Episode 32 - Data, AI, and ML with Patrick McClory

State of the CIO

Today we have Patrick McClory joining us. Patrick is the founder and CEO of IntrospectData. He brings a great deal of experience and expertise across multiple industries. He has focused a lot on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Patrick has been writing code, managing DevOps, and designing scalable application infrastructures for over ten years. Before founding IntrospectData, he served as a Sr. Consultant for Amazon Web Services, a Platform Engineer with DataPipe, CTO of DualSpark, and more.

Patrick shares so much great information about data, AI, ML, and technology in general. We talk about remote working, tools for better efficiency, and ethics in AI and ML. We specifically talk about the misconceptions and steps for getting started using AI. He has so many great insights.

Show Notes:

• [01:06] Patrick started his experience in software engineering and as cloud became a thing he found his home there.
• [02:33] He found the software world was fascinating to him. He thought he was going to be a doctor when he went to college and he ended up with a degree in psychology.
• [04:19] He is always interested in the cutting edge, but also looking to find how to apply that cool new idea into real-world value.
• [06:25] CIOs often become so engrossed in internal operations that they fail to see the opportunities to manage cost and drive forward.
• [07:54] We get so focused on cost control and providing services that we forget that we are trying to run a business.
• [09:59] You have to be hands-on with your customers either internally or externally to understand how to make good decisions.
• [12:24] Shadow IT is a leading indicator of what your users want.
• [14:44] The problem with working remotely isn’t technical, it is about getting people comfortable working in a collaborative environment from home.
• [15:39] You have to make it that when people make a mistake it is not the end of the world. You can do this socially or technically.
• [17:07] Patrick’s company uses Google apps connected with Zoom and Slack. It is important to have a tool that does immediate communications.
• [19:04] People still want to feel that connection. They want to feel like they are part of the mission of the organization.
• [21:57] They are really chipping away at the amount of time and confidence that a company has to make decisions faster than anyone else.
• [23:51] There is not a whole lot of positive useful AI. There is fear around what AI could be doing and what it looks like.
• [25:44] Regulation is usually five years behind innovation.
• [26:33] Financial services have been leading the forecasting and predictive analytics space for years.
• [28:32] Many industries don’t have the budget or bench to speculate about different technologies.
• [29:50] Often organizations can’t get out of their own way.
• [31:15] From a science and engineering perspective we can do lots of cool things, but from a marketing perspective we are not ready for something that is bigger.
• [33:12] Until it is easy to understand people are still going to be wary of AI even if it does produce great results.
• [36:29] Patrick’s advice is to continue to exercise being curious in work and life in general.
• [38:10] Think outside of your space and take that first step.
• [39:11] Patrick shares his best worst boss story.
• [42:12] Organizations looking at AI at a technical level need to be focused on getting their house in order. Getting your data ready for AI and ML is step one.

Links and Resources:

• State of the CIO Podcast Website
• State of the CIO Podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Dan on LinkedIn
• Patrick on LinkedIn
• Patrick on Twitter
• IntrospectData
• Slack
• Zoom