The AI with Maribel Lopez (AI with ML)

Maribel Lopez
  • 5.0 (21)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The AI with Maribel Lopez podcast interviews leading thinkers, experts and innovators on the latest trends in Artificial intelligence areas such as agentic AI, generative AI, AI security, AI ethics and governance. Maribel Lopez is a technology industry analyst, keynote speaker and founder of the Data For Betterment Foundation and Lopez Research. The podcast shares advice, strategies and techniques on how to use AI solutions such as conversational AI, computer vision and automation to make businesses more efficient. New episodes are released every week on Wednesdays. 

  1. JAN 21

    AI, CX, and the Shift from Automation to Action with Jarrod Johnson of TaskUs

    Agentic AI is emerging as the next evolution of artificial intelligence in customer experience (CX), moving beyond chatbots to systems that can take real action on behalf of customers. In this episode of AI with Maribel Lopez, Maribel Lopez speaks with Jarrod Johnson, Chief Customer Officer at TaskUs, about how enterprises are actually deploying AI in customer experience today. The conversation covers real-world CX use cases, where AI delivers measurable ROI, why data and process design remain the biggest bottlenecks, and how organizations should manage risk, governance, and human handoffs as agentic AI scales. This episode is designed for enterprise leaders evaluating AI strategies for customer experience transformation. Bio: Jarrod Johnson, Chief Customer Officer, TaskUs Jarrod Johnson is the Chief Customer Officer of TaskUs. He is responsible for TaskUs' go-to-market strategy and execution across all client-facing and market-facing functions. Jarrod leads the "Client Organization" at TaskUs, including client success, sales, product and service management, and TaskUs’ consulting function, which includes the Agentic AI Consulting Practice. Jarrod is responsible for all aspects of revenue management and growth for TaskUs. He brings over 20 years of experience in enterprise technology-enabled services and business management. Show notes 00:00 – AI in Customer Experience (CX): What This Episode Covers 01:31 – What a Chief Customer Officer Does in AI-Driven Customer Experience 03:46 – Top Customer Experience (CX) Bottlenecks Blocking AI Adoption 05:56 – Chatbots vs. Agentic AI: What’s the Difference in Customer Experience? 09:31 – How to Start with Agentic AI in Customer Experience (Real ROI Use Cases) 12:46 – When AI Should Hand Off to Humans in Customer Experience 15:41 – AI in Customer Experience: Cost Reduction vs. Revenue Growth 18:21 – Voice AI in Customer Service: Why It Finally Works 22:01 – AI Guardrails, Safety, and Brand Risk in Customer Experience 26:31 – Measuring AI-Driven Customer Experience (CX Metrics That Matter) 29:46 – AI for Customer Experience: Market Fragmentation and Vendor Landscape 33:46 – Agentic AI Pitfalls to Avoid in Customer Experience Transformation

    37 min

  2. JAN 13

    CES Quick Take Part 1: Julie Ask of Ask Advisory

    CES 2026 Quick Take: Physical AI, Ambient AI, and the Reality of Adoption In this episode, Maribel Lopez, founder and principal analyst at Lopez Research, is joined by Julie Ask, founder of Ask Advisory, for a candid, unscripted conversation on what CES 2026 actually revealed about the state of AI. Rather than focusing on flashy demos or speculative promises, Maribel and Julie examine where AI is delivering real value today—and where expectations are running ahead of reality.  Julie's bio Julie is a prominent customer experience analyst, technology futurist, and digital product strategist who has advised hundreds of global brands on the impact emerging technologies (e.g., mobile, sensors, extended reality, networks, AI) can and will have on customer experiences. She actively works with enterprises and vendors to understand how technology and consumer trends will impact their business with a deep focus on customer engagement strategies.  For more than 25 years, her work has defined the evolution of consumer digital experiences and inspired brands to take action. Her combined background in engineering and business gives her a unique ability to help business leaders understand what is possible and leverage technology to drive business outcomes. She has appeared frequently on Bloomberg while her research has been cited by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, and a breadth of marketing publications. She co-authored The Mobile Mind Shift book in 2014. She founded Julie Ask Advisory in 2024 to pursue her passion for helping business leaders understand the impact of AI on experiences.

    9 min

  3. 12/05/2025

    From AI Chaos to Production: Why 2026 is the Year Enterprise AI Gets Real

    Maribel Lopez reports live from AWS re:Invent 2025 in Las Vegas, unpacking why the AI experimentation phase is officially over. With statistics that say 95% of AI projects are failing and enterprise budgets tightening, 2026 demands production-quality AI—not more proof-of-concepts. This episode explores the critical shift from building agents to deploying them safely at scale. Key Themes The Reality Check (2025 Recap) MIT study reveals 95% AI project failure rateMcKinsey and BCG document widespread implementation strugglesBoard-level AI initiatives now demand real ROI, not just innovation theaterThe POC gold rush is over—experimentation budgets are drying upAgentic AI Grows Up The conversation has evolved from "can we build agents?" to "can we trust them in production?" Three critical roadblocks: Security & Orchestration: How agents interact without creating vulnerabilitiesPolicy & Governance: Preventing rogue agents and establishing guardrailsObservability: Real-time monitoring to ensure agents perform as intended AWS re:Invent 2025 Highlights Agent Core Improvements Enhanced policy frameworks defining agent boundaries and permissionsHuman-in-the-loop controls for high-stakes decisionsBetter cross-stack orchestration for multi-agent workflowsThe Discoverability Problem AWS Marketplace now features natural language searchUpload requirements documents instead of filling rigid formsAI-suggested prompts help non-technical users navigate complex decisionsSmarter filtering for nuanced needs (performance vs. cost vs. compliance)The Full-Stack Maturity Recognition that AI "takes a village"—no single vendor owns the entire stackGrowing emphasis on open standards (A2A, MCP) for SaaS integrationTools designed for all skill levels, not just data scientists Key Takeaway Enterprise AI in 2026 isn't about doing more—it's about doing it right. The winners will be organizations that prioritize governance, observability, and practical deployment over flashy demos. Host: Maribel Lopez Recorded: AWS re:Invent, Las Vegas, December 2025 Follow-up: Stay tuned for next week's deep-dive episode with demos and vendor interviews

    13 min

  4. 10/13/2025

    AI Meets Cybersecurity: Protecting Critical Infrastructure with Black & Veatch’s Ian Bramson

    In this episode of AI with Maribel Lopez, Maribel sits down with Ian Bramson, Vice President of Global Industrial Cybersecurity at Black & Veatch, to explore the growing intersection between artificial intelligence and operational technology (OT) security. From power grids and oil refineries to manufacturing plants, critical infrastructure systems are becoming increasingly connected—and therefore more vulnerable. Ian shares how Black & Veatch is helping industrial organizations rethink cybersecurity from the ground up, integrating protection early in the design and build process rather than bolting it on later. Together, Maribel and Ian discuss the evolution of OT threats, the rise of AI in both defense and attack scenarios, and why cybersecurity must be seen as a core business function, not an afterthought. 🧩 Key Discussion Topics 1. The Evolution of Industrial Cybersecurity Ian’s unconventional career path—from Coca-Cola to futurist consulting with Alvin Toffler to leading cybersecurity initiatives.Why Black & Veatch launched its dedicated industrial cybersecurity practice and how it’s integrated across engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC).2. IT vs. OT Cybersecurity: What’s the Difference? IT focuses on data protection; OT focuses on physical safety and uptime.The rising threat of cyber-physical attacks on power, water, and manufacturing systems.How the increasing connectivity of devices—from pumps to sensors to AI controllers—creates new risks.3. Foundational Security: Basics Still Matter Start with asset inventory—knowing what you need to protect.Identify vulnerabilities and train your “human layer.”Build security in from day one instead of bolting it on later.4. The Expanding Threat Landscape Why ransomware is still relevant but no longer the only concern.The growing risks of supply chain attacks, remote operations, and super dependencies (as seen in the CrowdStrike outage).How attackers are weaponizing AI to accelerate attacks—and how defenders can use AI for faster detection and response.5. AI and OT: A Double-Edged Sword How AI is reshaping the attack surface for industrial systems.Why every company is already “in the AI game,” whether they realize it or not.The three layers of AI to consider: AI used in cybersecurity, AI inside your operations, and AI in the wild used by partners and adversaries.6. The Biggest Misconceptions About OT Security The “myth of the air gap”—why physical isolation no longer guarantees safety.Common organizational blind spots: board confusion between IT and OT, fragmented responsibility, and lack of lifecycle thinking.The need for Cyber Asset Lifecycle Management (CALM) to ensure long-term resilience.7. Building a Resilient Future Why early planning and a holistic approach are key to managing future risks.The importance of embedding security, governance, and ethics into every new AI or industrial project.

    26 min

  5. 10/13/2025

    Why Your Gut Instinct is Costing You Millions a Chat with Verint's AI Analytics Expert Daniel Ziv

    About This Episode Daniel Ziv, Global VP of AI and Analytics at Verint, reveals why experienced executives are making their worst decisions in decades—and how AI analytics is rewriting the rules of business intelligence. Learn the two critical frameworks that separate AI winners from losers, and why the biggest risk isn't picking the wrong technology—it's doing nothing at all. Guest Bio Daniel Ziv leads AI and analytics product management and go-to-market strategy at Verint, where he helps global enterprises transform customer experience through data-driven decision-making. With two decades in the analytics space, Daniel has witnessed firsthand how AI is fundamentally changing what's possible in customer insights. Key Timestamps [00:00] - Why change is happening faster than ever before [03:04] - The Macro vs. Micro Analytics Framework explained [06:19] - Two flawed decision-making patterns destroying value [09:20] - Real ROI: $80M saved, $10M found in 48 hours [15:32] - Generative AI vs. Agentic AI: What's the difference? [21:03] - The hybrid cloud advantage (why on-prem isn't dead) [26:35] - Common misconceptions about Verint [28:49] - Daniel's advice for making AI decisions today [32:17] - Final thoughts: "Ride the dragon" Key Takeaways The Two Fatal Mistakes: Gut-based decisions without data - Your experience is becoming less reliable as change accelerates Analysis paralysis - Waiting weeks for insights while competitors move in hours The Macro-Micro Framework: Macro Analytics: Understand patterns across ALL interactions (the 30,000-foot view) Micro Analytics: Apply insights to individual interactions in real-time Companies that excel at both create significant competitive advantage Real Results: Large telecom: $80M saved + 11% sales increase Typical deployment: $5-10M in insights found within 1-2 days UK financial services: $5M additional revenue from loan process improvements Energy supplier: $2M saved through increased agent capacity Generative → Agentic Evolution: Generative AI responds to prompts (you ask, it answers) Agentic AI breaks down goals and executes multi-step workflows autonomously Example: Genie Bot evolved from answering questions to analyzing, quantifying, and exporting results automatically Action Items for Listeners Audit your decision-making speed - Are you making gut calls or waiting too long for data? Identify one quick-win AI deployment - What could you turn on this week without changing infrastructure? Evaluate your analytics gaps - Do you have macro insights, micro operationalization, or both? Test before scaling - Start with 300 users, validate, then scale to 30,000 Connect with Daniel - Reach out on LinkedIn to discuss your specific use case Connect With Daniel Ziv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dziv1/ About the Host Maribel Lopez brings decades of technology industry analysis experience, helping business leaders cut through hype to understand what actually works in AI, cloud, and digital transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/ Subscribe & Follow If you found this conversation valuable, subscribe for more deep dives with AI leaders who are actually deploying this technology and seeing real business results. Tags: #AI #Analytics #CustomerExperience #GenAI #AgenticAI #BusinessIntelligence #CXAutomation #DataDriven #DigitalTransformation #Verint

    32 min

  6. 09/23/2025

    What's Next for Cognitive ERP and Manufacturing Intelligence with Epicor's Kerrie Jordan

    Episode Overview Host Maribel Lopez sits down with Kerrie Jordan, the newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Epicor, to discuss the evolution of ERP systems and the transformative power of cognitive ERP in manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain industries. Guest Bio and social links Kerrie Jordan - Chief Marketing Officer, Epicor Kerrie Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer at Epicor, leads the global go-to-market efforts, bringing together her deep product innovation and strategic marketing experience to drive brand growth and customer engagement across the make, move, and sell industry communities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerriejordan/ Key Topics Discussed Cognitive ERP: From System of Record to System of Action Definition: Transforming ERP from passive data storage to intelligent, proactive decision-making systemsKey capabilities:Sensing signals in data noiseServing up actionable insights when neededConnecting organizations across supply chainsCreating intelligent business communitiesEpicor Prism: Agentic AI Technology What it is: Conversational ERP experience launched last yearKey features:Natural language interaction (type or speak)Information querying without knowing system screens/reportsAutomated actions with human approval (semi-autonomous approach)Multiple specialized agents (Knowledge Agent, RFP Agent, Business Communications Agent)Real-World Success Stories Measuring AI ROI Focus on specific business outcomes, not just AI implementationApply fundamental business case principles"Nail it before you scale it" approachBaseline analysis and clear success metricsFuture Vision (Next 1-2 Years) Data Platform Evolution Explosion of structured and unstructured dataCritical need for data normalization and healthOpen, secure connections as "good cloud citizens" AI Development Trajectory Current: Pre-trained models and agentic AIFuture: Self-service pipelines for custom AI model creationModel-agnostic strategy with patented inference pipelineCommunity-based insights and collaboration Quotable Moments "We are an organization that is really focused on our core industries... making, moving, selling the things that we use every day""It's all about accelerated value... How can we get as close to zero as possible?""This era that we're in [is] like the modem dial-up era of AI""Nail it before you scale it

    39 min

  7. 09/16/2025

    Racing Against AI-Powered Fraudsters: How Experian Stays Ahead

    Overview Maribel Lopez interviews Kathleen Peters, Experian's Chief Innovation Officer, about AI's evolution in fraud detection, the shift to generative and agentic AI, and balancing innovation with security in financial services. Key Topics AI Evolution at Experian 15-year AI journey: Using machine learning for fraud detection long before generative AIDemocratization shift: Public LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude made AI accessible beyond data scientistsInnovation labs: 15-year-old team of PhDs and researchers finding insights in vast datasetsResponsible AI Implementation Risk Council: Cross-functional team ensuring responsible AI adoptionSecurity-first approach: Enterprise tools with guardrails protecting sensitive credit dataCustom AI stack: Proprietary systems maintaining data privacy while leveraging AIAgentic AI Applications EVA Experian Virtual Assistant (Consumer Assistant): Evolved from chatbot to personalized agent that can take actions like unlocking credit scoresBusiness Assistant: Democratizes data science, enabling rapid model development through natural languageReal-time capabilities: Shifted from batch to real-time fraud detectionAI-Powered Fraud Threats Fraudster empowerment: Bad actors adopting AI faster than security measuresDeep fake risks: Sophisticated impersonation for identity theft and account takeoverAgent authentication: Challenge distinguishing legitimate vs. fraudulent AI agentsIndustry urgency: Can't wait for regulation; must develop solutions proactively Key Achievements Fast, safe adoption: Chose innovation over waiting, with proper security guardrailsProduct success: Launched consumer EVA and business AI assistantsIndustry leadership: Staying ahead of evolving fraud landscape Advice for Organizations Establish Risk Council: Cross-functional leadership team for AI governanceDefine values first: Determine organizational risk tolerance before technical implementationSupport curiosity safely: Enable experimentation within secure boundariesDon't wait: Move quickly but responsibly - the technology won't slow downKey Quote "If you set up the infrastructure right, then you can let them hack away. You can let people be very curious." Participants: Maribel Lopez (Host), Kathleen (CIO, Experian) Focus: #AI #FraudDetection #GenerativeAI #AgenticAI #FinancialServices #Security Kathleen Peters Chief Innovation Officer NA Fraud, Innovation & Commercialization  Kathleen Peters leads innovation and strategy for Experian’s Fraud and Identity business in North America, continuously exploring new ways to solve market challenges in identity, risk, and fraud detection. She and her team define business strategies and investment priorities while incubating new products, analyzing industry trends and leveraging the latest technologies to bring ideas to life. Kathleen joined Experian in 2013 to lead business development and global product management for Experian’s newest fraud products. She later served as the Head of the North America Fraud & Identity business, until being named Chief Innovation Officer for Decision Analytics in 2020. Kathleen has twice been named a “Top 100 Influencer in Identity” by One World Identity (now Liminal), an exclusive list that annually recognizes influencers and leaders from across the globe, showcasing a who’s who of people to know in the identity space.For nearly two decades, she has lived in

    27 min

  8. 08/27/2025

    Ford Pro's Kevin Dunbar Shares How AI Transforms Fleet Management

    Episode Summary Kevin Dunbar joins Maribel Lopez to discuss how AI is revolutionizing commercial fleet management through Ford Pro Intelligence. With nearly two decades of experience at companies like Cisco and Palo Alto Networks, Kevin shares insights on how Ford's commercial division is processing over a billion data points daily to help fleet operators optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve safety.AI with Maribel Lopez: Transforming Fleet Management with Kevin Dunbar Guest: Kevin Dunbar, General Manager of Ford Pro Intelligence Host: Maribel Lopez, Founder of the Data for Betterment Foundation and Lopez Research Key Topics Covered Ford Pro Intelligence Platform Commercial division serving business and government customersComprehensive ecosystem from vehicle upfitting to fleet managementData services, telematics software, and fleet controlsUpdated from last earnings to 757,000 and 24% yoy growth. (vs. 675,000+ subscribers with 20% growth rate.)Data at Scale Processing over 1 billion connected vehicle data points dailySensor data ranging from tire pressure and GPS to seatbelt activity and driver behaviorClean, structured data transformation into actionable insightsAI Applications in Action Digital vehicle walkarounds replacing 20-minute manual processesPredictive maintenance moving customers from reactive to proactive serviceE-switch assist tool using machine learning for electrification decisionsConnected uptime system achieving 98% vehicle availabilityTangible Business Impact 10% reduction in insurance costs through safer driving coaching20% improvement in driver safety metrics25% reduction in speeding incidents80% reduction in cost downtime10-20% total cost of ownership reduction Notable Quotes "We want to make sure that their Ford vehicle works as hard for their business digitally as it does mechanically." - Kevin Dunbar "It's not just about having data. It's about having clean, structured data." - Kevin Dunbar For more episodes of "AI with Maribel Lopez," visit Lopez Research and follow our latest insights on AI transformation across industries. About Ford  Pro and Ford Pro Intelligence Ford Pro is helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs. Ford Pro Intelligence is Ford’s comprehensive solution for fleet digitalization and operational efficiency, combining connected vehicle data, telematics tools, and smart management software under one platform Follow Kevin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-dunbar-78343558/ Follow Maribel at https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/ #FordProIntelligence #FordPro #FleetManagement #Fleets  #DataSecurity

    27 min
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5
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About

The AI with Maribel Lopez podcast interviews leading thinkers, experts and innovators on the latest trends in Artificial intelligence areas such as agentic AI, generative AI, AI security, AI ethics and governance. Maribel Lopez is a technology industry analyst, keynote speaker and founder of the Data For Betterment Foundation and Lopez Research. The podcast shares advice, strategies and techniques on how to use AI solutions such as conversational AI, computer vision and automation to make businesses more efficient. New episodes are released every week on Wednesdays. 

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