Every moonshot needs a rocket.  For many enterprises around the world, digital transformation is their moonshot, and automation + artificial intelligence is their rocket.  In order for those digital transformations to achieve mission objectives though, enterprises must scale up their automation & AI deployments.  When they do, the results can be out-of-this-world.  But why do some automation & AI initiatives deliver such extraordinary returns while others fail to launch?  Why do others manage lifting off, but fail to break free from the gravitational bonds of corporate inertia?  

For answers to these & other questions, we turn to Danilo McGarry, Global Head of Automation at Alter Domus.  Danilo's track record of producing outsized results with automation and AI at his current & prior roles might be unprecedented.  He shares his valuable insights with us, including the surprisingly aggressive minimum ROI you should aim for in year one of your automation projects, the specific steps to take to overcome internal robophobia about automation & AI, and why proof of concept projects are a waste of money.

Danilo McGarry – Global Head of Automation for Alter Domus

Much of the world was caught off-guard when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.  As governments began issuing stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow transmission of the virus that causes the disease, the corporate world struggled to redeploy their staff to remote work.  A notable organization that didn't break stride during this upheaval was OneShare Health from Irving, TX, who leveraged automation and AI to execute a seamless transition to telecommuting for their workforce.  The result enabled their personnel to continue working at the same or higher levels of productivity as before the shutdown.

The man behind this impressive feat was Toby Buckalew, OneShare Health's CIO. As a veteran of digital transformations in healthcare, Toby had already laid the groundwork that would be crucial to OneShare Health continuing to offer uninterrupted services to its end users.  Toby joins us on this episode to share numerous insights, including why transforming people is the most important part of an enterprise digital transformation, why introverts may not be cut out for the job of CIO, and why road maps are better than detailed plans when it comes to transformation journeys.

Toby Buckalew - CIO of OneShare Health

Fans of "Westworld", HBO's dystopian science fiction drama, recognize the understated yet outsized role of Lee Sizemore's character as crucial to the series plot.  As head of the Narrative and Design division of Westworld’s Mesa Hub, Lee is responsible for the storylines of the "hosts".  The scripts he creates for them ultimately determine the experience of Westworld's guests, and whether or not they'll become repeat customers.  Lee Sizemore's futuristic-sounding job is somewhat paralleled in the present-day by people who architect conversations for AI chatbots. It's a field of growing importance that's crucial to the outcomes generated by conversational AI, and ultimately, digital transformations.  

For insights on the current state of this craft, we turn to one of its more notable practitioners, Rebecca Clyde, CEO & Co-Founder of Botco.ai.  Rebecca shares many of her unique insights with us, and along the way we learn how early adopters of conversational AI are experiencing triple-digit percentage improvements in their sales conversion rates, how technology can make AI-driven chat conversations more engaging for people, and why taking the ontology learning approach to natural language processing might ultimately be better long term than machine learning.

Rebecca Clyde - CEO & Co-Founder of Botco.ai

When you think of Scandinavia, what comes to mind?  If you're like most, then fjords, saunas, ABBA, the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and LEGO's are probably among your first thoughts.  What about Skype, Linux, Spotify, Nokia, SMS texting, and "Erwise" - the first GUI browser?  These innovations also emerged from the Nordic countries, who it turns out have a heritage of high tech innovation as rich & varied as a holiday smörgåsbord.  That tradition has led to a high level of digital maturity among Scandinavian enterprises, and a culture eager for digital transformation.

To better understand the unique IT characteristics that differentiate this region of the world, we speak with Himadri Das, Head of Automation at TietoEVRY, Scandinavia's biggest IT, business consulting, and outsourcing services provider.  Himadri shares with us how best to sell AI, ML, and other advanced technologies in Scandinavia, the 3 "buckets" Scandinavian C-suite executives want addressed when these technologies are proposed to them, and Himadri's advice on moving forward with digital transformation based on his extensive experience with organizations in Nordic countries.

Himadri Das - Head of Automation at TietoEVRY

In ancient times the task of threshing, sifting edible grains of wheat from chaff, was performed with an agricultural tool called a flail.  Modern farmers today accomplish the same undertaking at significant scale using huge mechanized vehicles called combines.  When it comes to threshing the real from the imagined about AIOps, many IT executive decision-makers literally feel like they're flailing about.  Everywhere they look, vast undulating fields of marketing buzz extend deep over the horizon making inflated claims about what AIOps can do for them.  If only there was a metaphorical combine to sift facts from hype, expectations regarding the practical capabilities of AIOps would be more realistic, leaving the disappointment of unrealized objectives to flutter away like chaff in a light breeze.

Since no such apparatus exists, metaphorical or otherwise, we turn instead to John Gentry, CTO & Sr. VP of Virtana, a leading AIOps provider.  John's trenchant perspective on the current state of AIOps & its near-term prospects leaves listeners with a clear-eyed, pragmatic view of how this transformative technology is reshaping the data center.  Along the way we'll learn what differentiates General Purpose AIOps from Domain-Specific AIOps, how AIOps helped one major company grow their transaction volume 700% while only scaling their infrastructure 300% with no head count increase, and why geography might be the key to attracting data scientists who perform the critical work AIOps relies upon.

John Gentry - Chief Technology Officer & Senior VP at Virtana

"First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the treasure chest." Some of you may recognize this old children's poem, variations of which can be found on the internet that replace the last two words "treasure chest" with....well, I'll leave it up to you to find out. Though quaint, this rhyme is actually quite germane as shorthand for the many iterations AI projects must cycle through before they start delivering trusted data, trusted decisions, & trusted outcomes.  The worst results are at the beginning, but as time goes on and the AI continues learning & improving, the results can be quite good, and for organizations who stick with it, very successful.

When it comes to AI projects, significant time often passes between inception and dividends, due to the many steps which must be taken to get things right.  Our guest Matt Sanchez argues that in order to protect customer’s trust in your brand, there should be no short cuts taken along this route.  In fact as Founder & CTO of CognitiveScale, a company focused on helping clients to pair humans with machines, he advocates for “responsible AI” as a framework to ensure that AI never breaches customer trust.  Matt joins us for a broad-based discussion that taps into his wide-ranging insights on AI dating back to his days as a Leader of IBM’s Watson Labs.  In this episode, we'll learn about the 6 key components that make up responsible AI, why data needs to be "nutritious, digestible, and delicious", and the bottomline proof that leaves him so optimistic about AI's future.

Matt Sanchez - Founder & CTO at CognitiveScale, and Former Leader of IBM Watson Labs

Intelligent Automation Radio is the #1 podcast for IT executives seeking insights on the impact & opportunities for innovation that automation is delivering to businesses around the world.  Featuring thought leaders in AI, Machine Learning, Orchestration, Security Automation, & the Future of Work.

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