Intelligent Automation: Transformation in a Time of Uncertainty
Roundtable
February 28, 2023 | Atlanta
Companies across industries are investing in automation and artificial intelligence projects that may increase efficiency, boost productivity, and help ensure their long-term success. Executives from business and IT gathered for this roundtable dinner to share their experience and ideas about how their firms can harness the technology.
Participants:
Greg Goff, Chief Technology & Delivery Officer, Alight Solutions
Richard Mendola, Enterprise CIO & Senior Vice Provost, Emory University
Neal Shah, Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy & Administration, Technology & Operations, Regions Bank
Ken Spangler, Executive Vice President IT, Global Opco Technologies, Express, Ground, Freight, & Logistics, FedEx
Travis Smith, Chief Architect, Head of Data & AI, The Weather Company
Rob Pluta, Vice President & Chief of Technology Product Officer, Ryder System
Frank Luksik, Vice President, Data, AI & Automation, IBM
Kemal Kvakic, Vice President, Head of IT Innovation, Raymond James Financial
Jerry Cuomo, Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, IBM Technology
Susanne Lauda, Director, Global Advanced Manufacturing Technology, AGCO Corporation
Bloomberg:
Janet Wu, Anchor & Reporter, Bloomberg
Sarah Gross, Senior Programming Director, Bloomberg Live
Deidre Depke, Senior Programming Director, Bloomberg Live
Roundtable Highlights:
Opening Remarks
Following introductions, Janet Wu, Anchor & Reporter, Bloomberg, asked IBM’s Frank Luksik, Vice President, Data, AI & Automation about customers’ most pressing issues. He said he’s seeing an unprecedented enterprise-wide focus on infusing AI across systems, and using it to create efficiencies while also driving business growth opportunities.
Jerry Cuomo, Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, IBM Technology, thanked the participants for bringing problems to IBM and suggested that they “give us the chance to do the next thing together.”
The Cloud
Kemal Kvakic, Vice President, Head of IT Innovation, Raymond James Financial, wondered about the state of cloud adoption, saying that his research has found more negatives than positives among cloud-enabled firms. Other participants also expressed concern about moving data to the cloud. Richard Mendola, Enterprise CIO & Senior Vice Provost, Emory University, suggested that organizations need a mix of cloud and on-premises computing. Susanne Lauda, Director, Global Advanced Manufacturing Technology, AGCO Corp., added that edge computing is also an option, particularly in manufacturing.
ChatGPT
The conversation shifted to ChatGPT and its ethical implications. Greg Goff, Chief Technology & Delivery Officer, Alight Solutions, expressed concern that ChatGPT could create a backlash against AI in general. The participants discussed what ChatGPT gets right and what it gets wrong. Kemal Kvakic suggested that ChatGPT and similar products would eventually be just another tool. Neal Shah, Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy & Administration, Technology & Operations, Regions Bank, agreed, saying arguments about the technology sound just like those around the Internet when it first came to market.
Other participants suggested that ChatGPT would change jobs, not eliminate them. Ken Spangler, Executive Vice President IT, Global Opco Technologies, Express, Ground, Freight, & Logistics, FedEx, used the example of journalism and how AI could be used in that industry.
Cybersecurity
Janet Wu wondered about AI’s application in cybersecurity, saying that there are a million open jobs in the field that go unfilled. The participants agreed that cyberattacks were a growing threat.
Greg Goff said that companies need to have a relationship with law enforcement given the frequency and intensity of attacks. Ken Spangler added a hopeful note, saying that the “three letter agencies” have been taking the subject much more seriously in the last few years. Kemal Kvakic agreed, noting that his firm’s relationship with the agencies used to be one-sided but has become more collaborative just in the past year.
This Bloomberg roundtable was Proudly Sponsored By
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