Driving Manufacturing Efficiency With AI: Pirelli’s Daniele Petecchi

Driving Manufacturing Efficiency With AI: Pirelli’s Daniele Petecchi

Author: MIT Sloan Management Review March 19, 2024 Duration: 25:30
Daniele Petecchi didn’t realize how complex the process of producing tires was until he joined Pirelli, a company that’s been in the business of manufacturing tires for more than 150 years. But now, as head of data management and AI, he’s focused on leveraging the company’s wealth of data to meet the stringent technical, quality, and performance requirements of the Formula One racers and luxury vehicle makers — like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and BMW — that rely on Pirelli’s premium tires. In this episode, Daniele explains why virtualization and data are key to managing the complexity of an R&D and production cycle that includes using digital twins to predict how a tire will sound on the road and maximizing efficiency at plants that manufacture millions of tires each year. Read the episode transcript here. Guest bio Daniele Petecchi is head of AI and data managementat Pirelli, where he leads critical initiatives that harness artificial intelligence technology to drive innovation and efficiency for the premium tire manufacturer. Petecchi earned his degree in telecommunications engineering, specializing in digital signal processing, which laid the foundation for his career in technology. He subsequently earned a Master of Science degree in information management, which equipped him with a strong strategic perspective. In 2018, he further reinforced his skill set by completing the General Management Program at ESCP Business School, enabling him to navigate the intricate intersection of technology and business. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper. Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn. We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Ever wondered how some organizations manage to turn artificial intelligence from a buzzword into a genuine engine for growth, while others struggle to move beyond the pilot phase? Me, Myself, and AI, a production from MIT Sloan Management Review, goes straight to the source to find out. Instead of theoretical discussions, this podcast features candid conversations with the people who are actually building and implementing AI systems at scale. You'll hear directly from leaders at prominent companies like YouTube, Cisco, and Hugging Face as they recount their journeys-not just the polished successes, but the real-world challenges, strategic decisions, and sometimes surprising lessons learned along the way. Each episode digs into the practicalities of creating measurable business value, cutting through the noise to reveal what effective AI leadership and integration truly look like. It’s a focused exploration for anyone in technology, business, or education who wants to understand the human and operational stories behind the algorithms. Tune in for an unvarnished look at the future being built, one practical application at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Me, Myself, and AI
Podcast Episodes
Never Too Much AI: Upwork's Andrew Rabinovich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:37
Andrew Rabinovich began his career in technology working on AI applications for cancer detection. He also spent time at Google, working on early iterations of products like Google Glass. Now at Upwork, as vice president…
Ethically Sourced Creativity: Shutterstock's Alessandra Sala [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:50
Alessandra Sala, senior director of data science and AI at Shutterstock, brings an impressive background in responsible AI to her role. Also the global president of Women in AI and cochair of the Women4Ethical AI platfor…
Meet Your New Teammate, AI: Asana’s Saket Srivastava [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:17
Saket Srivastava, CIO at work management platform Asana, has had technology roles at organizations such as General Electric, IBM, and Fujitsu, moving from back-end IT services positions to more strategic business leaders…
Building Connections Through Open Research: Meta’s Joelle Pineau [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:35
Joelle Pineau’s curiosity led her to pursue a doctorate in engineering with a focus on robotics, which she describes as her “gateway into AI.” As vice president of AI research at Meta, Joelle leads a team committed to op…
Authoring Creativity With AI: Researcher Patrick Hebron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:52
If you’ve played with Photoshop’s Generative Fill feature or worked in Nvidia’s Omniverse platform, you’ve touched tools that Patrick Hebron’s work has made possible. A dual major in philosophy and film production, Patri…
If 10% of the World Were Developers: GitHub’s Mario Rodriguez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:47
When Mario Rodriguez emigrated from Cuba to the United States at age 14 with his parents — a university professor, and a teacher turned electrical engineer — they had already instilled in him the value of education and a…
AI Hype and Skepticism: Economist Paul Romer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:19
Paul Romer once considered himself the most optimistic economist. He rightfully predicted that technology would blow up as an economic driver coming out of the inflation of the 1970s but acknowledges he did not foresee t…
Lights, AI, Action: Wonder Dynamics's Tye Sheridan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:43
Actor Tye Sheridan may not consider himself a technology expert, but his knowledge of visual effects (VFX) processes led him to cofound AI-driven startup Wonder Dynamics. With the company’s new product, Wonder Studio, cr…
Fashioning the Perfect Fit With AI: Stitch Fix’s Jeff Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:17
Jeff Cooper parlayed his interest in neuroscience and human behavior into a career in data science and today works as a senior data science director for online retail subscription service Stitch Fix. Jeff joins Me, Mysel…