Tech Talks Daily

What happens when the race to deploy AI starts to outpace the ability to control it?
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Ken Englund from EY to unpack findings from the latest 2026 Technology Pulse Poll, and the conversation quickly moves beyond theory into something many leaders will recognize from their own organizations. There is a growing tension between speed and oversight, a "velocity paradox" Ken describes, in which businesses are accelerating AI adoption while governance struggles to keep up.
The numbers behind that story are hard to ignore. A large majority of tech leaders are prioritizing speed to market over careful vetting, while more than half of AI initiatives are happening outside formal IT oversight. For anyone responsible for security, compliance, or risk, that gap raises immediate concerns. But as Ken explains, it is not as simple as labeling this as reckless behavior. Much of this activity is driven by real innovation happening closer to the business, where teams are experimenting, solving problems, and creating value quickly.
We spend time breaking down what that looks like in practice. From the rise of shadow AI tools to the growing risk of sensitive data exposure, there is already evidence that the consequences are beginning to show. At the same time, nearly every executive surveyed sees autonomous AI as central to future competitiveness, which means slowing down is not really an option either.
One of the most useful parts of the conversation focuses on what organizations can actually do about it. Ken shares practical insight into why architecture matters more than ambition, how companies should think about optionality in a fast-moving AI ecosystem, and why observability is becoming a missing layer in many deployments. We also get into the reality of measuring AI value, where the conversation is shifting from promised returns to the often-overlooked cost side, including token usage and uncontrolled spending across departments.
There is also a broader discussion around leadership and culture. Governance frameworks may exist on paper, but the real challenge lies in operationalizing them across a business that is already moving at speed. Add in geopolitical pressures, evolving regulations, and the complexity of deploying AI globally, and it becomes clear why many organizations feel overwhelmed.
This episode is not about slowing innovation down. It is about understanding where things are breaking, what leaders are getting wrong, and how to build a path forward that balances progress with accountability.
So, as AI budgets continue to rise and autonomous systems become part of everyday operations, how will your organization close the gap between ambition and control, and are you already further along that path than you realize? 
Useful Links
Ernst & Young Technology Pulse Poll
Connect with Ken Englund on LinkedIn
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What happens when your financial advisor is no longer limited by time, availability, or even geography, but is always there when you need them, ready to listen, respond, and guide you in real time?
At Citi's announcement at Google Cloud Next 2026, I sat down with Joe Bonanno, Head of Wealth Intelligence, and Karolina Belwal, Global Head of Data Intelligence and Automation for Citi Wealth, to unpack what could become a defining shift in how wealth management is delivered.
The launch of Citi Sky, built in partnership with Google Cloud and powered by Google DeepMind, is not another digital feature layered onto an existing app. It signals a move toward an always-on, conversational, and highly personalized experience that blends human expertise with AI-driven intelligence.
What stood out in our conversation was how grounded this initiative is in real-world client behavior. Joe explained how traditional engagement models, whether phone calls, emails, or app notifications, often feel disconnected from what clients actually need in the moment.
Life events, changing market conditions, and personal priorities rarely align with scheduled interactions. Citi Sky attempts to close that gap by being present at the exact moment a client has a question, whether that is late at night, between meetings, or during a moment of financial uncertainty.
Karolina brought that point to life with a simple but relatable example. As a working parent, she highlighted how difficult it can be to connect with an advisor during the day. Citi Sky allows clients to engage on their own terms, asking questions when it suits them, in a way that feels natural and responsive. That shift from scheduled interaction to on-demand conversation could change how people think about financial guidance altogether.
Under the hood, the technology is just as ambitious. Built on Gemini models through Google's enterprise agent platform, Citi Sky combines real-time voice, video, and multilingual capabilities into a single experience. But what makes it interesting is how it moves beyond reacting to questions.
The system can anticipate needs, surface insights, and even guide advisors by identifying which clients may require attention during market events. In Joe's words, it becomes a teammate, one that can scale expertise across hundreds of clients while maintaining a sense of personalization.
There is also a broader implication here for the industry. Wealth management has long relied on relationships built over time, supported by human intuition and experience. Citi is not replacing that model, but it is extending it. Advisors are still central, yet their reach is amplified by AI that handles routine interactions, summarizes conversations, and provides context before the next client meeting even begins.

Of course, this raises familiar questions around trust, governance, and the role of AI in financial decision-making. Citi is clearly aware of that tension, emphasizing secure data foundations, regulatory compliance, and the importance of embedding its Chief Investment Office's institutional knowledge directly into the system. This is not positioned as a generic AI assistant, but as a reflection of Citi's own expertise, delivered through a new interface.
What I found most compelling, though, was how both Joe and Karolina kept returning to the human side of the story. Yes, this is about agentic AI and advanced models. Still, it is also about reducing friction, improving access, and helping people answer a simple but powerful question: Am I financially okay?
As Citi Sky rolls out to Citigold clients in the U.S., it will be fascinating to see how customers respond and how competitors react. If this model gains traction, it could reshape expectations far beyond wealth management and into every corner of financial services.
As we move into the next phase of AI-driven client engagement, are we ready to trust a system that listens, understands, and acts on our financial lives in real time, and how much of that responsibility are we willing to share?
Useful Links
Learn More About Citi Sky, the AI-Powered Member of the Citi Wealth Team.
Connect with Joseph V. Bonanno Jr.
Connect with Karolina Belwal
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Are businesses really making progress with AI, or are many still stuck using it for the digital equivalent of making phone calls on a smartphone?
In this episode, I sit down with Alison Kay, VP / Managing Director AWS UKI, to unpack what is actually happening behind the headlines of AI adoption across the UK.
On paper, the numbers look strong. Around 64% of UK businesses are now using AI, a sharp rise from the previous year. But when you look closer, the story shifts. Only one in four organizations have moved into more advanced use cases, where real productivity gains, efficiency improvements, and innovation start to show up in meaningful ways.
So what is holding everyone back?
In our conversation, Alison shares insights from AWS research and her work with organizations ranging from major enterprises like Barclays and the BBC to fast-moving startups. We explore why skill shortages are slowing progress, why many companies struggle to move beyond basic use cases, and how governance and trust are becoming central to scaling AI responsibly.
We also spend time breaking down the rise of agentic AI, a term that is starting to appear everywhere. Instead of simply generating answers, these systems are beginning to take action, writing code, testing software, and working alongside humans to dramatically accelerate delivery timelines. Alison shares a powerful example where a project that might have taken 40 engineers over two years was completed by six engineers in just 76 days with the support of AI agents.
Along the way, we look at real-world examples from companies like Trainline and Evri, showing how AI is already reshaping customer experience and operational efficiency in ways that go far beyond theory.
This episode is a must-listen for business leaders trying to understand where AI is delivering real value today, where the biggest gaps still exist, and how to move from experimentation to meaningful transformation.
So if your organization is already using AI, the real question becomes this, are you using it to improve what you already do, or are you ready to rethink how your business operates entirely?
Useful Links
Connect with Alison Kay
Unlocking the UK's AI Potential" report.
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What if one of the most influential figures in modern technology had almost ignored the opportunity that would define his career?
In this episode, I sit down with Werner Vogels, Chief Technology Officer at Amazon, to explore the story behind Amazon Web Services as it marks its 20th anniversary, and how a near-dismissed phone call turned into a front-row seat to one of the biggest shifts in computing history.
Werner takes me back to the early days when Amazon was still seen as "just a bookstore," and shares what he discovered when he first stepped inside what he calls Amazon's "technology kitchen." What he found was a company solving problems at a scale that commercial software simply could not handle, forcing them to build everything themselves. That mindset would go on to shape everything from Dynamo to the foundations of modern cloud infrastructure.
We also unpack the thinking behind one of the most important shifts in enterprise technology, the move from upfront licensing to pay-as-you-go. It sounds obvious now, but at the time it challenged how the entire industry operated, giving businesses the ability to experiment, scale, and take control of their own costs in ways that were not possible before.
Looking ahead, Werner offers a refreshing perspective on AI and what he describes as a developer renaissance. While many headlines focus on replacement, he sees AI as a tool that amplifies human capability, placing even greater importance on curiosity, ownership, and collaboration. It is a reminder that while tools will continue to evolve, responsibility and decision-making still sit firmly with the people using them.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone building, leading, or investing in technology. It connects the dots between past, present, and what comes next, showing how today's AI wave echoes the same patterns that shaped the cloud revolution.
So as we look toward the next era of computing, the question is simple, are we ready to think at the scale required to build what comes next?
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Can faster access to real-world data actually change patient outcomes, or are we still too reliant on controlled clinical trials to see the full picture?
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Alex Asiimwe, Executive Director of Epidemiology at Gilead Sciences, to explore a topic that doesn't get enough attention in the AI conversation, real-world evidence.
While much of the industry focuses on AI in drug discovery or diagnostics, Alex brings a different perspective, one rooted in what happens after treatments reach real patients in the real world. As he explains, clinical trials may be the gold standard, but they are still controlled environments. Real-world evidence is where we begin to understand how treatments perform across diverse populations, healthcare systems, and everyday conditions.
What stood out in our conversation is just how messy and fragmented that real-world data can be. Much of it is not collected for research purposes, which means it takes months, sometimes up to a year, to clean, structure, and analyze before it can inform decisions. Alex shares how AI is beginning to change that, not by replacing human expertise, but by automating the most time-consuming parts of the process. If that timeline can be cut in half, the impact is immediate.
Faster evidence means faster decisions, and in healthcare, delays in evidence can directly affect patient outcomes.
We also explore what Alex describes as the "analytics gap," the disconnect between where data exists and where insights are actually generated. Today, much of the evidence used in drug development still comes from limited datasets, often from a single country or region. Yet the treatments themselves are global. That mismatch creates blind spots, particularly in low and middle-income countries where data is often unstructured, fragmented, or simply not accessible. AI has the potential to standardize and unlock that data, helping to create a more complete and representative view of patient populations worldwide.
Of course, the challenges are not just technical. Trust, governance, and politics all play a role in whether data can be shared and used effectively. Alex is clear that the biggest barrier is not the science or the analytics, it is building trust between organizations, governments, and communities. Without that, even the most advanced AI models cannot deliver meaningful outcomes.
This conversation also touches on the importance of collaboration, not just between healthcare organizations and technology providers like SAS, but across the global ecosystem. Alex highlights how partnerships, open standards, and shared frameworks can help close the analytics gap and accelerate progress in areas like HIV prevention, where understanding real-world patient behavior is critical.
As we wrap up, one message comes through clearly. AI is not a miracle solution, and it will not transform healthcare overnight. But when applied to the right parts of the workflow, especially around data preparation and evidence generation, it can create measurable, meaningful change.
So as healthcare leaders look to move beyond pilots and into real impact, the question becomes, are we focusing on the right problems, and are we ready to open up the data needed to solve them? 
Useful Links
Connect with Dr. Alex Asiimwe
OHDSI – Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics
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