3349: IBM Consulting on Agentic AI and the Reinvention of Business Processes
Release Date: 07/17/2025
3370: Vagaro is Helping Fitness and Wellness Brands Scale With AI Assistants
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Fred Helou, founder and CEO of Vagaro, a platform reshaping how service-based businesses in the beauty, wellness, and fitness sectors operate in a digital world. What began as an idea sparked by a frustrating haircut booking experience during a business trip to Korea has evolved into a platform used by over 250,000 professionals worldwide. Fred walked me through his journey from developing the concept in 1999 to officially launching Vagaro in 2009 after being laid off during the financial crisis. Along the way, he navigated shifting...
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3369: Precisely Explains Why AI Fails Without Data Integrity
Tech Talks Daily
In today’s episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Andy Bell, Head of Data Product Management at Precisely, to explore a challenge that many organizations continue to underestimate: the role of data integrity in AI strategies. With only 12 percent of businesses expressing confidence in the quality of their AI data, it's clear that the rush to implement AI is often outpacing the readiness of the data that supports it. Andy and I unpack what happens when enterprises leap into generative or agentic AI without addressing foundational data issues. From hallucinations to bias to unreliable...
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3368: Nerdio Builds a Remote-First Unicorn Focused on Azure Optimization
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Joseph Landes, co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Nerdio, to explore how one conversation at a Microsoft conference led to a billion-dollar cloud automation company. From his 23-year career at Microsoft to building a fully remote team now supporting over five million users, Joseph’s story blends strategic risk-taking with deep industry insight. We unpacked how Nerdio grew from a startup idea in 2018 to a company that just secured 500 million dollars in Series C funding. Joseph walked me through the early days of building the business...
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3367: CGS Reinvents Workplace Training With AI-Powered Role Play
Tech Talks Daily
The training room is changing, and it's not going back. In this episode, I sat down with Phil Friedman, the founder and CEO of CGS Inc., to explore how AI, avatars, and immersive simulations are rewriting the playbook on workplace training. With over four decades at the helm of CGS—a company he built from scratch after immigrating to the US—Phil brings a perspective shaped by both technological evolution and global business experience. The heart of our conversation centered on Cicero, CGS’s AI-driven platform that blends artificial intelligence with extended reality to create dynamic,...
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3366: Harvard Medical School: The Promise and Peril of CRISPR With Neal Baer
Tech Talks Daily
When we think about gene editing, the conversation often feels trapped between scientific journals and ethical debates too complex for public forums. In this episode, I spoke with Neal Baer, a rare voice who bridges both worlds. Known to many as an award-winning television showrunner for series like ER, Law & Order SVU, and Designated Survivor, Neal is also a Harvard-trained physician and co-director of the Media, Medicine, and Health program at Harvard Medical School. His latest project brings all of that experience together in a new collection of essays that explores the promise and...
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3365: BlackLine on Why AI Is Changing the Nature of Tech Leadership
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I welcomed back Sumit Johar, CIO at BlackLine, for a timely conversation about how AI is transforming finance operations from the inside out. When we last spoke earlier this year, AI was still in the early stages of enterprise experimentation. Just a few months later, everything has shifted. Sumit shared how AI has moved well beyond pilot programs and into a space where business leaders themselves are actively requesting implementations. What stood out in our conversation was how this change has reshaped the relationship between CIOs and CFOs. The...
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3364: MongoDB Simplifies AI Development With Integrated Vector Search
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Boris Bialek, VP and Field CTO at MongoDB, for a conversation that moved well beyond databases. As AI continues to accelerate across sectors, MongoDB is positioning itself at the intersection of modern data architecture and intelligent application development. Boris shared how his team is simplifying AI adoption for enterprises, with a clear focus on real-world outcomes, developer productivity, and global inclusion. We began by exploring MongoDB’s recent acquisition of Voyage AI. This move extends MongoDB's native capabilities into vector...
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3363: ABB on Building a Smarter and More Resilient Power Grid
Tech Talks Daily
When we think about innovation in technology, power grids rarely enter the spotlight. Yet, they are the foundation for everything from artificial intelligence to electric vehicles and data centers. In this episode, I spoke with Adrian Guggisberg, President of the Smart Power Division at ABB, to unpack the evolving role of electrical power distribution in a world shifting rapidly toward digital infrastructure and clean energy. Adrian joined me from Zurich to share how ABB is helping grid operators navigate an increasingly complex landscape. With rising pressure from extreme weather, surging...
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3362: Inside LVT’s Mission to Deter Crime Before It Happens With Tech
Tech Talks Daily
In a digital-first world where cybersecurity often dominates headlines, the conversation around physical security can sometimes feel like an afterthought. But what if technology could bring a new level of intelligence, proactivity, and efficiency to protecting real-world environments? In this episode, I sat down with Ryan Porter, co-founder and CEO of LVT, to learn how his team is reshaping physical security through innovation rooted in both technology and field experience. What began in Ryan’s garage as a way to monitor construction projects through live video has evolved into a powerful...
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3361: Why AidKit Built a Tech Platform for Equitable Aid Distribution
Tech Talks Daily
In today’s episode of Tech Talks Daily, I connected with Brittany Christenson, CEO of AidKit, to explore how cutting-edge technology is being used not to disrupt markets or chase margins, but to deliver real, measurable social impact. AidKit is a public benefit corporation building infrastructure that helps vulnerable communities access aid quickly, securely, and with dignity. While many tech conversations orbit around scale and efficiency, Brittany brings a different kind of energy, one grounded in values, user empathy, and purpose-built innovation. She shared how AidKit’s journey began...
info_outlineWhen AI enters the boardroom, it tends to arrive with big promises: productivity, automation, efficiency. But for Francesco Brenna, Global Leader of AI Integration Services at IBM Consulting, the real opportunity isn’t just faster workflows—it’s rebuilding how business gets done from the ground up. In this episode, recorded in the heat of a New York summer, Francesco joined me to unpack what agentic AI really means for enterprise leaders and why “doing AI right” is about more than picking the latest model.
We began by breaking down the term agentic AI, which Francesco defines as the shift from passive assistants to intelligent agents that can actually execute work, not just suggest how to do it. That might sound subtle, but it’s a huge leap. And it’s not one companies can take by simply layering AI on top of broken or inefficient processes. Instead, IBM is helping its clients rethink entire workflows, starting not with the tech stack, but with the business outcome.
Francesco explains why data readiness is still the number one challenge. While many companies have talked about modernizing their data foundations, few have done it in a way that supports grounded, contextual, reliable AI agents. He introduces the idea of “data products” as a way to anchor agent behavior in the right context, feeding into IBM’s three-layer model: user experience, orchestration, and data.
We also explored the growing role of standards like Model Control Protocol (MCP), which could make secure integration with legacy systems more realistic at scale. Francesco highlights how IBM is addressing access control, security, and governance to ensure agentic systems are not only powerful but also trustworthy and accountable.
There’s plenty here for enterprise leaders wondering how to move AI projects out of pilot mode. From real examples in customer service, insurance, and pharma, to IBM’s internal strategies for employee upskilling, Francesco shares what early success looks like and why hackathons, hands-on experience, and human-centered design are critical.