As AI capabilities surge ahead, human readiness is struggling to keep pace — and that imbalance could derail your path to real value. So how can CIOs and IT leaders navigate this gap and avoid costly missteps?

In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, you'll hear the first 20 minutes of the Opening Keynote from Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025, straight from the stage in Orlando. Gartner experts Alicia Mullery and Daryl Plummer reveal why the odds of achieving AI ROI remain stubbornly low, and what leaders must do to walk the "golden path" toward sustainable outcomes.

Tune in to discover:

• Why human readiness is the biggest obstacle to AI success
• How to plan for the hidden "transition mortgage" behind AI costs
• Why conversational agents aren't enough
• How to handle vendor selection in the era of digital nation states
• Why a value remix strategy can unlock growth without workforce chaos

Dig deeper:

• Download the Opening Keynote takeaways on AI readiness
• Join us at a Gartner CIO Conference near you
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

Leadership won't get any easier in 2026. Geopolitical volatility, accelerating AI disruption and workforce identity shifts are creating unprecedented challenges for IT leaders. So how can you prepare?

In this mini episode of ThinkCast, recorded at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Orlando, Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Mary Mesaglio sums up the insights from her dozens of onsite conversations with CIOs and top IT leaders. In just four minutes, she breaks down the four challenges shaping IT leadership into 2026, and offers practical strategies to navigate uncertainty with confidence.

Tune in to discover:

• The 4 challenges redefining IT leadership in 2026
• Why optionality matters for decision-making in volatile times
• How AI vendor races complicate long-term technology bets
• Why identity threats demand a new leadership approach

Dig deeper:

• Download the Opening Keynote takeaways
• Join us at a Gartner CIO Conference near you
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

As economic volatility, cost pressure and technological acceleration reshape the finance landscape, CFOs are facing a pivotal identity shift. The instinct to protect the enterprise through tighter controls may no longer serve the moment. So what does it take to lead with resilience and unlock growth?

In this episode of ThinkCast, Gartner experts Clement Christensen and Mallory Bulman revisit their Opening Keynote from the Gartner Finance Symposium/Xpo. They introduce the "Catalyst CFO" — a new leadership identity designed for disruption — and explore the eight forces reshaping finance, from AI-enabled decision-making to discontinuous regulatory change.

Tune in to discover:

• Why the "guardian" CFO mindset may be holding your organization back
• The eight forces transforming finance and how to respond
• How AI agents are changing the nature of financial decision-making
• Why identity is the most underutilized leadership tool
• What Catalyst CFOs do differently to drive agility, innovation, and growth

Dig deeper:

• Download the Gartner CFO Report
• Join us at a Gartner Finance Conference near you
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

As AI capabilities accelerate faster than many organizations can adapt, CIOs are being challenged to balance ambition with readiness. So how can leaders walk the "golden path" to real, sustainable value?

In this episode of ThinkCast, Gartner experts Alicia Mullery and Daryl Plummer break down their Opening Keynote from Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo, and explore how to align both AI readiness and human readiness to capture meaningful outcomes. They discuss why many AI initiatives struggle to achieve ROI, how to measure "good enough" accuracy, and what it means to scale AI maturity without leaving your workforce behind.

Tune in to discover:

• Why only 1 in 5 AI initiatives see real return — and how to change the odds
• How to use the Gartner Positioning System to evaluate readiness
• The difference between conversational agents and autonomous decision-making agents
• Why a value remix may be more effective than workforce reduction
• How aligning tech readiness and human capability unlocks "shockwave" innovation

Dig deeper:

• Download the Opening Keynote takeaways on AI readiness
• Join us at a Gartner CIO Conference near you
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

As 2026 approaches, AI innovation is accelerating faster than human readiness — so how can CIOs and IT leaders stay ahead?

In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, recorded on site at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Orlando, Florida, Gartner experts Chris Howard and Gene Alvarez share key takeaways from three cornerstone sessions: the Opening Keynote, Top Strategic Technology Trends, and the CIO Agenda. They explore how CIOs can walk the "golden path" to value, balance AI ambition with operational readiness and prepare their teams for a future defined by agility, risk management and tenacity.

Tune in to discover:

• Why heroes are made in the Trough of Disillusionment
• How CIOs can align human and AI readiness
• The rise of multiagent systems and domain-specific language models
• What the Architect, Synthesist and Vanguard roles mean for 2026 strategy
• Why success depends less on budget and more on resilience, adaptability and trust

Dig deeper:

• Download the Opening Keynote takeaways on AI readiness
• Explore Gartner's Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2026
• Join us at a Gartner CIO Conference near you
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

In this episode of ThinkCast, we're setting the stage for Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025. You'll hear Gartner experts Mary Mesaglio, Hung LeHong, Gene Alvarez and Daryl Plummer revisit the past year's most impactful IT insights to help you prepare for what's next — from navigating two AI races and unlocking deep productivity to understanding agentic AI and the rise of guardian agents.

Keep listening for practical guidance on setting your AI pace, managing costs and spotting the disruptions that will define IT strategy in 2026 and beyond.

Tune in to discover:

• Why two AI races matter — and which one you're really in
• How to find "deep productivity zones" for GenAI success
• Why neophilia and change champions accelerate adoption
• What agentic AI means for automation beyond RPA
• How guardian agents will transform security and oversight

Dig deeper:

• Buy tickets to Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

In this episode of ThinkCast, we continue last week's discussion around AI value with a question many enterprise leaders still face: Why has increased productivity from GenAI initiatives not led to more value from AI overall?

Gartner Senior Director Analyst Nate Suda will walk through how productivity does not automatically equal value, and the often-misunderstood link between the two. From productivity leakage and task-level blindspots to bottlenecks, prioritization strategies and use case misfires, Suda delivers a clear framework for where to focus — and who to focus on — to get the most out of GenAI.

Tune in to discover:

• Why productivity does not equal value
• What productivity leakage looks like and how to stop it
• How to match GenAI use cases to employee experience
• Four ways to define productivity beyond just speed or time saved

This episode originally aired July 15, 2025.

Dig Deeper:

• Buy tickets to Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo
• Register to watch Beyond Productivity: How CIOs Can Cut Costs with Generative AI
• Read For AI Value, Focus on Your Use Cases

Executives are asking the same question in 2025: Where is the value AI was supposed to deliver?

In this episode of ThinkCast, Gartner experts Mary Mesaglio and Rita Sallam outline how leaders can define, measure and maximize AI value across the enterprise. From productivity gains that don't translate directly to financial returns, to high-stakes bets that could rewrite industry rules, they explain why leaders must manage AI investments as a balanced portfolio — spanning return on investment, return on employee and return on the future.

Tune in to discover:

• Why productivity leakage hampers measurable value
• How to structure AI investments across ROI, ROE and ROF
• The differences between Defend, Extend and Upend use cases
• Why AI-ready data, governance and business change are critical

Dig deeper:

• Buy tickets to Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo
• Watch the full webinar on AI value
• Become a client to try out AskGartner for more trusted insights

CMOs are facing extraordinary expectations — from the enterprise, customers and their own teams.

In this episode of ThinkCast, Gartner experts Alex De Fursac Gash and Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone cover a portion of their Opening Keynote from this year's Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo. Together, they outline how marketing leaders can navigate heightened demands, avoid strategic dysfunction and embrace what they call the "Epic Journey to Growth." From shifting AI from tool to actor, to building long-term vision and scenario planning muscle, Alex and Kristina reveal how CMOs can strengthen reputations, exceed CEO expectations and transform disruption into opportunity.

Tune in to discover:

• Why doing nothing in times of disruption is no longer an option
• How strategic dysfunction undermines growth and what to do about it
• Practical ways to use scenario planning and AI to build resilience
• The mindset shifts that turn volatitiliy into enterprise-wide opportunity

Dig deeper:

• Buy tickets to Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo
• Get started with AskGartner, your new AI-powered tool

In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we explore the future of computing — from what to expect in the next decade, to the possibilities beyond.

Gartner Global Chief of Research Chris Howard is joined by Soyeb Barot, Chief of Research for Gartner for Technical Professionals and VP Analyst, to discuss what this future could look like. Hear how AI is rapidly driving the near-term innovation of quantum computing, the far future of autonomous businesses and space manufacturing, and why executive leaders should push to play an active role in shaping these possibilities.

Dig Deeper:

Buy tickets to Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo

Read to learn What is Quantum Computing?