AI Horizons keynoter Charlene Li moves behind AI trends and tips — to deliver comms-specific strategies and insights for fixing the ‘AI ROI paradox.’
Over 95% of organizations have yet to report any real ROI from AI, according to a recent MIT study. Despite widespread adoption and experimentation, most teams are stuck running pilots that never scale — and employees are left confused, anxious or skeptical about what AI actually means for their work.
That disconnect will be addressed at Ragan’s AI Horizons Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Feb. 2–4, where Charlene Li — New York Times bestselling author, founder of Quantum Networks Group and co-author of “Winning With AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success” — will deliver a keynote that cuts through the hype and confusion. Her message is blunt: AI isn’t failing. Leadership is.
Gulp! So how do we escape what she calls “pilot purgatory” and deliver on the promise of AI?
Her advice is practical, candid and refreshingly honest — especially for leaders and communicators tired of inflated AI promises and deflated results.
Q: Are we in an AI bubble — and what should communicators do about it?
I think we’re in an AI expectations bubble. The technology is real and transformative. What’s inflated are the timelines and the hype around instant ROI. And those expectations are driving the stock prices of hyperscalers.
More than 80% of organizations say they are not seeing a tangible impact on enterprise value from their use of AI. Editor’s note: This is an improvement over the MIT survey from last summer. That’s what I call the “AI ROI paradox.” The problem isn’t that AI doesn’t work — it’s that most organizations are stuck in what we call “pilot purgatory,” launching disconnected experiments that never scale.
For communicators, the opportunity is enormous. Your job is to help your organization have honest conversations about AI. Stop promising transformation in 90 days. Start communicating what’s realistic because AI value compounds over time, early wins build toward bigger transformations and the organizations moving fastest are the ones building trust through transparency — not hype.
Help your leaders tell the truth: “We’re committed to AI. We’re learning. Here’s what we know and don’t know.” That kind of radical honesty actually builds more confidence than inflated promises.
What’s the biggest mistake leaders make early in AI adoption?
The biggest mistake is treating AI as a technology rollout rather than a business transformation. Leaders ask, “What can we do with AI?” when they should be asking, “What can AI do for us?” That subtle shift changes everything.
What happens is that organizations fall into what I call the “use case trap.” They brainstorm dozens of AI possibilities, spread resources thin across all of them and wonder why nothing scales. Use cases are not a strategy.
Communicators can help fix this by anchoring every AI conversation to business strategy. When someone says, “Let’s use AI for X,” the communications professional should ask, “Which of our top three strategic objectives does this advance?” So my advice is to help leaders articulate the connection between AI initiatives and business outcomes. That clarity should be embedded in every internal communication about AI.
OK, then what do communications teams in particular often get wrong about AI?
Communications teams often treat AI communication as a messaging exercise rather than a trust-building exercise. They focus on crafting the perfect announcement when they should be facilitating ongoing dialogue.
The No. 1 barrier to AI adoption isn’t complexity — it’s fear. Employees worry about their jobs, their relevance and their ability to keep up. No amount of polished messaging will address that.
What builds trust is transparency: leaders speaking plainly about what’s changing, what’s not and what they’re still figuring out. Admitting uncertainty while offering a path forward creates psychological safety.
The fix? Stop trying to have all the answers. Instead, create forums for two-way dialogue. Let employees ask hard questions and give honest answers — even if the answer is, “We don’t know yet, and we will figure it out together.” That authenticity is what moves people from fear to trust.
Q: What should communicators focus on in the first 90 days of an AI rollout or adoption?
First, let me be clear: You don’t need an AI strategy. You already have a business strategy. What you need is to understand how AI serves that strategy.
The first step for communicators in those 90 days is to help leaders articulate the “why” in language everyone can understand. Not “we’re implementing AI,” but “we’re using AI to solve our biggest strategic problems and serve our customers better.”
Practically, communicators should help leaders do three things in the first 90 days:
- First, connect AI to purpose — help craft narratives that tie AI initiatives to what the organization stands for and who it serves.
• Second, establish the trust framework — communicate what guardrails are in place, what’s expected of employees and how the organization will handle uncertainty.
• Third, make early wins visible — find and amplify the stories of employees who are successfully using AI. Those stories do more than any corporate announcement.
The communication in those first 90 days should focus on vision and possibility — helping everyone understand AI’s potential and their role in realizing it. The message should be: “Here’s where we’re going, here’s why it matters and here’s how you’ll be part of making it happen.”
How can communicators earn a true seat at the AI leadership table?
Stop waiting to be brought in for “messaging” and start owning the change management conversation. Here’s the reality: AI transformation is 70% people and process, 30% technology. That’s exactly where communications lives.
The most powerful thing you can do is reframe the communications role. You’re here to architect the organizational conversation that makes AI adoption possible, not to write the announcement about AI. You understand what people fear, what motivates them, how to build trust and how to sustain momentum through change.
Start by bringing data on employee sentiment about AI before anyone asks for it. Present a stakeholder communication framework that maps different audiences to different messages. Propose the feedback mechanisms that will surface concerns early. Own the success story pipeline — identify and amplify the wins that build organizational confidence.
Remember, every conversation about AI is an opportunity to build confidence, reinforce strategic priorities and unify the organization around shared objectives. That’s strategic leadership, not a support function.
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