3300: How IBM Is Building AI That Works for Business With IBM UK & Ireland Chief Executive, Leon Butler
Release Date: 06/03/2025
Tech Talks Daily
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In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Ashley Stevenson, VP of Product and Solution Marketing at DigiCert, to explore the shifting landscape of digital trust. We are living in a time where certificate-related outages still disrupt critical systems, identity management is becoming more complex, and the arrival of quantum computing is no longer a distant concern. Ashley brought clarity to these issues with a practical look at how DigiCert is helping organizations manage trust at scale. Our conversation began with the foundational role DNS and PKI play in digital infrastructure....
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When I sat down with Leon Butler, the newly appointed CEO of IBM UK and Ireland, it felt like a timely check-in with one of the most influential forces in enterprise technology. Having taken on the role in January 2025 after leading IBM’s global data and AI division, Leon brings both technical depth and a clear strategic lens to what lies ahead. Our conversation couldn’t have been better timed, following the IBM Think conference and the company’s latest wave of announcements around agentic AI, enterprise models, and quantum computing. Leon offered an inside look at how IBM is responding...
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What if the biggest delay in healthcare wasn’t a lack of doctors but a broken phone system? In today’s episode, I catch up with Zain Qayyum, the founder of Medsender, who left his path to medical school after witnessing firsthand how slow and outdated healthcare administration really is. His response wasn’t to complain. It was to build a solution. Zain shares how Medsender uses voice AI, not to replace human interaction, but to support it. The company’s AI agent, Myra, now handles everything from referrals and scheduling to patient queries around the clock. The goal is simple: let...
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info_outlineWhen I sat down with Leon Butler, the newly appointed CEO of IBM UK and Ireland, it felt like a timely check-in with one of the most influential forces in enterprise technology. Having taken on the role in January 2025 after leading IBM’s global data and AI division, Leon brings both technical depth and a clear strategic lens to what lies ahead. Our conversation couldn’t have been better timed, following the IBM Think conference and the company’s latest wave of announcements around agentic AI, enterprise models, and quantum computing.
Leon offered an inside look at how IBM is responding to real-world business challenges with purpose-built, domain-specific AI tools. While the industry often gravitates toward large, generic models, IBM has chosen a different route, focusing on smaller, more efficient models that deliver measurable business outcomes. Their Granite model family and WatsonX orchestrate platform are helping companies streamline complex workflows, boost productivity, and integrate AI into operations without adding more layers of complexity.
We also explored how AI agents are evolving from basic chat interfaces into tools that can coordinate multi-step processes across HR, procurement, and customer service. Leon shared concrete examples from inside IBM, including how their own HR systems are now 94 percent automated through AI agents. The company has also achieved over $2 billion in productivity gains through AI and automation internally, a figure that sets a strong precedent for its clients.
Our conversation also touched on IBM’s quantum roadmap, with expectations that their systems will surpass today’s most powerful supercomputers by 2033 and reach error-free capability by 2029. Alongside this, IBM is pushing forward with a global commitment to close the AI skills gap, aiming to equip 2 million people with AI skills by 2026.
How does a company of IBM’s scale remain agile while reshaping industries with AI and quantum computing? This conversation offers a glimpse into the strategy, leadership, and technology shaping that future.