In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we explore what customer experience looks like in 2025 — a world where your most valuable customers might not even be human. Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Don Scheibenreif joins host Alexis Wierenga to unpack how CEO perceptions, AI agents and machine customers are reshaping CX strategy.

Drawing from Gartner’s latest CEO research, Don shares critical insights on the shift in customer expectations, the rapid emergence of autonomous buyers and the emotional impact of AI adoption. Whether you’re designing for humans, machines or both, this episode offers a roadmap for getting customer experience right in an AI-first future.

Tune in to discover:

• Why CEOs may not know their customers as well as they think

• What machine customers are and why they matter now

• The key blind spots in AI-driven CX strategies

• How to balance automation and humanity to create trust

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Attend the Conference: Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™

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Register for the Webinar: Explore the Impact of AI on Customer Experience in Your Organization

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Watch for More Insights: When Machines Become Customers

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In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we dive into what strong leadership really looks like when the path ahead is unclear. From economic disruption to AI-fueled transformation, uncertainty is becoming a defining feature of the business landscape.

Gartner expert Mary Mesaglio returns with quick insights from her Top of Mind series to offer a timely playbook. Drawing from conversations with CEOs, CIOs and senior leadership around the globe, Mary shares three practical strategies for leading through volatility, ambiguity and change. Learn why clear communication, hyper-focused priorities and transparent guiding principles are the essential tools every executive and new leader needs today.

Tune in to discover:

• Why corporate-speak fails in times of change and what to say instead

• The 10x10x10 rule for reinforcing priorities with your team

• How guiding principles offer stability and direction

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Read and Download Now: Disruptive Technologies You’re Probably Unprepared For

Register to Attend: CIO Conferences and Events 2025

Watch More: Gartner Top of Mind

In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we dive into the transformative impact of technology disruptors set to reshape business landscapes in 2025 and beyond. 

Straight from his recent webinar on the “12 Emerging Technologies That Will Redefine the Future of Business,” Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Bill Ray explores a few of the most important of these disruptive technologies, and how leaders should begin to respond to both mitigate risk and roadmap for competitive advantage.

Tune in to understand:

• The shift towards specialized language models

• The integration of generative AI in enterprise interactions

• The evolution of cybersecurity strategies

• Why polyfunctional robots are outpacing humanoid designs

• The growing threat of disinformation and its implications for InfoSec strategies

• How energy constraints might affect data center expansions

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Watch the Full Webinar Now: 12 Emerging Technologies That Will Redefine the Future of Business

Register and Attend: CIO Conferences and Events 2025

Watch Full Video Episodes: Gartner ThinkCast on YouTube

In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we check in on one of the most unique and personal pieces of Gartner research: the annual CIO resolutions. Nearly midway through the year, are tech leaders still aligned with the ambitions they set in January?

In a quick sampling pulled from our Top of Mind video insights, Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Mary Mesaglio provides a timely update on how CIOs can stay grounded amid the whirlwind of 2025 priorities. From turning regret into growth and negotiating AI-infused vendor contracts, to defining personal AI ethics and staying close to emerging technologies, this episode is a powerful reminder of what good looks like — for your people, your business and yourself.

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Read and Download Now: Resolutions for CIOs: What Good Looks Like in 2025

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Register and Attend: CIO Conferences and Events 2025

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Be AI-Ready: What IT Leaders Need to Know and Do

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In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we tackle one of the most pressing questions facing executive leaders today: How should organizations approach AI deployment?

Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Whit Andrews joins host Karen Stokes Lockhart to help answer whether leaders should build, buy or blend when approaching their AI integration, while further exploring Gartner’s “AI technology sandwich” framework.

Tune in to hear Whit and Karen discuss the multiple layers of enterprise AI, including embedded AI, bring-your-own AI and the critical governance decisions that support a responsible, scalable foundation for IT and tech leaders navigating a complex AI landscape.

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Read and Download Now: Build, Buy or Blend? Deploying AI in Your Organization

https://gtnr.it/4lS07M4 

In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we dive into the concept of counterfeit reality, where AI-generated content blurs the line between what’s real and what isn’t.

Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Daryl Plummer, who is not only an expert in the field but also coined the term “counterfeit reality,” explores the risks and opportunities that deepfakes, synthetic data and AI avatars will present in the coming years. From the potential for increased creativity and innovation to the pitfalls of reduced confidence in brand integrity, Daryl offers practical insights for executive leaders to navigate this quickly evolving landscape.

This episode originally aired October 2024

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Read Now: Protect Your Organization From Disinformation Campaigns

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Watch Now: 7 Disruptions Through 2029 You Might Not See Coming

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In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we dive into what it means for organizations as machine tools become our teammates.

As the final part of our three-part Top of Mind series on the AI outcomes that matter, Distinguished VP Analyst Mary Mesaglio explores the evolving human-machine relationship, and why behavioral outcomes should be treated with the same attention and rigor as both business and technology outcomes.

Tune in to learn how leaders and organizations can navigate the complexities of AI outcomes to succeed over the following year and beyond

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Learn More: How AI Will Impact Your Workforce

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Watch Now: Gartner Top of Mind

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In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we explore the transformative AI technology outcomes that every executive leader needs to know for 2025.

Tune in to hear Distinguished VP Analyst Mary Mesaglio break down what organizations need to understand to navigate a world of AI excess: from AI and data coming from everywhere to a new type of tech stack, the tech sandwich.

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Learn more: 3 Ways CIOs Can Achieve Strong AI Outcomes

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Watch now: Gartner Top of Mind

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In this episode of ThinkCast, we explore how CIOs and tech leaders can navigate evolving U.S. policy changes, economic volatility and AI-driven transformation.

Pulled from a recent Gartner webinar on the shifting U.S. policy landscape, this quick discussion features insights from Gartner Experts Milind Govekar, Kristin Root and Michael Harmelink. They delve into strategies for scenario planning, AI investment prioritization, cost optimization and cybersecurity risk management.

Discover how to anticipate change rather than just react to it — and how technology leaders can drive business value amid uncertainty.

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Watch the Webinar: Business Implications of U.S. Federal Policy Changes

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Discover: The Guide to Building an AI Roadmap That Drives Value

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In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, we tackle the AI business outcomes that matter most for 2025.

As part of our Top of Mind video series, Distinguished VP Analyst Mary Mesaglio unpacks the three key dimensions of AI value — Return on Employee (ROE), Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on the Future (ROF) — and explains how leaders should balance them as a portfolio.

Tune in to learn how all three will impact decision making, talent retention and strategic investments for organizations in today’s AI landscape.

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Explore more: Map Your AI Use Cases

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Watch now: Gartner Top of Mind

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