Episode 35: When AI Becomes Your Study Buddy with Eric Olsen
On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, host Dan Swartwout welcomes Eric Olsen, Professor of Industrial Technology at Cal Poly State University. Eric spent 20 years in industry with companies like Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard before jumping into academia. Dan started the interview with a bunch of questions about Lean, but the conversation took a sharp turn into artificial intelligence territory. Eric shares how he's experimenting with AI for everything from writing to problem-solving. He uses AI as his go-to learning tool. Of course, the big question looms: how do people find new ways to contribute when AI keeps getting better?" Eric tackles this head-on through his work with the Future of People at Work initiative, where different improvement methodologies team up to solve bigger challenges. Hear how one continuous improvement expert is using AI to revolutionize his own learning process!
In this episode, you will hear about:
2:04 - Eric’s background
4:39 - Eric’s time at The Ohio State University
6:00 - The recent Future of People at Work symposium
7:35 - The future of the Future of People at Work
11:06 - Adding extra value in the age of AI
18:15 - Engaging with AI
22:47 - Students using AI
25:33 - Eric’s question for Josh Howell, President of the Lean Enterprise Institute
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Host • MoreSteam
Dan Swartwout is the host of Quality Time with MoreSteam. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Dan is a double Buckeye. He earned both a BA and a law degree from The Ohio State University. Before joining MoreSteam, Dan had a long career as a host, comedian, and master of ceremonies. For 17 years, Dan was the studio audience host for the Ohio Lottery game show Cash Explosion. Dan was also the host of CBuzz, which was a collaboration between the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, WWCD 92.9, and the Columbus Dispatch. On CBuzz, Dan interviewed some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Central Ohio. From 2002-2020, Dan toured the country as a standup comedian. Tracks from his comedy CD have been played over 5,000 times on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Now, Dan brings his experience and enthusiasm to Quality Time with MoreSteam -- it's business and fun, together.
Professor of Industrial Technology • Cal Poly State University
Dr. Olsen recently served as Area Chair and Professor of Industrial and Packaging Technology in the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. Dr. Olsen teaches undergraduate and master’s courses in lean thinking, six sigma, and operations management. Dr. Olsen had over 20 years of industry experience in engineering and manufacturing management at Caterpillar, Litton, and Hewlett Packard before getting his PhD at The Ohio State University. His dissertation compared the financial performance of lean versus non-lean companies.
Dr. Olsen continues his professional development with a focus on creating new knowledge in operations management, biasing his research towards working with real companies and organizations. He has published, consulted, and trained in lean performance improvement, strategy deployment, and six sigma. He has run numerous improvement events at Cal Poly and in the local community.
Dr. Olsen is the Director for Central Coast Lean. CCL is a self-funded research project under the Orfalea College of Business. Its mission is to better understand how to build a community of lean practice. CCL promotes, runs, and studies improvement events, forums, workshops, and conferences. Dr. Olsen is also the creator and instructor for Cal Poly’s Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt Certification Program. Dr. Olsen is active in professional organizations with memberships in APICS – The Association for Operations Management, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), and the Lean Educators Academic Network.
Bio and Picture from: https://orfalea.calpoly.edu/about-us/directory/eric-olsen/
