Unfiltered Stories | “How to AI” with IBM’s Thiru

Everyone understands why AI matters. The value is clear. The technology is evolving at breakneck speed. But here’s the real question: how do you actually make it work at scale?

In this episode of HFS Unfiltered Stories, Saurabh Gupta, President at HFS Research, sat down with Thiru Venkatachalam, VP & Senior Partner, Enterprise AI Transformation Leader at IBM Consulting, to tackle the biggest issue enterprises face today: moving beyond endless pilots and into real, production-grade AI.

Over 90% of enterprises are still stuck in “pilot purgatory.” So what’s missing?

They discussed:

• Why enterprise AI is very different from the ChatGPT consumer moment
• The hidden “enterprise debts” holding organizations back
• How to think about AI ROI across short-term wins, competitive plays, and long-term moonshots
• Why cost reduction alone is the wrong lens
• The disruption AI is creating in IT software and services
• Why AI transformation must be CEO-led
• The role of platforms, governance, and security in scaling AI

This is a practical conversation about what it really takes to operationalize AI, from data and org design to leadership mindset.