What really drives AI transformation: technology or people?

What happens when a serial entrepreneur, DJ and father decides to reinvent education for the AI age?

This week, I sat down with Alan Smithson, founder of Unlimited Awesome and Metavrse. From spinning records to building companies that redefine how we learn and connect, Alan’s career is a study in what happens when creativity meets exponential technology.

Here are three insights that stood out:

Creativity is the ultimate human edge. As AI gets faster and smarter, imagination and emotional intelligence will become our most valuable skills.

The next education revolution will be experiential. Alan envisions learning that’s immersive, AI-driven, and accessible to everyone, not limited by geography, privilege, or traditional systems.

Technology should create equality, not widen the gap. His mission with Unlimited Awesome is to build an economic system where innovation lifts communities rather than leaving them behind.

Alan’s story reminds us that the future of AI is anbout amplifying what makes us human.

AI isn’t magic. It’s business. And according to Vin Vashishta, it's like electricity in the 1900s.

On the latest episode of AI Heroes and Headaches, I sat down with @Vin Vashishta, author of Data to Profit, to explore how leaders can unlock the true value of AI.

Here are a few takeaways that stood out:

- From physics to AI thought leader: Vin’s journey shows how technical expertise becomes powerful when paired with business leadership.

- The Data to Profit mindset: AI only matters when it creates and captures measurable business value.

- Why AI is like electricity in the 1900s: the organizations that figure out how to integrate it everywhere will be the ones that win.

When it comes to your AI initiatives, is your company playing chess, or checkers?

Recent reports share that only 5% of AI initiatives are successful. Why is that? According to Brian Evergreen, most companies don’t yet have a playbook for leadership in the AI era.

This week on AI Heroes & Headaches, I sit down with Brian Evergreen, President of the Future Solving Club.

Brian went from being an internationally competitive chess player to advising Fortune 500 CEOs on AI strategy. He has been recognized on the @Thinkers50 Radar list. His discipline and systems thinking show up in the way he frames the AI leadership challenge.

In this full episode, we break down:

Why incrementalism kills AI strategy

The systems thinking that Brian took from chess into his professional career

What an AI-first vision is, and how leaders can build it to rally their teams

If you’re a leader navigating AI adoption, this conversation is full of practical lessons and bold insights.

From Military Discipline to AI Leadership.

95% of AI pilots stall. Only 5% scale. Keith McCormick knows why.

Before teaching over 1M learners on LinkedIn Learning, Keith served in the military, a foundation of discipline and clarity that he now brings to AI adoption.

In Episode 3 of AI Heroes & Headaches, Keith shares why most organizations don’t fail on technology, they fail on culture.

Highlights you’ll hear:

- Why 95% of AI pilots stall, and what the 5% get right

- Messy data = messy AI (no shortcuts here)

- Culture, governance, and upskilling > hype and tooling

What do you actually learn running a $1.8B global brand that helps when you launch a new frontier in AI?

In AI, the hardest code to crack isn’t the tech. It is leadership.

For our very first AI Heroes & Headaches episode, I couldn’t have asked for a better guest than Muralidhar Krishnaprasad (MK), President & CTO of Salesforce’s Unified Agentforce Platform, one of the most authentic, game-changing leaders I’ve ever worked with.

Three months ago in Hakone, Japan, I needed yen to buy a blessed souvenir. Without hesitation, MK walked hundreds of steps down to an ATM, and back up, with me.

It wasn’t about money. It was about trust, respect, and showing up for people when it counts.

In this episode, MK and I dive into:

"We’re in the agentic AI era, and that’s what’s going to make the next level of transformation possible.” -MK

I’ve seen AI deliver million-dollar breakthroughs and I’ve seen it crash and burn.