Paul Zikopoulos

Award winning pro speaker/author (21 books 360+ articles on AI/BigData/DBs). IBM VP. Being best Dad I can be (no manual provided). Opinions boisterous but mine.

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

A human had to approve this weather the idea was from #AI or not. Which is to say… we can approve stupid shit. When it comes to AI, I like human in the loop… so I guess I can’t complain.

Tell me. You drinking this? That said, I could go for some Moussaka soda!

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Hats off @IBM @skillsnetworkhq team (mgrs: @acangiano & Vikki Hamann). IBM #AI Professional Cert (hosted on @coursera) makes @TechTargetNews Top 10 #AI Certs & Courses for 2026! (I'd be remiss if I didn't note @katsnelson, his brains started it all:
https://t.co/bNRnyFGqQX

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

I don't drink coffee. Never had a sip. But when Virgina from @PolyTechTalent asked me to talk #AI I was in. After 4 cups, Virginia decided we need to cut it short and ask you folks want you want to deep dive on.

Give it a read and let us know!

https://t.co/ePq28GD77m

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

This headline speaks to a future. Digital Sovereignty thing gonna be a bigger deal. My tip: Sovereignty isn't owning every layer. It's keeping control where losing it would actually hurt.

https://t.co/seMDOaqBR0

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Some come to work for a paycheck & others to build something. I’m privileged to lead a team firmly doing the latter. Leadership comes easy when you have a team like this. Super proud of what they’ve built for @IBM — and this result!

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

@robdthomas BEST time of the year!

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Join me on Aug. 18 with the phenomenal team at CRC Group as we tackle some of the things everyone wants to be talking about in #Insurance. It’ll be a short podcast—but the ideas, questions, and things to think about will come fast. Buckle up!

Register: https://t.co/CCK4re3Ye3

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

He said it was long & he said it was worth reading or booking for later. I bookmarked for later because I was busy wishing to get through the busy stressful parts of the month faster. Then I read this wishing I didn't wait so long. Give it a go!

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

WARNING: Longer post (but worth reading or bookmarking for later).

Your life has seasons.

Each one is unique. Characterized by its own distinct desires, struggles, opportunities, and identity.

But one reflection I've had recently is just how easy it is to completely disassociate with the present season.

To give all your time and energy toward a longing for some nostalgic memory of a prior season or an anticipation for some beautiful state of a future season.

You look back at the past and all you see is sunshine. Because it all worked out. You forget (or glaze over) the struggle you endured. You're here today. You made it. You're alive. You're doing fine.

You look forward at the future and dream on what could be. You'll have so much more. More freedom. More purpose. More health. More deep connection. More everything.

The past is beautiful and the future feels limitless. So, logically, you slowly start to treat everything about the present as the bridge. A dash connecting your past and your future. A gap to be crossed as quickly as possible.

Everything you do today is in anticipation of some eventual end state.

I'm doing this now, so that I can have that later.

Unfortunately, the danger of that dissociation with the present is significant. You may spend your entire life living for a future that has a decidedly mirage-like property. You inch closer, but when it's right in front of you, it disappears and reappears on the horizon.

You may spend your entire life skipping through the present, deferring your presence, your joy, and your very humanity to a future that never comes.

In a classic French fable, a young boy is gifted with a magic ball of golden thread. He's told that if he simply pulls on the thread, time will leap forward. The catch, of course, is that once it's pulled, it can never be put back.

The young boy takes advantage of the newfound powers. Each time he's faced with a boring day at school, a frustrating set of chores, or a scolding from his parents, he pulls the thread, skipping through to the good parts.

As an adult, he continues, leaping through mundane struggles in his marriage, the friction of having a newborn, and the boredom at work. He finds himself pulling on the thread more and more, avoiding even the most minor inconveniences of his life.

But when he wakes up one day and sees an old man looking back at him in the mirror, he's filled with regret. He realizes in that moment that as he chose to skip through the boredom, struggles, and friction, so too did he miss the real texture of being alive.

How often do we all do the same? How easily do we default into this disassociation? Disconnecting from the present in anticipation of some future.

A mentor recently asked me this:

"Where are you going and why are you in such a rush?"

It hit me hard.

And to be honest, I haven't stopped replaying those words since he said them.

Why are you in such a rush?

The world wants you to rush into everything. Rushed decisions. Rushed conversations. Rushed relationships. Rushed timelines.

In doing so, you slowly relinquish your agency. You give up your claim on your own life. Surrender authorship to a pen that was never even yours.

In a world that wants you to rush, the ultimate act of rebellion is presence.

Be in the season you're in. Don't romanticize the past, don't fantasize the future. Be here. Be now. Be in this. All of its texture, depth, and struggle. All of its joy, tension, and pain. Sit with the uncertainty. Become friends with it. Fall in love with it.

Because every single thing you do today is something your younger self dreamed of and something your older self will wish they could go back and do.

The good old days are happening, right now.

And the next time you find yourself skipping through the present, remember these words:

Where are you going and why are you in such a rush?

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

hough I've only really known you for 32 years ... you have aged better than even my superstar 91 year old Dad... so HAPPY 115th BIRTHDAY @IBM !!!

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

#Chicago bound or living? I'm joining an exceptional panel at @TheEconomist event on June 10th, 2026 to help you future-proof your biz for the AI economy. We're bringing real talk & big ideas—no empty promises. And unlike the Windy City, we promise substance vs. hot air!

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Always pause for thought & reflection on this day.

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Always fun welcoming new interns onto my team. Most rewarding? Knowing the amazing things they'll learn & do, especially bc they don’t know it yet! You’re not coming to this org at @IBM to tire-kick. You’re coming here to build something: in this case watsonx Workshop. Welcome!

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Fascinating stuff from @MIT & @GeorgiaTech. ~80% of #AI usage are models you know. But open models deliver 90% of their performance. Closed models are 6X more expensive, that's $25B of extra cost. Need to understand this to operationalize AI. (Read: https://t.co/iPsUs7ymfB)

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

A mom worried her daughter, a new @IBM summer intern, told me she didn’t know “anything.” My biggest growth came when I knew the least, but was surrounded by people I admired. Being the “dumbest” curious, hardworking person in the room is a gift.

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

Been using it for a while—now you can too! IBM just announced Bob, an #AI dev partner—not just code completion. Think pair programming, evolved. No-dev? Still useful. Feed it ideas or transcripts; it builds with you. Try it: https://t.co/cXiZVZ175Y

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

I’m a simple man, but not afraid a ask the obvious questions. What is the solid that was going into this urinal that they had to put the sign up at a @kohls bathroom? Is this an #AI prediction algorithm?

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

I'm like that @DosEquis beer guy, I don't often send you a piece of writing that isn't my own, but when I do... @NASA has so strict code rules, most devs would quit after Day 1. Why? People die, $Bs lost. Luv the AI Guardrail for each rule. Read: https://t.co/b0YFYSq0Qq

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

@IBM #Power in Artemis II's launch Control system 🚀analyzing 100s of 1000s of data points from early testing to final countdown (can't even type those last 2 words without hearing the band Europe in my ear). High-perf, secure & reliable servers designed for enterprise workloads.

[Rob Thomas @robdthomas]

As with all things, motivation and persistence is 90% of what matters.

[Paul Zikopoulos @BigData_paulz]

On-chain economies & decentralized finance brings issues. N. Korea stole $Bs in crypto & 1/6 US job apps showed fraud signals & 1/4 candidates could be fake by '28 (Garter). Rethink identity! Humans, deepfakes & agents. Cyber isn’t a cost centre, think value creator & protector.