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Why Chirag Mehta is going to Miro's Canvas 2026

Why Chirag Mehta is going to Miro's Canvas 2026

AI is making everyone faster. That part is largely solved. A product manager can pressure test an idea in minutes. A designer can generate concepts almost instantly. An engineer can explore multiple implementation paths faster than ever before. Individual productivity gains from AI are real and measurable.

The harder problem is what happens next. Faster individuals do not automatically create better-aligned teams. In fact, AI can amplify the small gaps that already exist in an organization. Teams can generate more ideas, more plans, more prototypes, and more analysis, and still struggle with the same fundamental questions: What are we actually building? Why does it matter? Who needs to be involved? What trade-offs are we making? How do we keep everyone moving in the same direction?

That is the question Miro is putting at the center of Canvas 2026, and it is the right question to be asking right now.


The Collaboration Gap Is a Structural Problem

The productivity conversation around AI has focused heavily on individual output. That is where the early wins are easiest to demonstrate and easiest to measure. But the enterprise does not run on individual output. It runs on coordinated team outcomes, which require something AI cannot provide on its own: shared context.

Shared context is how product, engineering, design, and technology leaders connect strategy to execution. It is how teams move from isolated AI experiments to coordinated product outcomes. It is how organizations make sure AI helps teams make better decisions, not just produce more output. Right now, that shared context layer is underdeveloped in most enterprises, and the gap is becoming more visible as AI accelerates everything around it.


Why Miro Is on the Constellation ShortList

Miro has been on the Constellation ShortList, and the reason is consistent with what Canvas 2026 is trying to address. The category is moving beyond digital whiteboards. What matters now is whether a platform can help cross-functional teams structure work, apply AI to that work, and move from ideas to outcomes with less friction.

That is a different value proposition than shared canvases and sticky notes. It is a platform question about how teams operate when AI becomes part of everyday work, not just a productivity tool sitting alongside it.


What to Watch at Canvas 2026

The most useful conversations at events like this tend to happen when vendors stop talking about capabilities and start talking about operating models. The question I will be bringing to Canvas 2026 is not whether AI can make individuals faster. That is settled. The question is how leading organizations are redesigning the way teams work together so that faster individuals actually produce better collective outcomes.

That means looking at how shared context is structured and maintained across functions, how decisions are made and documented when AI is in the workflow, and what it actually takes to move from an AI-assisted prototype to a shipped product.

If those are the questions your organization is working through, Canvas 2026 is worth your time. Register here before May 19th.

Future of Work Tech Optimization Data to Decisions On Event Update

CR CX Convo: What’s Next With AWS - A Sit Down with Amazon Connect’s Pasquale DeMaio

CR CX Convo: What’s Next With AWS - A Sit Down with Amazon Connect’s Pasquale DeMaio

For anyone who follows Constellation analyst Liz Miller's research, the premise is not new. She has been talking about Amazon Connect as an engagement backbone for years, but her position has remained the same: it is more than a contact center platform. It is the infrastructure layer that enables enterprises to engage with the humans they serve, whether those humans are customers, employees, candidates, or patients.

When Liz sat down with Pasquale DeMaio, VP of Amazon Connect, for this CR CX Convo, the takeaway was confirmation that the floodgates have officially opened, and enterprises still thinking of Connect as a call center tool are already behind the curve.


Deflection Is Dead. Full Stop.

Pasquale said it better than most analysts have. If your CX strategy is still built around deflection, containment, and average handle times, you are not solving a customer problem. You are solving a cost accounting problem. In a world where a customer can open ChatGPT and ask it to solve their issue, the moment you deflect them, you have handed them off to someone who actually wants to help. How long before your business is just option C on a list?

The shift Pasquale is describing is from optimization to problem solving. Not how do we get customers off the phone faster, but how do we actually resolve what they came for? That sounds obvious. It is not obvious in practice. It requires a complete rethinking of what success looks like, from metrics to incentives to how you design the experience itself.


The People Problem Was Never the People

This is the thread Liz keeps pulling on in every conversation about enterprise AI, and it showed up here in a big way. For years, the dominant approach to CX technology has been to treat people as the bottleneck. Agents talk too long. Recruiters take too long. Doctors spend too much time on documentation. The hammer has been pointed at the humans.

What Amazon Connect is doing differently is designing around what people are actually good at. Not replacing them. Not deflecting around them. Getting the technology out of their way so they can do the thing they showed up to do.

The story Pasquale told about the heart rate monitor study is the one that stuck. They asked agents to wear monitors while testing new software designed to reduce the administrative burden of their jobs. Heart rates went down. Stress levels dropped. And a less stressed agent does what? They focus on the customer. They solve the problem. They do the job they actually want to do.

That is not a small thing. That is the entire design philosophy, and it is the right one.


Hiring Is One of the Best Use Cases You Are Not Talking About

The talent product deserves more attention than it is getting in the broader conversation about where agentic AI delivers enterprise value.

Think about what traditional recruiting looks like at scale. Eighty candidates to make one offer. Thirty days on average to close that process. Meanwhile, the best candidates are hearing back from five other companies, and the window to make an offer they will accept is closing fast. Layered on top of all of that is the reality that human beings carry preconceived notions into every decision. Accents. Zip codes. Whether the recruiter slept well the night before. All of it seeps into decisions that are supposed to be about whether someone can do the job.

What Connect's talent solution does is restructure that entirely. The assessment is about capability. The interview is about fit. The recruiter gets clean, structured data without the noise, and they can move. Amazon Connect is running this process in under a day. For any enterprise dealing with mass seasonal hiring, that is not an incremental improvement. That is a completely different model.


The Real Opportunity Is in the Connections

This is where CxOs need to pay attention, because it is a conversation that hasn't happened enough yet.

Each of these use cases, contact center, hiring, healthcare, and supply chain, operates as its own intelligent system. But the moment you start connecting them, the value compounds in ways that are hard to overstate. Supply chain decisioning tells you that Christmas demand is starting two weeks earlier than last year. That changes your seasonal hiring timeline. Hiring data flows into your HCM. Customer profile data unifies across every touchpoint, so that marketing, operations, and the contact center all learn from the same signal.

Pasquale made a point worth underscoring: this is the moment to bring the CMO into the Connect conversation. Not because Connect is a marketing tool, but because the data flowing through this ecosystem is exactly what marketing needs to be genuinely proactive. And proactive does not mean a chatbot popping up on a website. It means understanding what a customer needs before they have to ask.

The enterprises that figure out how to string these pieces of intelligence together will have a structural advantage that is very hard to replicate.


Questions You Should Ask Right Now

If there is one question worth walking away with, it is this: where in your organization are people still being treated as the bottleneck, and what would it look like to redesign that?

Not with AI for the sake of AI. Not with deflection dressed up as self-service. But with technology that actually gets out of the way so people, customers, candidates, and patients can do what they came to do.

That is the premise on which Amazon Connect has been building for years. The difference now is the scale and the specificity of what is possible. The floodgates are open. The question is whether your organization is ready to walk through them.

Marketing Transformation Future of Work Innovation & Product-led Growth New C-Suite AI Agentic AI Chief Information Officer Chief Data Officer Chief AI Officer Chief Marketing Officer On CR Conversations

AI Governance and Innovation: From Data Center Risk to Exponential Leadership | DisrupTV Ep. 437

AI Governance and Innovation: From Data Center Risk to Exponential Leadership | DisrupTV Ep. 437

AI Governance and Innovation: From Data Center Risk to Exponential Leadership

As enterprises accelerate their adoption of AI, the conversation is rapidly evolving. It’s no longer just about capability—it’s about resilience, security, and governance at scale.

In this episode of DisrupTV, Vala Afshar and R “Ray” Wang are joined by Bob Gourley, David Bray, and Andrea Bonime-Blanc to explore what it really takes to lead in the age of exponential technologies.

From data center vulnerabilities to AI-driven cyber risk and board-level governance gaps, the message is clear: AI is forcing a complete rethink of leadership.

Data Centers: The Physical Reality of AI Risk

AI may feel abstract, but it runs on physical infrastructure—data centers, energy grids, and network systems that are increasingly exposed.

Modern data centers are often built for efficiency, not defense. Their proximity to public roads and urban environments introduces new risks, especially from drones and other low-cost attack vectors.

At the same time, physical and cyber threats are converging. Communication jamming, infrastructure disruption, and hybrid attacks are no longer theoretical scenarios. They’re becoming part of the operational threat landscape.

Layer in energy constraints, geopolitical dependencies, and grid instability, and a new board-level question emerges: what happens when your infrastructure can’t be powered or protected?

The “Messy Middle” of AI and Cybersecurity

AI is both a solution and a stress test for cybersecurity.

As both David Bray and Bob Gourley note, we’re entering a phase where AI will surface vulnerabilities faster than organizations can fix them. This doesn’t mean systems are getting worse—it means visibility is improving dramatically.

The result is a “messy middle”:

  • A surge in discovered vulnerabilities
  • Increased pressure on security teams
  • Short-term degradation in traditional KPIs

But this phase is necessary. It forces organizations to confront years of accumulated technical debt.

The organizations that succeed won’t be those that avoid the spike—they’ll be the ones that:

  • Prioritize effectively
  • Combine human expertise with AI-driven analysis
  • Measure response speed instead of raw vulnerability counts

Over time, this leads to a stronger, more resilient baseline.

Cloud, Edge, and the Rise of Simulation

Security is increasingly driving architectural decisions.

Cloud platforms offer resilience through scale, while edge computing enables localized, resilient AI capabilities when connectivity is disrupted.

At the same time, tools like digital twins are emerging as critical assets. By simulating real-world environments—supply chains, infrastructure, threat scenarios—organizations can test resilience before crises hit.

This is a shift from reactive security to proactive, scenario-based planning.

Exponential Governance: Leading in Pandora’s Era

Andrea Bonime-Blanc frames today’s moment through a powerful metaphor: Pandora’s box has been opened.

AI, along with other exponential technologies, is now widely accessible. There’s no going back—only forward with better governance.

She outlines five pillars for what she calls an exponential governance mindset:

  • Integrated governance across the full tech lifecycle
  • A culture that rewards responsibility, not silence
  • Deep awareness of stakeholder impact
  • Resilience built for compounding crises
  • Structured foresight to anticipate what’s next

This isn’t about slowing innovation—it’s about steering it.

Bridging Builders and Guardians

A recurring tension in AI is between speed and safety.

On one side are the innovators pushing boundaries. On the other are the risk leaders focused on long-term consequences.

The organizations that win won’t choose one over the other. They’ll integrate both:

  • Engineers working alongside ethicists
  • Product teams aligned with governance leaders
  • Innovation informed by accountability

This collaboration turns risk into a design input—not a post-launch constraint.

The New Mandate for CEOs and Boards

Across the discussion, several leadership imperatives stand out:

  • Build an AI strategy grounded in strong data foundations
  • Get hands-on with AI tools to understand their impact
  • Encourage dissent and “responsible heretics”
  • Rethink outdated assumptions (like “data is the new oil”)
  • Embed governance into innovation from day one

Perhaps most importantly, boards must evolve.

Curiosity, humility, and situational awareness are no longer optional traits—they’re core competencies in an AI-driven world.

Key Takeaways

  • AI infrastructure is a physical risk surface, not just a digital one
  • Cybersecurity will get harder before it gets easier as AI exposes hidden vulnerabilities
  • Resilience—not prevention—must become the primary security mindset
  • Governance must evolve from reactive oversight to proactive design
  • The future belongs to organizations that integrate innovation with responsibility

Final Thoughts

AI is not arriving in a vacuum. It’s landing in a world already shaped by geopolitical tension, infrastructure fragility, and systemic risk.

That’s what makes this moment different.

The organizations that treat AI as just another technology upgrade will struggle. The ones that treat it as a catalyst to rethink security, governance, and leadership will gain a real advantage.

Because in the end, AI doesn’t just scale systems—it exposes them.

And the question leaders must answer now is simple: are your systems, your governance, and your leadership ready for what AI will reveal?

Related Episodes

If you found Episode 437 valuable, here are a few others that align in theme or extend similar conversations:

Tech Optimization New C-Suite Digital Safety, Privacy & Cybersecurity AI Chief Executive Officer Chief Technology Officer Chief AI Officer Chief Experience Officer

From “activation energy” and agent orchestration to donkeycorns and relationship capital, DisrupTV 425 explains what actually separates AI hype from real business impact.

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From Data Chaos to Confident AI: How Overdose Built a Semantic Foundation on Google Cloud

From Data Chaos to Confident AI: How Overdose Built a Semantic Foundation on Google Cloud

Most enterprises don't have a data problem. They have a meaning problem.

That's the framing Mike Ni, analyst at Constellation Research, brought to an interview with Paul Pritchard, CEO of Overdose, at Google Cloud Next. Throughout their conversation, Pritchard unpacked exactly what it takes to get from scattered data sources to AI that actually moves the business forward.

The answer, it turns out, starts well before the AI.


The Real Problem: Everyone's Fighting Over the Truth

Overdose works with merchants globally as a high-growth digital commerce agency operating across dozens of client relationships simultaneously. The challenge they kept running into wasn't a lack of data. It was that every team had a different version of it.

"With those disparate data sources comes a whole bunch of confusion," Pritchard explained. "Every channel claiming the sale meant that there was a fight every day to figure out what the truth was."

CFOs were looking at one number. Marketing managers at another. Board members at a third. And the agency was spending enormous energy just reconciling the differences before anyone could get to the actual work of growing the business.

The turning point came when Overdose built a semantic layer powered by Looker and Google BigQuery. Not another dashboard. Not another BI tool. A single, grounded source of truth that every team, client, and agency alike could work from.

"The ability to now sit down with a client and understand what the imperative metrics are (profit, effective movement of stock, customer acquisition that turns into lifetime value) and give everyone the same information at the same time has been so impactful," Pritchard said.


From Month-Long Dashboards to Real-Time Action

Before Looker, Overdose's process looked like this: spend a month building a dashboard, present it at the end of the month, and spend the meeting looking backward at what had already happened.

"You can imagine what you're doing at that stage," Pritchard said. "Looking back on the performance of that month and comparing it year on year."

Now, that same insight is available in real time. Teams don't wait for a monthly review to act. They build action-oriented plans based on what's happening now. And when an insight surfaces, generative AI is there to do something with it immediately.

Overdose built a tool that takes the semantic layer's output and runs it through an autonomous action loop: insight → creative brief → creative assets → published to ad channels → performance tracked back through Looker → new assets created when ready.

"Our merchants can move faster to engage with their customers," Pritchard said. "That's the best thing that can come out of it."


AI That's Actually Grounded

This is where the conversation gets pointed. Pritchard is not shy about his view on AI deployed without a solid data foundation.

"If it's not grounded in data, you get confident hallucinations," he said. "And if you get confident hallucinations, your brand is at risk."

It's a line worth sitting with. Confident hallucinations (i.e. AI that sounds certain while being wrong) are arguably more dangerous than obvious errors, because they're harder to catch and easier to act on. For a commerce agency making real-time decisions about campaigns, creative, and spend, that's not a theoretical risk.

This is also, Pritchard argued, why so many AI proofs of concept never make it to production. The semantic foundation wasn't there from the start. The AI had no solid ground to stand on.

"Intent is everything," he said. "A POC gives you some sort of intention. But the reality is, unless it's in the real world, connecting up all of those parts of your business to allow you to act on the fly in real time, that is the magic."


The People Question

One of the most common concerns when AI enters a business is what it means for the people doing the work. Pritchard's framing is worth noting.

"Instead of thinking about the reduction that everyone talks about, we think about the empowerment it brings to our teams," he said. "Our teams are now talking to clients about impactful metrics, rather than thinking about operational toolsets."

The shift isn't fewer people, but better conversations. Teams that used to spend time wrangling data are now spending time on strategy. And as the AI handles more of the execution layer, the human value moves further up the stack.


The Advice for Leaders Starting This Journey

Ni asked Pritchard what data and commerce leaders need to know before embarking on this path. His answer was direct: Start with the truth.

"What we knew is that disparate data sources leading to inconsistent reporting. Every channel claiming the sale meant there was a fight every day. When you get to that truth, what's beyond it is absolutely exponentially beneficial. Start by trying to get to the truth. Once you've got that, anything's possible."

For Overdose, the partnership with Google Cloud and the GCP team was central to getting there. Looker's price point made it accessible to the mid-market merchants it serves. And the consistency it created across every client relationship became the foundation for something bigger: an agency whose institutional knowledge and context compound over time.

"The information we retain over time should be able to be used to continually inform, elevate, and create innovation for those businesses," Pritchard said. "Through our partnership with Google Cloud, we've been able to do that in a consistent way — generating more revenue, more margin, and more customer acquisition for our merchants."


Watch the Full Interview

Catch the full conversation between Mike Ni and Paul Pritchard from Google Cloud Next below.

👉 https://youtu.be/w-0yDAaqyXQ

Data to Decisions Future of Work Innovation & Product-led Growth Tech Optimization Matrix Commerce Agentic AI AI Data to Decisions Chief Data Officer Chief Executive Officer On Event Update

Built to Last in the Age of Agentic AI: Why Technology Is Ready—but Leadership Isn’t | DisrupTV Ep. 436

Built to Last in the Age of Agentic AI: Why Technology Is Ready—but Leadership Isn’t | DisrupTV Ep. 436

Built to Last in the Age of Agentic AI: Why Technology Is Ready—but Leadership Isn’t

On this episode of DisrupTV, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar sit down with Joe Kim, CEO of DRUID AI, and Paul McCarthy, author of The F.I.R.E.D. Leader, to unpack a hard truth:

AI is ready. Most organizations are not.

The conversation explores two forces colliding in real time—agentic AI and disruptive leadership—and why the gap between them is now the biggest risk (and opportunity) for enterprises.

AI Has Moved From Experiment to Executive Mandate

AI is no longer a side project or innovation lab exercise. It’s now a CEO-level priority shaping strategy, operations, and competitive advantage.

As Joe Kim explains, the shift from proofs of concept to production changes everything:

  • AI decisions now impact revenue, cost structures, and governance
  • Agentic systems introduce autonomy into workflows
  • The stakes move from experimentation to accountability

Even more surprising: in some cases, government agencies are advancing faster than the private sector in adopting agentic AI.

The takeaway is clear—this is no longer about testing AI. It’s about running the business with it.

Agentic AI Changes the Rules Entirely

Traditional enterprise systems are deterministic: same input, same output.

Agentic AI is not.

These systems reason, decide, and act—often without direct human intervention. That means organizations must rethink how they design, manage, and secure technology.

Instead of tools, agents must be treated like operators:

  • They have defined responsibilities
  • They require oversight and training
  • They can be manipulated or exploited

This shift introduces new risks, especially around security and control. Social engineering won’t just target humans—it will target AI agents.

To manage this, organizations need a control plane above the models: a layer that governs decisions, monitors behavior, and enforces guardrails.

What “Built-to-Last” AI Actually Looks Like

According to Joe Kim, durable AI systems share a few critical characteristics:

Modular architecture
AI stacks must be flexible. Models, agents, and data layers should be interchangeable—not locked together.

Data-first design
Clean, governed, and well-routed data remains the foundation of performance.

Observability and control
Organizations must be able to track, evaluate, and adjust agent behavior in real time.

Lifecycle management
Agents need versioning, testing, and promotion pipelines—just like software.

Cost discipline
Token usage must translate into measurable business outcomes, not just experimentation.

Guardrails by design
Without strong controls, agentic systems can behave unpredictably or unsafely.

In short: AI infrastructure is no longer just about capability—it’s about control, economics, and trust.

AI Is Becoming a Commodity—Execution Wins

As Ray points out, AI itself is rapidly commoditizing.

The advantage no longer lies in access to models, but in:

  • Distribution
  • Customer relationships
  • Integration into workflows

Incumbents now have a real opportunity to reinvent themselves—if they move fast.

If they don’t, the same forces will disrupt them.

The Real Bottleneck: Human Decision-Making

AI accelerates everything—except leadership.

With answers now generated in seconds, the limiting factor becomes:

  • How quickly leaders can interpret and decide
  • How comfortable they are with uncertainty
  • How well they manage non-deterministic systems

This shift is already creating pressure at the top. Many leaders are unprepared for the speed and ambiguity of AI-driven decision environments.

Transformation Is Not Technical—It’s Relational

Vala highlights a critical point: AI transformation is fundamentally about people.

Organizations adopting hundreds of agents are also:

  • Reskilling employees
  • Redesigning workflows
  • Reallocating talent internally

This isn’t just automation—it’s a redefinition of how humans and machines work together.

And that’s where leadership becomes the real constraint.

The F.I.R.E.D. Framework: What Future Leaders Need

Paul’s F.I.R.E.D.framework defines the traits organizations must cultivate:

  • Fresh thinking – An unconventional and radical way of thinking.
  • Inquisitive Nature – Unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
  • Real & Accountable – Says what they mean and mean what they say.
  • Expressive & Challenging – Purpose driven, courageous, and questioning the status quo.
  • Direct & Transparent – Genuine, without agenda, and practices what they preach.

These are exactly the qualities needed to lead in an AI-driven world—and the ones most organizations suppress.

From Cooks to Chefs

Vala offers a simple but powerful analogy:

Most companies hire “cooks”—people who follow recipes.

What they need are “chefs”—people who understand principles and can create something new.

In an AI economy:

  • Cooks scale existing systems
  • Chefs reinvent them

The companies that win will be those that cultivate—and protect—chef-like leaders.

Key Takeaways

  • AI has moved from experimentation to a CEO-level mandate
  • Agentic AI introduces autonomy, requiring new governance and control models
  • Durable AI systems depend on modularity, observability, and cost discipline
  • AI is commoditizing—execution and distribution now matter most
  • The biggest bottleneck is human decision-making speed and adaptability
  • AI transformation is fundamentally a people and relationship challenge
  • Most leadership systems are not designed for disruption
  • Organizations must identify and support leaders who challenge the status quo

Final Thoughts

The technology is ready.

Agentic AI can already automate, augment, and scale decisions in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

But leadership hasn’t caught up.

The organizations that will define the next decade aren’t the ones with the most advanced models—they’re the ones that:

  • Build flexible, governed AI systems
  • Move faster in decision-making
  • And most importantly, empower leaders who think differently

Because in the age of AI, the constraint is no longer what machines can do.

It’s what leaders are willing—and able—to do with them.

Related Episodes

If you found Episode 436 valuable, here are a few others that align in theme or extend similar conversations:

Tech Optimization New C-Suite Digital Safety, Privacy & Cybersecurity AI Chief Executive Officer Chief Technology Officer Chief AI Officer Chief Experience Officer

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CRM Isn't Dead, Autonomous IT Is Here & Your 2026 Infrastructure Problem

CRM Isn't Dead, Autonomous IT Is Here & Your 2026 Infrastructure Problem

The latest episode of ConstellationTV features co-host analysts Holger Mueller and Liz Miller, unpacking developments in enterprise AI, marketing automation, CRM evolution, and vertical-specific technology solutions. This episode provides a roadmap for navigating today’s fast-moving, competitive tech landscape.


#1 Enterprise News Spotlight: Marketing Automation and AI Take Center Stage

Constellation analyst Liz Miller predicts a tidal wave of announcements signaling an evolutionary shift in how small and medium businesses access and use customer data platforms (CDPs) and AI. Companies like HubSpot, Canva, and Adobe are driving this change, with notable announcements such as HubSpot’s AI tools and AI-driven automation enhancements integrated into Canva’s newly acquired CDPs.

Miller anticipates a new marketing landscape: one no longer revolving around customer relationship management systems (CRMs) as the centerpiece, but instead anchored by CDPs that empower businesses to use AI-enhanced tools for real-time data and actionable insights.

“We’re gonna suddenly see the marketing automation space change from a very CRM-centric point of view... shifting to AI-powered platforms that prioritize flexible data accessibility.”

This signal shift is underpinned by broader trends, including the growing necessity for personalization, automation, and data-driven decision-making at scale. It represents a significant departure from traditional CRM-centric solutions towards platforms designed to harness the power of generative AI in everyday business processes.


CRM Redefined: Is CRM Dead or Evolving?

The often-repeated claim that CRM is “dead” is akin to the enduring existence of instant coffee and paper. Nevertheless, the role of CRM is undoubtedly changing as the center of gravity shifts away from reliance on capturing transactional data alone.

Miller notes that AI is redefining CRM by extending its capabilities to manage more flexible data and generate real-time insights. While CRMs remain critical for transactional records, AI is stepping in to drive contextual understanding and actionable intelligence that goes beyond traditional use cases. She asserts that platforms are finally settling into their true roles: “The right sizing of CRM is actually starting to happen.”

This evolution marks a broader trend in enterprise tech: the relationship between AI and legacy platforms. Rather than undermining CRM, AI complements these established systems, creating new value through dynamic decision support and deeper customer engagement opportunities.


The Enterprise AI Model Wars: Responsible Deployment and Competitive Strategy

Holger Mueller shifts the focus to the intense competition between enterprise AI providers, particularly OpenAI and Anthropic. He identifies major developments in Anthropic’s release process for its powerful AI models as an approach resembling safety standards for autonomous vehicles. By prioritizing responsible innovation, Anthropic demonstrates how enterprise AI needs guardrails to align cutting-edge technology with real-world operational demands.

With the introduction of Cursor, a coding-specific model designed for enterprise use, Holger notes OpenAI is racing to catch up with Anthropic in developing capabilities suited to closed systems—a dynamic that is sparking innovation and competition across the enterprise AI vendor ecosystem.

This rivalry underscores a broader theme: the demand for trustworthy AI systems tailored to operational realities. Mature deployment strategies, paired with an industry-wide shift towards responsible innovation, are crucial for ensuring AI becomes an enabler rather than a disruptor in enterprise contexts


Enterprise Infrastructure Evolution: Oracle’s Moves Toward Agentic AI

Holger discusses Oracle's advancements in agentic AI, cloud systems, and backend operational capabilities. These include the company’s cutting-edge technology for sub-second availability, which is a feat driven by its emphasis on massive scale and high reliability.

This is a proactive step by Oracle to prepare backend systems for the success of agentic AI. At its core, Oracle’s vision aligns with the idea that enterprise systems must evolve to accommodate emerging AI capabilities, providing robust infrastructure that supports automation, scalability, and real-time decision-making.

As enterprise vendors increasingly integrate AI into their offerings, Oracle’s forward-looking approach stands out for its focus on readiness, reliability, and cloud-first architecture.


Redefining AI Success Metrics and the OpenAI Conundrum

It is important to question how AI success is currently defined. Metrics must be rooted in practical use, rather than stock-market interpretations of tech hype. Highlighting OpenAI’s challenges, including the recent shutdown of its Sora platform, Liz warns against using unstable and overhyped platforms as industry benchmarks.

“We have to stop using the room that has no adult as the yardstick for every vendor’s success.”

Enterprises must remain skeptical of fleeting trendsetters and focus instead on sustainable, scalable, and value-driven AI innovation.


#2. Autonomous IT and Elastic’s Observability Innovations

Elastic has emerged as another significant player reshaping IT operations. In the next ConstellationTV segment, Constellation analyst Chirag Mehta describes Elastic's transition from traditional observability systems to newer autonomous IT platforms powered by AIOps and generative observability. The reason Elastic made Constellation's 2026 ShortList for top Autonomous IT Platforms.

These platforms go beyond displaying data. They actively produce insights and recommendations, enabling faster decision-making during incidents.

  • Speed and Control: Elastic’s agent model reflects the balance organizations need. “Teams want speed, but they also want control. Autonomy grows around guardrails and trust,” explains Mehta. Such frameworks will appeal to businesses seeking greater operational efficiency without sacrificing oversight. Elastic’s approach exemplifies how organizations can balance automation with human judgment.
  • Cost-Efficiency and Scalability: Elastic’s use of Elastic Search is a standout innovation. By efficiently organizing massive telemetry data, they mitigate the challenges posed by sprawling observability needs. As digital transformation continues to expand telemetry and AI usage, such cost-effective systems will be indispensable.

#3. Verticalized Platforms Lead the Way at Infor Analyst Summit

Finally, the episode shifts gears to examine the future of verticalized enterprise platforms, building on observations from the Infor Analyst Summit. A discussion with analysts R "Ray" Wang, Michael Ni, and Holger Mueller highlights the impact of vertical AI capabilities and industry-specific tools on enterprise growth.

Ni explains the importance of process transformation over data consolidation: “AI is getting a job, and that job is improving processes.” This evolution highlights the need for industry-specific solutions that go far beyond generic data tools to deliver transformative results. Wei adds that industry verticals, with their distinct needs and value chains, are increasingly driving AI strategies.

For example, to serve manufacturing, airlines, and other niches effectively, AI platforms—such as Infor’s Intelligent Applications—are focusing on integrating data lakes and transactional systems into unified conversational user experiences. As Muller notes, "The vertical depth matters more than breadth when it comes to digital transformation."

AI Applications and Speed to Value

Ni and Wang highlight the speed at which AI transformations are translating into real-world outcomes. Within three weeks of deployment, organizations can achieve game-changing efficiency. The strength lies in platforms that are built with built-in models and process mining capabilities.

For enterprise leaders navigating AI adoption, the lesson is twofold:

  1. Focus on platforms with pre-baked models that interconnect seamlessly.
  2. Prioritize rapid implementation to achieve speed-to-value metrics

Final Thoughts: Balancing Optimism with Responsibility

There is a vital balance in enterprise tech: optimism for transformative AI and automation on one side, tempered by the need for maturity, responsibility, and context in deployment strategies.

Whether through marketing automation, CRM evolution, enterprise AI model wars, or verticalized platforms, the key lies in leveraging robust technologies while exercising caution amid hype-driven narratives.

For enterprises looking to stay ahead, the takeaways are clear: adopt AI and automation thoughtfully, focus on reliable infrastructure, explore industry-specific solutions, and redefine success metrics to reflect operational impact rather than hype.

Stay tuned to Constellation Research for more insights on emerging trends in enterprise tech, as these dynamic conversations set the stage for continuous innovation.

Future of Work Tech Optimization Innovation & Product-led Growth Marketing Transformation Next-Generation Customer Experience AI CRM Agentic AI Big Data Chief Marketing Officer On ConstellationTV

AI is finally getting a job | Infor Analyst Summit Takeaways

AI is finally getting a job | Infor Analyst Summit Takeaways

Constellation Research analysts are back from the Infor Analyst Summit in Atlanta with one clear message: AI that doesn’t understand your business processes won’t move the needle.

Infor is doubling down on:

  • Industry value chains across 60+ sub-verticals
  • A business domain/context graph that connects data, processes, and semantics
  • Embedded process mining, RPA, and AI on a single platform
  • Speed to value, including discrete manufacturers optimizing SLAs within just 3 weeks of go-live

Constellation’s R “Ray” Wang, Holger Mueller, and Michael Ni also highlight a major leadership shift:
CEOs are now owning the AI agenda, demanding accountability, measurability, and risk mitigation across critical business processes.

This isn’t about “buying a tool” anymore.
It’s about operationalizing AI on top of well-understood, deeply modeled processes.

Watch the full conversation to see how Infor is approaching AI, vertical depth, and enterprise transformation.

Future of Work Data to Decisions Digital Safety, Privacy & Cybersecurity New C-Suite AI Agentic AI Robotics Chief Executive Officer Off Event Update

Leading Through the Polycrisis: Security, AI, and the Rise of the Polymath CEO | DisrupTV Ep. 435

Leading Through the Polycrisis: Security, AI, and the Rise of the Polymath CEO | DisrupTV Ep. 435

Leading Through the Polycrisis: Security, AI, and the Rise of the Polymath CEO

In a world of converging crises—AI, geopolitics, cyber risk, and climate—leadership is being redefined in real time.

On DisrupTV Episode 435, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar brought together Paul Abbate (former FBI Deputy Director), Dr. David Bray (CEO, LeadDoAdapt Ventures), and Caroline Stokes (CEO coach and author) to explore what it takes to lead in an era of constant disruption.

The message was clear: the future belongs to leaders who can navigate complexity, design for resilience, and stay grounded in human purpose.

1. The Polycrisis Is Real—and Most Organizations Aren’t Ready

Paul Abbate drew from decades in national security to highlight a growing gap: organizations are underestimating their exposure to modern threats.

The biggest risks aren’t just external—they’re internal and systemic:

  • Insider threats: Data theft, espionage, and human error remain under-addressed
  • AI-powered misinformation: Reputation and market risks are accelerating
  • Rising attack sophistication: AI is enabling faster, cheaper, more scalable attacks
  • Organizational complacency: Security is still treated as a project, not a discipline

His advice is direct: security must become always-on, intelligence-driven, and integrated across the business.

2. Resilience Is the Missing Boardroom Capability

Dr. David Bray pushed the conversation further: risk is inevitable—resilience is optional.

Most boards still lack a formal focus on resilience, despite increasing volatility. The shift leaders must make:

  • From preventing risk → absorbing and adapting to it
  • From siloed security → integrated physical + cyber defense
  • From reactive response → proactive preparedness

He also flagged emerging risks many organizations overlook:

  • Hardware-level compromise before devices even reach users
  • Synthetic employees using AI-generated identities
  • Corporate espionage tactics once reserved for nation-states

The takeaway: resilience is no longer operational—it’s strategic.

3. Rethinking Incentives in the Age of AI Risk

As AI accelerates vulnerability discovery, organizations face a paradox: more visibility into risk can look like worse performance.

Bray argues leaders must rethink incentives:

  • Reward early detection, not just prevention
  • Encourage transparency, not blame
  • Recognize that more “found issues” often means better systems—not worse teams

In short, security teams shouldn’t be punished for seeing more clearly.

4. AI Governance Is Now a CEO Mandate

As AI becomes core to business strategy, CEOs are effectively becoming Chief AI Officers.

Bray outlined a new leadership playbook:

  • Empower “responsible heretics” who challenge assumptions
  • Anchor decisions in data, not instinct alone
  • Create moral space to debate long-term consequences
  • Define decision thresholds before crises hit
  • Build in pivot paths for when strategies fail

This is governance for a probabilistic, fast-moving world—where certainty is rare and adaptability is everything.

5. The Rise of the Polymath Leader

Caroline Stokes reframed the leadership challenge: we are entering the era of the polymath CEO.

Future leaders must:

  • Synthesize across domains (AI, climate, geopolitics, society)
  • Translate complexity into action
  • Continuously learn and adapt
  • Lead both humans and AI agents

This shift is already underway. Many CEOs are stepping down—not because they failed, but because the role itself has fundamentally changed.

Boards, too, must evolve:

  • Update skill sets to include AI and systems thinking
  • Redefine expectations of leadership
  • Use AI as a “third voice” in decision-making

Leadership is no longer about optimization—it’s about reinvention.

6. Purpose, Pressure, and the Human Side of Leadership

Amid all the complexity, Stokes emphasized a critical truth: leadership is becoming more human, not less.

Leaders today face:

  • A global loneliness and burnout crisis
  • Constant exposure to instability and disruption
  • The challenge of moving faster than their organizations can absorb

Her guidance:

  • Invest in personal resilience (coaching, reflection, support systems)
  • Use AI as a thinking partner—not just a productivity tool
  • Design environments that foster connection, purpose, and trust

Because while AI accelerates execution, humans still determine alignment, meaning, and culture.

Key Takeaways

  • The polycrisis is here: AI, cyber, geopolitics, and climate risks are converging—and compounding.
  • Resilience is a strategic capability: Organizations must design for disruption, not avoid it.
  • Security must evolve: Insider threats, synthetic identities, and AI-driven attacks require new models.
  • Incentives need a reset: Reward visibility, learning, and proactive defense—not just outcomes.
  • The CEO role is changing: Leaders must become polymathic, AI-literate, and systems-oriented.
  • Purpose still matters: In a machine-scale world, human connection, trust, and meaning are differentiators.

Final Thoughts

DisrupTV Episode 435 makes one thing clear: this is not a normal operating environment.

We are entering an era where:

  • Crises are continuous, not episodic
  • AI reshapes both opportunity and risk
  • Leadership requires both technical fluency and human depth

The leaders who succeed won’t be the most specialized—they’ll be the most adaptive.

They will connect disciplines, build resilient systems, and guide organizations through uncertainty with clarity and purpose.

In the age of polycrisis, the ultimate advantage is not just intelligence—it’s integration.

Related Episodes

If you found Episode 435 valuable, here are a few others that align in theme or extend similar conversations:

Tech Optimization New C-Suite Digital Safety, Privacy & Cybersecurity AI Chief Executive Officer Chief Technology Officer Chief AI Officer Chief Experience Officer

From “activation energy” and agent orchestration to donkeycorns and relationship capital, DisrupTV 425 explains what actually separates AI hype from real business impact.

On DisrupTV <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J5CupyHoVng?si=GHB_W8FIfV0UhJBW" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ShortList Spotlight: Elastic’s Data-First Approach to Autonomous IT

ShortList Spotlight: Elastic’s Data-First Approach to Autonomous IT

In modern incident response, the problem isn’t a lack of data, but rather turning that data into fast, confident operational decisions.

In this ShortList Spotlight, Constellation Research explores how autonomous IT platforms are reshaping incident management by combining observability, AIOps, and SRE practices.

CR analyst Chirag Mehta highlights Elastic’s data-first approach, showing how Elastic Search and agent-driven workflows help teams:

  • Cut through alert noise and connect signals across distributed systems
  • Move beyond dashboards to insights, root causes, and next best actions
  • Use agents as operational teammates to summarize incidents, correlate telemetry, and propose investigation steps
  • Scale generative observability, where the platform doesn’t just show data—it helps produce understanding
  • Keep the data layer efficient while making the intelligence layer operationally useful

If you’re facing growing telemetry volumes, rising retention needs, and increasing AI-driven analysis, learn why the next wave of observability is about autonomy with guardrails: speed + control

Digital Safety, Privacy & Cybersecurity AI Chief Information Security Officer On ShortList Spotlights

AI Becomes Operational: The Board Quarterly Update

AI Becomes Operational: The Board Quarterly Update

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in enterprises is transforming industries, and Ray Wang and Esteban Kolsky from Constellation Research are leading the conversation on how organizations can harness AI effectively. Kolsky's recently published The Board Quarterly Review provides valuable insights into current enterprise technology trends and actionable frameworks for AI implementation.

"Expertise is now a commodity, but experience is not." Leveraging real-world experience has become imperative to guiding enterprises in making sustainable, impactful technology decisions.

Here are the points from the kickoff event to help you better understand the discussion and take away practical applications for your organization.


AI Implementation in Enterprises

There is an ongoing shift in enterprise AI from "model fascination to execution oversight." Wang and Kolsky provided a clear timeline:

“2026: this is the year that enterprise AI moves from potential to execution.”

Currently, 97% of organizations use AI in some capacity, but many remain stuck in experimentation. The pitfall of running multiple simultaneous pilots without clear governance was addressed, with notable examples of companies taking bold steps to transition from pilots to scaled deployments:

  • Johnson & Johnson: Reduced 13,000 AI pilots to 3 fully deployed solutions.
  • Walmart: Scaled AI efforts to just six or seven impactful projects.

For organizations, the takeaway is this: redesign, followed by governance, then scaling is the recommended approach. Organizations must integrate AI into business processes by redesigning workflows to accommodate it, rather than simply adding it to existing systems.


Execution Challenges and Success Factors

Execution issues are surfacing faster than technical barriers, underscoring the importance of people, processes, and change management. Citing insights from Boston Consulting Group, Kolsky articulated:

"70% of the value AI creates comes from people, process, and change management rather than algorithms."

Leadership must prioritize these areas to capture value effectively. For example:

  • Governance Frameworks: Teams must deploy frameworks that support the AI strategy, covering cybersecurity, compliance, people and process adaptation, and clear metrics.
  • Leadership Ownership: With many CEOs stepping in to manage AI strategy directly, leadership's role is increasingly pivotal.

Enterprise Adoption Path for AI

Tracing the lifecycle of AI adoption:

2023: Began with bounded production: introductory AI pilots under tight constraints.

Today: Enterprises realize the need for guardrails and governance.

2026 and Beyond: AI becomes embedded in infrastructure, transforming workflows across departments.

"It’s not AI first. It’s AI everywhere," emphasized Wang.


Actionable Framework for AI Deployment

To help organizations move from experimentation to scaled implementation, Kolsky presented a practical framework:

Five Key Questions Enterprises Need to Address:

  1. Where does AI's value come from? Organizations must assess areas where AI delivers tangible outcomes.
  2. What is a control plane? Governing AI means defining boundaries and accountability, ensuring alignment with business goals.
  3. How do you manage costs (tokenomics)? AI costs, particularly cloud-based expenses, must be closely monitored.
  4. Who owns decisions? Leadership across departments (CIOs, CTOs, CHROs, etc.) must take ownership of their segments' AI strategies.
  5. What are the external dependencies? Understanding reliance on hyperscalers, APIs, and consultants is critical for sustainability.

Role of Leadership in AI Strategy

There is significant evolution in the role of the Chief AI Officer (CAIO). This role has shifted from a tech-centric position to one that requires strategic coordination and oversight. Wang emphasized:

“The Chief AI Officer ensures that AI efforts stay aligned, tracks deployments, and streamlines innovation.”

Interestingly, many CEOs today are taking on the CAIO role themselves, reflecting AI’s importance in shaping overall business strategies.


Business-Driven Technology Adoption

A key principle highlighted was aligning technology with business objectives:

“The business requirement comes first, and then the technology follows.”

This approach ensures that investments in AI are purposeful and deliver measurable value. Mistakes in earlier technology adoptions came from prioritizing trends over strategic business needs.


Final Thoughts

Organizations must move beyond the hype and focus on disciplined execution in AI implementation. Wang and Kolsky challenged enterprises to answer tough questions about governance, leadership, and business-process redesign rather than relying on pilots or reactive technologies.

As AI becomes an inseparable part of the enterprise, the conversation shifts from “why AI?” to “how do we govern and scale AI for maximum impact?” This review offers a roadmap for enterprises navigating this shift, providing strategies and frameworks grounded in real business needs.

If you would like to know more, please don't hesitate to connect with Esteban Kolsky to discuss board trends and Constellation's board-level subscription service. For more insights, reach out to [email protected] or explore their LinkedIn community.


Key Quotes to Remember:

  • "Expertise is now a commodity, but experience is not."
  • "AI is done. It’s part of the enterprise going forward."
  • "The business requirement comes first, and then the technology follows."
  • "It’s not AI first. It’s AI everywhere."
Board Strategy AI Chief Executive Officer On