Most organizations have experimented with AI: They've tried ChatGPT, tested a few prompts, maybe run a pilot project or two. But experimentation is not the same as transformation.
SmarterX's 2026 State of AI for Business Report, which surveyed more than 2,100 professionals across industries and different company sizes, found:
Only 29% of organizations have an AI roadmap.
Fewer than four in 10 have an AI council, an internal committee to develop AI policies and practices.
And more than half still lack AI policies to guide employees.
At the same time, employees are moving faster than their organizations.
More than half of professionals (53%) say they’re already integrating AI into workflows or actively transforming how they work. Meanwhile, nearly half of organizations (47%) remain stuck in limited pilot phases.
That growing gap between individual AI adoption and organizational AI readiness is becoming a real business challenge.
The tools are available. Employees are eager to move faster. But many organizations still lack the structure, governance, strategy, and operational clarity needed to scale AI effectively.
That's exactly the gap the AI for Business Bootcamp is designed to close.
The AI for Business Bootcamp is an immersive, one-day learning experience built specifically for business professionals, teams and organizations ready to move from experimentation to real, sustainable AI implementation.
This is not a tech conference that shows off the latest products. It's not a lecture series where you sit passively and listen. It's a hands-on working session designed to give you both the strategic clarity and practical skills to act immediately.
The day puts attendees in direct, hands-on learning sessions with two trusted, knowledgeable voices in AI from right here in Ohio: Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of Cleveland-based SmarterX and the Marketing AI Institute and Mike Kaput, the companies' Chief Content Officer. The two also co-host the popular The Artificial Intelligence Show weekly podcast.
The findings from our 2026 State of AI Business Report indicate AI skills are no longer optional in the workplace:
At the same time, professionals are actively looking for practical guidance:
Teams want practical implementation guidance they can apply immediately. And organizations that fail to operationalize AI effectively risk creating fragmented adoption, inconsistent governance, and widening capability gaps across teams.
Mike Kaput has been researching and writing about AI for more than a decade.
His hands-on workshop about leveraging AI for productivity is universal. It doesn't matter whether your organization uses ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or another platform. The workshop is built around the skills and frameworks that transfer across any tool.
Attendees will learn how to:
Participants leave with practical frameworks and resources they can immediately apply across teams and business functions.
Paul Roetzer is an internationally recognized speaker and expert on AI.
He’ll take attendees a step further from productivity to innovation with AI. Productivity gains are just the beginning. The real competitive advantage comes from using AI to reimagine products, services, business models, and go-to-market strategies before a competitor does it.
Key questions the workshop is built around:
Participants leave with:
This workshop is especially valuable for executives, innovation leaders, transformation teams, strategy leaders, and decision-makers responsible for long-term growth and operational change.
AI adoption is accelerating faster than many organizations can keep up.
Employees are already integrating AI into daily work. Competitors are exploring new operational models, customer experiences, and efficiencies powered by AI.
But many organizations still lack the roadmap, governance, training, and strategic alignment needed to move beyond experimentation.
The companies that build practical AI capabilities now will be better positioned to improve productivity, innovate faster, and compete more effectively over the next several years.
The day is meant for professionals at any level — individual contributors, managers, directors, VPs, and executives — across any business function. No technical background is required.
To register and find out more, visit: smarterx.ai/events/ai-for-business-bootcamp-columbus