AI can answer faster, personalize at scale, and automate entire customer journeys, but it can't make someone feel seen.

In this episode of ThinkCast, recorded from a live session at Gartner CIO Leadership Forum, Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Don Scheibenreif explores why customer experience breaks down when efficiency overtakes empathy — and what CIOs can do to keep humanity at the center of AI‑driven design. Through real‑world stories from travel, retail, financial services and the public sector, Don shows how "moments of humanity" shape trust, loyalty and long‑term growth.

You'll learn:

• What happens when organizations over‑automate customer relationships
• How to recognize and design for moments that truly matter
• Where empathy fits into AI‑driven efficiency efforts
• Why CX challenges often stem from design decisions, not technology limits
• How CIOs can ensure AI enhances experiences without dehumanizing them

Dig deeper:

• Attend a Gartner CIO Conference near you
• See why Gartner is the world authority on AI
• Try out AskGartner for more AI-powered insights

In this episode of ThinkCast, we explore one of the most persistent — and evolving — challenges with AI: hallucinations.

Gartner Chief of Research Chris Howard breaks down what hallucinations really are, why they happen and what they reveal about how machines think. From multiagent systems to physics-informed neural networks, discover how the next wave of AI innovation is moving beyond prediction and toward precision, all while relying on AI-ready data.

You'll learn:

• Why hallucinations happen and what they say about how AI works
• How multiagent systems and PINNs are changing how machines reason
• When to use probabilistic neural networks vs. deterministic tools
• Why not every business problem needs AI
• How hallucinations might actually help reframe your thinking
  
  

Dig deeper:

• Download Gartner's CIO Agenda for 2026
• Try out AskGartner for more AI-powered insights
• See why Gartner is the world authority on AI

Most organizations don't have an AI problem — they have a human readiness problem.

Despite massive investment and accelerating adoption, most AI initiatives are falling short of real business impact. The reason isn't immature technology. It's that workforces, roles and leaders haven't been prepared for what AI actually changes.

In this episode, Gartner VP Analyst Alicia Mullery explains why the gap between AI innovation and AI outcomes continues to widen. In a preview of her recent webinar on workforce readiness, you'll hear what's really happening: not mass layoffs, but hiring restraint, role redesign, and a strategic remix of talent — all of which demand far more change management than most organizations anticipate.

You'll learn:

• Why most AI initiatives stall at productivity gains instead of delivering financial ROI
• The three types of AI value and how confusion between them derails results
• What's actually happening to jobs as AI adoption accelerates
• The essential skills every employee needs in an AI‑dominant future
• Why change management is the missing linchpin for sustained AI impact

Dig deeper:

• Register to watch the full Workforce Readiness webinar
• Try out AskGartner for more AI-powered insights
• See how Gartner is the world authority on AI