In this episode of the ODSC Ai X Podcast, host Cal Al-Dhubaib speaks with Neil Weiss, Executive Vice President, CIO, Government Affairs & Economic Development for the Cleveland Guardians. Neil discusses how the Guardians use technology, data, AI, and operational innovation to compete against larger-market MLB teams, improve the fan experience, support internal teams, and help the organization make smarter decisions across both business operations and player development. The conversation explores everything from AI-powered customer feedback analysis and agentic self-service tools to biomechanics, high-speed video, organizational learning, and the importance of keeping people at the center of technology adoption. Key Topics Covered: Neil’s unconventional role across IT, government affairs, economic development, and ballpark operations at the Cleveland Guardians How the Guardians use technology as a competitive advantage in a smaller-market MLB environment Why the organization’s “win more with less” mindset applies to both baseball operations and business operations How data supports fan safety, incident management, work order management, and operational decision-making inside the ballpark The use of incident data to identify dehydration risks, optimize cooling stations, and improve the game-day experience How the Guardians’ consumer research and insights team uses AI to analyze large volumes of fan survey feedback more efficiently Why parking can be a hidden root cause of broader fan dissatisfaction, and how connected data can uncover those patterns How AI agents and self-service tools are changing ticket renewals, customer service, and fan communication Why automation should free up human teams to spend more time on high-value, relationship-driven interactions Neil’s approach to AI governance, including policy, security, protecting IP and PII, and encouraging experimentation without creating unnecessary risk The importance of starting with business outcomes rather than starting with tools or technology Why time savings from AI only matter if organizations intentionally reapply that time toward meaningful goals How the Guardians are training employees on generative AI through recurring internal and external education sessions The organization’s plans to take bigger AI-driven swings around critical business processes, knowledge retrieval, finance, people operations, and ballpark operations How the Guardians are exploring a more product-driven approach to fan-facing innovation, moving beyond the traditional season-by-season planning cycle The role of computer vision, high-speed video, biomechanics, and data modeling in player development How complex data insights are translated into practical coaching guidance for players Why Neil believes technology and data should enable human beings rather than replace them How Neil stays current on AI and technology through podcasts, industry publications, peer networks, and continuous learning Memorable Outtakes: “Technology is a huge leverage point for us, and it has been for a long time, and it continues to be, and it always will be.” — Neil Weiss “You gotta talk about process and people and outcomes. And if you can apply technology, great, but don’t do it just for technology’s sake because it seems cool.” — Neil Weiss “There aren’t computers doing the work. There’s computers and data enabling human beings to do the work.” — Neil Weiss References & Resources: Neil Weiss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weissneil/ Cleveland Guardians: https://www.mlb.com/guardians The AI Daily Brief: https://aidailybrief.ai/ Sponsored by: This episode was sponsored by: ODSC AI West 2026 – The Leading AI Builders Conference Join us in San Francisco from October 27th–29th for expert-led sessions on Agentic AI, AI Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, LLMOps, and AI-driven automation. Learn more: https://odsc.ai/west
