AI and the Humanity of Sales

I joined Felicia Shakiba on the CPO Playbook to discuss a recurring failure in organizations today: investing in AI without achieving organizational speed. This isn't a technical glitch; it’s a structural one. Many leaders treat AI as a magic toy rather than a tool deployed to support a specific investment thesis.

Drawing on my background in organizational communication, I compared this shift to the early days of the internet. Just as the web didn't replace travel agents but liberated them to handle complex human needs, AI is the new "lowest-cost resource" for sales. By offloading data research and territory logistics to AI, revenue leaders can re-prioritize the empathy and trust-building that actually close deals.

We also discussed the 2026 landscape for PE-backed firms. The "slingshot" approach is the winning move: start with small, measurable experiments to build AI literacy, then scale once the tool proves it can reduce churn or solve specific business friction. In a market crowded with 150+ "AI-powered" tools, the differentiator remains the same: doubling down on the human element that technology cannot simulate.