How is AI reshaping our relationship with work, and what does that mean for the tools we rely on every day?

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Cory McElroy, Vice President of Commercial Product Management at HP. Our conversation begins with a reflection on one of the most famous garages in technology history. The original HP garage in Palo Alto is often described as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, and standing there recently reminded me how far the industry has come since those early days.

But as Cory explains, we may be entering another turning point. The nature of work has shifted rapidly in just a few years. Hybrid work is now the norm for millions of people, and expectations around workplace technology have changed with it. Employees no longer see technology as a basic productivity tool. They expect it to adapt to them, reduce friction, and help them focus on meaningful work.

Cory shares insights from HP's Work Relationship Index, which highlights a striking reality. Only around 20 percent of employees say they have a healthy relationship with work. That number sounds concerning at first, but it also points to an opportunity. When organizations provide the right tools and experiences, employees become more productive, more creative, and more likely to stay.

A big theme throughout our conversation is the growing role of AI directly on devices. Running AI locally on PCs changes how people interact with technology. Tasks that once took hours, such as analyzing documents or extracting insights from data, can now happen almost instantly. In some internal deployments at HP, employees reported saving up to four hours each week.

We also talk about the hardware innovations that are emerging in response to this shift. Cory explains how new devices like the HP EliteBook X and the EliteBoard reflect a rethink of the PC itself. The EliteBoard, for example, integrates a full PC inside a keyboard, allowing users to connect to any display and instantly access desktop-level performance. It is a design that reflects the flexibility people now expect from modern workspaces.

Looking ahead, Cory believes the next few years will bring even bigger change. Devices will increasingly understand context, connect seamlessly with other tools, and respond to natural language requests. Instead of jumping between multiple applications to complete a task, users may simply ask their device to assemble information and produce the outcome they need.

So as AI becomes embedded into the devices we use every day and work continues to evolve, what would a truly frictionless workday look like for you, and how will your relationship with technology change as a result?

How prepared are organizations for a world where today's encrypted communications could be quietly stored and cracked years from now?
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Nate Jenniges, Senior Vice President and General Manager at BlackBerry, to talk about why the conversation around quantum computing is moving from academic curiosity to operational reality.

For many leaders, quantum threats still feel distant, something for researchers and cryptographers to worry about. But as Nate explained, governments and adversaries are already capturing encrypted data today with the expectation that it can be decrypted later when quantum capabilities mature.

This idea of "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks completely changes the timeline for security planning. If sensitive information needs to remain confidential for five, ten, or even twenty years, the exposure may already have started. That means the challenge is no longer theoretical. It is becoming a strategic issue that boards, CISOs, and government leaders must begin addressing right now.

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation focused on something many people rarely think about. Metadata. While encryption protects the content of a message or phone call, the surrounding patterns often reveal just as much. Who spoke to whom, how often, from where, and at what time can tell a surprisingly detailed story. With modern analytics and AI tools, these patterns can expose command structures, business relationships, or crisis response activity even if the message itself remains encrypted.

Nate explained why this is becoming a frontline issue in the emerging post-quantum era. As organizations integrate AI into communication platforms, new forms of metadata are emerging from model interactions, system queries, and inference activities. That means protecting communications requires a broader view than simply upgrading encryption algorithms.

We also explored how governments and highly regulated sectors are preparing for this shift. BlackBerry today operates in a very different space than many people remember, focusing on identity-verified, mission-critical communications used by governments and institutions that cannot afford uncertainty. These systems are designed to operate during the moments that matter most, whether that involves cyber incident response, national security coordination, or emergency response to climate-related events.

Another theme that stood out was the leadership challenge behind quantum readiness. Nate believes organizations should avoid treating quantum as a separate security initiative. Instead, it should be integrated into the technology refresh cycles that companies already manage, including hardware updates, software upgrades, and certificate renewals. The organizations that begin asking the right questions today will avoid scrambling later when regulatory expectations tighten and deadlines arrive.

By the end of our conversation, one message became very clear. The first real defense in the post-quantum era may not come from stronger encryption alone. It may come from understanding and controlling the communication patterns and metadata that surround every digital interaction.

As quantum computing research accelerates and governments begin setting deadlines for post-quantum security readiness, the question becomes increasingly hard to ignore. Are organizations truly prepared for the communications challenges that the next decade may bring?