The So What from BCG

BCG’s Daniel Kuepper and Laura Juliano explain why AI is rewriting the economics of where and how the world manufactures.
Daniel Kuepper, who co-leads BCG's Manufacturing and Physical AI team, and Laura Juliano, BCG's North America Operations Practice Lead, unpack why the factory of the future is no longer a distant vision. Physical AI, agentic systems, and a shared data backbone are converging to expand what's automatable and changing the math on where companies should manufacture. Do leaders still need to separate where to produce from how to produce?

You'll Learn:
What actually separates a genuine “lights-out factory” from a partially automated one.
The biggest mistakes leaders make when starting an AI-led manufacturing transformation.
How new hires are showing up already fluent in AI, changing what factory training even looks like.

Learn More:
BCG’s Latest Thinking on Manufacturing: https://on.bcg.com/46rlzRT
How the Factory of the Future Is Reshaping the Economics of Manufacturing Competitiveness: https://on.bcg.com/4y7h7DW
How Physical AI Is Reshaping Robotics Today—and What Comes Next: https://on.bcg.com/4rgBawW
The CEO’s Guide to Physical AI: https://on.bcg.com/4AoTg4k

Chapters
(00:00) Is Factory of the Future Here?
(01:20) What Is Different This Time?
(04:19) How Significant Are Recent Shifts?
(04:49) Are Lights-Out Factories Realistic?
(07:54) What Industries Are Leading in Robotics?
(09:09) Where Should Factories Double Down?
(11:58) Physical AI's Impact on Companies
(14:55) Leaders’ Costliest Mistakes in Robotics
(18:53) The First-Mover Factory Edge
(21:15) What Should Manufacturing Leaders Do Now?

Meet the Experts
Daniel Kuepper, Managing Director and Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4Am2e27
Laura Juliano, Managing Director and Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4AlXp8Z

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast
YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8
Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923
Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12

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https://www.bcg.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group

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Bryan Gauch, Leader of BCG’s Commercial Tech Topic, explains why CRM isn’t disappearing even as agentic AI reshapes how customers are served. He argues that CRM will keep serving as the data backbone while agents take over the interface. He also lays out the cost and resourcing questions CEOs need to answer before scaling their AI investment.

You’ll Learn:
Why agents are quietly replacing the screen, not the system, behind every customer interaction.
Why cost is the real constraint on agentic AI, not the technology itself.
How CEOs should align cost, resources, and innovation before deciding what CRM keeps and what agents take over.

Learn More
BCG and Salesforce: https://on.bcg.com/4zTgNKl
BCG’s Latest Thinking on Marketing and Sales: https://on.bcg.com/4zVIMsP

Chapters
(0:00) What Does CRM Actually Do?
(1:29) What CRM Means for Customers
(2:02) Could AI Agents Replace CRM Entirely?
(6:44) The Real Cost of Agents
(8:52) ROI of AI Agents
(10:45) How Will Agents Impact Employees?
(12:55) Where CRM Is Headed in 3 Years
(14:33) How Should CEOs Approach CRM?
(15:53) What Role Will Consultants Play?

Meet the Expert
Bryan Gauch, BCG Managing Director & Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4iI7fLV

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast
YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8
Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923
Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12
Follow BCG
https://www.bcg.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Vlad Lukic, BCG’s global leader for tech and digital advantage, and Paul Goydan, global leader of BCG’s cost offer, explain why so many companies spend more on AI than they get back. What is the fix? They argue it isn’t simply cutting AI spend, but assigning clear ownership, categorizing costs correctly, and tying every dollar to a business outcome.
You’ll Learn:
Business owners, not IT, should be accountable for AI’s return, like any other investment.
Many companies give routine tasks to their most powerful and expensive AI models, when a simpler tool could do the job.
Instead of focusing on banning unauthorized AI tools, leaders should turn towards educating employees on sanctioned options.
Learn More:
How Leaders Build an AI-First Cost Advantage: https://on.bcg.com/4c3KrSW
Why We Still Need a CIO in the AI-First Era: https://on.bcg.com/46bBbIV

Chapters
0:00 AI's Bottom-Line Problem
1:01 Why Your AI Costs Don't Add Up
2:16 Can Promoting AI Use Promote Waste?
4:02 Are AI Costs an IT Problem?
4:48 How to Prioritize AI Spend
6:18 How Do CEOs Pay for AI?
7:14 How to Categorize AI Costs?
8:02 Who Owns the AI Budget?
8:30 How Leaders Know AI Is Paying Off
10:50 Strategy vs. FOMO
13:49 Turning FOMO Into Action
14:27 Winners in the AI Era
16:28 Handling Hidden AI Risk
18:05 Now What: Next Steps

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast
YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8
Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923
Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12
Follow BCG
https://www.bcg.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

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Kristy Ellmer and Julia Dhar, co-authors of How Change Really Works and founders of BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab, explain why so many transformations fail and what the science says separates success from failure. They break down the “messy middle,” why people resist being changed rather than change itself, and how giving employees real agency turns resistance into momentum.
What You’ll Learn:
Why “false alignment” among leaders, not resistance from employees, derails most transformations before they start.
Why giving employees real ownership, not just participation, turns resistance into momentum.
What makes AI transformations distinct from other kinds of organizational change
Learn More:
Read How Change Really Works: https://on.bcg.com/3SpBPzd
Your AI Change Is Actually a People Change: https://on.bcg.com/3RKUp4J
The False Alignment Trap: https://on.bcg.com/45R9ULH
CEOs Are Betting Big on AI Transformations. Science Is How They Win: https://on.bcg.com/4bGy1jG
We Found the Real Reason 70% of Transformations Fail: https://on.bcg.com/4xqmOMq

Chapters
(0:00) What Is Transformation?
(1:54) Why Leaders Need a New Playbook for Change
(3:42) Where Do Most Transformations Fail?
(5:37) What Does the “Messy Middle” Look Like?
(6:28) What Makes AI Transformations Different?
(9:25) Where Is the "End Point" in an AI Transformation?
(11:51) Why “Just Get on the Bus” Isn’t Good Advice for AI Change
(13:03) When to Walk Away from a Change Effort
(15:42) What Should Leaders Do When Momentum Fades?
(16:49) Why Giving Employees Ownership Matters
(21:06) What Should Leaders Do in the “Messy Middle”?
(22:37) How Do You Make Change Successful?

Meet the Experts
Kristy Ellmer: https://on.bcg.com/4xvpgBg
Co-Author, How Change Really Works
BCG Managing Director & Partner
North American Leader, BCG’s Transform Practice
Co-Founder, BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab:
https://on.bcg.com/4z9WhVs

Julia Dhar: https://on.bcg.com/45ec8Vj
Co-Author, How Change Really Works
BCG Managing Director & Partner
North American Leader, People and Organization Practice
Co-Founder, BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab: https://on.bcg.com/4z9WhVs

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast
YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8
Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923
Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12
Follow BCG
https://www.bcg.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group

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Nick Goad, BCG's global co-leader for retail merchandising, argues that retail's biggest problem isn't a lack of data, it's the gap between data and real customer understanding. He explains how AI and large language models are finally bridging that divide, making it possible to localize assortment, sharpen pricing, and accelerate product innovation at scale. For leaders wondering where to start, he makes the case for codifying the knowledge already in merchants' heads.

What You’ll Learn:
Retailers have more data than ever, but AI finally gives them the tools to turn it into action merchants can actually trust.
The biggest near-term opportunities are in assortment localization, smarter pricing, and AI-accelerated product innovation.
The new data advantage for retailers isn't raw data — it's codifying the knowledge already in their merchants' heads.

Learn More:
BCG’s Latest Thinking on the Retail Industry: https://on.bcg.com/4bYoe8x
Merch AI by BCGX: https://on.bcg.com/3RxTfJF

Chapters
(0:00) Has Retail Lost Its Personal Touch?
(1:13) Serving Customers Before the Digital Age
(2:33) The Internet’s Impact on Retail
(3:11) Does More Data Mean Better Customer Understanding?
(4:12) Why Are Retailers Drowning in Complexity?
(5:32) What Can AI Do to Help Retailers?
(7:02) Will AI Create a New Data Overload?
(7:54) What Are Retail Leaders Hopes and Fears for AI?
(9:02) Will AI Get Products to the Shelf Faster?
(9:57) Will AI Influence Product Design?
(10:37) Can AI Create More Personalized Loyalty Programs?
(11:34) How Will AI Shape the Shopping Experience?
(12:02) Is Physical Retail Here to Stay?
(13:36) Will AI Make All Our Shopping Decisions for Us?
(14:23) Where Can Retailers Make the Biggest Changes?
(15:00) Where Should Retailers Apply AI First?
(15:48) What New Data Advantage Can AI Create?

Meet the Expert:
Nick Goad, BCG Managing Director & Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4wuIlU0

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast
Punch Cards, Frequent Flyers, and the Future of Loyalty: https://lnk.to/so-what-BCG-Crouch-Loyalty09
YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8
Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923
Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12
Follow BCG
https://www.bcg.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp