The IEEE Technology Time Machine (TTM) symposium brings together industry leaders, top executives, government officials, scientific innovators, and more to discuss future technology directions. Among the turning-point IEEE TTM gatherings, the October 2016 symposium in San Diego promoted the “Making the Future” theme and invited renowned experts in their fields of research and industry. Attending IEEE TTM was Mary Ward-Callan, the managing director for IEEE Technical Activities–an initiative to foster the development and facilitate the exchange of scientific and technological knowledge. In our first IEEE TTM podcast interview, Mary Ward-Callan reviews the social, cultural, political and ethical issues that commonly emerge when innovation alters perception. Her experience at IEEE TTM illuminated her desire for a functional, realistic and safe automated world.