“Pacing Yourself in the AI Races,” the 2024 IT Symposium/Xpo keynote, provided an inspiring vision for CIOs on delivering AI outcomes safely and at scale. In this episode of CIO Mind podcast, keynote presenters Alicia Mullery, Gartner VP Research, and Daryl Plummer, Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst, Chief of Research and Gartner Fellow, join host ck Andrade, Gartner Sr. Director Analyst, to deep dive into the keynote’s concepts and identify how to move from inspiration to action. Join them to explore the differences between the AI steady and AI accelerated paces and the bumps in the road and the facilitators as CIOs take first steps in the CIO AI outcomes race. To learn more about the keynote, see Pacing Yourself in the AI Races: 2024 IT Symposium/Xpo Keynote Insights.

Episode Highlights

• The CIO AI outcomes race versus the tech vendor race. (1:20)
• Business, technology and behavioral outcomes for AI. (2:20)
• Choosing your pace: AI steady or AI accelerated? (04:05)
• Challenges to achieving AI outcomes. (8:06)
• Facilitators to achieving AI outcomes. (17:42)
• Next steps for CIOs in the AI outcomes race. (21:11)

Daryl Plummer is a Gartner Fellow, VP, and Distinguished Analyst. His research focuses on the strategic issues of cloud computing, digital disruption, and the unfolding of the future through predictions, trends and evolving digital business cycles. Daryl is a Chief of Research in the technology and service providers organization, where he helps oversee research across the four roles of general manager, product managers,product marketers, and tech CEOs.

Alicia Mullery is a Gartner Vice President, Research, supporting CIOs and other senior executives. Alicia’s research collaboration works to distill practical lessons from company accomplishments and missteps. She works to identify, build and then present best practice case studies that inspire executive action and decision making. Her recent areas of focus include the shift from projects to products, building fusion teams and safely democratizing digital delivery, transforming IT talent, building effective CIO/CxO partnerships, and increasing the number of women in IT leadership.

Episode highlights:

• Overview of Gartner’s 2025 Top Strategic Technology Trends (01:26)
• Why CIOs need the top strategic technology trends (02:46)
• Hybrid computing – The “Good” (05:05)
• Disinformation security – The “Bad” (07:55)
• Neurological enhancement – The “Wow!” (11:45)
• Use top strategic technology trends as early signals (15:00)
• What CIOs are saying about the 2025 trends (16:51)
• Pros and cons of the selected trends (17:59)
• Actions CIOs can take today to prepare for their technology futures (19:04)

About the Guest:

Gene Alvarez is a Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst, who helps clients with technology innovation and strategy topics such as CRM, Customer Experience, Composable Applications, Modernization, Digital Commerce Technologies, and trends and disruptions. He is the key initiative leader for Gartner's Technology Innovation and Strategy research agenda. Mr. Alvarez leads Gartner's Top Strategic Technology Trends research and is a member of Gartner's Top Strategic Predictions Team. Mr. Alvarez has over 40 years of business and IT experience leading business impact assessments, vendor management, project management, software development and delivery of complex business applications. He has spoken at many international events and industry-related conferences worldwide and has been published in various media and trade publications.

Episode highlights:

• Defining productivity (1:35)
• Why organizations struggle to drive productivity gains (4:21)
• How to address lack of digital preparation and maturity (8:45)
• How customized technology can increase productivity (12:45)
• How AI and the augmented worker will contribute to future productivity (15:25)
• Myth-busting 4 common beliefs about productivity (19:03)
• What falls under CIOs’ leadership versus other CxOs (22:02)
• The partnerships CIOs should pursue to boost productivity (24:36)
• How workers spend productivity gains (26:09)

AI and digitalization are revolutionizing work, yet the anticipated boost in efficiency and cost reduction remains elusive for many. Moreover, less than 14% of organizations can support new ways of working offered by emerging technologies. This means that even in the age of AI, productivity rates continue to stagnate across industries. Gartner VP analyst Tori Paulman joins host, Gabriela Vogel, to discuss this challenge’s causes and myths as well as the recent trend of employee-built technologies that may offer a solution.

About the Guest

Tori Paulman is a Gartner vice president analyst who advises clients on the leadership of digital employee experience and digital workplace strategies, the workplace experience application market, employee experience journey mapping, and strategies for successful hybrid teams. They focus on helping executives and their teams with the leadership, talent and cultural shifts needed to succeed today and in the future of work. Tori co-leads Gartner's cross functional team researching the future of work for executive leaders. In addition, Tori leads the biannual digital worker survey. Now in its sixth iteration, this survey is Gartner's signature view on workers’ experiences and sentiment on technology used for work.