We spent the last two years interviewing business leaders at the forefront of navigating the evolving AI landscape. Insights from innovators at Google, Verizon, Aon, Xapa, People.ai, AWS, and Microsoft highlight the critical factors shaping AI adoption and leadership in today’s business world.
Whether you are just getting started with AI or have spent a decade honing your AI strategy, their experiences offer valuable lessons on building an AI culture that is strategic, customer-centric, and creative.
1. Adopt a culture of resilience and continuous learning
Success in AI and leadership requires a mindset of adaptability and growth. Many of our AI Innovators emphasized the importance of learning from failures, iterating on ideas, and consistently pushing boundaries. Organizations that cultivate a culture of resilience are better equipped to navigate AI’s challenges, seize opportunities, and empower their employees to become strategic power users of AI.
“To say AI is going to be the CEO—that’s completely wrong thinking. We’re all going to be CEOs. We are all going to make decisions with these tools in our hands."
Danny Lange, recent VP of Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence at Google, believes for organizations that truly adopt a continuous learning mindset, the sky is the limit on potential growth. “To say AI is going to be the CEO—that’s completely wrong thinking,” said Lange. “We’re all going to be CEOs. We are all going to make decisions with these tools in our hands. I think that many more people should be equipped with the ability to make well-informed decisions in their companies and that is absolutely going to enable businesses to scale much more effectively."
2. AI implementation must be strategic
Rather than diving into AI without a clear plan, businesses should take a measured approach. AI adoption must be driven by well-defined use cases and a strong foundation in data infrastructure. Leaders must identify areas where AI can create tangible value and avoid implementing technology for the sake of novelty.
"Pick the use cases where you can really deliver and secure some quick wins, all while building the foundation for the longer-term play."
Michael Cingari, Verizon’s SVP of Customer Experience, Marketing Operations, and Strategy agrees. “Pick the use cases where you can really deliver and secure some quick wins, all while building the foundation for the longer-term play," he advised. "You're going to lose if you don't show the benefit.”
3. Customer-centric innovation is key
AI’s success hinges on understanding and meeting customer needs. “We never want to build technology for technology’s sake. It must address the client's problem. It’s true for picking tech partners. It’s true for developing the products. In everything, you have to start from the problem,” said Ibrahim Gokcen, recent Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Aon.
“We’re not building AI solutions just to be in the AI game; we are innovating our products to help our customers be more successful in everything they do."
No matter the functional area or company size, all AI Innovators agree that the most impactful AI initiatives come from businesses that prioritize user feedback, refine solutions based on real-world applications, and align AI capabilities with practical demands. “We’re not building AI solutions just to be in the AI game; we are innovating our products to help our customers be more successful in everything they do,” said Aaron Bjork, Director of Product Management for Microsoft’s Copilot Apps.
4. AI value is closely tied to data quality
AI models are only as effective as the data that fuels them. Clean, well-structured, and comprehensive datasets are essential for producing reliable AI insights. Without proper data readiness, AI implementations risk generating inaccurate or unusable outputs, undermining their potential benefits.
"Even the best business intuition can't compare to the real advantage offered by a huge data moat…That data set is probably the most valuable thing a company could have right now.”
People.ai Founder and CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mused on the value of data when talking about early adopter customers. “The ones that ‘got it’ and started working with us early have now collected massive decade-long datasets of all their go-to-market telemetry. And even the best business intuition can't compare to the real advantage offered by a huge data moat…That data set is probably the most valuable thing a company could have right now.”
5. Balance speed with thoughtfulness
AI’s rapid evolution creates pressure to innovate quickly, but a thoughtful approach is key to sustainable success. Leaders must balance agility with careful planning, ensuring AI solutions are scalable, ethical, and aligned with long-term business goals.
“This notion of AI FOMO is so rampant that in many cases, people throw all logic and reason out the window."
Many of our AI Innovators, including Brian Goldstein, GM of Strategic AI and ISV GTM at Google, also reminded us that taking the time to ensure data quality and governance are the keys to good AI. “This notion of AI FOMO is so rampant that in many cases, people throw all logic and reason out the window,” said Brian. “They forget that if we just rush into AI, knowing that all our data sources aren't connected properly, we’re just setting ourselves up to be disappointed. We're not going to get the output that we seek.”
6. Human-centered leadership will yield better results
Beyond technology, leadership plays a crucial role in AI’s success. Many of our AI Innovators advocated for mentorship, collaboration, and strong team dynamics. Investing in people and fostering a culture of innovation ensures that AI advancements translate into meaningful, long-lasting impact. “The thing that technology and automation and even artificial intelligence can do for us is to make us better as humans,” said Christine Heckart, CEO and Founder of Xapa. She cited AI’s ability to “release the drudgery of work that we don’t want to do so that we can focus on the things that we, as humans, are uniquely good at.”
“The thing that technology and automation and even artificial intelligence can do for us is to make us better as humans."
The sky’s the limit
AI’s potential is vast, but its successful adoption depends on strategic leadership, data preparedness, and a customer-first mindset. By embracing resilience, thoughtful execution, and human-centered innovation, organizations can harness AI’s power to drive real business transformation.
Get more AI advice from our AI Innovators.