On Tuesday, Rob High, IBM Fellow and VP, CTO Watson, and Tanmay Bakshi, Developer, Author, Speaker, and Algorithmist, as well as Watson’s youngest cognitive developer, took the stage for an inventors’ exchange of ideas around how developers can use cognitive and cloud computing to change the world.

They explained that we need machines to make up the difference between what we are capable of doing and where our failures begin so we can continue to evolve and make better decisions. Artificial intelligence (AI) is essentially the perfect complement to human decision making. 

“When it comes to AI, it’s not about replacing humans,” said Rob High, IBM Fellow, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, IBM Watson. “It’s about taking what humans are good at and what computers are good at and combining them into a powerful combination.”

At the ripe young age of 13, Tanmay is already leading the charge in the cognitive space. He shared his thoughts on what cognitive learning really means and explained the root of machine learning to a mesmerized audience.

Both Rob and Tanmay agree that cognitive computing can change peoples lives in so many positive ways, and it many cases it already has. Tanmay himself shared a new project he is working on around audiology. Using Watson and a data set of numbers, he can identify patterns around hearing loss to diagnose hearing disorders. Rob also shared a very compelling story of a girl who is completely enclosed without the ability to express herself physically. But a single tweet from her mother launched a cognitive project to help her daughter communicate with the world.

Out of more than one million computer-related jobs projected by 2020, women are on track to fill just 3 percent. And the gender gap in technology continues to grow. 

Enter Reshma Saujani and the bold initiative she launched five years ago, Girls Who Code. In an Innovation Talk at IBM InterConnect Tuesday, Saujani began with a disclaimer: She’s no coder. She’s a lawyer turned one-time Congressional candidate who visited computer science classes in middle schools and thought, where are the girls?

“We’re raising our girls to be perfect and raising our boys to be brave.”

- Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO, Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a nonprofit whose mission is to close that widening gender gap and encourage girls to explore careers in technology and computer science. Through after-school coding clubs and summer immersion camps–which IBM is a sponsor of–Girls Who Code now serves over 40,000 girls in all 50 states. By 2020, they hope to teach one million girls how to code.  

According to Saujani, the media constantly sends messages to young girls that computing and coding is not for them. Women who go into these fields stay an average of only three years, typically citing the challenges of working in a male-dominated culture.

Cutting through the hype: understanding robotics and artificial intelligence

In one of Monday’s Innovation Talks at IBM InterConnect 2017, Dr. Sabine Hauert, President and Co-Founder of Robohub.org and Assistant Professor of Robotics at University of Bristol, discussed a hot topic – advances in the area of AI and robotics over the next several years, as well as key issues and questions to address as robotics and AI evolve.

It’s no great revelation that technology has advanced to a point where machines can do many of the things that people do. We live in a world where talking machines and automated vacuum cleaners are not illusions in a sci-fi movie, but are things of reality. In fact, the idea of artificial intelligence and robotics have the potential to impact the way in which people live and work.

For instance, the media boasts stories about the development of autonomous cars that require no physical driver. Though views on this are varied, many believe these self-driving vehicles have the potential to be safer, “greener,” and empower individuals who are unable to operate vehicles on their own. Others see these driverless transporters as a hazard to others on the road. This is just one example of not only how far we’ve come from a technology perspective, but of how mainstream dialog can be driven by hype.

It was discovered that many people in the general public believe that machine learning could potentially be helpful and in daily life; others, however, have questions and concerns regarding trusting robots and fear of replacing humans to do certain jobs. Organizations like Robohub, which bring together news and perspectives from robotics experts, can help engage and educate people, while demystifying robotics technology. We know that outside sources influence the way people think, but communication is key when it comes to accurately shaping views on robotics.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

This will be my first time at IBM InterConnect. I’m looking forward to seeing the advances being made in the Internet of Things, specially how it applies to the industrial sector.

How can a digital business transform itself into a cognitive business?

The cognitive business potential lies in the ability to understand, reason and learn. These traits are what all successful companies possess. Applying what they’ve learned in digital business transformation is to take cognitive abilities to build real value so that they can predict outcomes and take actions to change them. It’s as much as about people as it is technology, so it’s important that an organization get both right.

How will the cognitive era propel the Internet of Things?

It’s about making the IoT smarter, rather than just a thing on the edge. As soon IoT devices have cognitive-based applications that enable humans to collaborate with powerful AI technologies to discover, analyze and tackle challenges, we will see the value of IoT be taken to the next level.

How can an organization stay relevant a year from now?

This notion of agility and digital transformation is real, and taking that a step further is cognitive. I feel strongly that businesses, particularly entrenched, long-time businesses, need to know that they are not entitled to their own business models.

They must adapt quickly, transform how they operate and invest in being more digital/cognitive. Companies like GE, Ford, and John Deere are companies that are investing heavily here and they are poised to be much better off a year from now.

Data without analytics is like [blank] without [blank].

Data without analytics is like instruments without music.

What app can you not live without?

OmniFocus. It’s my task and project management app that is based in part on David Allan’s Getting Things Done methodology. Highly recommended. Read the book first though before getting the app.

What podcasts do you enjoy listening to?

I want to listen to more podcasts than what I actually listen too.

What was the worst job you ever had?

I was a sweeper at a flea market. Summer time was the worst as it was always hot and the owner didn’t allow us to wear shorts. We had to wear long brown pants even if it was 100+ degrees outside, and sweeping was done on a blacktop. Pay for this torture: $3.35 an hour.

Are you always plugged in or do you sometimes unplug?

Pretty much always plugged in except for two times a day and once a year. For the days, it’s the one hour at the gym and and one hour before I go to bed. The once a year time is an annual backpacking trip I take with some long-time friends. We manage to always pick remote places with no connectivity whatsoever. It’s something we’ve done for the last 10 years.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I’d like to say it was sage advice from some great business, educational or religious mentor, but it’s not. It was from my mom who came from very simple means. My whole life until it happened, she said to me: “Go to college and don’t be a bum.” It’s great advice and it stuck.

Follow David on Twitter at @DavidOro.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

I’m looking forward to better understanding how different technologies can be applied to building stronger, more profitable organizations. I look forward to reconnecting and networking with people to see what progress they are making on their IoT projects.

How can a digital business transform itself into a cognitive business?

Many digital businesses are about transforming business infrastructure and processes. Cognitive business requires an organization to make better decisions on where it invests its time and resources to create future profitable growth.

In many cases, it requires their team members to ask good questions, challenge traditional thinking, and better understand what it takes to transform their market.

How will the cognitive era propel the Internet of Things?

The Cognitive Era will help organizations better understand all aspects of how they are currently doing business today. It will allow them to see patterns and identify opportunities. It will allow them to get information from anywhere at any time. It will be critical to have our people look closely at what’s working and what’s not.

Technology will help people to learn and respond to things more quickly. We will become masters of faster failures and shorter successes. The Internet of Things requires people to ask different questions and challenge how things are done currently.

Your people will get assistance from several emerging technologies, including augmented intelligence and machine learning that will help the organization come to better decisions faster while enhancing organizational agility. Without trust, transparency, and communication these large scale IoT projects will fail.  

How can an organization stay relevant a year from now?

To remain relevant, it will be critical that organizations are constantly helping their people improve their leadership, management, and technical skills. Ongoing development as well as just in time training is an expectation of your next generation of managers and leaders. You help them grow or they will go.

Data without analytics is like [blank] without [blank].

A book without punctuation.

What app can you not live without?

I can’t live without Audible. It makes learning something I can do every day, no matter where my work and travels take me.

What podcasts do you enjoy listening to?

I enjoy The Tim Ferriss Show podcasts. He has many great guests. I almost always learn something new. Many of his ideas challenge conventional business thinking. In many cases, they may get under your skin and make you think and act!

What was the worst job you ever had?

The most challenging job I ever had was selling Kirby Cleaning Systems door to door. I was a sales manager and my job was to get my team into homes for sales demonstrations then come back and help close the business. It was a crazy job, you never knew what to expect when you returned to get your salesperson.

Are you always plugged in or do you sometimes unplug?

I do photography, work out, and meditate to unplug. Maybe not in that order. I try to do something new and creative every day.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My father told me that every person has something great to share with you. Be open and willing to learning new things from new people in your life. He was always reminding me that no matter how much knowledge you acquire, you won’t ever know it all. So, enjoy the ride.   

Follow Tripp on Twitter at @TrippBraden.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

Sessions on digital reinvention and cognitive computing. I want to see examples of how leading enterprises are preparing for the tsunami of change coming their way and how they leverage intelligent software to gain a competitive advantage. What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today?

Serverless computing, technology as a service, and continuous delivery of DevOps-powered microservice deployments to containers in the cloud.

With over 200 stories and 350,000 square feet, the Concourse is the largest and most popular destination at InterConnect. Rebecca shares the highlights of what you’ll find when you arrive. We’ll see you there!

Download the IBM Events Mobile App to customize your InterConnect experience--build your agenda, navigate the Concourse and stay in the know. 

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

I love when a presenter unexpectedly inspires me. I also have my favorite subjects, like Bluemix and cloud. Last year, I enjoyed the opening session with the customers talking about why they work with IBM.   

What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today?

I see two trends: orchestration for efficiency and a continued use of containers.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

Cloud administration and orchestration tools are lagging behind appdev tool, hypervisors, containers, etc.--probably because they aren’t as sexy. But they are vitally needed. That is one thing I will be listening for at IBM Interconnect.

What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today?

My clients are looking to clouds to complete an old networking strategy: “Build your base, buy your burst." I am watching the efforts of service providers to deliver DR services, archive services and management services from the public cloud platform. I am also watching a lot of developments around in-memory databases.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

Seeing how IBM's adoption of design thinking is impacting things in the IT space.

What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today?

PaaS, containers, and serverless are all happening at once. I think the biggest trend is just figuring out where to go next and what if anything to leapfrog along the way.

How will the cognitive era propel the Internet of Things?

No idea. I think the paint on IoT is still way too fresh to make any predictions.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

Catching up with colleagues at the CloudMinds discussions and watching the keynotes. Last year I loved the customer keynotes such as using the Watson cloud API to do sentiment analysis for equity market prediction, IBM exec talks on emerging technologies such as blockchain platforms, and the Thought Leader sessions such as Tanmay Bakshi, a super-impressive 12-year-old developer, entrepreneur, and keynoter.

What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today?

It’s the evolution beyond the simplistic notion that the only “correct” approach is one public cloud provider.  Specifically, hybrid cloud, cloud brokers, multicloud, and fog/edge computing are becoming real, as I predicted and quantitatively analyzed in Cloudonomics five years ago.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year? 

I'm really looking forward to connecting with great people (both old friends and new ones) and seeing what IBM has coming down the pipeline for the future of cloud. I'm also definitely looking forward to learning more about OpenWhisk and Serverless Computing. The sessions around IoT and Watson look quite interesting, as well.

What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today? 

As we move toward a more evolved IoT and AI ecosystem, open (and open source) platforms for this will become increasingly more important.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

IBM’s messaging around Networking for Hybrid Cloud.   How can a digital business transform itself into a cognitive business?

By leveraging the wealth of cognitive technologies (Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, etc.) to improve decision making and to find efficiencies in business processes.

What are you most looking forward to at IBM InterConnect this year?

I always look forward to hearing about the latest developments that IBM has been working on at each InterConnect. Business Partners demonstrating new products and services together with the latest development of Hybrid Cloud catch my eye this year. What do you see as the biggest trends in cloud technology today?

Without a doubt the major trends within the cloud industry this year: security, hybrid goes mainstream and analytics are the top talking points.