Data-powered Innovation Jam

"It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing"—Duke Ellington’s immortal words composed almost a century ago resonate deeply in the latest episode of the Data-powered Innovation Jam. Hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, and Weiwei Feng explore TechnoVision 2025, Capgemini’s annual technology trend analysis, where ‘The Pendulum Swing’ captures the rapidly oscillating, intwined worlds of technology, business, and society.

For this special edition, they’re joined by an insider: Michiel Boreel, Global CTO of Sogeti and a key TechnoVision author, adding decades of experience to the mix. Together, they go through the essentials and break down the top trends—dominated by data and AI—before diving into the balancing acts that architects, strategists, and innovators must navigate. There’s a spotlight on augmentation by AI, as it explores the edges of value, trust and explainability versus what defines us as humans.

And with swing as the theme, the musical discussions naturally find their rhythm. So, pluck that double bass, strum that guitar, and hit those drums—this episode is all jazzed up with insight, innovation, and improvisation.

🎧 Tune in now!

Timestamps:

07:13 – Exploring TechnoVision
11:59 – The pendulum swing to data and AI.
19:26 – Finding equilibrium through Balance by Design
29:55 – The era of augmentation
37:29 – Navigating chaos: AI in the real world
38:12 – Be like water.

Connect with our guest Michiel Boreel and our hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, and Weiwei Feng on LinkedIn.

It’s the ultimate new hit album for generative AI: intelligent automation, autonomous systems, and—of course—agents. But while ServiceNow has been a pioneering force in this space for a long time, it still seems to fly under the radar for many data and AI experts. Time to change that. Time to bridge the worlds of Planet Process and Planet Data!

For this, our hosts Weiwei, Robert, and Ron couldn’t have wished for a better guest than Toby Isaacson. As a Senior Advisory Solution Architect at ServiceNow, Toby brings sharp insights into automation platforms, AI guardrails, supervised and unsupervised autonomous systems, data fabrics for central and decentral data and – naturally – agents. Who would have thought that IT ticketing would provide the ticket to ride for enterprise process automation?

But that’s not all. Toby is also a stand-up comedian, and his sense of humour shines through in unexpected moments. And despite his British roots, he lays claim to some Viking heritage—fitting for an episode that turns into a true ‘ScandiDutch’ happening. Expect deep dives into world-class DJs from the Netherlands and Scandinavia, all balanced by a tribute to UK legend Fatboy Slim.

Eat, Sleep, Automate, Repeat: this podcast episode has an irresistible beat!

Timestamps:

07:18 – Discover ServiceNow.
16:06 – Unpacking the NOW platform.
22:49 – AI agents, data accessibility, and guardrails.
30:05 – The biggest AI advantage in digital processes.
35:23 – Are industry-specific processes the next frontier?
38:34 – Myth-busting with Weiwei.

Connect with our guest Toby Isaacson and our hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, and Weiwei Feng on LinkedIn

Do we hear sleigh bells in that surf rock soundtrack? Well, anything can happen when you tune in to the Data-powered Innovation Jam podcast—especially in the very last episode of the year! Our hosts Weiwei Feng (winning top honours for her Christmas sweater), Robert Engels, and Ron Tolido gather with their producer Arne Rossmann by a cozy fireplace to reflect on an unforgettable 2024. From groundbreaking moments in data and AI to the soundtrack of the year, it’s a heartfelt and insightful rewind.

But wait, there's more! It wouldn’t be the Innovation Jam without a bold look ahead and discussion on some predictions for 2025. Any chance of being accurate amid such unpredictable times? Well, to paraphrase the contemporary poet Zack de la Rocha, “some of those that hype new courses, are the same that ignore real causes.” Of course, this doesn’t keep our hosts from forecasting. Drawing from the visions of 7 leading innovation movers and shakers, the team pieces together a picture of a new year that promises to be transformational, and of course packed with a whole lot of data-powered magic.

Will the future hold surprises? Undoubtedly. But if one thing’s certain, it’s that this extra special holiday episode delivers inspiration, insights, and plenty of holiday cheer. Join us by the fire for data, analytics, robotics, AI, and all that data jazz!

Timestamps:

00:40 – Ron and Robert reflect on some of the most memorable musical moments shared throughout the podcast series.

12:50 – As AI continues to evolve and its misuse in criminal activities rises, conversations are shifting from abstract ideals to pressing, real-world challenges.

23:58 – A clear trend for 2025 is emerging: a strategic blend of diverse cloud solutions will be critical for effective data management.

29:07 – Synthetic data is set to take center stage, offering realistic, pattern-rich data without exposing sensitive information.

48:05 – The hosts wrap up the year with a recap of 2024's highlights in data and AI, while offering a look ahead at 2025, all by the warmth of a fireplace and a glass of Glühwein.

Curious about the latest in data and AI? Explore our newly launched thought leadership magazine, Data-powered Innovation Review Wave 9.

Connect with our hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, Weiwei Feng and our producer Arne Rossmann on LinkedIn.

What’s bigger news in 2025: The Gallagher brothers reuniting Oasis, or generative AI going enterprise scale? Tough call, but we’ll stick with AI for now. Just as Noel Gallagher’s grounded presence is complemented by his rebellious brother Liam, generative AI stands to benefit from Graph technology. Graphs bring context, semantics, and deeper understanding—all qualities urgently needed by the probabilistic nature of large language models.

Join hosts Weiwei Feng, Robert Engels, and Ron Tolido as they dive into this compelling topic with the one and only Jim Webber, Chief Scientist at Neo4J, who confesses he is happy to step out of the “basement” for the occasion, seeing some proper podcast daylight. He shares insights on how Graphs can boost AI’s confidence. With Robert as a fellow Graph enthusiast, the conversation dives deep into how natural language could be more suitable to query graph databases.

Curious about the Graph-tech connection with Sweden? Want to hear about Idiot Savant Chatbots? Tune in for all this and more—and as one famous R&B singer once said, "If you liked it, then you should’ve put a graph on it."

Timestamps:

00:22 – Ron and Robert dive into a fun chat about “Oasis.”
07:25 – Jim shares his unique journey into the world of Graph databases.
15:21 – Exploring how Graphs can enhance Large Language Models (LLMs).
20:30 – A look at Neo4j’s future roadmap and ambitious goals.
38:51 – Weiwei leads a myth busting session.

Connect with our guest Jim Webber and our hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, and Weiwei Feng on LinkedIn.

Cloud computing has long been a familiar fixture in the digital sky, but that doesn’t mean innovation has stopped soaring. In this episode, hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, and Weiwei Feng discuss all things cloud with Carolin Eggers, Director, Data & AI, EMEA North, Google Cloud.

The first kind of cloud? There’s nothing UFO about it. That’s well understood—flexible access to powerful infrastructure services. The second kind? Software as a service, is far from alien too. But how about the third kind: industry data clouds, enabling businesses to collaborate securely on data and AI models within trusted ecosystems? Of course, it’s 2025 after all, the evolution of AI agents in the cloud is discussed. Could a fourth kind of cloud be emerging?

And what if the cloud isn’t just the next frontier—but the gateway to quantum computing for the masses? A fifth kind, perhaps? One thing is certain: the cloud is anything but static.

Naturally, the conversation wouldn’t be complete without music. From the British hard rock band UFO to the Scorpions from Hannover Germany, and even a nod to a legendary 5-note musical language—somehow, it all makes perfect sense in the latest episode of the Data-powered Innovation Jam: Cloud encounters of the third kind.

Timestamps:

11:15 – Discussion on Industry Cloud.

16:56 – AI’s role in industry.

22:24 – Quantum as the fifth kind of cloud?

26:11 – Exploring Agent Space in Cloud.

35:07 – The pendulum swing.

40:20 – Myth-busting with Weiwei.

Connect with our guest Carolin Eggers and our hosts Ron Tolido, Robert Engels, and Weiwei Feng on LinkedIn.