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Tag: Whisper Report

Conference Whispers: AAPEX & SEMA Show 2025
Las Vegas, NV November 4- November 7

Published to clients: November 10, 2025 ID: TBW2125

Published to readers: November 11, 2025 am

Published to Email Whispers: November 11, 2025 pm

Public with video edition: November 12, 2025

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

ABSTRACT

AAPEX and SEMA brought together over 161,000 from the Automotive sector to Las Vegas for live presentations, interactive demos, training, education, and networking. TBW Advisors LLC captured over 140 minutes across 61 segments including two live streams and 2 miles of walkabouts across the various exhibit halls and lots. Leveraging over 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space and additional 1 million square feet outside of the LVCC in neighboring areas including the Westgate, the event concludes with a public event, SEMA Fest.

The Conference
- AAPEX and SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association Show) Consistently attract over 161,000 to Las Vegas including over 70,000 buyers and 3300 media and 2400 exhibiting countries form 140 countries.
- The event leverages 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space and additional 1 million square feet outside of the LVCC in neighbouring areas including the Westgate.
Cautions
- Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
Conference Vibe

After almost 30,000 steps, including some 500 minutes of standing, 2 Vegas loop rides, 61 video segments including 2 live streams and 140 minutes of content, our coverage of AAPEX (Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo) and SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association Show) closes. AAPEX and SEMA consistently attract over 161,000 to Las Vegas including over 70,000 buyers and 3300 media and 2400 exhibiting countries form 140 countries. The event leverages 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space and additional 1 million square feet outside of the LVCC in neighbouring areas including the Westgate.

Featuring over 1500 vehicles in booths and throughout the convention center and over 3,000 new products, it is THE place to be in those in the automotive sector. The combined events feature live presentations, interactive demos, training, education, and networking within the global automotive industry. That means the event featured a lot of virtual garage space.

AAPEX leveraged the full Venetian Expo lower hall, the entire upper hall including leveraging rooms for meetings and sessions. The usual Venetian eateries were available including the café, the food marketplace and the bistro! In addition, AAPEX always features the Truck Stop downstairs and a Beer Garden near the bridge to Caesars Forum. Admittedly, it is the only time I noticed the movable temporary eateries named something reflecting the nature of the conference. AAPEX also formally leverages all of Caesars Forum for exhibits.

For getting around, those wishing to zip from AAPEX over to SEMA, Caesars Forum has a Monorail station one can leverage. Buses also ran between all AAPEX and SEMA locations. Within SEMA, the West Hall and North Hall are connected via a connecting corridor that hosted the legendary SEMA Art Walk. One can also take the Vegas Loop from South Hall, Central, or West Halls to get to each other or hotels connected.

SEMA spanned the entirety of the Las Vegas Convention Center sans the new Central Hall lobby still under construction; TBW Advisors LLC was able to get a sneak speak of its upcoming grandeur. It is valuable to note that many vendors had multiple booths at both events. While in 2019 the event wasn’t sure what a technologist and data expert would do at AAPEX and SEMA, this year, just as last year featured more and more technology for us to dig into especially in North Hall. North Hall was dedicated to first-time exhibitors, business services and mobile electronics and technology. We were able to capture the Healthy eatery in North Hall while we were there. South Hall lower featured the tire expo as well as wheels and accessories. South Hall upper featured collision repair and refinishing both equipment and tools to execute. Central Hall featured racing, performance, powersports, utility vehicles, hot rod alley and the entire restoration marketplace. West Hall features all the speciality recreating, trucks, SUVs, & off-roads speciality equipment including accessories. As is customary, we also caught the food available in West Hall. SEMA is also very well known for the SEMA SHOW outdoor exhibition of cars – enjoy our walkabout.

We once again live streamed from on site. On Tuesday from AAPEX requesting those attending to find me to answer Questions 1-3, and Wednesday from SEMA SHOW to requesting assistance on your favorite videos for my segment on the November 8 broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.

While at AAPEX SEMA 2025, we conducted research for three additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The playlists are unlisted but available and will eventually fill in with the video version of the report so you may wish to bookmark these playlists.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: AAPEX SEMA Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be cited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.

The video edition will conclude with a montage of responses to Question 4 — “What’s the best part about attending AAPEX and SEMA live in Vegas?” — capturing the energy and moments that made the event unforgettable.

Exhibits

Touring the exhibits we captured, we will start with the technology to help auto shop owners be found online in the first place, AutoShop Solutions. Need to get your technicians certified? AVTECC is not just talking about certifications, they to help ensure your team has the right qualifications to meet your customer’s needs. Hunter Engineering was on hand with their portfolio of solution. Their focus is making life easier for technicians, more profitable for owners leading to happier end customers to get the word out. Boasting over 50,000 customers world-wide in 35 countries, klipboard provides solutions form point of sale through inventory management, e-commerce, and catalogue including all data for tire and service companies. If you are seeking diagnostics for anything from automotive, heavy-duty truck, all highway equipment, marine and powersport you are in luck! TEXA revealed their 5 in 1 diagnostics solution including demonstrations in their Bay at Joe’s Garage. If the challenge in your shop is diagnosing and calibrating ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) equipped vehicles, Opus IVS wants their intelligent vehicle support solution on your radar. Opus IVS is literally an entire ecosystem for the automotive aftermarket for diagnosing and calibrating ADAS equipped vehicles.

Instead of going to an Autoshop, perhaps you dream of an auto shop coming to you? Perhaps even insisting they bring OEM equipment? Then Elitek is making your dreams come true! If it isn’t necessarily about repair but a complete rebuild? Even rebuilding heavy trucks? Then LKQ has a solution to fit your needs. They can even help create parts no longer available. Have a big truck and want to avoid accidents or more specifically remove your blind spots? Voxx was very excited to share their revolutionary aftermarket product with you. Perhaps it is not so much about blind spots but recording what is going on around your vehicle? Worried about the solution failing over putting a huge drain on your batter? Having a hard time finding one with decent resolution? Or better yet one with both built in privacy so you can share your videos on line and technology to clean up plates images for accountability? One of the stars from our CES coverage, Vueroid, was back at SEMA with their high-res, never fail dashcam.

Perhaps one is seeking a fast car? Turntide was in Central Hall with their Axial Flux Motor in an All-Electric Sierra Echo-S able to reach a top speed of 140 miles an hour. Electric vehicles on your mind but are more concerned with replacing your EV battery on your car in your garage? Greentec has 35 locations across the US and include recycling capabilities. More of a traditional ‘no replacement for displacement’ combustion motors fan but find the ECU getting in the way of your performance dreams? AutoTune brought their solution able to assist you with over 21,000 different cars.

Finally as denoted, many technology companies were there to support the general business functions of the business including Lyncco with their global logistics solutions. Lyncco proudly shared they can help you optimize your entire supply chain – globally.

For additional research on supply chain and logistics, see Conference Whispers: Manifest, Conference Whispers: Pack Expo, Conference Whispers: Retail, Supply Chain and Logistics. For research on call center technology see Conference Whispers: Customer Connect Expo. For additional research on HR Technologies see Conference Whispers: HR Tech. For additional research on software to run the finance side of the business including fraud prevention see Conference Whispers: Fintech Meetup. For additional research on Cyber Physical security see Conference Whispers: ISC West.

Next Year’s Conference

SEMA will once again return to Las Vegas November 3 through November 6, 2026. SEMA returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center. AAPEX 2026 will be held November 3- November 5, 2026, at the Venetian Expo. With some educational events commencing as early as November 1.

^*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other example products in the same category may have also been on display.

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©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
November 11, 2025
Whisper Report: What’s the biggest UAV threat CIOs aren’t ready for?
Published to clients: October 27, 2025 ID: TBW2094

Published to Readers: October 28, 2025

Whisper Email Release: TBD

Public/Video Release: TBD

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract

This Whisper Report investigates the biggest UAV threat CIO’s are not ready for. CIOs are underestimating the scale and urgency of UAV-related risks. From electric infrastructure and jamming threats to data overload and geopolitical embargoes, this Whisper Report captures the 10 most pressing vulnerabilities revealed at CUAV Expo 2025 — and what enterprise leaders must do next.

Analysis only available to clients at this time.

Related playlists and Publications
Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
October 27, 2025
Whisper Report: How can we leverage the creator economy to drive business growth?
Published to clients: September 29, 2025 ID: TBW2087

Published to Readers: September 30, 2025

Published to Email Whispers: TBD

Public and Video Release: TBD

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

“The creator economy is no longer a niche—it’s a strategic force reshaping media, marketing, and consumer expectations. This report explores how businesses can partner with creators to unlock scalable engagement, rival traditional media in quality and speed, and adapt to a market where authenticity and agility win. Insights from NAB Show 2025 reveal why enabling creators isn’t optional—it’s essential. “

Analysis only available to clients at this time.

Related playlists
1. Whisper Report: How can AI and machine learning transform media and entertainment?
2. Conference Whispers: NAB Show 2025
Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
September 28, 2025
Whisper Report: How can telemedicine be optimized to improve patient care?
Published to clients: September 2, 2025 ID: TBW2064

Published to Readers: September 3, 2025

Published to Email Whispers: October 27, 2025

Public with Video Edition: October 27, 2025

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract

This report explores how telemedicine is evolving beyond convenience to deliver deeper, more personalized care. From AI-powered test result interpretation to seamless appointment coordination and continuity across care settings, experts at HIMSS25 reveal how digital tools are reshaping the patient journey. Discover how telemedicine can close access gaps, enhance understanding, and support long-term health outcomes—if systems are designed with the full patient lifecycle in mind.

Target Audience Titles:
- Chief Information Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Data Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Patient Officer
- Clinical Informatics Specialists, Telehealth program manager, Health IT Architect, Clinical Data Analyst, Biomedical Engineer, AI/ML Engineer (Health Focus), Patient Engagement Strategists, Virtual Care Coordinator
Key Takeaways
- AI-enhanced telemedicine can streamline appointment booking, interpret test results, and personalize care recommendations—improving speed, clarity, and access for patients.
- Continuity of care is the next frontier—integrating telemedicine across acute, post-acute, and home health settings to support the full patient journey.
- Access equity improves when telemedicine includes specialists and reaches underserved populations, addressing socioeconomic and geographic barriers.
- Patient understanding is amplified when generative AI explains results and next steps in context, reducing confusion and improving engagement.
How can telemedicine be optimized to improve patient care??

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the health systems technology experts gathering at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2025 Global Health Conference and Exhibition or HIMSS25 for short. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding how can telemedicine be optimized to improve patient care? Figure 1 depicts two patient care optimizations one can expects from telemedicine.

Patient Experience

The first benefit many expect to experience with telemedicine is the patient experience. For example, when getting test results, AI can be leveraged for the benefit of the patient to find a doctor. As Aisera’s Daniel Caravajal suggest, “I get my test results it can recommend me doctor that’s specific on that area right and it can book the appointment right it can coordinate the calendars and basically made that experience a lot faster a lot seamless and easier to kind of interact with.” Caravajal further suggests AI can help the patient understand the results. “let’s say you get your test results. We can analyze them and give you suggestions that is the unique part about a genetic AI is not only delivering a unique use case but it’s also understanding the situation. It’s understanding the intent and making further suggestions.” Valuable to note that it is always best to confirm any such information with your actual practitioner! MinttiHealth’s Xiaoqian Zou suggests telemedicine technology can, “give everyone access to the easy health care solution and service.”

Continuity of Care

A critical part of the patient experience that also affects the medical care is that of continuity of care.

As Alexander Group’s Tray Chamberlin advised, “what we think is probably the next evolution in tele medicine is that continuity of care where you’re really thinking about a patient across the entire life cycle be it acute to Post Acute to maybe even home health and integrating that tele medicine it more so that the date and Records can still communicate and we understand the holistic patient Journey.” The significant benefit of telemedicine as Chamberlin further observed, “we’re also meeting the patient where they are and so you know the inclusion of specialists in telemedicine certainly just from a socioeconomic perspective getting access to the right populations that traditionally maybe don’t have access.” For additional background on the benefits and current state of telemedicine, see the Press Conference for OnMed from CES.

Related playlists
^*When vendors’ names or quotes are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference or what we heard doing our research, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document.

Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
September 2, 2025
Whisper Report: What are the best practices for integrating cloud technologies in media workflows?
Published to clients: July 16, 2025 ID: 2077

Published to Readers: July 17, 2025

Published to Email Whispers: TBD

Public and Video Edition: TBD

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

“Media companies now favor hybrid cloud workflows for flexibility, speed, and cost-efficiency. Open standards ensure interoperability, while strong security protects valuable IP. Experts stress aligning cloud use with business goals, maintaining control and visibility, and using cloud strategically—not universally—to optimize collaboration, performance, and infrastructure investment.”

Related playlists
Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.

Research available only to clients at this time.
July 16, 2025
Whisper Report: How can we ensure compliance with new and evolving Cyber Physical security regulations?
Published to clients: July 10, 2025 ID: 2075

Published to Readers: July 11, 2025

Email Whispers Release: TBD

Public and Video Release: TBD

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

Cyber-physical security, like healthcare tech, must carefully manage PII. Experts highlight privacy-preserving biometrics, user-controlled consent, and anonymous face matching. Regulatory compliance, such as GDPR, drives standardization and innovation. As laws vary by region, adaptable and consistent global system architectures are essential for scalable, secure, and compliant operations.

Analysis only available to clients at this time.

Related playlists
Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
July 10, 2025
Whisper Report: How can we integrate AI-driven customer service solutions with our existing IT infrastructure?
Published to clients: July 3, 2025 ID: 2079

Published to Readers: July 4, 2025

Email Whispers Released: August 11, 2025 8am

Public and Video Edition Released: August 11, 2025 11am

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

“Integrating AI customer service with existing IT systems starts by setting clear business goals. AI should enhance, not disrupt, current workflows and streamline real-time support. Every organization has unique systems, so tailored integration is essential. A major challenge is fragmented data—making robust pipelines and clean, synchronized data critical. Accurate timestamps and system compatibility across platforms are key to ensuring effective AI performance and a smooth digital transformation journey.”

Target Audience Titles:
- Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, VP/Director of IT Operations, Enterprise Architects
- Chief Customer Officer, VP/Director of Customer Services/Success, Contact Center Operation Managers
- Solution Architects, DevOps & IT Administrators, Customer Support Agents, Data Scientists and ML Engineers
Key Takeaways
- Start with clear business goals so AI enhances workflows without causing disruptions.
- Tailor integration to your unique tech environment to avoid inefficiencies.
- Reliable, clean, and synchronized data pipelines are essential for effective AI-driven customer service.
How can we integrate AI-driven customer service solutions with our existing IT infrastructure?

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the technologists gathering at Customer Connect Expo 2025 held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding how can we integrate AI-driven customer service solutions with our existing IT infrastructure? As Ford’s Dr. Kalifa Oliver shared, “first we need to break down our needs and our goals and figure out which pieces of AI actually build efficiencies in our IT systems because right now there are too many systems that are fragmented.” With ALL AI projects, it is best to start with the business goal not the technology. We do not want to spend resources to integrate technology that goes unused. Furthermore, the context of the business goal helps guide engineers when they have design choices to make.

Customer Service Workflows

AI in Customer Service is all about optimizing and improving the customer service workflow to lead to maximum customer satisfaction. As Zaon’s Jason Kaufman shared, “using artificial intelligence tools within the organization to actually help drive and make more efficient the processes that go into place in order to support good customer service. For example, leveraging artificial intelligence to actually analyze chats real time community forums real time. Actually monitoring that (the communities) helping to gain insights about what your customers have questions about so that you can leverage the AI to actually generate the knowledge on the fly to actually provide that (information removing confusion) back to them real time as if it’s another person on that community thread.” The nonobvious challenge in achieving this solution is best described by Claritiv’s CEO Sean Gigremoss. “Everybody has workflows. Every company is unique. What tools do they use? What products do they use now? Do we need to build it?” In other words, every organization has a unique, highly mixed environment with varying degrees of maturity both in the technology itself and the organization’s ability to deploy technology.

Verse.ai’s Zac Brooksher recommends focusing on complimenting the current workflows and processing. “We can integrate AI driven customer service solutions using full funnel metrics understanding all of the conversations the timestamps the channels the appropriate team members what next steps are all integrating into existing systems and processes just to complement what the current workflows and data processing is today like.” Any technology not realizing it is complimenting an existing process will instead create process interrupts. The distinction really is a big difference.

The Challenge: Data is everywhere!

As Claritiv’s Sean Gigremoss shared, data is everywhere! “They make it so easy for us to integrate because in the end that’s important because all the data are in this different .. disparate systems. You need information from Salesforce you need information from zoom you need information from slack you need information from your database you need information from your customer’s database so to be able to do that you need to make sure that you’re using the tools or you’re partnering with companies that help you so that you can focus on what you do best.”

But the data isn’t just everywhere, it comes from everywhere. The first obvious location was shared by Enthu.ai’s Atul Grover, “we integrate with the telephony at the dialer.” And the rest such as the web and email communications, “we ingest that using an API driven environment.” Diabolocom specializes in capturing all that occurs between the customer and the organization on mobile devices. As Diabolocom’s Benjamin Shakespeare shared, “with our mobile solution that we are about to release

the market .. So all field reps anybody who is using a cell phone today with every interaction they have on their phone our AI will then score that call transcribe it and push it directly into the CRM So any lack of compliance that you are seeing today in your organization from people that are not sitting behind a computer that will be no longer.”

Where the magic happens!

Now that we understand we are complimenting the existing customer experience workflows for the benefit of the customer experience and that data is everywhere, what can we do? As Macy’s Siva Kannan Ganensan shared, “you need to make sure your data pipeline is very robust when we talk about all this AI integration data is the core so make sure the data is cleansed and always readily available ready to serve with that we’ll be able to integrate an into your existing architecture or in your organization.”

Figure 1. Compliment Workflows & Leverage Robus Data Fabric

It’s all about the data infrastructure! You need robust data pipelines as part of your data fabric to seamlessly integrate any new AI offering as depicted in Figure 1. AND you must ensure data quality. For example, data quality is paramount when dealing with timestamps of customer communications. What time zone is your organizational standard? Do your IT systems work in that time zone, and do you know what systems provide timestamps in other formats or time zones? Is that true for any and all corporate acquisitions feeding data into the system? Is the system designed to handle the variety of daylight savings time scenarios? Are all the clocks adjusted for daylight savings automatically or manually? Finally, are the timestamp clocks aligned? To the second or to the minute? It’s valuable to know if you can look at time as fact or approximation in your organization. If your organization is going through any type of digital transformation, it is critical to get the best advice available to ensure your success. Ensure your success by scheduling your inquiry with a TBW Advisors advisor before starting any critical phase of your digital transformation journey. Get the smartest advice available and leverage our firsthand experience to your advantage.

Related playlists
1. Whisper Report: How can we integrate AI-driven customer service solutions with our existing IT infrastructure
2. Conference Whispers: Customer Connect Expo 2025
Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
July 3, 2025
Whisper Report: How can AI and machine learning transform media and entertainment?
Published to clients: May 29, 2025 ID: 2076

Published to Readers: May 30, 2025

Published to Email Whispers: July 7, 2025

Video edition: July 7, 2025

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract

AI is transforming media and entertainment, reshaping workflows and automating the tedious. This shift isn’t new—it’s an evolution already well underway. While concerns about disruption persist, AI is proving to be a powerful tool that enhances efficiency, making content more accessible and refining quality. From metadata enrichment to streamlined production, AI empowers professionals by eliminating the mundane and allowing more focus on creativity. Rather than replacing jobs, it shifts how work gets done, seamlessly integrating with existing processes to unlock new possibilities in storytelling, production, and distribution. The industry is adapting, and AI is at the heart of that transformation.

Target Audience Titles:

Chief Technology Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Chief Digital Officer

Chief Data Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Content Officer

Head of AI and Machine Learning, Data Scientists

Product Managers, Content Managers, Sound Engineers, Distribution Engineers

Production Technologists, Streaming Platform Developers

Chief Technology Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Chief Digital Officer

Key Takeaways
- AI is transforming workflows, automating the tedious, and reshaping media and entertainment.
- Efficiency gains let creators focus on storytelling while AI enhances accessibility and searchability.
- AI isn’t replacing jobs—it’s evolving how work gets done, integrating seamlessly into production processes.
How can AI and machine learning transform media and entertainment?

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the Technology experts gathering at NAB Show 2025. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding how can AI and machine learning transform media and entertainment?

Setting the Stage

As DeepDub’s Oz Krakowski stated, “We see is a lot of the work that was done before is now done in different.” These changes have already hit the headlines for as Dell Technologies’ Tom Burns pointed out, “Everybody’s all concerned with Gen AI but of course the writers and actors strikes were all about that.” Thus this AI transformation is not new but rather is currently underway. Latakoo’s Jade Kurian offered this perspective. “The question now is how do we do this thoughtfully? How do we do it in a way that we don’t compromise ethics – where we don’t compromise people’s jobs? How do we make it flow back and forth where we take advantage of AI and machine learning to make our lives easier, make our lives better, and make entertainment and media better.” Cinnafilm’s Dom Jackson suggests we take another step back to gain a larger perspective, “There’s a lot of fear around AI and those technologies and in that sense, I see those as part of a continuum of ongoing automation processes that have been going on since the industrial revolution. Everyone’s always scared when something new comes along and then very quickly it becomes normal and it empowers us to work in new and different and usually more efficient ways.” See Figure 1 for the Cornucopia of AI use cases suggested. Let’s explore some of those new, and different, more efficient ways.

AI Use Cases in Media

One thing is for certain, there is no shortage of opportunity for AI to positively impact the media and entertainment sector. The favorite use case among all users, as Strada’s Michael Cioni put it, “AI is best for our industry as a utility form to do the mundane tasks .. we need AI that automates mundane tasks like color correcting sound noise reduction, video audio noise reduction, face tagging, locations, objects, emotions – those are all the things that no one wants to sit and log footage. AI can log it for us.” Or per Ross’s David Green, “AI is going to make us more efficient and more effective and let us focus on what we love doing which is creating amazing content.” No matter which perspective you prefer – the elimination of the mundane or the freeing up to do the fun parts – AI is here to stay in media workflows. As Dell’s Tom Burns observed, “Machine learning has already transformed media and entertainment in so many invisible ways from security to fixing single pixel defects to all kinds of low-level network functions and automated provisioning.”

When it comes to all that stored media, there are plenty of suggestions of how AI can assist as well. Per SNS’s Alex Hlavaty, “It actually can be an incredibly helpful buddy to sort through the stuff we don’t want to do parse through petabytes worth of information. Help us find assets more quickly and just interact with our data in a much more meaningful way while reducing man hours doing things that are laborious.” . Eon Media’s Greg Morrow observed, “our customers have large libraries of video files that only have a file name or have just a a small title. We really enriched those assets with information to make those assets more usable by identifying people places things emotional sentiment um ethnicity as part of those assets.” Dell Technologies’ Tom Burns denoted, “One of the GEN AI things that is proving to be useful is for companies that have large archives or studios that have that have the rights holders to a lot of content, using AI to extend the metadata and inform them of what they actually have in their archive allows them to make that more searchable and therefore more monetizable on.” Increasing metadata for the purpose of search and the related business cases that come from having truly searchable content is a common theme. As Axle.ai’s Sam Bogoch simply stated, if, “they can’t find it they can’t reuse it.”

In some of the use cases such as sound editing, it has completely transformed the task at hand. As DeepDub’s Oz Krakowski observed, “just like you cannot imagine a graphics designer not using Photoshop it’s unheard of right however 20 years ago this was extremely questionable nowadays thinking of doing voice design and editing dialogues without using AI.” Ross’s David Green offers additional suggestions, “things like camera tracking so instead of having to every single second manually figure out where things are and do manual keying you know markers and those sort of things we can use AI to automatically be able to do those things .. instead of having to flip through a manual.” Dell’s Tom Burns observed, “when you render your VFX AI upsampling has gotten so good now that you can render at 2K and up to 4K and it looks better than if you rendered at 4K in the first place.” Wow! Upsampling rendering better than if it was 4k in the first place – now that is an improvement – by definition. Localization is another area that has been drastically impacted by AI. Today, with AI tools such as Yella Umbrella are, “making content accessible to users that wouldn’t have access to it normally either because there’s no one to localize that content or just because the content that they want to access is not available in the accessibility form that they prefer.” If the form you prefer isn’t about language but more about duration, Magnify’s Ken Ruck shares today one can, “edit automatically (and) create clips automatically.” Clients may recall our coverage of Conference Whispers: NAB Show 2023 when automated shorts were first highlighted.

One of the most treasured advancements is that of workflow automation. As Eon Media’s Greg Morrow stated, “workflow automation to improve the efficiency of a media organization in order for the people in the organization to create higher value content and less of the drudgery work.” In other words, AI can transform Media and Entertainment by enabling all to do more with less. But if you are worried about your job, Cinnafilm’s Dom Jackson assured, “strangely ultimately people always end up having jobs they’re different jobs but people always end up with plenty of work.”

Related playlists
1. Whisper Report: How can AI and machine learning transform media and entertainment?
2. Conference Whispers: NAB Show 2025
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©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
May 29, 2025
Whisper Report: How can we manage tariff costs in our supply chain?
Published to clients: February 27, 2025 ID: 2057

Published to Readers: February 28, 2025

Published to Email Whispers: March 1, 2025

Video Edition: March 2, 2025

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

To manage tariff costs in the supply chain, a two-pronged approach is recommended: cleaning up data for better decision-making and optimizing cost parameters. Digital transformation is crucial for navigating tariff challenges. Additionally, avoiding hidden costs, moving on-shore, reducing cycle costs, and leveraging free trade zones can help. Utilizing tools to understand total landed costs and diversifying suppliers and logistics providers are also key strategies.

What is the dominant advice?

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent questions straight to the logistics and supply chain experts in the industry. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding how to manage tariff costs in one’s supply chain. For any professional^* even tangentially involved in anything to do with fulfillment, supply chain, and logistics, it is easy to become panicked at the talk of tariffs. Beyond supply chain and logistics professionals, operations and financial executives are impacted by what is going on as are the technologists and data experts that are required to thrive in such environments. As 4flow’s Adam Poch shared, “You have to have a nimble and agile supply chain to navigate that”. Or as FreightFacts’ Lance Healy put it, “our job is to react, anticipate if we can, but apply technology. “ This suggests a two-pronged approach. Clean up your data so you can optimize costs.

Cleaning up your Data

Vizion’s Ben Tracy suggests and offers, “transparent and easy to access data to empower intelligent supply chain decisions. “ Yes, digital transformation is required to successfully navigate this challenge. If you have not done so there is no more time to wait. Many solutions expect the data has been collected for a technology team to clean and provide intelligence over. But logistics data is not transactional data nor does it have a history of being clean and collected like financial data. In fact, logistics and supply chain has some of the messiest data with many suggesting over 30% dirty and useless. Research regarding a large variety of vendors involved in cleaning and digitizing logistics and supply chain can be found in Conference Whispers: Manifest 2025 and Conference Whispers: Smart Retail Tech Expo 2024. This is a significant area of expertise offered to our clients through inquiry privileges.

Optimize and Managing Costs Parameters

For those somewhere on the digital transformation maturity scale, the problem regarding managing tariffs costs now boils down to continuing to find ways to transform and manage supply costs. As summary of the 6 actions to manage tariff costs can be found in Figure 1.

Avoid Hidden Costs

Sensos’s CEO shared a story about how they onboarded a customer who was blindsided with hidden costs when products went through Africa without their knowledge. Per TrafficTech’s Hilary Ambro, “work with a customs broker with is vested in and understands your trade lanes as you are moving products so you can minimize those costs.”

Move on-shore

An obvious way to reduce costs associated with tariffs is to move on-shore. Hoptek’s Sean Maharai suggests, “working towards on shore, raw materials and ability to manufacture (and assemble) on shore”. Or as Mark Richards at AWI Logistics put it, “People are redesigning their supply chains. Instead of distribution in Canada or Mexico servicing the US, they are bringing the distribution back to the US.”

Reduce part of cycle costs

Any and every place one can reduce costs is valuable in such uncertain times. An exciting solution that can impact your cost per pallet offering next day delivery at ground shipping costs is Aeros. Aeros is a EVTOL (electric, vertical take of and landing) vehicle that appear like a blimp and hovers over urban areas with the goods to deliver, drones and related charging stations with line of sight to deliver and drone operators to operate. Rye Akervik shared that their company, Shipsi is an aggregator of last mile and middle mile networks. Shipsi’s solution is to, “rate shop those networks, find the best partner, the best SLA and manage that customer experience. “ Verity’s Taylor Wilson recommends, “utilizing free trade zones to delay the Tariffs and related payments to improve your cashflow.” Finally, if you are traveling between Canada and USA, there is a new solution coming online Fall of 2025. As Manny Paiva of the Gordie Howe International Bridge shared, “You have a Highway to Highway route connection that will allow transport trucks to get their goods across the border within ~11 seconds!”

Reduce total landed costs

If an organization has reached digitization maturity, they can leverage top tools to understand their total landed costs. As Yikun Shao of Alibaba.com shared, they offer solutions with “tools to provide transparency to all of costs related to cross border movement of goods so they can make more informed decisions.” But Alibaba.com doesn’t stop there. They also provide tools to directly enable “you diversity of suppliers as well as logistic providers so you have options available. “At the end of the day, managing costs associated with Tariffs is a subset of managing the total landed costs of any goods.

^*When vendors’ names or quotes are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference or what we heard doing our research, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document.

Related playlists
1. Whisper Report: How can we manage tariff costs in our supply chain?
2. Conference Whispers: Manifest 2024
©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
February 28, 2025
Whisper Report: Six Use Cases Enabled by Data Validation Platforms

Online Research Summary

ABSTRACT

When selecting technologies for your data architecture, it is important to understand common use cases enabled by the technology. This research examines six use cases enabled by data validation and the architecture capabilities used to support the use case. To this end, we examine the validation of ingestion and transformations, the data migration, as well as cloud update use cases. The use cases for production monitoring, completeness of data sets, the ability to compare BI tools’ values, as well as data DevOps are also evaluated.

April 6, 2020