to inspire people to “create a life that they love,” he and his team rely on advanced AI, machine learning, and a graph database to index and build a network of images so users can find inspiration — particularly when they aren’t compl...
2023-08-1520 min
Me, Myself, and AILearning From and With AI: Duolingo’s Zan GilaniWhen Zan Gilani came to the U.S. from Pakistan to complete his undergraduate studies, he chose to study Chinese because it was rumored to be a difficult language. At the time, the tech industry was booming, and he quickly became interested in applying his passion for foreign languages and learning more generally in a technology-rich environment.Those interests led Zan to Duolingo, where he has been working in product management for eight years and now oversees the app company’s experiential AI team. What excites him about working at the language-learning app company is his ability to...
2023-08-0127 min
Me, Myself, and AIDetecting the Good and the Bad With AI: Airbnb’s Naba BanerjeeNaba Banerjee’s identity as a “forever learner” led to her become the first female engineer in her family. That curiosity has informed her career choices as well, leading her to companies as varied as Tata, Cognizent, Walmart, and AAA. Now, as director of trust product and operations at vacation rental platform Airbnb, she is continuing let her curiosity be her guide as she applies her previous data science experience to the travel industry. On this episode, Naba joins Shervin and Sam to talk abouthow she and her team use AI and machine learning to increase the safety of the gu...
2023-07-1834 min
Me, Myself, and AIRegulating AI Innovation: Aboitiz Data Innovation’s David HardoonAs CEO of Aboitiz Data Innovation, David Hardoon oversees the operations of a technology conglomerate focused on using data science and AI to support its businesses in a range of sectors, including banking, financial services, utilities, agriculture, and construction in Singapore and the Philippines. In his role, David is leading some unexpected — but practical — uses of artificial intelligence, including using voice and image recognition to detect stress in livestock, and analyzing internet-of-things data to reduce waste and CO2 emissions in the cement R&D process.David joins this episode to discuss the broad scope of the organizations he’s...
2023-07-0525 min
ECON-versations with NABEThe Generative AI Moment: Implications for Retail and Customer Sectors | June 27, 2023Welcome back to ECON-versations with NABE! This episode is a webinar replay from the June 27th webinar on the generative AI moment and its implications for retail and customer sectors. The panel explores the exciting and transformative potential of generative AI models in the retail and customer sectors and addresses key questions such as:
How can generative AI models be leveraged to enhance customer experience and improve business outcomes in the retail space?
What are the economic implications of generative AI in terms of its effects on consumer behavior, employment, productivity, and market competition
What are the challenges...
2023-06-2750 min
Me, Myself, and AIThe Social Science of AI: Intel’s Elizabeth Anne WatkinsWhen Elizabeth Anne Watkins started her doctoral program, she landed a research role studying journalists’ use of security and privacy technologies — but she found the security tools confusing and difficult to use. Today, as a research scientist in the social science of AI at Intel Labs, she advocates for other end users faced with understanding and working with new technologies.Elizabeth employs social science to understand the concerns of technicians performing complex chip manufacturing processes so that new AI systems will be developed to better serve those human experts. During this process, she also helps the technicians reco...
2023-06-2033 min
Me, Myself, and AIMaking Investments in AI: Samsung’s Hina DixitHina Dixit’s interest in supporting people and solving problems has its roots in her family’s call office business, where she helped people place telephone calls when she was growing up in India. Later, after earning her bachelor’s degree in computer science, she was quickly recruited into the tech space, where her problem-solving and customer service skills have served her well as both a software engineer and tech investor. From a developer role at Symantec, to project leader at Apple, to an AI investor role at Samsung Next, Hina continues to leverage her communication and connection skills in see...
2023-06-0624 min
Me, Myself, and AIContinuous Learning With AI: Aflac’s Shelia AndersonShelia Anderson parlayed a love of learning into studying the emerging field of engineering when she began her undergraduate education. After gaining experience leading IT teams in the technology, airline, and insurance industries, she joined Aflac in the summer of 2022.Shelia joins Sam and Shervin to share how using artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the processing of somewhat routine insurance claims frees up staff members to spend more time serving customers and processing more complex, higher-value claims. She also discusses the types of skills she looks for in data science and engineering talent beyond technical...
2023-05-2322 min
Me, Myself, and AITrust and Fraud Detection at Scale: Instagram’s Stephanie MoyermanStephanie Moyerman’s background in cosmology and astrophysics — where she worked with large data sets, looking for a signal among what was mostly noise — prepared her well for a career in data science and ethics. Today, she is the data science director of well-being at Instagram, where she works to enhance trust, safety, and integrity for users of the social media platform.Stephanie joins Sam and Shervin on this episode to discuss how applying artificial intelligence to social media enables Instagram to detect fraud and abuse at scale to help protect users, as well as the importance of hum...
2023-05-0928 min
Me, Myself, and AIPartnerships in AI Drive Conservation Efforts: WWF’s Dave ThauWildlife conservation efforts may not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about opportunities to use artificial intelligence and machine learning. But Dave Thau, data and technology lead scientist at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), can share myriad examples of how these technologies are helping our planet.On this episode, Dave joins Sam and Shervin to discuss WWF’s many uses of AI and machine learning. Among them are applications that predict deforestation, analyze images from motion-sensitive cameras to identify species, optimize wildlife patrols to catch poachers, and reduce the illegal wildlife trade on...
2023-04-2526 min
Me, Myself, and AIMaking 600 Billion Decisions With AI: Expedia Group’s Rathi MurthyRathi Murthy has always been passionate about technology roles that allow her to drive business transformation and improve customer experience. In her current role as CTO and president of Product & Technology for Expedia Group, she’s able to do both. One of her key goals is to enhance and unify the end-user experience across Expedia’s many brands, among them Hotels.com, Vrbo, and Travelocity. Another transformation goal: helping to modernize the entire travel industry by making Expedia’s AI technology available to B2B partners throughout the travel ecosystem, such as hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and cruise lines...
2023-04-1133 min
Me, Myself, and AIA One-Stop Data Shop: The Lego Group’s Anders Butzbach ChristensenAnders Butzbach Christensen began his career in product management before landing his dream job working for the Lego Group in Denmark. Today, as head of data engineering, he’s leading Lego’s digital transformation with a specific focus on designing and building data products, including self-service applications that technology and business teams can all use to better serve their customers.In this episode, Anders joins Sam and Shervin to describe how the Lego Group is approaching digital transformation, and how the toymaker is empowering its product teams by becoming a product-, architecture-, and engineering-led company. Read the epis...
2023-03-2824 min
Me, Myself, and AIA Third Path to Talent Development: Delta’s Michelle McCrackinMichelle McCrackin, senior manager of analytics learning and development at Delta Air Lines, never imagined that she’d be an analytics leader when she first joined the airline as an HR business partner. But, faced with the challenge of hiring outside analytics talent, she proposed a solution that would change her career path along with the paths of other Delta employees: an internal analytics training program. Delta Analytics Academy (DAA) enables front-line employees to gain in-demand tech skills and the opportunity to advance within the organization. In December 2022, DAA graduated its first cohort of 12 students, selected from a pool of...
2023-03-1428 min
Me, Myself, and AIOut of the Lab and Into a Product: Microsoft’s Eric BoydAs a partner with OpenAI — the company that recently wowed the tech world and the general public with its DALL-E image generator and ChatGPT chatbot — Microsoft helped to make those generative AI tools possible. But Microsoft has long invested in developing its own artificial intelligence technologies, for internal and external customers alike. And even when AI is not the centerpiece of a specific software program, it’s often driving how that tool — such as the company’s Bing search engine — works.As corporate vice president of Microsoft’s AI platform, Eric Boyd oversees product and technology teams that build art...
2023-02-2829 min
Me, Myself, and AIHelping Doctors Make Better Decisions With Data: UC Berkeley's Ziad ObermeyerWhen Ziad Obermeyer was a resident in an emergency medicine program, he found himself lying awake at night worrying about the complex elements of patient diagnoses that physicians could miss. He subsequently found his way to data science and research and has since coauthored numerous papers on algorithmic bias and the use of AI and machine learning in predictive analytics in health care. Ziad joins Sam and Shervin to talk about his career trajectory and highlight some of the potentially breakthrough research he has conducted that’s aimed at preventing death from cardiac events, preventing Alzheimer’s disea...
2023-02-1433 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: How Encouraging AI Use Will Benefit Your OrganizationWhile Me, Myself, and AI is on winter break, we hope you enjoy this bonus episode excerpted from an MIT Sloan Management Review-BCG webinar based on our 2022 research report, "Achieving Individual — and Organizational — Value With AI."Cohost Sam Ransbotham is joined by BCG Henderson Institute's global director François Candelon for a discussion of our global survey findings.Download a PDF copy of the slide deck from this webinar here.Follow along with our speakers:1:31-1:53 — Page 41:54-2:29 — Page 52:30-4:27 — Page 6 (and, listen to our episode featuring Land O'Lake...
2023-01-1022 min
Me, Myself, and AIBonus Episode: Learn to Make the Most of Your Relationship With AIWhile Me, Myself, and AI is on winter break, we hope you enjoy this bonus episode excerpted from an MIT Sloan Management Review-BCG webinar based on our 2020 research report, "Expanding AI's Impact With Organizational Learning."Download a PDF copy of the slide deck from this webinar here.Follow along with our speakers:1:15-1:35 — Page 31:38-1:52 — Page 41:53-3:13 — Page 73:14-3:38 — Page 83:39-4:13 — Page 94:14-4:50 — Page 104:51-6:10 — Page 116:11-6:27 — Page 126:28-11:31 — Page 1311:32-12:17 — Page 1412:18-13:10— Pag...
2022-12-0625 min
Me, Myself, and AIDigital First, Physical Second: Wayfair’s Fiona TanWith a background in building enterprise platforms for organizations, including Oracle and Walmart, Wayfair CTO Fiona Tan oversees all of the technology initiatives for the Boston-based e-commerce company. As the home furnishings retailer begins to open brick-and-mortar stores, it’s taking lessons learned from the digital space to inform how it markets its home products to customers in physical locations.On this episode, Fiona joins Sam and Shervin to discuss how artificial intelligence fuels nearly everything the retailer does, from ad purchasing to product pricing, and where human decision makers fit in. She also describes how AI en...
2022-11-0823 min
Me, Myself, and AIInvesting in the Last Mile: PayPal’s Khatereh KhodavirdiKhatereh (KK) Khodavirdi is focused on using AI to create better customer experiences — a process she compares to creating an “AI Legoland,” in which various technology components fit together to build cohesive solutions for PayPal’s customers. This is an approach she is applying in her role as senior director of data science in the online payment systems company’s consumer products division, where she oversees data science teams for PayPal, its peer-to-peer payment app Venmo, and e-commerce coupon-finder Honey.On this episode, KK joins Sam and Shervin to describe how PayPal’s various consumer products work together to...
2022-10-2529 min
Me, Myself, and AIKeeping Humans in the (Feedback) Loop: Orangetheory Fitness’s Ameen KazerouniAmeen Kazerouni, chief data and analytics officer at Orangetheory Fitness (OTF), believes that AI’s role isn’t to replace human experts but rather to help them make better decisions. That’s why OTF collects heart rate and telemetry data during its in-studio fitness classes: so that AI algorithms can turn that data into feedback that empowers people to make real-time choices about their workouts and enables coaches to offer personalized recommendations.On this episode, Ameen joins Sam and Shervin to describe how OTF’s data collection and algorithms are used to create a curated fitness experience for its...
2022-10-1124 min
Me, Myself, and AIThe Three Roles of the Chief Data Officer: ADP’s Jack BerkowitzAs chief data officer of payroll and benefits management company ADP, Jack Berkowitz has three primary responsibilities. One is to oversee the organization’s data overall, ensuring that functions like data governance, security, and analytics, are running well. Another is to build ADP’s data products, such as people analytics and benchmark tools. But the responsibility that’s of most interest to our hosts is Jack’s oversight of the organization’s use of artificial intelligence.In this episode of the podcast, Jack describes how focusing on the outcomes the organization wants to achieve leads to better processes...
2022-09-2724 min
Me, Myself, and AIFrom Data to Wisdom: Novo Nordisk’s Tonia SideriTonia Sideri was a data scientist herself before taking on her role as head of Novo Nordisk’s AI and Analytics Center of Excellence. Now she’s putting her experience to use helping the Danish pharmaceutical company in its quest to develop medicines and delivery systems to treat diabetes and other chronic diseases, such as hemophilia, obesity, and growth disorders.In a highly regulated industry where failures are costly, Tonia’s philosophy is to fail fast through what she calls “data-to-wisdom sprints.” These two-week hackathons enable her group to rapidly test the feasibility of new product ideas with input...
2022-09-1326 min
Me, Myself, and AIBig Data in Agriculture: Land O’Lakes’ Teddy BekeleYou might have seen Land O’Lakes’ dairy products on store shelves without giving much thought to how they got there, but that’s something CTO Teddy Bekele thinks about every day. While the farmers and agricultural retailers of Land O’Lakes work to produce the cooperative’s products, starting from the seeds used to grow animal feed, Teddy Bekele is focused on supporting agriculture’s “fourth revolution” — one that’s embracing technologies like artificial intelligence. On this episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, Teddy explains how Land O’Lakes uses predictive analytics and AI to help farmers and other agri...
2022-08-3021 min
Me, Myself, and AIInventing the Beauty of the Future: L’Oréal’s Stéphane LannuzelStéphane Lannuzel has worked in the beauty industry for 15 years and now directs the Beauty Tech program at L’Oréal. His team uses artificial intelligence to improve customer experience in a variety of ways, including helping them try on cosmetics virtually and providing product recommendations. L’Oréal recently developed TrendSpotter, an AI-based social listening tool that tracks macro-influencer posts and other online content and informs the cosmetics, skin care, and hair products company of upcoming trends that can then inform new product development. Listen to this episode to learn how Stéphane sees AI, and technology more bro...
2022-08-1619 min
Me, Myself, and AIPrecision Medicine in Pharma: Sanofi’s Frank NestleFrank Nestle, Sanofi’s global head of research and chief scientific officer, was inspired to enter the health sciences field after reading an Albert Camus novel and realizing his calling was to help others. In his current role, Frank oversees the pharmaceutical company’s transition from primary care to specialty care, which includes developing medicines for immunology, oncology, and rare diseases. In this episode, Frank explains how artificial intelligence enables Sanofi to work toward drug discovery in more agile ways. Read the episode transcript here. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review...
2022-08-0224 min
Me, Myself, and AIThe Beauty of AI: Estée Lauder's Sowmya GottipatiIt might seem like cosmetics and perfume are products shoppers need to try out in person before buying, but artificial intelligence is opening up new avenues for reaching and understanding consumers — as well as new ways to manage supply chains.In this episode, we learn how Estée Lauder’s Sowmya Gottipati leveraged her earlier technology leadership experience in telecommunications and broadcast media to deploy brand technology projects for a portfolio of cosmetics, fragrances, and skin and hair care product brands. She talks about AI’s role in product development, a virtual try-on tool for lipsticks and foundat...
2022-06-1423 min
Me, Myself, and AIAI in Aerospace: Boeing’s Helen LeeAs Boeing China’s regional director of airspace and airport programs, Helen Lee is helping the aerospace giant work toward improving airport and airspace operational efficiency and enhancing flight safety for its aviation customers. In this episode, Helen discusses ongoing research that involves using AI to analyze the wake turbulence of aircraft with computer vision systems, using speech recognition to analyze interactions between pilots and air controllers to minimize the potential for human error, and using image recognition to scan planes for needed repairs. Helen also talks about the challenges of implementing such technology across a complex industry in wh...
2022-05-3124 min
Me, Myself, and AITransforming Transactions With Technology: eBay’s Nitzan Mekel-BobroveBay is familiar as an e-commerce site that facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers. But as eBay’s first chief AI officer, Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov is focused on the role artificial intelligence technology can play in enhancing the user experience for everyone who engages with the platform.In this episode, Nitzan shares examples of the AI tools eBay is building, such as a 3D visualization tool for sellers create their own models, and intent detection tools to enhance customer service. He also discusses his academic background in biology and neuroscience, his purposeful progression from health care to financial se...
2022-05-1727 min
Me, Myself, and AIThe Collaboration Muscle: LinkedIn’s Ya XuOver the course of her nine-year tenure at LinkedIn, Ya Xu has held technology roles with increasing responsibility. Today, she heads the data function for the online professional networking platform.Ya joins hosts Sam and Shervin in this episode to discuss AI’s essential role in helping LinkedIn create the best “matches” — content creators with content consumers, job seekers with employers, and buyers with sellers — within its three key marketplaces. Ya also describes how the company has fostered a data-first culture from the top down, and how its vast amount of economic activity data is helping governments and policy...
2022-05-0331 min
Me, Myself, and AITurning Sound Into Information: Warner Music Group's Kobi AbayomiSpecialized teams — particularly technology teams — often face challenges as they strive to work cross-functionally, especially at legacy organizations. For Kobi Abayomi, vice president of data science at Warner Music Group, addressing such challenges starts with hiring strong talent into the technology function.In this episode, Kobi joins Sam and Shervin to explain how the music company is moving its infrastructure into the digital era, how it leverages vast amounts of consumer data to make informed decisions in an increasingly challenging landscape, and how AI is helping customers discover new music they’ll love. Read the full episode transc...
2022-04-1925 min
Me, Myself, and AIFrom Journalism to Jeans: Levi Strauss & Co.’s Katia WalshKatia Walsh began her career as a journalist in her native Bulgaria and is now the global chief strategy and AI officer at retailer Levi Strauss & Co. Over the course of her career, she has developed a passion for three things: the power of information, the power of technology, and the power of machine learning. Her enthusiasm for these subjects is evident as she describes how she is ensuring that a well-known legacy clothing brand remains relevant through technological transformation.In this episode, Katia explains how she has organized digital transformation and employee engagement at Levi Strauss...
2022-04-0529 min
Me, Myself, and AIAI in Your Living Room: Peloton’s Sanjay NichaniConsumers have invited AI into their lives with voice-activated personal assistants like Siri and Alexa, but how do they feel about computer vision technologies that can provide visual coaching and feedback in their homes? Sanjay Nichani, vice president of artificial intelligence and computer vision at Peloton Interactive, describes one compelling use case in the at-home fitness space.Sanjay joins hosts Sam and Shervin in this episode to discuss how the company best known for its bikes and treadmills relied on AI and computer vision to develop Peloton Guide, a new offering that uses AI to coach at-home...
2022-03-2221 min
Me, Myself, and AIExtreme Innovation With AI: Stanley Black and Decker's Mark MayburyStanley Black & Decker is best known as the manufacturer of tools for home improvement projects, but it also makes products the average consumer seldom notices, like fasteners to keep car parts secure and the electronic doors typically used at retail stores. Hosts Sam and Shervin sat down with Mark Maybury, the company’s first chief technology officer, to learn how artificial intelligence factors into this 179-year-old brand’s story.During their conversation, Mark described how categorizing the technology-infused innovation projects he leads across the company into six levels, ranging from incremental improvements to radical innovations, helps Stanley Blac...
2022-03-0831 min
Me, Myself, and AIChoreographing Human-Machine Collaboration: Spotify's Sidney Madison PrescottAfter earning her undergraduate degree in philosophy, political science, and ethics, with aspirations to become a lawyer, Sidney Madison Prescott was drawn to technology jobs that specifically emphasized data quality and governance. In 2020, she joined music streaming service Spotify as the global head of intelligent process automation, where she uses robotic process automation to automate tasks and free up workers to focus on higher-value-added and more creative work. For Sidney and her team at Spotify, AI and machine learning are not tools to replace jobs; they enable humans and machines to work together for increased efficiency and productivity. Read...
2022-02-2232 min
Me, Myself, and AIImagining Furniture (and the Future) With AI: IKEA Retail’s Barbara Martin CoppolaDrawing on previous experience working in nine countries for organizations like Google and Samsung, Barbara Martin Coppola joined IKEA Retail as its chief digital officer to oversee the furniture retailer’s digital transformation, improve its customer experience, and foster the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.In this episode, hosts Sam and Shervin speak with Barbara about how she empowers cross-functional collaboration and “testing, and iterating, and trying, failing, and starting again” to realize successful technology projects. She also shares the context behind some recent customer-facing AI tools the company has launched to assist customers through the buying p...
2022-02-0829 min
Problem SolversHow Can Artificial Intelligence Help You Now? If you want to put AI to use in your business, you have to stop focusing on the whiz-bang cool stuff — and start focusing on the really boring, really useful stuff. Sam Ransbotham, a professor of information Systems at the Boston College (and host of the podcast Me, Myself, and AI) explains.
2022-02-0728 min
Me, Myself, and AITransforming a Technology Organization for the Future: Starbucks’s Gerri Martin-FlickingerWhy does how you describe your team — down to its name — matter? Gerri Martin-Flickinger, former executive vice president and CTO at Starbucks, joins Me, Myself, and AI to describe some of the technology initiatives the coffeehouse chain has been able to pursue since rebranding its technology team and articulating its mission.In her conversation with Sam and Shervin, Gerri recaps a decades-spanning career working in technology leadership roles at Chevron, McAfee, and Adobe, then explains some recent employee- and customer-facing projects Starbucks has undertaken using AI and machine learning. Read the episode transcript here.Me, Myse...
2022-01-2528 min
Practical AIEliminate AI failuresWe have all seen how AI models fail, sometimes in spectacular ways. Yaron Singer joins us in this episode to discuss model vulnerabilities and automatic prevention of bad outcomes. By separating concerns and creating a “firewall” around your AI models, it’s possible to secure your AI workflows and prevent model failure.Join the discussionChangelog++ members get a bonus 2 minutes at the end of this episode and zero ads. Join today!Sponsors:Me, Myself, and AI – A podcast on artificial intelligence and business produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulti...
2022-01-1141 min
Me, Myself, and AIAI in the Supply Chain: Cold Chain Technologies’ Ranjeet BanerjeeWhen Ranjeet Banerjee talks about the work his organization, Cold Chain Technologies (CCT), does to transport vaccines and other biologics that must be temperature controlled, he stresses that the company doesn’t solely rely on technology. CCT approaches its work by first considering what problems it’s trying to solve, developing use cases, and then considering whether a technology solution might be the best way forward.In this episode, we learn how a combination of Ranjeet’s background in chemical engineering, his experience working in the health care space, and a holistic approach to leadership and problem-solving enable...
2022-01-1134 minPractical AI🌍 AI in Africa - Radiant EarthIn the second of the “AI in Africa” spotlight episodes, we welcome guests from Radiant Earth to talk about machine learning for earth observation. They give us a glimpse into their amazing data and tooling for working with satellite imagery, and they talk about use cases including crop identification and tropical storm wind speed estimation.Join the discussionChangelog++ members save 3 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!Sponsors:Me, Myself, and AI – A podcast on artificial intelligence and business produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston...
2022-01-0543 minPractical AIOpenAI and Hugging Face toolingThe time has come! OpenAI’s API is now available with no waitlist. Chris and Daniel dig into the API and playground during this episode, and they also discuss some of the latest tool from Hugging Face (including new reinforcement learning environments). Finally, Daniel gives an update on how he is building out infrastructure for a new AI team.Join the discussionChangelog++ members save 4 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!Sponsors:RudderStack – Smart customer data pipeline made for developers. RudderStack is the smart customer data pipe...
2021-12-1450 minPractical AIFriendly federated learning 🌼This episode is a follow up to our recent Fully Connected show discussing federated learning. In that previous discussion, we mentioned Flower (a “friendly” federated learning framework). Well, one of the creators of Flower, Daniel Beutel, agreed to join us on the show to discuss the project (and federated learning more broadly)! The result is a really interesting and motivating discussion of ML, privacy, distributed training, and open source AI.Join the discussionChangelog++ members save 4 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!Sponsors:RudderStack – Smart customer data p...
2021-12-0746 minPractical AITechnology as a force for goodHere’s a bonus episode this week from our friends behind Me, Myself, and AI — a podcast on artificial intelligence and business, and produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group. We partnered with them to help promote their awesome podcast.We hand picked this full-length episode to share with you because of its focus on using technology as a force for good, something we’re very passionate about. This episode features, Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer at Salesforce, and the conversation touches on some interesting topics around the role tech companies play i...
2021-12-0225 min
Me, Myself, and AITechnology as a Force for Good: Salesforce’s Paula GoldmanPaula Goldman has been a passionate advocate for the responsible use of technology for her entire career. Since joining Salesforce as its first chief ethical and humane use officer, she’s helped the company design and build technology solutions for its customers, with a focus on ethics, fairness, and responsible use.In this episode, Paula joins hosts Sam and Shervin to discuss her specific role leading the ethical development of technology solutions, as well as the role technology companies play in society at large. Read the episode transcript here.Me, Myself, and AI is a col...
2021-11-3027 min
Me, Myself, and AIPredicting Volatility and Risk: Nasdaq’s Doug HamiltonDouglas Hamilton works across business units at Nasdaq to deploy artificial intelligence anywhere the technology can expedite or improve processes related to global trading. In this episode of Me, Myself, and AI, he joins hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh to explain how the global financial services and technology company uses AI to predict high-volatility indexes specifically and to offer more general advice for those working with high-risk scenarios. Read the episode transcript here.Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and...
2021-11-1625 min
Me, Myself, and AIDeveloping an Appetite for AI: ExxonMobil’s Sarah KarthiganExxonMobil is an energy company that’s existed since 1870, well before artificial intelligence. So, what does an AI manager at ExxonMobil do? In the latest episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh interview Sarah Karthigan, AI operations manager for IT, to find out.Sarah leads a data science team tasked with making use of large volumes of data, with the goal of offering reliable and affordable energy to a variety of populations. A major focus of Sarah’s efforts has been around self-healing, a method for internal process improvement. Listen in t...
2021-11-0230 min
Me, Myself, and AIDemocratizing Data in Hollywood: Jumpcut’s Kartik HosanagarKartik Hosanagar wasn’t your typical Hollywood hopeful. He didn’t pack his life into a sedan, drive to Los Angeles, and work a series of part-time jobs while trying to make it big in the film industry. Kartik is a professor of business and marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School who penned a screenplay while on sabbatical. When he started pitching it to potential producers, he quickly discovered that the film industry can be hesitant to take risks on new writers and directors — which often means that diverse talent is overlooked. So, to help unknown talent t...
2021-10-1928 min
Me, Myself, and AIAI and the COVID-19 Vaccine: Moderna’s Dave Johnson"We tend not to be a company of half measures,” notes Dave Johnson, chief data and artificial intelligence officer at Moderna, “so when we decide we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it.” This characterization certainly seems to fit the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company that made a name for itself in 2020 upon releasing one of the first COVID-19 vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use to combat the coronavirus.In this bonus episode, Sam and Shervin learn how Moderna used artificial intelligence to speed up development of the vaccin...
2021-07-1324 min
Me, Myself, and AIStarting Now On Technology Ethics: Elizabeth RenierisTechnology presents many opportunities, but it also comes with risks. Elizabeth Renieris is uniquely positioned to advise the public and private sectors on ethical AI practices, so we invited her to join us for the final episode of Season 2 of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast.Elizabeth has worked for the Department of Homeland Security and private organizations in Silicon Valley, and she founded the legal advisory firm Hackylawyer. She now serves as founding director of the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab, which is focused on convening leading academic thinkers and technology executives to...
2021-06-2229 min
Me, Myself, and AINo Need for AI Unicorns: PepsiCo's Colin LenaghanColin Lenaghan says he wakes up every Monday morning looking forward to the week ahead and what he’ll learn as he continues to lead digital transformation and artificial intelligence projects at work. With nearly a quarter-century under his belt working in revenue management at PepsiCo, these technology implementation projects keep him and his team on their toes while positioning the consumer packaged goods company for continued success long into the future.In this episode, we speak with Colin about some of the AI projects his team is working on and get his take on the skills an...
2021-06-0828 min
Me, Myself, and AIDIY With AI: The Home Depot's Huiming QuHuiming Qu didn’t plan to work in data science, a nascent field at the time she was pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science, but one course in data mining changed all of that. She started her career in the research department at IBM, transitioned to a 50-person startup, spent some time in the financial services industry, and today leads data science and machine learning in the marketing and online functions at The Home Depot.In this episode, Huiming explains the similarities and differences between her previous experiences and her current role, in which she is ta...
2021-05-2526 min
Me, Myself, and AIPrototypes, Pilots, and Polymers: Cooper Standard’s Chris CouchChris Couch has a unique role, serving as senior vice president and CTO of automotive supplier Cooper Standard as well as CEO of Liveline Technologies, a startup born from the CS Open Innovation initiative. Both organizations use AI to manufacture products the average consumer likely never thinks twice about, such as brake fluid and polymer seals for car doors.In this episode, we talk with Chris about open innovation, automating rote processes without displacing human workers, and attracting talent by fostering a startup culture. Read the episode transcript here.For more on how humans and...
2021-05-1131 min
Me, Myself, and AIDesigning a Better Future: Mastercard’s JoAnn StonierJoAnn Stonier can’t deny that her role as chief data officer at Mastercard isn’t easy. Advising the company on the mitigation of current and future risk while guiding her team to think critically about the problems they’re using AI to solve is challenging — but, she says, it’s also fun.In this episode, JoAnn talks with Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh about the elements of her job that are both demanding and rewarding. She also touches on the skill sets she finds most valuable in her colleagues and shares how her work in interior design hel...
2021-04-2729 min
Me, Myself, and AILearning, Engagement, and Empowerment: 1-800-Flowers’ Amit Shah1-800-Flowers faces the same cold-start problem any consumer-facing business might face: It doesn’t know exactly what its customers need when they first come to its website. What’s more unique to the platform which operates through a network of local florists and affiliates worldwide, though, is that each time a customer comes to its site, they may have a different end goal in mind. Consumers shop for gifts and floral arrangements for different occasions — as varied as funerals, birthdays, and holidays — which can make it difficult for technology to recommend the best product during a specific online shopping...
2021-04-1336 min
Me, Myself, and AIGames, Teams, and Moonshots: Google Cloud’s Will GrannisWill Grannis discovered his love for technology playing Tron and Oregon Trail as a child. After attending West Point and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he translated his passion for game theory into an aptitude for solving problems for companies, a central component of his role as founder and leader of the Office of the CTO at Google Cloud. Will leads a team of customer-facing technology leaders who, while tasked with bringing machine learning solutions to market, approach their projects with a user-first mindset, ensuring that they first identify the problem to be solved....
2021-03-3031 min
Me, Myself, and AILess Algorithm, More Application: Lyft’s Craig MartellCraig Martell says he won the career lottery. After studying logic, philosophy, political science, and political theory, he completed a Ph.D. in computer science and found his way to machine learning, a field he thoroughly enjoys. After spending time at Dropbox and LinkedIn, Craig headed to Lyft, where he runs the LyftML engineering team. He’s also an adjunct professor at Northeastern University in Seattle.We kick off Season 2 of Me, Myself, and AI discussing a particular trend Craig has seen in the AI and machine learning space: As organizations depend more on technology-driven solutions to so...
2021-03-1624 min
Me, Myself, and AITech and Ethics: The World Economic Forum’s Kay Firth-Butterfield on Doing the Right Thing in AIKay Firth-Butterfield was teaching AI, ethics, law, and international relations when a chance meeting on an airplane landed her a job as chief AI ethics officer. In 2017, Kay became head of AI and machine learning at the World Economic Forum, where her team develops tools and on-the-ground programs to improve AI understanding and governance across the globe.In the final episode of the first season of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, Kay joins cohosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh to discuss the democratization of AI, the values of good governance and ethics in technology, and the...
2020-11-1732 min
Me, Myself, and AIBetter Together: Mattias Ulbrich on Combining Coffee, Business, and Technology at PorscheMattias Ulbrich has always been interested in new technology. As CIO of Porsche and CEO of Porsche Digital, he runs a subsidiary focused on the “new stuff” — new ideas, new models, and new opportunities. That means implementing innovations in AI, cloud technology, and blockchain in local markets around the world, and instilling a culture of continuous learning within his own cross-functional workforce.In this episode, Mattias shares examples of how AI is accelerating innovation at Porsche — by enhancing product design and the driving experience, improving production and sustainability efforts, and better managing the global supply chain. He has also...
2020-11-0327 min
Me, Myself, and AI‘The First Day Is the Worst Day’: DHL’s Gina Chung on How AI Improves Over TimeAs vice president of innovation at logistics company DHL, Gina Chung oversees a 28,000-square-foot innovation facility in Chicago. Fascinated with supply chains since college (“I think it’s something to do with the fact that I’m from New Zealand and grew up in a pretty isolated part of the world,” she explains), she spearheads AI and robotics projects focused on front-line operations — like automated pallet inspection and stacking, delivery route optimization, and aircraft utilization.Gina notes that “the first day for AI is the worst day”: The technology improves with human input over time, achieving accuracy to a level wher...
2020-10-2724 min
Me, Myself, and AIAdvancing Health Care with AI: Humana’s Slawek Kierner Talks Synthetic Data and Real LivesSlawek Kierner, senior vice president of enterprise data and analytics at Humana, has been immersed in data for as long as he can remember. His fascination with process simulations began on his first PC running MATLAB and Sumulink, and later led him to innovative roles at Procter & Gamble and Nokia. His desire to use data for a noble purpose drove Slawek to Humana, where he leverages AI to solve problems around medication adherence and predict population health outcomes.Tune in to hear Slawek share stories on recreating synthetic individual profiles indistinguishable from real humans (helping physicians better...
2020-10-2025 min
Me, Myself, and AIThis Crazy Wave We’re Riding: Walmart’s Prakhar Mehrotra and the Ups and Downs of AIPrakhar Mehrotra, vice president of machine learning at Walmart, shares his experience and how it prepared him to lead an AI team at a $500B retailer. Tasked with using AI to help with decision-making and enhance the business, Prakhar focuses on the technology that improves store merchandising (pricing, inventory management, financial planning).Before joining Walmart, Prakhar led data scientists and developed stochastic models at Uber and Twitter, where he learned how to move quickly and scale AI. (Fun fact: he even drove for Uber to better understand the driver experience — a perfect example of the role empathy pl...
2020-10-2022 min
Three Big PointsWhy the 'Just Do Something' Strategy for AI Won’t WorkFor all the giant leaps promised by artificial intelligence, when it comes to business, what we’ve seen so far amounts to just tiny steps. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; many smart people advise companies to start small with AI. But as Boston College professor Sam Ransbotham notes in this week’s Three Big Points podcast, when you think small, you get small results.
2020-01-0700 min