Ingenuity Amplified

In this episode, Contextere Founder Gabe Batstone says there's so much going on with AI and geopolitics that it's having a derivative impact on defence, the defence industrial strategy, and the modernization of procurement. Gabe also touches on recent travels, including time in New York, and what those conversations reveal about where things are heading on both sides of the border. Plus, as Gabe preps for a trip to Finland, he takes a look at what’s happening with ABB and why Europe continues to be a hub for innovation, investment, and industrial momentum.

Contextere co-founder Gabe Batstone is joined by special guest Beth Burke. We discuss Beth’s journey from Capitol Hill to cross-border leadership; the World Economic Forum, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Remarks; and Greenland.We get into what’s working and what’s not in Canada–U.S.?Speaking about middle powers, what about small and medium-sized companies? We talk about how small and mid-size innovators can plug into policy conversations; AI and Defence Sub-Committees; and advice for Canadian tech companies navigating Washington and US companies in Ottawa.

In this episode, we catch up with Contextere co-founder Gabe Batstone for a year-end discussion about recent trips to Switzerland, Finland, the G7 and the WEF. He discusses what's new, what the company is working on, and what to watch for in 2026. We get into specific topics like:Killing the ‘Data Silo’ Crisis: How Industrial Enterprises Can Unify Disconnected Information” Nearly 47% of manufacturers view data fragmentation as a major obstacle to AI success, and workers spend 30% of their day searching for information. Building the ‘Agile Workforce’: Cross-Skilling, Upskilling, and Reskilling in an AI-Driven Industrial World” The half-life of industrial skills is approximately 5 years and falling. Organizations need continuous learning frameworks, not one-time training. This deeper conversation explores how Madison enables workers to develop new skills on-the-job, cross-skill into adjacent areas, and upskill without waiting for classroom training. What to watch for in 2026?Enterprise budgets are shifting toward measured outcomes, not experimentation. The labor market is the new competitive battleground. Workforce transformation—not just technology adoption—is where differentiation happens. Industrial AI is moving from “nice-to-have” to “baseline capability”. Vertical AI wins over horizontal AI in 2026.

In this episode of Ingenuity Amplified, we dive into the upcoming launch of FieldGuard 360, a new collaboration between Calian’s Cyber & IT Division and Contextere. Our guest, Greg Lush of Calian, brings over 40 years of service industry expertise to explain how this AI-driven, technician-first platform delivers real-time, adaptive intelligence to the front line. Tune in for a forward-looking discussion on how FieldGuard 360 is set to transform field service and empower technicians in unpredictable environments.

In this episode of Ingenuity Amplified, Gabe Batstone and Steve Warne engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Bill Syrros from BDO about the transformative impact of AI on various industries. They explore the future of AI, the skills needed for the workforce, the importance of generalists, and the role of government in AI development. Bill shares insights on how AI can augment human capabilities and the opportunities it presents for innovation and growth.

We're joined by special guest Dr. Joseph T. Yun, an AI strategist and Research Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Yun focuses on developing cutting-edge data science algorithms and user-centric analytics systems. His work addresses critical societal issues, including the ethics and privacy concerns of AI in marketing.  We discuss the human-centric focus of AI, real applications and positive bias. We also get into how businesses can effectively implement AI to drive meaningful outcomes amidst rapid technological evolution.

Today, Contextere co-founder Gabe Batstone provides us with a Fall 2024 update. That includes: What’s new in the market, including a new report on generative AI and what it could mean to the Canadian economy; Some new relationships with the ABB SynerLeap program and Calian; and a report on the DEFSEC trade show.

In this episode, we continue with our "Meet the Team" series, profiling the great folks at Contextere. We introduce you today to Jack Garrard, the company's marketing manager, and we discuss his role, his career path, Madison's evolution, plans for the summer, and much more.

Contextere founders Carl Byers and Gabe Batstone update us on the latest happenings at the company. We discuss: what happened at CANSEC, Canada's Global Defence & Security Trade Show the RCAF CP140 Project the ABB Global AI Competition AI Legislation, Regulation, and Standards We also discuss Contextere's summer plans, and Gabe tells us a hilarious story about his recent trip to Lake Placid and his own little Miracle on Ice.

Our first of several episodes where we'll introduce you to various members of the amazing team that makes Contextere tick. In this episode, we're joined by Milka Murdjeva. We learn about her background, what she does at Contextere and some of the most interesting technical stuff she's working on this summer.

In this episode of the Ingenuity podcast, we delve into recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence, with a special focus on generative AI and its burgeoning regulatory landscape. Carl and Gabe share insights from our recent global engagements, including meetings at the White House, US Senate and Europe. These experiences offer a unique perspective on how AI is being perceived and utilized at the highest levels of government and industry internationally. Join us for a journey through the evolving world of AI, where technology meets reality on a global stage.

Our special guest is Sultan Akif, a technology executive who has been involved in over a billion dollars in digital transformation projects across the planet. But the story behind the dollars is inspiring for reasons you will not predict. He left the company, found his purpose – which includes helping to build libraries for youths all over the world – and then re-joined the company to make a difference. We discuss the impact of AI, and the ability we have to make a difference and do so responsibly. Sultan also shares the message of not giving in to self-doubt and truly embracing the moment. SultanAkif.com

We're joined in this episode by co-founders Stephanie Batstone and Leigha Cotton from NyRAD (NyRAD.ca) to discuss a new strategic partnership with Contextere. NyRAD is a leading defence consultancy in Canada and a growing thought leader in mobilizing technology for defence offsets and ITB's. The two companies will be announcing later this month that Madison will be powering NyRAD's AI-powered Co-pilot that will transform the strategy, management, and reporting of ITB’s in Canada and offsets globally.

In this episode, Gabe and Carl discuss Open AI and Chat GPT. What's all the fuss about and how does it relate to Blue Collar AI and Madison from Contextere? How does this impact the Future of Work? Industrial Work?

We're joined in this one by Mike Mueller, President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. The AIAC represents over 90% of Canada’s aerospace sector. We talk about the role of aerospace in the Canadian economy; the recent AIAC Canadian Aerospace Summit highlights (where contextere won an innovation award; and some hot topics around aerospace and innovation.

In this episode, we meet Command Sergeant Major Troy Welch, U.S. Army (Retired). Host Gabe Batstone learns more about his friend's amazing career in the US Army, which actually began as a cook, when he enlisted as a Food Service Specialist. He then served in every leadership position from First Cook, Shift Leader, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant and Command Sergeant Major. We discuss Korea, and his Pentagon stint with the first four-Star Female General. Welch is now with the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and describes the amazing and excellent work they're doing.

We're joined in this one by Carl Byers who discusses Contextere's launch of "Madison," an AI-enabled workforce productivity & decision support software that delivers actionable intelligence to the last tactical mile, empowering your frontline workers and improving asset performance. Imagine employees having conversations with equipment about error codes, service bulletins, live data feeds or past performance. Built for frontline employees and designed for industrial domains, Madison empowers blue-collar workers who make critical minute-to-minute decisions that impact productivity, safety, and ultimately cost. Madison extracts enterprise, IoT and technical domain data to generate new operational insights and deploys these insights in real-time to the end users working on the last tactical mile.

Our guest is Scotty Greenwood, CEO of the Canadian American Business Council, whose members are Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Google, Coca-Cola, and Pfizer, to name a few. Scotty is a former American diplomat to Canada and a frequent media commentator and public speaker. We discuss the Council's roles and goals, what Canada-US relations look like today, along with innovation and entrepreneurship.

We're joined by Rob Slaven, long time Captain in the Royal Australian Navy. Rob is now Defence Business Development Director with Serco, a company that works primarily with government services, most prominently in the sectors of law & order, health, transport, justice, immigration, defence and citizens services. We discuss: Rob's transition from the Navy to civilian work; how he and Gabe met; the role of Innovation in the Australian Defence Force; and the RSV Nuyina, Australia's new Antarctic icebreaker. You might not always think of Australia when you are thinking about icebreakers. We talk all about that. And does the South Pole have the same geopolitical challenges we see in the North?

We're joined in this episode by Lindsay Siegel, the Head of Impact at Company Ventures in New York City. We discuss innovation, the pandemic, the current state of “work” and supporting our next generation of entrepreneurs’ and employees (Gabe and Lindsay participate in mentoring of underprivileged high school and college students in New York City).

In this episode, we discuss how we ensure a more productive, sustainable and inclusive future of production. We also define and discuss the concept of Stakeholder Capitalism and how not-for-profit status plays a key role in all of it. Our special guest is Francisco Betti who joined us from Geneva. Francisco is a key leader with the World Economic Forum, the head of Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing & Value Chains.

In this episode, we're joined by Micah Kotch, Managing Director of URBAN-X by BMW MINI. Micah has direct experience with utilities, government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and early stage companies. He is interested in startups that embrace change as well as regulators and innovative large companies working on solutions for climate and energy issues. Today we talk about UrbanX, the synergy with Contextere, Climate, Tech Accelerators, and how Micah misses playing pickup basketball with one of the Beastie Boys in Brooklyn.

We're joined in this episode by Sara Holoubek, the CEO and founder of Luminary Labs, a consultancy that develops strategies and innovation systems to help Fortune 500, government, and nonprofit organizations thrive in the face of change. She is also an active early stage investor. We discuss her company, its capability, along with the intersection of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategy...words that are often misunderstood, confused and misused. We talk about social responsibility and capitalism and much more.Innovation, Capitalism and Humanity

Today, we're very pleased to be joined by Dr Peter Williams, long time veteran of IBM and distinguished engineer. Peter played a major role in the development and delivery of IBM’s smart cities and smart utilities solutions. We discuss Smart Cities in the aftermath of the Pandemic; City Resilience and Technology. We also dive a bit deeper, discussing where the water industry is at with regards to smart technology; and the pitfalls of IoT and AI.

Welcome to our introductory episode of Ingenuity Amplified. Today we get to know our co-hosts, Contextere founders Gabe Batstone and Carl Byers. We learn about their very interesting backgrounds; their unique philosophies on business and life; how and why they created Contextere; what the company is all about and more.

Ingenuity Amplified is new a fast-paced series of conversations with intelligent people who care about people, hosted by AI entrepreneurs who are experts in digital transformation. Join Steve Warne and Contextere founders Carl Byers and Gabe Batstone for a monthly dive into the Future of Work, Industry 4.0 and more with global thought leaders, technology experts and people you didn’t even know you should know. Our goal is that you will leave every episode with at least one new idea or inspiration that causes you to do something different.