StitchDX

I got to spend Day 2 of #BOSTechWeek at the #UNconference hosted by the Mass Technology Leadership Council and sponsored by Foley Hoag LLP, SVB, and Red Hat. As always, the Unconference delivered — great connections and insightful conversations. Here are some key takeaways from the sessions I attended: - Boston was the FIRST city in the U.S. to establish an Innovation District under then Mayor Menino, and cities worldwide have come to learn from our model. - Even experienced AI-first organizations are facing challenges in defining "Human-in-the-loop." - Multiple references to post-college 20-somethings refusing to use AI (despite their parents working in AI fields). - There remains a desire for accountability, as many still want "a throat to choke," highlighting frustrations with the lack of validation for AI outputs. - The concept of "Cognitive surrender" and the loss of essential judgment was discussed in a Wharton paper titled: "Thinking Fast, Slow, and Artificial." If you're feeling FOMO and want to experience Tech Week, there are still a few spots available for my roundtable workshop on implementing your AI strategy this Friday morning. https://lnkd.in/eRpPNWf6

▶ Worth your attention: an MTLC member-led conversation at Tech Week. AI adoption isn’t just about better models — it requires a cultural shift. And the leaders driving that shift? HR, Comms, and Marketing. Erick Straghalis and StitchDX are hosting a 90-minute roundtable this Friday, May 29, in Boston as part of #BOSTechWeek — focused on helping organizations move from AI ambition to actual readiness. Participants will walk away with:  → A clear, structured view of their AI readiness → A shared language to align with leadership → A practical starting point tailored to their organization Not AI 101. Not a vendor pitch. A working session for leaders who need to move — and move in the right direction. If that’s you (or someone in your network), register before seats fill up: https://lnkd.in/eBfj2psY

Employees who rarely use AI carry nearly 2x the psychological burden of those who use it daily. A Harvard Business Review article calls this "psychological debt" That debt shows up in six forms: → Cognitive — skills atrophying through offloading → Autonomy — loss of control over how work happens → Competency — feeling less capable than the machine → Relatedness — losing connection to peers → Credibility — perceived professional diminishment → Identity — AI use conflicting with professional self-concept Rare AI users score 60 on psychological debt. Daily users score 36. The problem is, most rollout plans assume the scores would be inverted. And that problem is exacerbated by a lack of training. Only 35% of organizations have a mature, org-wide AI upskilling program. Among those that do, meaningful ROI nearly doubles. Building the CULTURE of AI requires both data *and* human infrastructure. Psychological readiness, skills development, team norms, governance, and process management — these are the things most orgs haven't even budgeted for in their AI deployment plans. I'm hosting an in-person roundtable as part of #BOSTechWeek on May 29th focusing on the people who should own AI CULTURE. The #HR, #Communications, and #Marketing leaders who's seat at the table is critical to close this gap. It's free to join: https://lnkd.in/eRpPNWf6 Using AI isn't the hard part. Building the culture is — and most organizations haven't understood just how important that will be in successful AI Implementations. StitchDX #HRLeadership #AI #FutureOfWork #AIAdoption #ChangeManagement #Comms #InternalComms #InternalCommunications #BeAIReady

Join StitchDX for The Intranet IS Your AI Strategy: A Roundtable for HR and Comms Leaders on Friday, May 29 from 9:00–11:00 AM in Back Bay, Boston as part of #BOSTechWeek. This interactive roundtable and workshop is designed for HR, Internal Communications, and IT leaders exploring how stronger knowledge management, internal communications, and workplace strategy can better support AI adoption and employee engagement. The session will include networking, collaborative discussion, and practical insights for organizations building AI-ready workplaces. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eBfj2psY #AI #FutureOfWork #HR #InternalCommunications #WorkplaceInnovation

Implementing AI isn't just a technology problem anymore, it's a KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE problem too — and HR and Comms play a critical role in building both. OpenAI and Anthropic are investing $5.5 Billion to build services companies. Not IT companies — but consulting — because deploying the models to your people is the easy part. Governance, process, and change management are still the foundational work that AI needs to operate at the organizational level (otherwise, you just bought a very expensive search tool). If you're in Internal #Communications or #HR and near the #Boston area, I'd like to invite you to join me on May 29th for a roundtable workshop as part of #BostonTechWeek on exactly this topic. We'll talk about how HR and Comms are influencing organizational AI beyond the individual chatbot, and why you need to be at the table alongside IT. Details and registration here: https://lnkd.in/eRpPNWf6 Questions? Thoughts? Let me know in the comments. #Communications #InternalCommunications #Comms #people #HumanResources #Intranet #Governance #AI StitchDX TECH WEEK by a16z

Boston Tech Week is everywhere. MTLC members are a big reason why. 30+ events hosted by our MTLC member companies across the week— from AI and healthcare to founders, GTM, and leadership. If you’re figuring out where to be, 👉 this is probably where your network already is. Take a look + plan your week: https://lnkd.in/eMqiAv2R PwC | Wayfair | Perkins | Hyperplane | Red Hat | The Open Accelerator | PTC | Prioriwise | CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) | Foley Hoag LLP | Venture Café Cambridge | InvoiceCloud, Inc. | Northeastern University | Acquia | athenahealth | Babson College | AgileBrain | StitchDX | UMass Boston