Most organizations are getting AI adoption backwards. Instead of building the foundational scaffolding that makes AI agents work at scale, they chase flashy “big” use cases and set themselves up for failure. In this episode of Invisible Machines, Erika Flowers, who led NASA’s AI Readiness Initiative and has advised Meta, Google, Netflix, and Intuit, joins Robb and Josh for a frank and funny conversation about what’s broken in enterprise AI adoption.
Organizations often overlook the agent runtime, the infrastructure that allows AI to function reliably across real-world operations. Without it, projects stall, budgets are wasted, and innovation is delayed. Erika shares why most AI initiatives fail before they even reach production and why organizational gaps, not the technology itself, are usually the culprit.
The discussion also looks ahead to a “post-software” era, where AI agents and runtime environments transform enterprise operations. Erika offers practical strategies for moving AI projects from pilot to production, emphasizing human-centered design, rapid iteration, and sustainable deployment.
This insightful conversation dismantles myths about the “big sexy AI use case” while giving leaders, designers, and product teams actionable guidance.
Listen now to discover why AI scaffolding matters and how to close organizational gaps to thrive in a post-software world.
