Most AI initiatives don't fail because the technology is wrong; they fail because the humans around it stop thinking as carefully as they used to.

In this episode of ThinkCast, recorded from a live session at Gartner CIO Leadership Forum, Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Mandi Bishop breaks down why so‑called "soft skills" have quietly become the hardest — and most essential — capability to scale in the age of AI. From practical workforce exercises to Mandi's own racing experience, hear how over‑reliance, complacency and automation bias creep in — and how CIOs can rebuild critical thinking, judgment and contextual awareness to turn AI tools into true performance accelerators.

You'll learn:

• Why automation bias is one of the biggest hidden risks in AI adoption
• How soft skills like skepticism and judgment directly impact AI outcomes
• Why hands‑on techniques, like hallucination hunts, can build real AI literacy
• How better prompting reinforces human thinking instead of replacing it
• What CIOs can do now to operationalize soft skills across the enterprise

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

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