Breanna George, Machine Learning and AI Data Engineer at BCBST (BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee), joins for a walkthrough of her career including a somewhat recent change to go all in on AI, the importance of hard work, and how she feels that her faith has helped to guide and shape her career.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY also touches on the following topics:

• How Breanna developed a love for coding and eventually focused on a career shift into the world of AI
• The importance of character and personality in hiring
• The value of mentors and embracing change
• The role of generative AI in health insurance
• Correlations between faith and career
• Taking time out of work for your hobbies
• The best piece of career advice she's ever gotten
• Leadership tips

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunil Murthy, watsonx Technical Leader for IBM’s U.S. National Market, joins for a recap of the announcements, excitement, and more from IBM’s TechXchange 2024 conference that happened in Las Vegas.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY also touches on the following topics:

• A day in the life of a watsonx Technical Leader and Sunil’s career journey to get there
• How IBM is enabling greater developer productivity with new tooling to build autonomous agents, customize LLMs, and optimize RAG-based workflows with low-code and code-first based solutions
• IBM’s approach to models: fit-for-purpose. Lead the market and drive AI relevancy with new Granite models and top benchmarks with best-in-class performance, cost-efficiency, transparency and safety
• The important of trust in AI: Continue to drive our market leadership and differentiation in AI Governance with new model benchmarks, evaluations, and AI guardrails, along with new, integrated AI Security
• Several of the announcements from the conference are covered including the Granite 3.0 models, the AI Evaluation Studio, the watsonx.ai Developer Toolkit, Granite Guardian Models, and much more.

Link to an article about the Granite 3.0 Announcements: https://www.ibm.com/new/ibm-granite-3-0-open-state-of-the-art-enterprise-models

Link to an article about streamlining the AI Application Development Process with watsonx.ai: https://www.ibm.com/new/announcements/streamline-the-ai-application-development-process-with-ibm-watsonx-ai

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded during the IBM TechXchange 2024 conference in Las Vegas! Rob McLean,Vice President of Data, AI, & Automation at IBM, joins live from Mandalay Bay for a walk through his successful career, the inner workings of IBM's coopetition, career advice, and much more.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY also touches on the following topics:

• How has IBM been able to stay relevant for over 100 years?
• IBM’s History with AI versus where they are at today
• Is IBM considered legacy?
• Solving business problems for large enterprise at scale
• IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon - How they work together, how they compete, and where the competitive edge is
• Can AI be used to help with traumatic brain injuries or opioid prediction?
• Which Generative AI use case is the easiest to implement for most companies
• How Digital Assistants can help College Universities
• Rob’s Las Vegas Adventure with the street juggling cab driver
• The ultimate Halloween costumes and a little bit about the Detroit Lions
• The future of AI & Automation
• Career advice for someone interested in technology sales
• Tips for planning for the career that you want

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scott Felten, Business Leader at Incorta, joins for a deep dive into Incorta and how it can bring value to enterprise as well as his career journey that centers around a desire to learn and solve problems.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY also touches on the following topics

• What is Incorta, what it does for enterprise, and why you should be interested
• Where does Incorta sit (consistently) on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant?
• Connecting your Business Intelligence tools to difficult data and getting the insights you need while retaining optimal speed and performance
• Data Lake - Pros, Cons, and everything in between
• Data Warehouse speed on a Data Lake Structure
• The benefits of Direct Data Mapping (DDM)
• How Starbucks uses Incorta to help store managers with their inventory issues
• A career built on broken computers and solving technical problems
• The early days of virus removal software
• The future of Business Analytics and Business Intelligence
• What might happen in the world of AI over the next few years

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Randy Carroll, Human Resources Manager and Leader at Olin Chemical Company, joins for a walk through his extensive HR career journey through UPS, Fedex, the State of Tennessee, Publix, TVA, BCBST, and beyond. This episode contains great tips for crafting your resume, getting hired, finding talent, and more.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY also touches on the following topics

• Olin Chemical Company - what they make/do
• How Randy got into HR - for a girl and to prove UPS wrong
• How the world of HR can be different and the same across different companies
• The Grim Reaper of giving bad news
• Funny HR stories - A giveaway bidet and very moist cake
• Technology in HR - From faxed in resumes to the age of AI and how to balance the personal touch
• LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, Networking - The best way to get hired and find recruits
• Tips to help your resume stand out
• How watsonx Orchestrate can simplify and automate HR functions
• Advice for someone who wants to get into HR as a career
• Why you should put the green banner on your LinkedIn (#OpenToWork)

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paula Ichniowski, IBM Principal Data and AI Sales Leader in the Southeast, joins for a walk through her impressive career at IBM that spans from her time as a software developer writing ADA code for air traffic control systems to being a sales leader today.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY touches on the following topics:

• Her career journey that includes working under 5 different IBM CEOs, moving to Lockheed Martin and back, and having 25 years of experience with sales
• IBM’s Data and AI platform, watsonx, which includes an AI studio, tools for governing your models, and a fit for purpose data lakehouse to support AI scalability.
• How watsonx Code Assistant increases productivity, optimizes legacy code such as COBOL, and provides the ability to convert it to a more modern language like Java
• The history and evolution of AI including the Programming Languages - Prolog and Lisp
• Her passions outside of work that include a desire to work with the elderly, being an amateur pastry chef, and even making biscuits for her own dogs
• Another passion to support high school girls who want to get into STEM
• The history of Paula’s Friday Five
• Using watsonx to create posts for LinkedIn
• IBM’s client zero story - How IBM achieved 1.5 billion in savings in one year
• IBM’s ethical approach to AI for business
• Tips for starting a career in technology and how generative AI can help

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Crume, IBM Distinguished Engineer, CyberSecurity Architect, & Master Inventor, joins for an exciting (but secure!) conversation about his 40+ year career in Cybersecurity, the biggest threats AI today and what's on the horizon for the bad guys, how we might be able to handle deepfakes and prompt injections, and how being a lifelong runner has helped his career. Jeff is also an adjunct professor at NC State and the author of books such as "What Hackers Don't Want You To Know". There is a LOT of ground covered in this episode and what you hear might even scare you a little bit.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY touches on the following topics:

• Is Prompt Injection (Social Engineering against AI) the biggest danger of AI?
• Deepfakes - Will they change the course of the legal system? Can they impact elections? And how do we stop them?
• CyberSecurity Best Practices and why you should never let a good crisis go to waste.
• 3 Pillars of Security: Identify & Access Management (IBM Security Verify), Data Security (IBM Guardium), Quantum Safe Crypto, and Securing AI
• What is the Quantum Menace?
• What is the cost of a data breach?
• What is Audio Jacking?
• The Art of Dumbing things down and translating complex technical topics into something people can understand
• How to secure AI, how attackers will use AI, and how good guys can use it to fight the bad guys
• Great Generative AI Use Cases for CyberSecurity Workers
• What is a Streak Runner and how running can be a creative outlet
• The importance of Cybersecurity if you want your business to go “fast” because security should be an enabler; not an inhibitor

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

CTRL ALT STORY is a new technology podcast / career podcast where I have conversations with people who work in and with technology, go through their career journeys, dive into career advice, and even share some fun stories along the way. If you're interested in being a guest, just let me know!

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russ Beardall, Principal Account Technical Leader at IBM, joins for an engaging conversation about his career journey from his time as a consultant to his job today, how he has balanced work travel with his family of 8, and also dives into the future of artificial intelligence that might be coming to a store near you.

This episode of CTRL ALT STORY touches on the following topics:

• Will your credit card work without IBM?
• Soul Machines - Super cool, super creepy, or maybe both?
• How AI will become more prevalent in advertising and customer engagement
• Utilizing the right large language models
• What’s it like to travel first class with 6 kids
• What happens in Vegas…probably shouldn’t make it to Facebook.

Your host is Josh Spurgin and I’m a watsonx Technical Specialist at IBM. I can also be found under the name Data Nerd Josh on various social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. My website is www.DataNerdJosh.com

Please enjoy and reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have for this brand new podcast!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.