Why AI Adoption Keeps Failing Despite Leadership Priority
Despite AI being CEOs' top priority, 56% of companies report zero revenue benefit and 95% of pilots fail to impact P&L. Rob Saltrese, who spent 20 years in recruitment before co-founding AI consultancy Lyra Labs, reveals why the technology isn't the problem—the leadership-workforce gap is. Learn the workflow redesign most skip, why 12-month AI strategies backfire, and how shadow AI creates governance blind spots that sabotage enterprise adoption.
Paul Brzozowski
Founding team member • Olakai
Paul Brzozowski is a founding team member at Olakai, where he helps build innovative solutions in the AI and technology space. With experience in early-stage company development, he brings deep expertise in product strategy and scaling emerging technologies. Paul is passionate about leveraging AI to solve real-world problems and create meaningful impact.
LinkedIn ProfileRob Saltrese
Co-Founder • Lyra Labs
Rob Saltrese is Co-Founder of Lyra Labs, where he leads the development of advanced AI solutions for enterprise applications. With a background in building scalable technology platforms, Rob brings deep expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and product strategy to help organizations navigate digital transformation. His work focuses on making cutting-edge AI accessible and practical for businesses of all sizes.
LinkedIn ProfilePwC surveyed 4,454 CEOs across 95 countries. AI is the number one boardroom priority. Yet 56% of companies report zero revenue or cost benefit from AI. MIT found 95% of pilots deliver no measurable P&L impact. And worker confidence in AI is collapsing even as adoption surges.
The technology is not the problem. The gap between leadership and the workforce is.
In this episode, host Paul Brzozowski sits down with Rob Saltrese, Co-Founder of Lyra Labs, to unpack why AI adoption keeps failing and what it actually takes to fix it. Rob spent over 20 years in recruitment and talent acquisition, giving him a front-row seat to how organizations actually work, hire, and resist change. He then pivoted into AI consulting and co-founded Lyra Labs to help enterprises bridge the gap between AI ambition and real business impact.
What We Cover
- Why 56% of companies are getting nothing from AI and it is not the technology
- The workflow redesign almost nobody does before deploying AI
- Why you should not build a 12-month AI strategy
- Shadow AI: why 90%+ of organizations have a governance blind spot
- How to define value before you deploy, not after
- AI transforming recruitment from sourcing to onboarding: the insider view
- Tools like Artisan and Jack and Jill reshaping talent acquisition
- Why you cannot take humans out of the loop
- Why your domain knowledge is the real competitive advantage
Timestamps
- [0:00] Intro and why Rob's background matters
- [2:30] The career pivot: from recruitment to AI consulting to Lyra Labs
- [6:00] How 20 years of recruitment shapes AI strategy
- [10:00] Core Q1: Why AI pilots fail and it starts with planning
- [14:30] Core Q2: The metric that matters is value, defined per org
- [18:00] Core Q3: Do not build a 12-month AI strategy
- [22:00] Core Q4: Shadow AI, governance, and the planning foundation
- [26:30] Core Q5: The real year of the agent
- [30:00] Deep Dive: AI transforming recruitment from A to Z
- [38:00] Deep Dive: Building Lyra Labs and human AI capital
- [43:00] Closing takeaways
Connect
- Rob Saltrese on LinkedIn
- Paul Brzozowski on LinkedIn
- Olakai
- Future of Agentic AI
- Future of Assistive AI
- Email: paul@olakai.ai
About Enterprise AI Unlocked
Enterprise AI Unlocked is the podcast for leaders navigating the shift from AI experimentation to measurable business impact.
Each episode uses a consistent five-question framework to explore how enterprises are actually making AI work.
Hosted by Paul Brzozowski from the founding team at Olakai, the Enterprise AI Intelligence Platform that helps organizations measure, govern, and scale their AI stack.
New episodes weekly.
