AI projects are falling short across the tech industry and executives are losing their jobs because of it. This episode of Pure Signal explores the reasons behind boards’ new pressures, what CIOs and CEOs can do to right the ship, and how it is possible to balance speed with strategy in regards to AI.
From the early days of AI adoption well through to today, workers everywhere have been worried about if their jobs will be replaced by their computer counterparts. And recently people have been losing their jobs..but not because they’re being replaced. High-profile CIO and CEO departures have been making headlines because they’ve been going too slow in their organization’s AI efforts.
Join Vincent, Jason, and Kevin, as they unpack the rising tension in the C-suite as AI adoption becomes a board-level priority. With only 25% of enterprise AI projects delivering on ROI, companies are reckoning with years of tech debt, siloed systems, and a shortage of generative AI-ready talent. Their conversation dives into how to lead AI transformation from the top without sacrificing security, regulatory standards, or execution speed.
From risk-tolerant innovation and agile delivery to the debate over if titles such as “Chief AI Officer” even mean anything tangible, this episode lays out what forward-leaning organizations are actually doing to win, and why most of them aren’t talking about it publicly.
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Quotes
"We're asking CIOs to solve all of the tech debt for the past 10 years that organizations haven't invested in or paid for and then on top of that, deliver net new outcomes with AI. That's a really difficult spot. CEOs basically want miracles, and they want them now.”
– Vincent Yates
"Boards want to see bold action. If you're a little sloppy but you're showing demonstrated value in terms of velocity and acceleration, people will likely forgive that. But if you're too cautious and get fired for moving too slow, that’s a much harder story to recover from. Right now, this is a moment for action, not preservation."
– Kevin Erickson
"This idea that you have to choose between innovation and security is completely false. If you design things well and use AI and other automation tools, you can actually be more secure while moving faster. The tools can test for vulnerabilities, generate more secure code, and incorporate best practices by default. You get better outcomes at greater speed."
– Jason Goth
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
00:25 Holding executives accountable for slow AI adoption
02:35 Overcorrection? Or justified response?
09:55 Roles are shifting across organizations
13:40 Think slow but act fast
20:35 Lean on specific, measureable pursuits
25:25 Security is no longer a good excuse
29:35 It's okay to break things
38:00 Is it as easy as adding a new title to your executive team?
46:35 Empower your existing teams to orient around action
50:50 Recent AI wins to learn from
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Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
