AI

A Third of Employees Don’t Know What AI Costs

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A Zapier survey reveals that while over half of managers report organizations spending more than $100,000 monthly on AI tools and 91% believe the investment is worthwhile, nearly 37% of individual contributors either don’t know or don’t consider the cost of AI usage. Major barriers to maximizing AI ROI include security and governance concerns, data quality issues, and integration challenges, prompting organizations to focus upcoming AI budget increases on employee training, integration, and automation infrastructure rather than additional licenses.

https://zapier.com/blog/ai-spending/

Sharp Rise in AI Adoption for Cyber Defense Exposes Major Governance Gap

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A recent SANS Institute survey reveals rapid AI adoption in enterprise cyber defense has outpaced the establishment of governance frameworks, with over 40% of practitioners reporting no formal AI policies and 60% lacking visibility into AI model use and data exposure. Despite 75% of security professionals holding governance roles, more than half indicate the absence of AI audit frameworks, highlighting a significant perception gap between security leaders and frontline staff regarding AI risk management programs. This governance shortfall raises concerns about protecting sensitive information amid expanding AI integration in cybersecurity operations.

https://www.ciodive.com/news/ai-adoption-cyber-defense-governance-gap/825462/

Shadow AI Is Really a Workflow Problem

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As law firms integrate AI into legal work, the primary challenge is not just unauthorized technology use (“Shadow AI”) but inconsistent, unofficial workflows (“Shadow Workflows”) created by individual lawyers lacking firm-wide guidance. This leads to varied AI practices within the same firm, undermining governance, quality consistency, and institutional knowledge while exposing lawyers and clients to operational risks. Effective AI governance requires designing shared, scalable workflows and organizational capabilities that enable responsible, consistent AI use beyond mere technology approval.

https://aceds.org/shadow-ai-is-really-a-workflow-problem-ai-blog/

Why Technology Leaders Are Losing the AI Conversation to the People Who Report to Them

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Technology leaders, particularly CIOs, are increasingly being bypassed by CEOs seeking confident, definitive answers on AI from their teams or outside specialists, rather than engaging the CIO cautious about risks and complexities. This shift results in CIOs executing AI initiatives without shaping their strategy, which risks poorer governance and accountability while diminishing their perceived strategic leadership role. Successful CIOs regain influence by proactively developing and confidently communicating a clear AI vision that integrates risk management, thereby becoming the orchestrators of AI conversations rather than sidelined implementers.

https://www.cio.com/article/4197963/why-technology-leaders-are-losing-the-ai-conversation-to-the-people-who-report-to-them.html

CISOs No Longer Get to Choose Because AI Is Redefining the SOC

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AI is rapidly transforming security operations centers (SOCs) by enabling automation that addresses the increasing speed and complexity of cyber threats, making AI adoption a necessity rather than a choice for CISOs. Trust in AI is established through controlled rollout, continuous validation, and human oversight, with explainability and transparency being essential to ensure accountability and avoid over-reliance on automated outputs. As AI becomes integrated into core SOC infrastructure, it shifts analyst roles toward higher-level investigations and requires CISOs to carefully balance operational pressures and regulatory demands while leading deliberate, iterative AI adoption strategies.

https://www.scworld.com/perspective/cisos-no-longer-get-to-choose-because-ai-is-redefining-the-soc

When Developing an AI Strategy, Beware the Urgency Trap

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Despite substantial investments in AI, many companies fail to realize significant productivity gains because leaders often approach AI strategy by focusing narrowly on urgent operational problems. This “urgency trap” leads to limited returns since it overlooks the broader, strategic integration of AI capabilities. Effective AI strategy requires a shift from reactive problem-solving to thoughtful, long-term planning that aligns AI deployment with overall organizational goals.

https://hbr.org/2026/07/when-developing-an-ai-strategy-beware-the-urgency-trap

From Hype to Results: Real Productivity Gains with Microsoft 365 Copilot

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Microsoft 365 Copilot has transitioned from AI hype to delivering tangible productivity improvements in UK law firms by integrating directly into familiar tools like Outlook, Word, and Teams. Firms that adopt it with a focus on practical workflows, user support, and measurable outcomes report faster routine tasks, clearer communication, reduced cognitive load, and improved wellbeing, enabling lawyers to concentrate on higher-value work. This structured, people-centered approach to AI adoption fosters smoother workflows, boosts confidence among junior lawyers, and reduces after-hours work, demonstrating real operational benefits beyond initial experimentation.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/associate-news/from-hype-to-results-real-productivity-gains-with-microsoft-365-copilot

From 50 to 1,300 Users: BPM’s M365 Copilot Journey

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BPM successfully scaled Microsoft 365 Copilot from a 50-user pilot to a firmwide deployment reaching 1,300 employees by partnering with Valorem Reply to develop scalable training, executive sponsorship, and governance frameworks. This approach enabled rapid adoption—currently at 78%—while ensuring security, compliance, and sustainable AI innovation through structured agent management and data hygiene practices. The initiative has transformed workflows across BPM, improving efficiency and supporting ongoing AI-driven business value.

https://www.reply.com/valorem-reply/en/resources/work/2025/mw/from-50-to-1300-users-bpm-m365-copilot-journey

5 Ways for CIOs to Avoid AI Bill Shock

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CIOs face new FinOps challenges as AI spending shifts to a usage-driven, non-linear model tied to business workflows rather than user seats. To control costs, they should forecast AI expenses by workflow, model failure scenarios realistically, embed cost controls architecturally, route tasks to appropriately sized models, and tie AI consumption directly to business value through comprehensive governance and prioritization processes. These practices help prevent unexpected AI bill shock by aligning spending with measurable operational improvements and value creation.

https://www.cio.com/article/4190605/5-ways-for-cios-to-avoid-ai-bill-shock.html

Your Service Vendors Are Being Rebuilt Around AI

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Venture-backed firms are acquiring traditional service vendors and replatforming them around AI agents, shifting contracts to outcome-based pricing that transfers risk to buyers unless effectively governed. This development raises governance and continuity risks due to complex vendor structures and immature AI reliability, necessitating rigorous contract terms on definitions, auditability, accountability, and exit clauses to maintain control and ensure true value. CIOs should pilot AI-driven workflows with clear baselines and metrics they own to secure leverage and avoid paying for vendors' ambiguous performance claims.

https://www.cio.com/article/4196348/your-service-vendors-are-being-rebuilt-around-ai.html

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