Thought Leadership: “CEO: Own Your Enterprise AI Advantage”

CEO: Enterprise AI Strategy Starts with You, Not Your Vendor

AI is no longer on the horizon. It’s here—and it’s redefining how enterprises operate, compete, and grow. But many CEOs still treat AI like a vendor solution—something to purchase, delegate, and move on from. That mindset isn’t just limiting. It puts your long-term advantage at risk.

As CEO, you’re not expected to build the models or write the code—but you are expected to lead with clarity. Enterprise AI success demands your vision, your commitment, and your presence. This is not just a shift in tools. It’s a shift in how competitive value is created—and that means your leadership must evolve with it.

You Can’t Delegate the Future

AI isn’t a pilot project or a tech investment. It’s a transformative force that is quickly reshaping everything from business models to workforce roles. If you’re not personally involved in shaping how your enterprise applies AI, you risk losing control of both pace and direction. Vendor tools are widely available—but your competitive edge won’t come from what you buy. It will come from how your enterprise uniquely integrates AI with its people, its data, and its mission.

Today, over 80% of enterprise AI pilots either fail outright or stall at proof-of-concept—and when they do succeed, more than 70% are handed off to third-party vendors to operationalize. That’s not transformation. That’s outsourcing opportunity.

If Your Workforce Must Reskill for AI, So Must You

AI isn’t something you lead from a distance. It requires a new kind of CEO fluency. Yes, tools like ChatGPT are helpful. But true readiness goes beyond prompting. It means developing a mile-wide, few-inches-deep understanding of how AI ecosystems operate—how data is prepared, how models are built and governed, how products are deployed and improved, and how ethics and compliance are embedded in real-world use. You don’t need to become a technologist. But you do need enough context to ask the right questions, prioritize wisely, and guide your teams with credibility.

And let’s not forget—your workforce is watching. As they navigate change, they’ll take their cues from you. When they see you engaging, learning, and leaning into AI’s potential, they’re more likely to do the same. Reskilling isn’t just a workforce imperative—it’s a leadership signal. One that says, “We’re in this together.”

Experiment Early. Learn Relentlessly. Improve Continuously.

Let’s be honest: many AI pilots don’t deliver as expected. But that’s not failure—it’s progress.

The enterprises winning with AI are not the ones who got everything right the first time. They’re the ones who created the conditions to learn quickly, improve rapidly, and scale thoughtfully.

As CEO, your role is to set that tone. Encourage experimentation. Give teams the safety to try, the permission to iterate, and the clarity to focus on measurable outcomes—not just output. AI rewards those who learn fast—and lead with intention.

Your AI Strategy Must Be Uniquely Yours

What works for one enterprise may not work for another. Markets differ. Regulations vary. Cultures differ. Data, talent, and timing all vary. Yes, watch what others are doing. But don’t follow blindly. Your AI strategy should reflect your enterprise’s distinct strengths, priorities, and possibilities.

The most successful enterprises won’t be those that copy use cases—they’ll be the ones that carve out value in ways no one else can. As CEO, this is your opportunity to build something not just competitive—but also truly differentiating.

Own the Opportunity

This is your chance to guide your enterprise into an era where augmented intelligence—human and machine—work hand in hand to solve problems, serve customers, and accelerate growth.

That requires more than delegation. It requires presence. Curiosity. And the willingness to grow alongside your teams.

The future of enterprise AI leadership starts with you—your engagement, your example, and your ownership.

And that’s not a burden. It’s a generational opportunity.

Parag Gondhalekar

Co-Founder, Chief AI Officer, InnerSights

Sources:

• “88% of AI pilots fail to reach production — but that’s not all on IT,” CIO, March 25, 2025. ​
• “CIOs increasingly dump in-house POCs for commercial AI,” CIO, April 22, 2025. ​