AI, Marriage, and the Systems We Build: Why We Shouldn’t Be Surprised By High Failure Rates

February 25, 2025

What do AI investments and marriage have in common? A lot more than you'd think.

Recently, while walking past Las Vegas wedding chapels, I was struck by how we’re encouraged to leap into marriage—despite a 76% chance of it leading to dissatisfaction or divorce. If that were your odds of getting hit by a bowling ball, you’d wear a helmet, right?

Yet, we treat AI investments the same way: chasing transformation, pouring money into the latest technology, and ignoring the evidence that most implementations fail. Some studies suggest that over 80% of AI projects never reach deployment or meaningful ROI—but companies keep making the same mistakes.

The real issue? The systems we build produce the results we deserve. Just as societal expectations drive people toward marriage, hype, pressure, and poor planning drive businesses into AI investments that are doomed from the start.

So what if we designed AI strategies with the same scrutiny we should apply to marriage? The results might surprise you.

Breaking the AI Loop: From Static Thinking to Living Intelligence in Governance and Business

February 4, 2025

A student recently asked: “How can AI transform the relationships between the U.S. and African countries?” The premise is compelling—AI has the potential to drive transparency, trade, and governance reform, resetting relationships on healthier grounds.

But we’ve seen this movie before.

Generative AI vs. Predictive AI: Why the Investment Gap Doesn’t Reflect Real Value

January 21, 2025

The AI Investment Paradox Generative AI is dominating headlines, while predictive AI quietly powers businesses behind the scenes. Despite delivering far greater returns in efficiency and cost savings, predictive AI receives nearly the same level of investment as its flashier counterpart. Why? The answer lies in perception: generative AI dazzles with its creative outputs, while predictive AI quietly drives results. Yet for businesses seeking measurable ROI, predictive AI remains the unsung hero.

AI’s Newest Employee: Who Bears the Burden of Your Digital Coworkers?

January 20, 2025

Digital coworkers are no longer hypothetical. AI-driven agents—agentics—are creeping into every function, every decision process, and every interaction within organizations. In some ways, they are the executive dream—they don’t need coffee breaks, demand raises, or call in sick. And yet, they’re reshaping work in ways few leaders are prepared to handle.

A student declaration of rights: Protecting Education in the Age of AI

November 12, 2024

Today, I'm sharing news of an initiative occupying my thoughts and research: the Global Student & AI Rights Pledge & Declaration. These are two initiatives I architected as part of presentations I gave this year at ICTE 2024. But before I detail these efforts, I want to emphasize something important: this isn't just another policy document destined to gather digital dust in some institutional repository.

The Power of AI in Meeting Management

October 14, 2024

AI-powered voice recording, transcription, and analysis tools are revolutionizing how we conduct and follow up on meetings. As graduate faculty for project management curriculum and consultant for data culture initiatives, I’ve started integrating how these tools can help students and project managers

The Trilemma of Modern Data Warehousing: Owned, Migrating, and Acquired

September 27, 2024

The landscape of data warehousing has undergone a profound transformation since its inception in the 1970s. What began as a concept for centralizing corporate data has evolved into a complex ecosystem of technologies, languages, and architectures. This evolution reflects not only advancements in technology but also changing business needs and the exponential growth of data as an asset.

Part 5: The Ethical Imperative: Redefining Organizational Culture in the Age of AI

September 26, 2024

As we conclude our exploration of the evolving data culture in corporate America, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. The pendulum swings we've observed—from the data-driven efficiency focus of the 1990s to the purpose-driven revolution of the 2010s—have set the stage for a new era of complexity. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) is not just another technological advancement; it represents a fundamental shift in how organizations must approach skill development and organizational design for data, purpose, and ethics.

Digital Transformation in Insurance: Overcoming Legacy Challenges

August 20, 2024

The insurance industry is experiencing a digital revolution. As customer expectations evolve and new technologies emerge, insurers are under increasing pressure to undergo digital transformation. However, legacy systems and outdated processes present significant hurdles for many companies. This blog post will explore the challenges of digital transformation in insurance, highlighting real-world cases and offering strategies to overcome common obstacles.

Cybersecurity Strategies for Insurers: Protecting Data in the Digital Age

August 16, 2024

We’ve become numb to the headlines. Data breaches happen almost daily, making cybersecurity a top priority for insurers. With its vaults of personal and financial data, the insurance industry is a prime target for cybercriminals. This blog post will explore effective cybersecurity strategies for insurers, highlighting real-world cases and spotlighting new technologies reshaping the cybersecurity landscape.