I thought I understood AI… until IBM’s CTO completely rewired my thinking.

In this conversation with Kitman Cheung, we go deep into the realities of agentic AI, AI adoption challenges, and why most companies are still stuck at the “desktop productivity” stage.

Kitman also opens up about IBM’s own transformation; HR, finance, sales, everything, powered by enterprise-grade AI. And when we dive into quantum computing, things get wild: from 34% more accurate bond predictions to future-ready materials science.

If you’re curious about where AI trends, generative AI, and quantum computing are taking Asia next, you’ll want to listen till the end.

IN THIS EPISODE
(00:00) Welcome & Why This AI Episode Matters for You
(01:13) Kitman’s Journey: How a Developer Became IBM’s CTO
(04:26) What a CTO Really Does (and How to Think Like One)
(06:27) IBM’s Secret Sauce: Research, Open Source & Real Impact
(08:18) AI & GenAI Explained Simply (Finally!)
(09:46) Agentic AI: What It Is & Why It Changes Everything
(14:11) Measuring AI ROI: The Framework Every Leader Needs
(19:07) Inside IBM: How They Use AI to Save Billions
(21:34) Responsible AI: What Every Business Must Get Right
(21:56) AI Risks: The Hidden Failure Points No One Talks About
(23:03) AI Governance: The Guardrails You Need Before Scaling
(23:48) Trust in AI: The 5 Pillars All Companies Should Adopt
(25:01) AI Bias: How Bad Data Can Break Your Business
(27:33) ASEAN’s AI Reality Check: Who’s Ahead & Who’s Catching Up
(31:12) Quantum 101: Why It Will Break Today’s Limits
(34:02) Quantum Adoption: Real Use Cases & Regional Moves
(38:09) Keeping Up with Tech: A Playbook for Busy Leaders
(39:22) Final Takeaways: Your Next Steps in AI & Quantum

Kitman Cheung
I am an engineer, a software developer, a manager, a presales leader, an author and an inventor. I worked across different domains like Data, AI, DevOps, Hybrid Cloud, Business Automation, Cyber-Security and AIOps. Right now, I am leading a team presales engineer for one of the broadest software and hardware portfolio in the world's most dynamic market. I have a team to deliver innovations to customers everyday. That is not a bad day in the office.

Prantik Mazumdar
Prantik is an entrepreneur & venture investor and acts as a Digital Transformation Catalyst in organizations to drive sustainable change and impact.

After pursuing a major in Computer Engineering & a minor in Technopreneurship from the National University of Singapore (NUS), he kickstarted his career with the Singapore government (Enterprise Singapore) to drive international trade promotion for the island state.

He started his entrepreneurial journey with Happy Marketer in 2011 where he spent a decade building & scaling up one of the best and most awarded independent digital marketing services firm in the region that served brands like Standard Chartered Bank, Income, Great Eastern Life, Royal Brunei Airlines, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starbucks, Ping An, Grab, Shopee, GoJek, Kimberly Clark, PropertyGuru, PegiPegi, Starhub, Singtel, Nanyang Business School, Kaplan, INSEAD amongst many of its prestigious clients.

ABOUT TiE Talks
TiE Talks brings to you leadership and venture-building lessons from founders, investors and experts in the TiE Singapore network, a vibrant ecosystem of Asian entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, and industry professionals.

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