Episode Details: 

• Date: 2026-01-19
• Duration: ~27 minutes 
• Speakers: Host - Bret Pontillo, Guest - Deepika Chopra (CEO & Founder of Alpha U AI, Author) 

Episode Summary: 

In this episode, Deepika Chopra, CEO and founder of Alpha U AI and author of "Move First, Align Fast," shares her insights on organizational alignment and AI adoption. Drawing from 15+ years in financial services and digital transformation, Deepika discusses why technology implementations fail despite having the best tools, and introduces frameworks for building trust-native AI systems. The conversation explores the critical gap between AI strategy and execution, focusing on the human side of technological change. 

Key Discussion Points: 

• The trust layer between AI strategy and execution 
• Why pilots fail to reach production despite green dashboards 
• Shadow AI and execution theater patterns in organizations 
• The difference between ethical AI and aligned AI 
• ACT framework: Align, Cultivate, Transform for measuring AI readiness 
• Human AI Alignment Score (HAAS) for leadership decision-making 
• Safe experimentation and execution advantage 
• Education as the proving ground for responsible AI 

Featured Technologies: 

• Investment Intelligence Platforms 
• AI Literacy Programs 
• Human AI Alignment Score (HAAS) 

Key Takeaways: 

• Trust and adoption are more critical than technology accuracy for successful AI implementation 
• The missing layer between strategy and execution is the trust layer built on clarity 
• Organizations should measure behavioral signals, not just dashboard metrics 
• Aligned AI focuses on "can we use this daily?" while ethical AI asks "should we use this?" 
• Education institutions are uniquely positioned to build AI-ready infrastructure through skills and trust development 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Book: "Move First, Align Fast" by Deepika Chopra (Published by Wiley) 
• Alpha U AI Platform 
• ACT Framework (Align, Cultivate, Transform) 

Tags: 

#AI #DigitalTransformation #AWS #Education #OrganizationalAlignment #TrustInAI #EdTech #Leadership #ChangeManagement #AIAdoption