Most AI initiatives don't fail because the technology is wrong; they fail because the humans around it stop thinking as carefully as they used to.

In this episode of ThinkCast, recorded from a live session at Gartner CIO Leadership Forum, Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Mandi Bishop breaks down why so‑called "soft skills" have quietly become the hardest — and most essential — capability to scale in the age of AI. From practical workforce exercises to Mandi's own racing experience, hear how over‑reliance, complacency and automation bias creep in — and how CIOs can rebuild critical thinking, judgment and contextual awareness to turn AI tools into true performance accelerators.

You'll learn:

• Why automation bias is one of the biggest hidden risks in AI adoption
• How soft skills like skepticism and judgment directly impact AI outcomes
• Why hands‑on techniques, like hallucination hunts, can build real AI literacy
• How better prompting reinforces human thinking instead of replacing it
• What CIOs can do now to operationalize soft skills across the enterprise

Dig deeper:

• Attend a Gartner CIO Conference near you
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