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For CEOs who are closely paying attention to the current environment and care about the future, it’s essential to develop and clearly communicate their stance on artificial intelligence (AI) to their teams. These messages to everyone in the organization must be delivered clearly and effectively. Specifically, all levels of employees need to know the leadership’s position regarding AI adoption, what the benefits are, how they’re going to be realized, and how the implementation will affect them.
I’ve been leading and developing highly successful innovation strategies for global leaders like Cisco, IBM, and others, and I’ve seen what separates market leaders from those who fall short. More often than not, it comes down to leaders who fail to understand and communicate the ramifications of transformational technology. Think of Yahoo failing to understand the importance of internet advertising and shifting from a dominant player in the internet revolution to trailing behind or Sears missing the boat with e-commerce and going from being a top retailer to bankruptcy.
But those scenarios didn’t have to happen, and leaders must learn from them.
There are several keys to an effective AI strategy, and getting others on board is one of the most important ones. What follows is a breakdown of what CEOs need their employees to know about AI.
One of the most important things to understand about AI is that it’s not just a technology—it’s about people. It’s a transformative tool that enables you to innovate and deliver unparalleled value to your customers. I believe it’s crucial to embrace AI as a central element of any growth strategy. By leveraging AI, you can uncover new opportunities, create more personalized customer experiences, and stay ahead of market trends.
Closely associated with that understanding is the realization that most organizations have no choice whether to adopt AI or not. It’s simply a matter of survival.
For CEOs and top executives, there’s an almost automatic assumption that new business processes and best practices can be added and implemented without getting a lot of employee feedback. But that assumption is simply wrong.
Encourage employees to think about how AI can enhance their current roles and processes and communicate clearly: Everyone is an innovator. Employees must have effective channels to communicate their ideas about the best use of AI, and those channels must be in place and tested well before any implementation begins.
AI comes with a variety of valid concerns. Some of these concerns are about business processes and others are about morals and ethics. Organizations must address these concerns to establish ethical and responsible standards.
Here are some of the most important issues or concerns that CEOs need to be especially clear about—to themselves and their employees:
Transparency: Companies should be transparent about how their AI systems work, including the data used to train these systems, their decision-making processes, and the rationale behind their outputs. This transparency builds trust and allows employees to understand how AI impacts them.
Accountability: There must be clear accountability for the decisions and behaviors of AI systems. Organizations should have mechanisms in place to track AI and address any issues or harm arising from its use.
Fairness And Anti-Discrimination: AI should be designed and operated to treat all users fairly and without discrimination. This involves actively identifying and eliminating biases in AI systems to prevent them from perpetuating or exacerbating social inequalities.
Human Oversight: AI should be designed to support human decision-making, not replace it. There should always be a mechanism for human intervention and oversight, ensuring that AI acts as an aid rather than an autonomous decision-maker.
One of the biggest benefits of AI is its ability to automate common functions and tasks. It can also gather immense amounts of data quickly and efficiently and then analyze that data to generate content or recommend organizational decisions.
But that kind of automation can lead to layoffs and undermine the morale of employees, who might flat-out resist and sabotage this new way of doing business. CEOs need to address their employees’ concerns with automation and job security directly and in a way that demonstrates genuine empathy while being transparent and making organizational goals clear.
But how? The answer to that question isn’t simple, but it is straightforward: Tell employees that they can use AI to enhance their careers and add to their skills, and they can then use those skills to stay ahead of market trends, both for themselves and the customers with whom they work.
That means adding upskilling and reskilling programs that work. Spell out how they’re going to work and emphasize how these skills acquisitions will complement new AI technology and help employees develop and further their careers.
To review, the AI messages CEOs deliver to their employees must be based on transparency and open dialogue, along with a clear strategy and effective programs to support employees. The journey to effective AI is a mutual learning process for both CEOs and employees and meaningful two-way communication is essential to make AI work properly. Employees must know the do's and don’ts and that they can use and enhance AI without negative repercussions.
Finally, CEOs need to be open and flexible when it comes to AI. It’s been around a long time, and we’re still in the early stages of this transformation (e.g., think of the internet in the early days of the World Wide Web). There will be plenty of changes, twists, and turns in any implementation, and openness and flexibility are requirements to get the most out of it.
What Alex Can Do For You
Developed and led AI and Innovation strategy for multiple Fortune 100 companies, driving double-digit revenue growth.
Over 20 years of hands-on experience driving transformative business and technology solutions for global brands like Dell, Amgen, IBM, Pfizer, and Cisco.
Recognized by Forbes as “One of the World’s Top Experts on Innovation” and named a “Top AI Keynote Speaker to Watch.”
Frequent contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Fast Company, sharing actionable insights on AI strategy, the future of work, and innovation.
What sets Alex apart from other top AI speakers and innovation experts?
With AI and innovation elevated to buzzwords, there are plenty of speakers in this space. While many offer insightful keynotes, few can bring the depth of understanding, hands-on experience, and diverse viewpoints that Alex can. Alex doesn’t just talk about AI and innovation. He’s led it at Dell, Pfizer, and Cisco. He’s sat across from C-Suite execs to build global innovation plans. And he’s resonated with audiences at Google, AWS, Disney, Coca Cola, and dozens of other companies with keynotes tailored to their unique AI opportunities. A frequent contributor to Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Fast Company, Alex has been identified as a Top AI Voice on LinkedIn. He is also the author of a Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Fearless Innovation. Alex’s style is personable, approachable, and human. It’s never caught up in techspeak, or jargon so he resonates with any audience. Learn more about what sets Alex apart. Get in touch.
How does Alex customize keynotes and workshops?
No two organizations’ AI or innovation opportunities, or challenges, are the same. So canned keynotes or one-size-fits-all workshops just won’t do. Instead, Alex uses AI and data to tailor his engagements with available pre-event surveys. Analyzing responses, Alex customizes his content to address key needs and pain points, ensuring his message is meaningful. Speaking with leadership and other event stakeholders, Alex further customizes the content to ensure resonance and relevance, engaging audiences. Add it all up and you have keynotes and workshops that feel like they’ve been created for you—because they were. Learn more about Alex’s methodology. Get in touch.
What events and audiences are right for Alex?
With so much experience leading large-scale innovation initiatives, Alex is able to reach and resonate with any audience, no matter their knowledge level, industry, culture, or department. Captivating audiences from a live stage, or a virtual event, Alex is a fixture at C-Suite summits, innovation conferences, policy talks, offsites, and employee all hands meetings, plus governmental and academia events. An audience looking for fresh perspectives, real solutions, and custom content will find Alex’s keynotes engaging and actionable with ideas they can start applying right away. Curious about Alex’s recommendations for your event? Get in touch.
What companies and organizations have worked with Alex?
Alex’s roster of past clients, keynote engagements, and employers reads like a Wikipedia entry of the world’s most innovative, respected organizations. Disney, Coca Cola, ISO, AWS, Google, LEGO, CAT, IBM, Cisco, Dell, and dozens of other organizations have benefited from Alex’s keynotes, workshops, and strategic advisory services. As the former Managing Director of Innovation Strategy at Cisco, leader of global Innovation Centers and Smart City programs in 7 countries, and creator of innovation tracks for 3 Olympics, Alex’s real-world experience magnifies his impact upon any organization he partners with. Additionally, Alex has worked hands-on with governments, industry groups,startups and scaleups, plus large academic institutions, like the University of Delaware and The University of California, impacting 300,000+ students and thousands of faculty.
What topics does Alex Goryachev cover in keynotes and workshops?
While every keynote or workshop is customized to an event or audience, Alex is often requested by clients to bring a fresh perspective and real-world expertise on topics, including: AI’s impact on work and education Innovation in the age of AI Building buy-in and reducing hesitancy towards AI Policy and ethics related to AI C-Suite and leadership insights on AI Employee engagement in innovation The impact of AI on society Use cases, solutions, and strategies for AI and innovation Innovation culture and proven frameworks Reskilling and workforce preparedness Education and academia policy Government AI policy and legislation For additional topic ideas and recommendations for your event, get in touch.
These aren’t just better ways to use ChatGPT, or create short-term buzz. This is what the most influential organizations on earth use to shape the future.