The Track
A Section Blog

Most leaders are thinking about AI all wrong

Most leaders are thinking about AI all wrong
2026 is 60 short days away, so here’s the wake up call you need: you’re still thinking about AI through the lens of software, and the survival of your company depends on you shifting that mindset.

Can you build a team of just AI tools?
The same question has persisted all year: Can you reduce headcount by just using AI tools? Google’s Amit Rawal is trialing a largely AI-based team, and here are his lessons.

How to redesign roles with AI
Augmenting workflows is just the beginning of working with AI. To unlock huge time savings and strategy opportunities, eventually you need to rethink those processes altogether.

Squishy vs. hard ROI: Why leaders need both
One of the hardest parts of AI ROI is figuring out how to report qualitative wins to execs who want quantitative reports. At our AI:ROI Conference, Michael Domanic shared the framework for approaching these two disparate kinds of ROI.

How to know if NFTs are right for your business
Pop quiz. When you hear the word NFT, do you think:
💪 I know exactly what an NFT is and how to use it for my business
🤔 I think I understand what NFTs are, but I have no clue if they’re relevant to me
🤢 Argh! I should know what NFTs are, but thinking about them makes my head hurt
If you answered the latter two options, you’re not alone. Don’t worry – we sat down with NYU Stern Professor Sabrina Howell to simplify it for you.

Self-assessment: Does your team trust you?
I’m sure you’ve had a manager you didn’t trust.
Maybe that manager said she valued your time – but then canceled your 1:1 at the last minute because she just had to run out and get a smoothie.
Maybe he called you out in front of the team for a mistake he made. (Truly an unforgivable offense).
Whatever it was, you know that once trust is lost, it’s hard to get back...

Staying silent on AI is almost as bad as banning it
The piece of data from our latest AI Proficiency Report that we can’t stop thinking about: Silence on AI breeds more AI skepticism than an outright AI ban. So if you’ve been gathering your thoughts on AI, now is the time to put them in writing.

Why shadow AI is probably happening in your company
We surveyed over 5,000 knowledge workers in the second half of 2024 on AI knowledge, skill, and usage. One of the most troubling takeaways: AI use is happening, whether your company sanctions it or not, and the implications are huge.




