Stop leading with AI.
That’s advice from Mike Kaput, Chief Content Officer at SmarterX and co-host of The Artificial Intelligence Show, on the best way to get leadership’s attention about AI.
"You don't even have to use the letters 'AI,'" Kaput said. "It's not about the technology. It's about what business problem you're addressing. You fit AI into that, not the other way around."
The distinction matters: SmarterX's 2026 State of AI for Business Report found that 74% of business professionals consider AI critically or very important to their success over the next 12 months. But awareness of AI's importance doesn't translate automatically into support for AI initiatives.
The same report found that lack of strategy ranks among the top barriers to AI adoption, cited by 26% of respondents. This indicates that many efforts get launched without clear alignment to what the organization is actually trying to accomplish.
"Leaders need to understand exactly how it's going to benefit the business," Kaput said.
So rather than pitching AI capabilities and hoping leadership connects the dots, start with a familiar pain point and show how AI addresses it.
"If I'm sitting down with a leader, I'm not going to say, 'Have you ever considered using AI for hiring?’” Kaput said.
“Instead, I'd say, 'I know we have a huge retention problem. People are leaving within three to six months. Here are three AI technologies that appear to dramatically lower the cost to recruit great people, and here's why AI is uniquely good at this compared to what we're doing today.'"
It’s an entirely different conversation.
So if you feel like you’re not making progress with your AI pitch — for more training, a companywide AI policy, better tools — consider these two steps:
1. Start with their agenda, not yours. Identify the two or three challenges leadership is most focused on right now. Use those as the starting point, and demonstrate where or how AI might solve them.
2. Show the comparison. Leaders don't just want to know what AI can do. They want to know why it's better than what's already in place. Make the case for why AI solves the problem better, faster, or cheaper than the current approach.
Kaput, co-host of The Artificial Intelligence Show, will lead the AI for Productivity workshop at the AI for Business Bootcamp on July 16 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. The day is designed for professionals at any level, and no technical background is required.
Register at smarterx.ai/events. AI Mastery members receive discounted pricing.