AI Use Cases, Deployment, and Measuring Real-World ROI - with Ylan Kazi of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota

A decade of stalled industrial AI efforts has given way to a new phase where agentic systems can finally handle complex, variable operational tasks without the brittle constraints of earlier automation. In this episode, Somya Kapoor, CEO at IFS Loops, joins Daniel Faggella Emerj CEO and Head of Research to examine how digital workers can be introduced as task‑specific assistants that learn from business instructions and progressively take on procurement, service, and back‑office responsibilities. She highlights the shift toward managing these agents alongside human teams, emphasizing focused adoption, measurable operational gains, and the need for built‑in oversight, auditability, and guardrails. This episode is sponsored by IFS. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

A decade of stalled industrial AI efforts has given way to a new phase where agentic systems can finally handle complex, variable operational tasks without the brittle constraints of earlier automation. In this episode, Somya Kapoor, CEO at IFS Loops, joins Daniel Faggella Emerj CEO and Head of Research to examine how digital workers can be introduced as task‑specific assistants that learn from business instructions and progressively take on procurement, service, and back‑office responsibilities. She highlights the shift toward managing these agents alongside human teams, emphasizing focused adoption, measurable operational gains, and the need for built‑in oversight, auditability, and guardrails. This episode is sponsored by IFS. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Enterprise AI is outpacing the operating models built to support it, forcing leaders to reconcile rapid iteration with safety, governance, and real‑world scale. In this episode, David Glick, SVP of Enterprise Business Services at Walmart, examines how stopwatch‑speed prototyping, nano‑agent architectures, and evolving security processes are reshaping enterprise delivery. The discussion highlights shifts from monoliths to federated agents, faster iteration cycles, and the emerging need to build the machine that builds the machine. Executives shaping real AI outcomes are invited to contribute their lessons to a curated peer audience. Learn more at go.emerj.com/expert to be considered for a future 'AI in Business' episode. Align your brand with the executives defining the enterprise AI agenda—partner at go.emerj.com/partner

The traditional focus on supply chain efficiency has created brittle networks that break under modern volatility and shifting global trade consensus. Optilogic provides an AI‑native platform for supply chain design, where autonomous agents build models, generate scenarios, and evaluate network tradeoffs. In this episode, Don Hicks, CEO at Optilogic, unpacks why enterprise leaders must run supply chain planning and design as parallel, symbiotic processes to move beyond current network constraints and build for long-term resilience. The discussion outlines a framework for using AI to automate routine tactical decisions while leveraging human-led what-if simulations to architect future-state competitive advantages. This episode is sponsored by Optilogic. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner 

The reliance on historical data and manual CRM entry has created a significant gap between internal strategy and the real-time signals driving today's complex medical technology market. In this episode, Mike Monovoukas, CEO and Co-founder, and Alex Wakefield, CRO at AcuityMD, examine how operationalizing AI through proactive market signals and field-based insights can drive revenue growth by increasing representative effectiveness. The discussion outlines frameworks for achieving 10x efficiency gains by integrating voice-driven workflows and predictive data to accelerate territory onboarding and eliminate administrative burdens. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert  for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast! This episode is sponsored by AcuityMD.

In today's episode sponsored by K1x, the accounting sector faces a critical inflection point as a deficit of 300,000 professionals intersects with escalating regulatory complexity and a doubling of alternative investment data. Ken Powell, Chief Revenue Officer at K1x, examines how sophisticated tax technology is facilitating a transition from experimental pilot programs to the institutional deployment of automated workflows that neutralize the limitations of manual compliance. The discussion outlines a strategic framework for implementing straight-through processing to extract intricate, non-standardized data from supplemental disclosures, effectively compressing a week of manual labor into several hours. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Enterprise data estates often optimize for platform expansion over decision velocity, producing reporting layers that signal activity but fail to accelerate strategic outcomes. In this episode, Barry McCardel, CEO at Hex, examines how leading organizations can compress the gap between executive questions and decision-grade insight to materially increase the enterprise value of data. The discussion focuses on tightening feedback loops, operationalizing collaborative and AI-augmented analysis, and redefining data ROI around adoption, trust, and measurable business impact rather than production metrics. This episode is sponsored by Hex. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Today's guest is Ylan Kazi, Chief Data and AI Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. With deep experience leading enterprise AI strategy in regulated healthcare, Ylan brings a grounded perspective on how organizations can innovate responsibly with emerging technology. Ylan joins Emerj Emerj Client Narrative & Content Strategy Lead Nick Gertsch to discuss how healthcare leaders can approach AI adoption through clear organizational posture, strong governance, and a focus on measurable customer and operational value. Ylan also shares practical takeaways, including balancing build-versus-buy decisions, embedding explainability and auditability into workflows, and prioritizing AI use cases that reduce friction in the patient experience while delivering sustainable ROI. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Customer service leaders face rising pressure to resolve more interactions faster, while maintaining high-quality experiences — and many legacy systems and processes can't keep up. In this episode, Craig Walker, CEO of Dialpad, joins Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research, to break down how AI can augment human agents to handle routine requests like order status and password resets, freeing teams to focus on complex issues. He shares actionable strategies for enterprise leaders, from cleaning knowledge bases and analyzing ticket patterns to running controlled pilots and scaling AI agents across the organization. Craig also explains how AI can coach agents in real time and surface insights for managers, creating a continuously improving support system that drives measurable ROI. This episode is sponsored by Dialpad. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1 Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

The critical bottleneck in small commercial pricing is no longer the actuarial model itself, but the operational friction and administrative stagnation that occurs during the transition from indication to production deployment. In this episode, Barbara Stacer, Vice President and Head of Small Commercial Underwriting and Underwriting Operations at Utica National Insurance Group, unpacks how carriers can eliminate premium leakage and accelerate speed-to-market by implementing standardized operational infrastructure to automate versioning, documentation, and governance. The discussion outlines a practical framework for mapping pricing lifecycles to identify specific deployment delays and transitioning to a governed environment where audit trails are synchronized with rate adjustments. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/e2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on Emerj's flagship 'AI in Business' podcast! This episode is sponsored by Akur8.