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.