AI Today Podcast

In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch sits down with Ashima Sharma, Founding Partner of Ayuka Consulting, to explore what it really takes to deliver AI that works—in practice, at scale, and with purpose. 

This conversation was recorded live at PMI Global Summit 2025 and highlights the often-overlooked foundations of successful AI adoption: clean, contextual data; empowered, cross-functional teams; and a human-centered mindset that sees AI as a partner, not a product. 

Tune in to hear about: 

• Why most AI efforts fail without operationally ready data 
• How project teams can bridge the gap between experimentation and delivery 
• What true upskilling looks like for today’s AI-augmented workforce 
• How to navigate value misalignment, scope creep, and early AI friction 
• What makes for “good” AI adoption—and what questions we should be asking 
• The importance of empathy, ethics, and inclusion in AI delivery work 

Whether you're a project leader, product owner, or transformation coach, this episode delivers grounded insight into building AI that supports both systems and the people who run them. 

In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch sits down with Chris Caldwell, CEO of Concentrix, to explore how AI is being operationalized across customer experience (CX) ecosystems—from listening and learning to acting and delivering at scale. 

This conversation dives into how trust, transparency, and intentional use of AI are helping Concentrix deliver highly personalized experiences for some of the world’s largest brands. Chris shares how their teams are moving beyond dashboards and metrics toward outcomes powered by real-time, AI-driven insight. 

Tune in to hear about: 

• Why trust is foundational for AI adoption in customer interactions 
• How natural language AI is transforming both listening and action 
• What it takes to deliver true hyper-personalization at scale 
• Why transparency, control, and choice matter in every AI use case 
• Real-world examples of AI streamlining service, support, and retention 
• How Concentrix balances experimentation with client outcomes 

Whether you're in customer experience, enterprise transformation, or scaling AI in a service environment, this episode delivers clear, grounded insight into what it really means to build AI that listens, learns, and acts—with the customer at the center. 

Concentrix Corporation (NASDAQ: CNXC), a sponsor of today’s podcast episode, is a Fortune 500® company, is the global technology and services leader that powers the world’s best brands, today and into the future. The company is solution-focused, tech-powered, intelligence-fueled to design, build, and run fully integrated, end-to-end solutions at speed and scale across the entire enterprise. Concentrix helps over 2,000 clients solve their toughest business challenges. With unique data and insights, deep industry expertise, and advanced technology solutions, it’s the intelligent transformation partner that powers a world that works, helping companies become refreshingly simple to work, interact, and transact with. Delivering outcomes unimagined across every major vertical in 70+ markets. Virtually everywhere. Visit concentrix.com to learn more. 

In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch sits down with Fred Laluyaux, CEO of Aera Technology, to discuss how enterprises are evolving their operating models through AI-powered decision intelligence.  

Tune in to hear about: 

• What “decision intelligence” really means—and why it matters 
• How AI can move from experiments to operational transformation 
• The rise of decision architects and control rooms inside the enterprise 
• Why “learning by doing” beats “learning by reading” when adopting AI 
• How change fatigue, value misalignment, and risk aversion affect AI initiatives 
• What the future of knowledge work could look like with embedded intelligence 

Whether you’re leading digital transformation, deploying enterprise AI, or exploring new operating models, this conversation offers sharp insights into building organizations that can sense, decide, and act at scale.  

Aera Technology, a sponsor of today’s podcast episode, is the leader in decision intelligence and creator of Aera, the first decision intelligence agent. Aera understands how your business works, makes real-time recommendations, takes actions, and learns from every decision. By empowering enterprises to optimize and automate decisions, Aera enables greater sustainability, intelligence, and efficiency. See this in action at AeraHUB NYC as market leaders share how they are scaling decision intelligence for a competitive edge in the age of AI. 

In this episode of AI Today, recorded live at the Agile2025 event, host Kathleen Walch sits down with Jason Little, author of Lean Change Management and founder of Lean Change Inc., to explore how AI is reshaping how we lead change across teams and organizations. 

As part of our AI & Agile mini-series, this conversation unpacks how traditional change models are breaking down in the face of rapid AI adoption—and what agile leaders can do to respond. Jason shares lessons from real-world transformations, experiments with generative AI in coaching, and how prompt literacy, failure, and feedback loops are emerging as key skills in AI-augmented workplaces. 

Tune in to hear about: 

• What AI reveals about the limits of traditional change frameworks 
• Why “experiment bots” might be the new change agents 
• How to build change literacy and prompt fluency on agile teams 
• When it’s okay for AI initiatives to fail—and what to do next 
• How curiosity, context, and coaching reshape transformation in the AI era 
• Real stories of what works (and doesn’t) when AI enters team workflows 

Whether you’re leading change, navigating disruption, or just starting to explore AI in your organization, this episode offers grounded, honest, and adaptive perspectives from the front lines of transformation. 

In this episode of AI Today, recorded live at the Agile2025 event, hosts Kathleen Walch and Avinash Dhanraj sit down with Anu Smalley, enterprise agile coach and organizational change leader, to explore how Agile teams can thoughtfully integrate AI into their workflows. 

As part of our AI & Agile mini-series, this conversation explores how values like trust, empathy, and psychological safety remain essential—even as AI tools enter the picture. Anu shares her front-line experiences coaching teams to experiment responsibly, lead with intent, and avoid blindly automating poor processes. 

Tune in to hear about: 

• How Agile mindsets can guide teams adopting AI tools 
• Why empathy and experimentation matter more than ever 
• The dangers of automating without asking “why” 
• How to build psychological safety in AI-assisted environments 
• Why AI shouldn’t be feared—but also shouldn’t be treated as magic 
• Real stories of Agile teams navigating AI-driven change 

Whether you're a scrum master, enterprise coach, team leader, or project manager exploring AI, this episode offers grounded insights on staying human-centered in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. 

In this episode of AI Today, recorded live at the Agile2025 event, hosts Kathleen Walch and Avinash Dhanraj sit down with author, entrepreneur, and organizational design expert Jurgen Appelo to explore how agility must evolve in the age of AI. 

As part of our AI & Agile mini-series, this conversation unpacks the challenges of outdated frameworks, the importance of experimentation, and what it takes to build organizations that are truly adaptable—when both humans and AI agents are part of the team. 

Tune in to hear about: 

• Why agility isn’t just about rituals—but about responsiveness and results 
• How AI is reshaping team dynamics, leadership models, and management roles 
• The tension between structure and emergence in AI-augmented organizations 
• Why “everyone is a manager now” in hybrid human-AI teams 
• How to preserve play, creativity, and purpose—even with algorithmic assistance 

Whether you're a seasoned agile coach, project or program manager, transformation leader, or navigating the complexities of implementing AI, this conversation delivers wisdom, caution, and inspiration in equal measure. 

In this special episode of AI Today, recorded live at Agile2025, hosts Kathleen Walch and Avinash Dhanraj sit down with Agile Manifesto co-author and Agile pioneer Jim Highsmith to explore the intersection of AI and agility in the enterprise. 

This episode kicks off the AI Today Agile & AI mini-series, focusing on how organizations can stay adaptive in an era of rapid technological change. Jim shares insights from decades of leadership at the forefront of agile, what it means to “manage both people and bots,” and why the next generation of enterprise agility needs to evolve beyond prescriptive frameworks. 

Tune in to hear about: 

• The evolving meaning of “enterprise agility” in the age of AI 
• Why “individuals and interactions over processes and tools” still holds true—with a twist 
• The critical difference between adaptive and prescriptive agility 
• How AI reshapes collaboration, measurement, and leadership responsibilities 
• The role of storytelling and inspiration in successful transformation 

Whether you're a seasoned agile coach, project or program manager, transformation leader, or navigating the complexities of implementing AI, this conversation delivers wisdom, caution, and inspiration in equal measure.

In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch, Director, AI Engagement and Community at PMI, continues the AI in Healthcare mini-series, produced in partnership by PMI and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Kathleen sits down with Dr. Lukasz Kowalcyzk, a practicing gastroenterologist and seasoned Healthtech advisor, to explore how AI can meaningfully support operational efficiency, clinical decision-making, and healthcare equity. 

Tune in to learn how AI is advancing healthcare through: 

• Automating surgical scheduling by embedding clinical intelligence into workflows, helping schedulers deliver safer and more consistent care instructions 
• Empowering under-resourced staff through AI-enabled decision support, boosting the performance of surgical schedulers without requiring high medical literacy 
• Navigating AI deployment challenges—from lack of data access to user adoption—and designing around real-world constraints in community and rural care settings 
• Building trust and clinical adoption by deeply understanding user workflows, embedding human-in-the-loop systems, and preserving physician autonomy in decision-making 
• Moving beyond pilot purgatory by prioritizing early wins, cross-functional buy-in, and practical tools designed for low-data-maturity environments 

Dr. Kowalcyzk also reflects on lessons learned from building and selling AI-enabled platforms, his experience in the Mayo Clinic AI Accelerator, and the importance of designing for both people and processes—not just technology. 

Whether you're a healthcare leader, project manager, or curious observer, this episode offers practical, hopeful, and forward-looking insights on building AI-enabled healthcare systems with empathy and vision. To learn more about on AI in healthcare, including access through HIMSS membership, please visit: https://bit.ly/3TSpHDZ 

In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch, Director, AI Engagement and Community, PMI, continues the AI in Healthcare mini-series, produced in partnership by PMI and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Today, Kathleen sits down with Dr. Reza Ryan Sadeghian, System Chief Medical Information Officer at University of Toledo Health. Dr. Sadeghian is also PMP-certified. Tune in to learn how AI is revolutionizing healthcare delivery through: 

• Combat physician burnout with 45+ specialty-specific GPT applications that reduce documentation time while improving clinical quality and consistency 
• Transform clinical workflows with patient-centered AI tools for pediatric care, infectious disease diagnosis, and medical education feedback 
• Implement robust AI governance through layered oversight, human-in-the-loop design, and continuous validation with bias testing 
• Build clinician trust by involving healthcare providers in shaping AI tools rather than imposing rigid pathways, respecting clinical judgment while augmenting decision-making 
• Embed AI as infrastructure rather than standalone tools, treating AI initiatives with the same governance rigor as clinical interventions 

Dr. Sadeghian also discusses the shift from digitization to digital transformation and how organizations can responsibly deploy AI while maintaining patient-centered care. 

Whether you're a healthcare leader, project manager, or curious observer, this episode offers practical, hopeful, and forward-looking insights on building AI-enabled healthcare systems with empathy and vision. To learn more about on AI in healthcare, including access through HIMSS membership, please visit: https://bit.ly/3TSpHDZ 

In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch, Director, AI Engagement and Community, PMI, kicks off the AI in Healthcare mini-series, produced in partnership by PMI and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). This three-part series explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the healthcare ecosystem— from frontline care to back-office operations. Today, Kathleen sits down with Rob Havasy, Senior Director of Informatics Strategy at HIMSS. Tune in to learn how AI is being used across the healthcare sector to: 

• Alleviate workforce shortages through automation, ambient listening, and intelligent documentation tools 
• Accelerate data analysis and discovery, surfacing patterns and insights in the 95% of healthcare data that typically goes unused 
• Improve clinical decision-making with AI-powered tools for early detection (like sepsis) and retrospective analysis 
• Enhance administrative efficiency, freeing up valuable time for nurses and physicians through smart supply chain systems and workflow optimization 
• Support human-centered care by augmenting—not replacing—clinicians, and enabling empathetic, AI-enabled interactions 

Rob also discusses the regulatory challenges facing the industry, the importance of principled leadership, and how organizations can move from digitization to true digital reinvention. 

Whether you're a healthcare leader, project manager, or curious observer, this episode offers practical, hopeful, and forward-looking insights on building AI-enabled healthcare systems with empathy and vision. To learn more about on AI in healthcare, including access through HIMSS membership, please visit: https://bit.ly/3TSpHDZ