In this episode, Cris Ippolite sits down with Kate Waldhauser, Founder of Violet Beacon, to unpack why so many enterprise AI efforts stall—and what it actually takes to make them work.
Together they examine how fear-driven headlines and surface-level interpretations have distorted the AI conversation, from reactions to Salesforce’s generative AI strategy to the widely cited MIT “GenAI Divide” research.
Rather than debating whether AI is good or bad, the conversation focuses on execution discipline: designing pilots for production, embedding AI into real workflows, defining acceptance criteria instead of chasing perfection, and treating AI as an organizational transformation rather than a technical experiment.
The episode closes with a practical playbook for leaders who want measurable ROI from AI in 2026—grounded in trust, accountability, and strong data foundations.
Companion Reading
How Serious Companies Are Turning AI Into Measurable Business Advantage — Cris Ippolite
https://isolutions.medium.com/how-serious-companies-are-turning-ai-into-measurable-business-advantage-216b2d8fb743
A deeper written exploration of the themes discussed in this episode, expanding on execution discipline, pilot design, integration, ROI measurement, and why data-first organizations consistently outperform.
Resources Mentioned
(Listed in order of first mention in the episode; timestamps indicate when first referenced.)
1. The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1709&context=faculty-research-papers
Referenced ~03:03.
2. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence Phobia (ResearchGate)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393689899_The_Rise_of_Artificial_Intelligence_Phobia_Unveiling_News-Driven_Spread_of_AI_Fear_Sentiment_using_ML_NLP_and_LLMs
Referenced ~03:03.
3. Signal vs. Hype — Custom GPT Tool (Violet Beacon)
https://chatgpt.com/g/g-697049186b388191824ee9f0d6677212-signal-vs-hype-by-violet-beacon
Referenced ~08:47.
4. Salesforce Executives Say Trust in Generative AI Has Declined (The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/salesforce-executives-say-trust-generative-ai-declined
Referenced ~12:06.
5. William Phelps Eno (Creator of the Stop Sign)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Phelps_Eno
Referenced ~41:53.
6. Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future — Reid Hoffman
https://amzn.to/4r3JMWH
Referenced ~50:19.
7. NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) Playbook
https://airc.nist.gov/airmf-resources/playbook/
Referenced ~56:02.
8. ISO/IEC 42001:2023 — Artificial Intelligence Management Systems
https://www.iso.org/standard/42001
Referenced ~56:02.
9. State of AI in Business 2025 Report (MIT / Project NANDA)
https://mlq.ai/media/quarterly_decks/v0.1_State_of_AI_in_Business_2025_Report.pdf
Referenced ~59:37.
10. Tata Consultancy Services — AI for Business Study
https://www.tcs.com/content/dam/global-tcs/en/pdfs/insights/global-studies/report/north-america-report-tcs-ai-for-business-study.pdf
Referenced ~1:19:22.
Contact Information
Guest
Kate Waldhauser
Founder & Chief Strategist
Violet Beacon
Elevating productivity through responsible AI and automation designed to save time.
• Website: https://violetbeacon.com/
• Human Intelligence blog: https://violetbeacon.com/welcome-to-human-intelligence/
Host
Cris Ippolite
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iSolutionsAI
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crisippolite/
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ISolutionsai
• Website: https://www.isolutionsai.com
