The So What from BCG

Is Your AI Rollout Built to Fail?

Kristy Ellmer and Julia Dhar, co-authors of How Change Really Works and founders of BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab, explain why so many transformations fail and what the science says separates success from failure. They break down the “messy middle,” why people resist being changed rather than change itself, and how giving employees real agency turns resistance into momentum. What You’ll Learn: Why “false alignment” among leaders, not resistance from employees, derails most transformations before they start. Why giving employees real ownership, not just participation, turns resistance into momentum. What makes AI transformations distinct from other kinds of organizational change Learn More: Read How Change Really Works: https://on.bcg.com/3SpBPzd [https://on.bcg.com/3SpBPzd] Your AI Change Is Actually a People Change: https://on.bcg.com/3RKUp4J [https://on.bcg.com/3RKUp4J] The False Alignment Trap: https://on.bcg.com/45R9ULH [https://on.bcg.com/45R9ULH] CEOs Are Betting Big on AI Transformations. Science Is How They Win: https://on.bcg.com/4bGy1jG [https://on.bcg.com/4bGy1jG] We Found the Real Reason 70% of Transformations Fail: https://on.bcg.com/4xqmOMq [https://on.bcg.com/4xqmOMq] Chapters (0:00) What Is Transformation? (1:54) Why Leaders Need a New Playbook for Change (3:42) Where Do Most Transformations Fail? (5:37) What Does the “Messy Middle” Look Like? (6:28) What Makes AI Transformations Different? (9:25) Where Is the "End Point" in an AI Transformation? (11:51) Why “Just Get on the Bus” Isn’t Good Advice for AI Change (13:03) When to Walk Away from a Change Effort (15:42) What Should Leaders Do When Momentum Fades? (16:49) Why Giving Employees Ownership Matters (21:06) What Should Leaders Do in the “Messy Middle”? (22:37) How Do You Make Change Successful? Meet the Experts Kristy Ellmer: https://on.bcg.com/4xvpgBg [https://on.bcg.com/4xvpgBg] Co-Author, How Change Really Works BCG Managing Director & Partner North American Leader, BCG’s Transform Practice Co-Founder, BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab: https://on.bcg.com/4z9WhVs [https://on.bcg.com/4z9WhVs] Julia Dhar: https://on.bcg.com/45ec8Vj [https://on.bcg.com/45ec8Vj] Co-Author, How Change Really Works BCG Managing Director & Partner North American Leader, People and Organization Practice Co-Founder, BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab: https://on.bcg.com/4z9WhVs [https://on.bcg.com/4z9WhVs] Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8 [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8] Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141] Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923 [https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923] Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12 [https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12] Follow BCG https://www.bcg.com/ [https://www.bcg.com/] LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group [https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group] This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Retailers Are Drowning in Data. Is AI a Life Preserver?

Nick Goad, BCG's global co-leader for retail merchandising, argues that retail's biggest problem isn't a lack of data, it's the gap between data and real customer understanding. He explains how AI and large language models are finally bridging that divide, making it possible to localize assortment, sharpen pricing, and accelerate product innovation at scale. For leaders wondering where to start, he makes the case for codifying the knowledge already in merchants' heads. What You’ll Learn: * Retailers have more data than ever, but AI finally gives them the tools to turn it into action merchants can actually trust. * The biggest near-term opportunities are in assortment localization, smarter pricing, and AI-accelerated product innovation. * The new data advantage for retailers isn't raw data — it's codifying the knowledge already in their merchants' heads. Learn More: * BCG’s Latest Thinking on the Retail Industry: https://on.bcg.com/4bYoe8x [https://on.bcg.com/4bYoe8x] * Merch AI by BCGX: https://on.bcg.com/3RxTfJF [https://on.bcg.com/3RxTfJF] Chapters (0:00) Has Retail Lost Its Personal Touch? (1:13) Serving Customers Before the Digital Age (2:33) The Internet’s Impact on Retail (3:11) Does More Data Mean Better Customer Understanding? (4:12) Why Are Retailers Drowning in Complexity? (5:32) What Can AI Do to Help Retailers? (7:02) Will AI Create a New Data Overload? (7:54) What Are Retail Leaders Hopes and Fears for AI? (9:02) Will AI Get Products to the Shelf Faster? (9:57) Will AI Influence Product Design? (10:37) Can AI Create More Personalized Loyalty Programs? (11:34) How Will AI Shape the Shopping Experience? (12:02) Is Physical Retail Here to Stay? (13:36) Will AI Make All Our Shopping Decisions for Us? (14:23) Where Can Retailers Make the Biggest Changes? (15:00) Where Should Retailers Apply AI First? (15:48) What New Data Advantage Can AI Create? Meet the Expert: Nick Goad, BCG Managing Director & Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4wuIlU0 [https://on.bcg.com/4wuIlU0] Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast Punch Cards, Frequent Flyers, and the Future of Loyalty: https://lnk.to/so-what-BCG-Crouch-Loyalty09 [https://lnk.to/so-what-BCG-Crouch-Loyalty09] YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8 [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8] Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141] Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923 [https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923] Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12 [https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12] Follow BCG https://www.bcg.com/ [https://www.bcg.com/] LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group [https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group] This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

LLM or MD: Who Owns the Patient Journey?

Ben Keneally, BCG’s Asia Pacific health care services leader, explains why AI is now many patients’ first stop — often before they see a doctor. He argues that pairing AI with personal health records improves outcomes and equity, and that health leaders, not LLMs, must shape how this shift unfolds. You’ll Learn: Why AI is becoming the default first step in care, especially in markets with limited access to clinicians How pairing AI with personal health records improves treatment compliance and catches errors earlier Why driving AI into end-to-end care pathways takes leadership, not just frontline experimentation Learn More: BCG’s Latest Thinking on the Health Care Industry: https://on.bcg.com/4w2MmPt [https://on.bcg.com/4w2MmPt] Consumers Are Ready for AI-Enabled Health Care. Health Systems Need to Be, Too.: https://on.bcg.com/4vo2ZDX [https://on.bcg.com/4vo2ZDX] Chapters (0:00) The Biggest Health Care Shift in Centuries (1:47) How Is AI Being Used in Health Care Today? (2:23) Where Is AI Adoption Highest, and What Does That Tell Us? (3:29) Does AI Create a Two-Tier Health System? (4:55) What's Next for AI Agents? (6:51) Where Are the Biggest Opportunities: Diagnosis, Navigation, or Appointments? (8:13) The Health Care System AI Could Build (9:56) Does Your Health System Need Its Own AI? (11:36) The Danger of Inaccurate Health Advice (12:53) What Role Does Trust Play? (13:52) How Are Health Care Organizations Shaping This Shift Today? (14:47) AI Alone Won't Transform Health Care (15:49) Who Is Responsible When AI Gets Health Care Wrong? (17:22) Who Owns the Patient Relationship? (18:29) Is the Shift to AI in Health Care Inevitable? (19:49) Is It AI Plus Clinicians or AI Replacing Clinicians? Meet the Expert Ben Keneally, BCG Managing Director & Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4woTTbc [https://on.bcg.com/4woTTbc] Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8 [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8] Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141] Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923 [https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923] Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12 [https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12] Follow BCG https://www.bcg.com/ [https://www.bcg.com/] LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group [https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group] This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

AI Is Ready for Government. Is Government Ready?

Governments are racing to deploy AI. Most have the foundations, but struggle to translate them into faster, smarter execution without losing public trust. BCG's Miguel Carrasco and Daniel Selikowitz break down what separates the countries getting this right from those still stuck — and what every leader can take from their example. You’ll Learn: Why AI governance frameworks are quietly becoming the biggest barrier to AI deployment How to tell the difference between necessary caution and unnecessary bureaucracy How and why some countries are already getting AI governance right Learn More: Trust Imperative 5.0: https://on.bcg.com/3QO3fOm [https://on.bcg.com/3QO3fOm] BCG’s Latest Thinking in Public Sector: https://on.bcg.com/4f69kis [https://on.bcg.com/4f69kis] Meet the Experts Miguel Carrasco, BCG Managing Director & Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4gGH8Uz [https://on.bcg.com/4gGH8Uz] Daniel Selikowitz, Managing Director & Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4oMRKTY [https://on.bcg.com/4oMRKTY] Watch The So What from BCG on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0 [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0] Chapters (0:00) AI Is Already in Government. Here's Where You'll Find It. (3:12) Public vs. Private: Why the Stakes Are Different (4:40) What Leaders Are Saying Across Industries (6:15) What Role Does Fear Play in AI Adoption? (8:14) Inside Governments Deploying AI (9:55) How Are Governments Governing AI? (11:56) How Do Countries Compare on AI Adoption? (13:37) Useful Caution Vs. Unnecessary Bureaucracy in AI Implementation (15:42) Who Is Keeping Pace with AI Innovation? (16:46) What Private Sector Leaders Can Learn from Governments (19:34) What Should Leaders Do Now? This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Industry 4.0 Moves to the Great Outdoors

Industry 4.0 is moving beyond factory walls and into farms, forests, and fields. David Potere, a senior tech leader in BCG’s Industrial Goods and Climate Change and Sustainability practices, explores AI’s move into the outdoor world. Robotics and connected systems are changing how farming and other outdoor activities get done. You’ll Learn: Outdoor automation requires AI systems that can operate with constant uncertainty. Leaders should rethink long-held operating models as AI and robotics reshape how physical work gets done. The most valuable AI systems may be the ones that simplify complexity rather than add more dashboards. Learn More: David Potere: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpotere/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpotere/] What 1,000 Farmers Told Us About Tech Adoption: https://on.bcg.com/4euA76V [https://on.bcg.com/4euA76V] Climate-Smart Agriculture Needs a Better Yardstick: https://on.bcg.com/4ejIfH6 [https://on.bcg.com/4ejIfH6] David on the Climate Rising Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-potere-at-bcg-x-using-ai-satellites-in-climate/id1482781075?i=1000767537614 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-potere-at-bcg-x-using-ai-satellites-in-climate/id1482781075?i=1000767537614] AI Foundation Model for Extreme Weather: https://on.bcg.com/4vKiwyz [https://on.bcg.com/4vKiwyz] Chapters 00:00 – How Will AI Impact Outdoor Industries? 04:26 –The Challenges of Taking Tech Outside 06:11– What Would a Farm That Thinks for Itself Look Like? 08:27 – Is AI Rescuing Agriculture? 10:55– Will AI Only Help Big Farms? 14:39 – Who Owns the Data? 16:16 – What Can Leaders Learn from the AI Outdoors? 18:51 – Next Steps to Truly Benefit from AI This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp