AI Behind the Scenes: The Systems You Rely On Every Day

The AI enhancing our power grids and rail lines is the kind most people will never notice. Hitachi Americas CMO Arya Barirani joins James Kotecki to explain why the goal is getting more from existing infrastructure rather than full autonomy, how humans stay in control of safety-critical systems and what Hitachi is planning for CES 2027.

Farmers are trying to get more out of every acre while weather gets harder to predict and costs keep climbing. James Kotecki talks with Jessica Uelmen, VP of engineering at Blue River Technology, a John Deere company, about See & Spray, a system that uses 36 cameras to spot weeds and spray only where needed, with AI running on the machine in real time. Jessica explains what farmers actually want from all their data, which is a clear idea of what to do next, and why she sees AI as building on what they already know.

What if the room you sleep in could tell you something is off before you feel it? James Kotecki talks with Sam Yang, CEO and co-founder of Xandar Kardian, about a baseball-sized radar sensor that reads heartbeat and breathing from your nightstand or wall, with no camera, no microphone and nothing to wear. Built for hospitals and nursing homes, Sam says it has flagged changes in people’s vitals days before something went wrong, and it’s now coming to consumers. Hear why he says radar can measure breathing instead of estimating it, how sensing like this could show up in appliances and phones and what’s coming at CES 2027. First in our three-part miniseries, “AI in Action."

In 1999, Napster put every song within reach. Now it's trying to do the same for expertise. Chief Product Officer, Ziv Navoth, joins James Kotecki to talk about how that name survived, why Napster's AI agents come with faces and why "agent manager" is a job that didn't exist a year ago.

Roblox isn't just a game anymore. It's where 123 million people spend three hours a day building, shopping and figuring out who they are. Stephanie Latham, VP of Global Brand Partnerships and Advertising at Roblox, joins us to unpack how the platform is rewriting the rules of brand marketing: an avatar that can matter more than a profile picture, Rolling Stones merch that turns into music discovery and Fenty letting its own community vote on a new product before it ever hit shelves at Sephora. If you think this is still just blocky avatars and kids' games, this conversation will change your mind.

CES Tech Talk is back for Season 10, gearing up for CES 2027!In this kickoff episode, iJustine and Brian Tong break down what's coming to CES 2027, from AI and robotics to energy, health tech and even a new award category for tech-made art. If you want the real picture of where tech is headed this year, not just one trend, this is the conversation.

Protection and performance don’t have to be a trade-off. IAS' CEO, Lisa Utzschneider, and TikTok’s VP Product Management & Head of Monetization Product Solutions & Operations, David Kaufman, explain how a leading global measurement and optimization company and a fast‑growing social platform work together to ensure digital ads are viewable, human and adjacent to brand‑safe, brand‑suitable content.

Digital advertisers are looking to turn discovery into real results. Taboola's Chief Executive Officer, Adam Singolda, explains how Taboola grew from a recommendation engine into a performance advertising company powered by artificial intelligence, and highlights how it helps people find content and products they enjoy while giving advertisers a scalable way to reach audiences.

Smart home value shows up in the small moments that repeat every day. Vivint's Senior Vice President of Marketing, William Stovall, describes how customers engage with the Vivint app about 17 times a day on average, how anonymized patterns like nightly routines guide new features and how Vivint is moving toward predictive automations that make life easier while keeping customers in control.

Longevity isn’t just about living longer — it’s about enhancing the quality of those years. Anna Banks, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer of AARP, explains how AARP serves Americans over 50 with rich resources, from caregiving and retirement planning to health and active living. Discover how her team partners with innovators so technology can be built with this audience at the center, helping people use tech to live healthier, better connected lives.