Everyone’s talking about AI strategy.
According to Charlene Li… that’s already the problem.
In this episode of People First!, Morag and Charlene unpack why most organizations are getting AI wrong—and why the real issue isn’t the technology. It’s leadership.
They explore:
- Why you don’t actually need an AI strategy
- The dangerous gap between “use AI” and actual adoption
- Why 95% of AI pilots fail (and what that reveals)
- The fear leaders are ignoring—and why it matters
- What AI fluency really means (and why training isn’t enough)
- How leaders accidentally create confusion instead of clarity
- The difference between using AI and leading with it
This isn’t a conversation about tools.
It’s about whether leaders are prepared for the reality AI is creating inside their teams.
- (00:01) - Why “AI strategy” is the wrong starting point
- (03:19) - Shiny object syndrome and misaligned priorities
- (05:10) - Why AI adoption stalls (fear, confusion, no direction)
- (07:05) - The leadership gap no one is addressing
- (08:58) - AI fluency vs superficial training
- (10:25) - Why practice matters more than pilots
- (14:09) - The truth: 95% of AI pilots fail
- (16:57) - What good leadership looks like in an AI era
- (19:44) - The reality of job disruption (and what leaders should say instead)
- (22:37) - Using AI to enhance—not replace—people
- (26:19) - Creativity, curiosity, and why AI can’t replace them
- (31:08) - It’s not a tech problem. It’s a people problem
