AI in the real world isn’t a keynote... it’s a factory floor, a power bill, and a risk register. In this episode, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Alec Coughlin (AI with Alec) to map the jump from hype to hard results: securing brownfield OT, preparing a data/knowledge-centric estate, and using agents to augment operators—not replace them.We cover the shift from app-centric silos to platforms, prescriptive analytics that drive next-best actions, and the leadership moves that make it stick: psychological safety, exec bootcamps, incentives that reward smart risk, and “hands-in-dirt” adoption.If you’re a CTO/CIO, plant leader, or ops owner wondering how to compete when AI becomes table stakes, this is the playbook you've been looking for.⏱ Chapters:0:00 – Intros & setup0:24 – Alec’s origin: RPA spark → “AI with Alec”1:14 – Marvin’s path: industrial engineering to AI2:00 – Practical vs hype; LLMs get “evolutionary” + Palantir/data platforms5:31 – Augmentation vs automation (factory story)9:07 – Brownfield OT realities & security-by-design12:50 – From app-centric to data/knowledge-centric (why it’s existential)16:45 – Analytics ladder: descriptive → predictive → prescriptive19:08 – Ransomware lesson ($20M/day) & designing safety in40:56 – Culture, incentives, “make the beer taste better” 42:32 – Closing Thoughts→ The Zeroed in Podcast is also now available on your favorite podcast platforms: https://linktr.ee/zeroedinpod📌 Follow Alec Coughlin on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecchh/📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.Follow us on:- YouTube: YouTube.com/@thing-zero - Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954/- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com/#AIwithAlec #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ML

Robots don’t kill jobs, and they might even be able to save them when you use them right.

In this episode, Jake Hall: the Manufacturing Millennial, joins Olivier Bloch and Ryan Kershaw of Thing-Zero to dig into the real levers behind U.S. manufacturing: reshoring, automation, brownfield vs. greenfield, AI (yes, generative too), security/trust, and the single biggest constraint of all… people and skills.

We cover:

• Why many SMEs still run like it’s 2005—and what flips the adoption switch

• RaaS, easier software, and proof-you-can-scale examples• Robots creating local jobs (not replacing them)

• Practical security/trust moves when connecting OT → cloud

• Education pipelines: FIRST Robotics, digital natives, and what Gen Z actually wants at work

Chapters below. If this helped, hit Subscribe and share with a manufacturing friend who needs a nudge to modernize.⏱ Chapters:• 00:00 Intros & setup (Olivier, Ryan, Jake)

• 01:38 Sports icebreaker → manufacturing mindset

• 02:30 Reshoring & tariffs: can the U.S. staff up?

• 05:44 “Good enough” risk: closure story & the moving-train analogy

• 09:50 Post-2020 winners: automation, flexibility, RaaS & easier software

• 12:45 Brownfield first steps: lighthouse plants & fail-fast culture

• 16:32 Brownfield vs. Greenfield: culture decides; skills are the bottleneck

• 20:04 Robots save jobs: U.S. case study + AI parallels

• 26:07 Security & trust: connecting OT → cloud the right way

• 32:42 Education pipeline & what Gen Z wants (FIRST Robotics)

• 37:22 Closing thoughts

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Jake Hall on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobrhall/

📌 Follow Olivier Bloch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierbloch/

📌 Follow Ryan Kershaw on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankershaw/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing

What happens when you combine shift-level insights, OT data, and predictive analytics? You stop burning buns, and start scaling profits.

In this episode of the Zeroed In Podcast, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Aaron Pfeifer (Atlas OT) to unpack how manufacturers can:

• Pull signal from noisy operations data

• Spot patterns in downtime, waste, and inefficiency

• Use successful shifts as live playbooks for struggling ones

• Bridge the gap between OT realities and IT-driven AI models

Whether you’re leading a plant, an OT security program, or a digital transformation initiative, this conversation gives you a frontline look at how to turn data into behaviors that improve reliability, safety, and profitability.

⏱ Chapters:

• 00:00 — Start / Framing ROI: Maintenance math, partial valve testing (SIL mindset)

• 02:45 — Real-time + historical data: Compare assets, vendors, and cycles for gains

• 05:30 — Prep the data estate for AI: “You already own the apartment” (cloud)

• 08:50 — Secure democratization: Read-only, one-way flows; exec dashboards that matter

• 12:10 — Crawl → Walk → Run: Models, thresholds, and cost-of-action decisions

• 16:20 — Edge models safely: Optimize offline; push anomalies up, not commands down

• 19:30 — Brownfield realities: Knowledge loss, out-of-date prints, safety interlocks

• 24:30 — The cost of NOT modernizing: Unplanned downtime vs. proactive budgets

• 28:50 — Heterogeneous control stacks: Standardizing without standardizing

• 33:10 — Agile POCs on your cloud: Measure waste first; fast wins prove value

• 37:10 — Close: Better business → better world (and better jobs)

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/

📌 Follow Aaron Pfiefer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adpfeifer/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing