How to Successfully Roll Out AI Across Your Organization | Scott Likens, Global Chief AI Engineer, PwC

AI isn't replacing jobs. It's changing the way work gets done.

Scott Likens, Global Chief AI Engineer at PwC, spends his days helping organizations navigate one of the biggest technological shifts in history. In this conversation with Arturo Ferreira, Scott shares what he's seeing inside some of the world's largest companies as they race to adopt AI, transform workflows, and prepare for a future that's arriving faster than most people expect.

They discuss why many AI projects fail, the "frozen middle" preventing organizations from scaling AI, how education needs to evolve, and why the biggest challenge isn't the technology itself; it's helping people adapt to it.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why most organizations are approaching AI the wrong way
• The "frozen middle" slowing down enterprise AI adoption
• How PwC is scaling AI across a global workforce
• Why AI is different from every technology wave before it
• The future of software engineering in the age of AI
• Which industries are moving fastest with AI adoption
• Why AI won't just replace jobs, it will reshape them
• The role education must play in an AI-powered future
• China's AI strategy versus the United States
• Why curiosity may become the most important skill of the next decade

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and the story behind Scott's LinkedIn profile

03:20 What a Chief AI Engineer actually does

06:15 Why AI is different from previous technology revolutions

10:00 The "frozen middle" problem inside organizations

15:25 Why AI adoption is more about people than technology

18:45 PwC's partnership with Anthropic and enterprise AI

22:00 Which industries are moving fastest with AI

27:00 AI, jobs, and workforce transformation

33:00 Why education needs to change

35:30 China, the U.S., and the global AI race

40:00 The questions CEOs are asking about AI today

44:00 Why most AI projects fail

47:30 Advice for leaders trying to scale AI

50:00 Books, learning, and final thoughts

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottlikens/

Connect with Arturo on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arturoferreira/

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