CEOs push AI adoption, but struggle with personal use
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes the business landscape, a curious paradox is emerging within corporate leadership: while CEOs universally champion AI adoption for their companies, many have yet to fully integrate these transformative tools into their own daily routines. This disconnect often stems from a generational gap, where younger employees, inherently more comfortable with new technologies, naturally gravitate towards AI for tasks ranging from data entry to design, while senior executives, whose days are often dominated by meetings and approvals rather than hands-on execution, remain several steps removed from the technology’s mechanics.
To bridge this gap, forward-thinking CEOs are devising innovative strategies to encourage AI literacy among their top brass. Andy Katz-Mayfield, co-founder and CEO of Harry’s parent company Mammoth Brands, began inviting junior employees to monthly leadership meetings, typically reserved for senior executives. The aim was for these lower-level workers to demonstrate how they were leveraging generative AI to enhance operations across supply chain, finance, and marketing. Katz-Mayfield’s secondary, yet crucial, objective was to foster comfort with AI among his senior team. As Mammoth’s Chief Technology Officer, Sandeep Chouksey, who has experimented with ChatGPT for nearly three years, observed, the hands-on work of senior executives often doesn’t lend itself to direct experimentation, making these bottom-up demonstrations essential for their peers to grasp AI’s practical applications.
Other leaders are implementing direct mandates and hands-on workshops. Some executives now instruct their senior teams to default to AI assistants like Google’s Gemini before resorting to traditional search engines. Corporate retreats are increasingly carving out dedicated time for playful experimentation with generative AI tools such as Creatify. At the Chicago-based law firm Mayer Brown, Chair Jon Van Gorp openly shares how he uses a specialized AI tool to draft contracts and distill key points from his own writing. Similarly, at fashion startup Daydream, Friday lunches are now dedicated forums for employees to showcase their AI usage, with the Chief Technology Officer even sharing her weekly Gemini prompts.
Management consultants are witnessing this gradual awakening firsthand. Chuck Whitten, global head of digital practices at Bain & Co., advises CEOs who understand AI’s strategic importance but lack a visceral understanding of the technology itself. Whitten recalls his own “lightning bolt” moment with ChatGPT while serving as co-chief operating officer at Dell Technologies in 2021, a realization that spurred his return to Bain to guide leaders through what he terms the “golden age of artificial intelligence.” He notes that most executives are still in the preliminary stages, using tools like Copilot or ChatGPT for basic tasks like drafting emails or quick fact-checks. Whitten emphasizes that AI is not a tool to be delegated; leaders must be hands-on to grasp both its future trajectory and immediate applications.
This sentiment is echoed by data. A May survey of 456 CEOs by research firm Gartner revealed that while a significant 77% believe AI will transform business, fewer than half felt their technology officers were adequately equipped to navigate the current digital landscape. This underlying anxiety about future readiness is palpable among many executives. Tom Pickett, CEO of wellness app Headspace, found personal solace in AI chatbots, which helped him rapidly acclimate to his role after joining last August. He uses ChatGPT or Gemini for research and strategic advice, claiming the tools enable him to “learn 10 times as much or test 10 times as many ideas in a very lightweight way.” Sarah Franklin, CEO of HR software platform Lattice, regularly challenges her team in internal meetings with the question, “Did you test that message with ChatGPT?” Franklin, who has been using generative AI since its inception, acknowledges the rapid pace of change: “Nobody has 10 years of agentic AI experience right now. They at best have six months. So nobody is fully prepared.” She aptly describes the current climate as “a lot of optimism combined with a lot of FOMO,” or fear of missing out.
Some leaders are embracing their inner “tinkerers” to spur adoption. Greg Schwartz, CEO of StockX, downloaded AI coding apps after seeing user-generated projects on X. Despite not having written code in years, the experience sparked his imagination. During a March corporate retreat, he challenged ten senior leaders, including heads of supply chain and marketing, to build a website with Replit and a marketing video with Creatify in just 30 minutes. While met with initial “shock,” Schwartz framed it as a fun, ungraded activity, believing this hands-on approach would be more impactful than a lecture.
Ethan Mollick, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and author of “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI,” notes that AI can feel “weird and off-putting,” contributing to significant psychological resistance even among those who know they should use it. He argues that many organizations suffer from a “real failure of imagination and vision” regarding AI’s potential, emphasizing that leaders must take a proactive role. A Bain survey confirms this, finding that roughly half of companies lack clear roadmaps for AI integration, and only about 20% are effectively scaling their AI initiatives, with most lacking benchmarks for employee usage.
Ultimately, the success of AI adoption often hinges on leadership engagement. At Mammoth Brands, the enthusiasm generated by internal AI demos has proven more effective than any formal incentive program. When senior leaders are genuinely excited and engaged, Andy Katz-Mayfield suggests, it represents “more than half the battle” in driving widespread, meaningful innovation.