As the first chief technology officer at tool manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker, Mark Maybury oversees the company's innovation portfolio and prioritizes the responsible use of artificial intelligence in its product development efforts.

Stanley Black & Decker is best known as the manufacturer of tools for home improvement projects, but it also makes products the average consumer seldom notices, like fasteners to keep car parts secure and the electronic doors typically used at retail stores. Me, Myself, and AI podcast hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh sat down with Mark Maybury, the company's first chief technology officer, to learn how artificial intelligence factors into this 179-year-old brand's story. As Stanley Black & Decker's CTO, Mark Maybury manages a team across the company's businesses and functions, advises on technological threats and opportunities, and provides access to all elements of the global technology ecosystem. Previously, Maybury spent 27 years at The Mitre Corporation, where he held a variety of strategic technology roles, including vice president of intelligence portfolios and chief security officer. Before joining Mitre, he was an officer in the U.S. Air Force, where he also served as chief scientist from 2010 to 2013. Maybury is on the Defense Science Board and the Connecticut Science Center Board and served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee for several years. He is a fellow in IEEE and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Maybury has a doctorate degree in AI from Cambridge University. During their conversation, Mark described how categorizing the technology-infused innovation projects he leads across the company into six levels, ranging from incremental improvements to radical innovations, helps Stanley Black & Decker balance its product development portfolio. He also shared some insights for organizations thinking about responsible AI guidelines and discussed how Stanley Black & Decker is increasing its focus on sustainability. If you're enjoying the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn.

The event chaired by Mark Maybury (Chief Technology Officer, Stanley Black & Decker, mark.maybury@sbdinc.com) From steam power and electrification in the first industrial revolution to assembly line driven mass production of the second industrial revolution to computerization in the third industrial revolution, disruptive innovations have driven key change including urbanization, global travel, and information discovery and sharing. Equally if not more profoundly, the current cyber-physical fourth industrial transformation is driving fundamental changes not only in the way we manufacture but also because of the kinds of products and services created ways in which we live, work, and play. Studies from intelligent manufacturing experts at the World Economic Forum have identified a set of key foundational elements for Industry 4.0. These include the Internet of Things (IOT), big data, cloud computing additive manufacturing, augmented reality, autonomous robots, and modeling and simulation.

The dream of robots and intelligent machines that can perform a wide array of tasks has been around in the common visions and fantasies of people for centuries. Machines that can do the work of people without having the failings of people is one of those long-sought visions of the future. Originally envisioned as physical systems, the term robot is now used to describe any sort of software or hardware-based automation, whether intelligent or not, that can perform a task that would otherwise require human labor or brainpower. Since the term robot was first coined in 1920, robots have become an increasing part of our lives. Companies looking to increasingly automate and enable greater portions of their business that require physical human labor currently look to robots to help or fully replace humans with many tasks.

Robert Joseph, Director, Industry Strategy for Industry 4.0, Stanley Black & Decker, is a data scientist working on implementing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) at Black & Decker. His career spans experience at AT&T Bell Laboratories, US West, Sony, Freshwater Software, and for school districts across the country. Also, as a university professor for 10 years, he has taught over 3,000 students in all levels of computer science and mathematics. He holds a Pd.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, and a BS and an MS from MIT in electrical engineering. He recently spent a few minutes to talk with AI Trends Editor John P. Desmond. AI Trends: Thank you, Robert, for talking to us today.

Who spends their summer at the Microsoft Garage New England Research & Development Center (or "NERD")? The Microsoft Garage internship seeks out students who are hungry to learn, not afraid to try new things, and able to step out of their comfort zones when faced with ambiguous situations. The program brought together Grace Hsu from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Christopher Bunn from Northeastern University, Joseph Lai from Boston University, and Ashley Hong from Carnegie Mellon University. They chose the Garage internship because of the product focus--getting to see the whole development cycle from ideation to shipping--and learning how to be customer obsessed. Microsoft Garage interns take on experimental projects in order to build their creativity and product development skills through hacking new technology.