Stephen Ibaraki has been building at the intersection of AI and global impact since before most people had heard the term. He built his first AI-enabled computer in 1965. He co-created the networked AI medical database that took a Canadian industry to 80% global market share — all under NDA. He spent over a year working weekly with ITU leadership before the UN ITU AI for Good Global Summit launched in 2017, bringing in speakers, sponsors, and funding largely from his own network. He advises a community of 38,000 CEOs representing $22 million employees across 150 countries. And more than 90% of what he does today, you will never read about.

In this episode, host Madhusudan Bangalore Nagaraja sits down with Stephen — Chairman of REDDS Capital, Founder of AI for Good, IEEE TEMS board member, and IEEE Systems Council Industry Ambassador — for a candid conversation on what it actually takes to close the gap between AI adoption and real-world impact.

They cover:

— Why 88% of organizations use AI but fewer than 40% show a measurable result — and the specific leadership failure at the root of that gap, drawn from Stephen's experience at a private summit of 38,000 CEOs in Sydney
— The structured, step-by-step process that separates organizations getting quantifiable AI results from those stuck in pilot theater
— What builders and innovators should stop doing (overcomplicating what they can't control) and start doing (Cognitorial thinking — free, combinatorial idea generation — and reading on the edge daily)
— Why 2026 is the year CEOs must personally use AI every day, shorten their planning cycles to 90-day windows, and think in 10x innovation terms
— Human in the loop as the irreducible governance floor — and why responsible AI frameworks from IEEE, UNESCO, and Microsoft all converge on the same principle
— The S11: Stephen's framework of 11 converging technologies to monitor between now and 2028 — from Zetta-scale computing and 6G to quantum utility, autonomous AI scientists, biomedical rejuvenation, and the energy flywheel that underpins all of it
— The one action every engineering manager should take this week: read on the edge — IEEE Spectrum, ACM news, and the outlier signals that most leaders miss

Connect with Stephen Ibaraki:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sibaraki
Twitter / X: @sibaraki
IEEE Systems Council Interview Series: ieeesystemscouncil.org/education/tech-vision-interviews-stephen-ibaraki

Connect with your host Madhusudan Bangalore Nagaraja:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/madhusudannagaraja
IEEE Senior Member, Technical Delivery Manager, eSystems Inc. | PMI Infinity Advisory Committee | Researcher, Agentic AI Systems | Irving, Texas, USA

IEEE TEMS Radio — Engaging Conversations in Education, Engineering, Management and Technology.

Produced by: IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society
Please write to us at ieeetemsemail@gmail.com to share your feedback.

Dr. Wynand Lambrechts is an IEEE Senior Member, Principal Electronics Engineer at INCOMAR Aerospace and Defence Systems, and Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg. A Ph.D. graduate in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria, he is the lead author of internationally published books on Moore's Law and millimeter-wave technologies (CRC Press, Springer) and co-authored the IEEE Spectrum commentary "The Challenges and Upsides of Using AI in Scientific Writing" - the centrepiece of this podcast's conversation.

Dr. Lambrechts draws on his semiconductor engineering career to argue that large language models represent a categorically different disruption from prior digital transitions: not faster tools for access, but systems that can substitute the act of intellectual formulation itself. He makes a compelling case for Augmented AI - where human judgment and machine capability collaborate - over AI as a replacement for critical thinking, and likens the arms race between generative models and detection tools to electronic warfare, where goalposts shift faster than policy can follow.

Drawing on South Africa's higher education context, he offers a Global South perspective on navigating AI ethics under resource constraints. The episode closes with a direct challenge to the next generation: in a world where AI can draft your manuscript, what does career ownership truly mean - and if an AI produces a groundbreaking discovery from human data, who owns the intellectual credit?

This episode is essential listening for academic researchers, doctoral students, technology managers, editors, policymakers, and anyone navigating responsible innovation in an AI-accelerated world.

Link to the co-authored IEEE Spectrum commentary: The Challenges and Upsides of Using AI in Scientific Writing — IEEE Spectrum (Feb 2025)

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynand-lambrechts-77b20a25/

Host: Madhusudan Bangalore Nagaraja, IEEE Senior Member, Technical Delivery Manager, eSystems Inc. | PMI Infinity Advisory Committee Contributor | Researcher, Agentic AI Systems | Irving, Texas, USA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhusudannagaraja/

IEEE TEMS Radio — Engaging Conversations in Education, Engineering, Management and Technology.

Produced by: IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society
Please write to us at ieeetemsemail@gmail.com to share your feedback.

Celia Desmond is President of World Class – Telecommunications, providing telecommunications management training. Celia established and ran the PMO for Echologics. Her team managed all proposals, contracts and project management processes, She has lectured internationally on programs for success in
today’s changing environment. As Director at Stentor Resource Center Inc., she was instrumental in establishing governance, culture and service/product development processes. At Bell Canada, Celia provided strategic direction to corporate planners, ran technology/service trials, standardized equipment, and
supported large business clients.

Celia was 2016-1017 IEEE Division III Director. She has held numerous IEEE positions including, Secretary, IEEE VP – Technical Activities, ComSoc President, IEEE Canada President, VP Technology and Engineering Management Society and Project Director for ComSoc’s Wireless Engineering Certification. Celia holds MSc. Engineering, B.Sc. Mathematics & Psychology, Ontario Teaching Certificate and PMP certification. Celia has taught kindergarten, high school, and at 5 universities. She is author of 2 Project Management books.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celia-desmond-b92117/

Summary:
In this insightful episode of the IEEE Thames podcast, host Jeff Perry sits down with Celia Desmond, a seasoned telecommunications management expert whose career journey spans from teaching kindergarten to leading complex engineering initiatives at Bell Canada. Celia shares her experiences navigating diverse professional roles, offering strategies for managing large-scale projects and transitioning between industry and research environments. Her reflections underscore the vital role of personal initiative, adaptability, and continuous learning in career advancement.

Listeners will gain practical guidance on building a career beyond technical expertise—exploring how to cultivate leadership skills, create meaningful professional networks, and thrive in both small and large organizations. Whether you're early in your engineering journey or a seasoned professional, this episode provides valuable lessons on career ownership, project management, and the evolving demands of technology-driven roles.

Jeff's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry/

IEEE TEMS Radio — Engaging Conversations in Education, Engineering, Management and Technology.

Produced by: IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society
Please write to us at ieeetemsemail@gmail.com to share your feedback.