Nick Lansley's Innovation Lab

This week, Google posted a profit of over US $20 billion on earnings of US $70 billion largely from advertising revenue. However the reality is that most of its services are loss making. Nonetheless, Google keeps them going because they are deemed to be 'extraordinary and helpful'. Is this something we should think about in our own work, for our own customers?

In this episode, Nick explores how computers with artificial intelligence (AI) can machine-learn news and music without rules, and create fake news and fake music! You'll get to hear never-heard-before music generated by Open AI Jukebox and a news article completely re-written by GPT-2.

The new generation of machine-learning decision-making computer algorithms are proliferating - but where is public accountability? And what is 'machine-learning' anyway? Nick explores this brave new world starting with a fiasco in UK education when such an algorithm wrecked student chances of making it to University. Nick will also reveal how he is coding machine-learning algorithms himself.

Why go to college or university if you want the sort of career in programming and software development when numerous posted jobs are not looking for a degree? Why did Google set up some online courses and then declare “In our own hiring, we will now treat these new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles.” Find out more as education in the fast moving world of tech is changing dramatically.

In this episode, I’m continuing my journey into understanding the mental challenges and innovative solutions for dealing with our strange new world of staying at home and for some, self-isolation. Joining me this week is resilience and engagement coach Assunta Cucca who will reveal mental tools to keep our mental health in a good place during lockdown. Find out more about Assunta and her work at https://kokoroconsultancy.co.uk

Working from home has now become the 'New Normal' thanks to Coronavirus and self-isolation. In this episode, Nick is joined by top workplace psychologist, Dr Richard MacKinnon, who will reveal the techniques to help you work from home effectively. After listening, head to Dr MacKinnon's website https://www.worklifepsych.com/workingfromhome/ for more in-depth information.

In this launch episode of the new Innovation Lab 2020 podcast, Nick explores an innovative technique that can greatly improve the outcomes of projects for all stakeholders: 'Utopian Destinations'.

Hello, I’m Innovation Insider Nick Lansley and I have some great news: My Innovation Lab podcast is returning to the pod waves! It’s been 5 years since I left Tesco Labs and launched my own innovation consultancy. So for you, I’m here to distil the very best news and insight, and a thought for your day, from the world of innovation. Can't wait to get started!

The latest smartphones and tablets, and the latest web browsers are a feast for the eyes as we surf the internet and engage with social media. Great! Except… what if you can’t see? If you’re vision impaired? What do these devices offer you? My guest Ian Morris is a manager at big UK company, and uses these devices at home and work. But he can’t see them. So how does he use and enjoy them?

In this brief episode, I talk about how online retailers need to literally smash their e-commerce platforms into micro-services that will be flexible to changing customer needs as well as scale up without falling over on Black Friday and other peak trading days.

In this episode, I talk about the Internet of Things (IoT) or 'smart devices', and have they have finally found their voice through Alexa, the Amazon Echo and Google Home. This changes everything because 'ease of use' is now solved. At least until I hack the devices....

In the first episode of 2016 (5th overall!), I am interviewed by Telecom TV's Martyn Warwick who was interested to learn of my past and thoughts on the state of innovation in Retail. This is where I talk about my angst against 'omni-channel' - rather than attempting to fuse in-store and online shopping, each ought to be allowed to be different, one from the other, and should "celebrate their own uniqueness" in their value to the enterprise as a whole.

In this episode I explore the future of robots with robotics specialist Luke Hickton who is studying a Doctor of Philosophy on the interactions between robots and humans.

Hackathons are an excellent way of helping colleagues think up great ideas to solve problems (or 'make things better') and this episode takes you behind the scenes at the 2015 Retail Week House of Fraser Hackathon in association with Infosys. I designed the methodology behind this hackathon, so in this episode I explore how I have changed the way that hackathons are judged and scored to make them more interesting for all involved - and it puts the judges to work too! This episode includes behind-the-scenes audio and interviews of the judges and hackers, recorded by the excellent Retail Week Hackathon organising team of which I was a proud member.

We live in the 'Information Age' where the creation and use of data is prolific. Data drives business operations, social media and more. Data is important, but my passion is for open data. That’s data that is freely available in data files that you can download and import into a spreadsheet or database. Another way is to connect to a special web service called an Application Programming Interface or API. I wrote the original Tesco Grocery API as it gave me a platform to try out new ideas with customers, as well as get third party developers involved in creating great experiences. I discuss the innovation and opportunities of open data with Stuart Coleman. Stuart was commercial director at the Open Data Institute, formed to promote and license open data in the UK. Stuart now invests in companies that take data sources and package them into value-add services for use by organisations for help with their business operations or forecasting. A good example is TransportAPI which makes available all train and bus timetables in the UK, mixed with realtime data as to where trains and buses are right now, as well as road and cycle route planning amongst other services. Think of all the live and archived data sources that needs! Given his experience, Stuart is a great to interview about open data, and what better place to go and meet him: His office is in a building wedged between London’s Euston Rail and Tube station, and Euston Bus Terminus!

Welcome to this first full episode of Innovation Lab! If a company describes itself as 'innovative', what are its employees actually doing differently? How does a company with a known culture of innovation actually work? To tackle these questions, Nick's inaugural guest is Audun Clark, the former Head of innovation Culture and Communications at Tesco Labs. In this 20 minute episode, Nick and Audun write the job description for a role that will manage or lead innovation in an organisation, and list the skills of the ideal candidate. Could they be describing you?!