Jeff Wilser on Why Your AI Rollout Might Be Theater

Plenty of companies say they're all in on AI. Privately, a lot of them aren't sure what to do with it. Jeff Wilser sees that gap in leadership rooms all the time, and he calls what often fills it AI theater. Think shiny tools that never make it into real workflows, or quotas that punish people for not using AI enough.

Brandon and Jeff get into why leaders are usually excited about AI while their most junior people are anxious, and why adoption won't stick until that gap gets addressed. They talk through the choice every company faces when AI frees up time, whether to grow or cut. Jeff explains why he thinks the companies that only cut will get lapped by the ones that grow.

Jeff also makes the case that AI is a people issue, and that most companies don't bring HR to the table nearly enough. He shares the red line he holds as a writer: AI won't write a word of his book. He also names the line he believes every HR team should hold. No one gets hired, fired, or put on a PIP because an AI recommended it.

If you're a one-person HR team with no IT support, don't skip the end. Jeff's first move takes an hour or less, and he says it almost always works.

About our guest

Jeff Wilser is a journalist, keynote speaker, and AI strategist who works with leadership teams on what to actually do about AI. He has reported for The New York Times, WIRED, Fast Company, and GQ, and he's the author of eight books. On his podcast, AI-Curious, he's interviewed people at the center of AI, from OpenAI's Sam Altman to IBM's chief scientist. Today he runs hands-on AI workshops for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to community banks. He started his career in business and finance at Intel and lives in Denver.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro 02:45 What leaders say about AI in public versus in private 04:10 How leadership teams get aligned when some love AI and some won't touch it 07:35 Why admitting you don't have AI figured out builds trust 09:15 How a journalist ended up teaching companies about AI 11:55 What Jeff heard in his first workshops 14:40 Why leaders are excited and junior employees are anxious 16:35 Where Jeff draws the line on AI in his own work 20:45 Why companies that only use AI to cut get lapped 27:10 Why HR belongs at the AI table, and how to earn a seat 29:05 What AI theater looks like 31:15 Why your AI rules should fit on one page 34:50 The HR decision AI should never make 36:55 How to use AI to get smarter instead of dumber 41:00 What a one-person HR tea