A Conversation with Jo Ihrke on Emerging Technologies and Certification

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s global technologies grow more complex—from AI to autonomous systems—testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) play an increasingly vital role. In this episode of Safety Third, host Erik Reynolds talks with Jo Ihrke, a longtime TIC leader, about how innovation and regulation can—and must—evolve together.

In this episode, Jo Ihrke shares insights on:

  • Why certification must evolve to keep pace with rapid technological change

  • The risks of treating safety and compliance as afterthoughts in product development

  • How early engagement with TIC professionals accelerates market readiness

  • The tension between legacy testing methods and adaptive, AI-driven systems

  • Certification’s role in protecting not just users, but brand reputation and public trust

  • What it means to be a strategic, impartial partner in a rapidly shifting landscape

Shaping the Role of Certification in What’s Next

Ihrke calls for a more flexible, forward-thinking approach to certification—one that embraces complexity, accelerates innovation, and protects what matters most: public trust.

🎧 Listen to the full episode

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