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What Business Leaders Really Think About AI

  • Writer: Flowstone Group
    Flowstone Group
  • 1 hour ago
  • 3 min read

Insights from our Cross-Industry Panel Discussion at Adrenaline Films on June 3rd, 2026


We recently brought together a group of practitioners from across industries to talk candidly about artificial intelligence , not the hype, but the reality of living and working with it every day. The conversation was sharper, and more grounded, than most AI discussions you'll find online.


Here's what stood out during the panel.


AI Isn't New, And That Matters


One of the first points raised: the widespread belief that AI is a sudden, disruptive arrival is simply wrong. AI has been developing behind the scenes for decades. What's new is its visibility and accessibility, not its existence.


In terms of framing this matter for businesses making daily decisions, organizations that treat AI as a brand-new phenomenon tend to react with superficial interests rather than plan methodically and purposefully. Those who understand its longer arc tend to be in a much better position to implement new technology thoughtfully.


The Misconceptions Are Doing the Most Damage


The group identified a few persistent arguable myths that are actively shaping, and distorting how businesses adopt AI.

“AI agents mean bad customer experiences.”

The problem isn't AI in customer service; it's poor implementation. When AI is layered on top of broken workflows without proper training or design, the experience suffers. When Done right, AI augments human agents and improves outcomes.


With considerable research and inquiries, the numbers still show that despite AI trends taking space within call centers, customers still prefer human interaction over automotive AI.


According to Survey Monkey, here's what customers are saying about AI in service:


  • Nearly 8 in 10 Americans would rather talk to a real person than an AI agent.

  • Almost two-thirds of customers don't think AI will ever fully replace humans in service roles.

  • More than half of people have a negative reaction when companies use AI as part of their customer experience.

  • 84% of consumers trust human agents to be more accurate than AI.

  • 81% believe businesses deploy AI to cut costs, not to serve customers better.

  • Nearly 9 in 10 people say companies should always provide a path to reach a live human.

  • Just over half of consumers feel they can tell when they're talking to an AI chatbot versus a person.

“AI is replacing workers.”

The panel pushed back hard on the replacement narrative. Augmentation, not replacement, but the more accurate and more useful frame as AI can better handle volume and pattern recognition; humans handle judgment, relationships, context and resolve higher escalated calls.


“We need to adopt now or fall behind.”

The FOMO problem came up repeatedly. Executive teams feeling pressure to deploy AI quickly are often the ones deploying it badly. Premature adoption without proper due diligence leads to brittle systems, poor experiences, and real liability — especially in regulated industries.



The Dot-Com Parallel


More than once, the conversation returned to the pace of change and various valuations attached to it. The panel drew parallels to the dot-com era: a wave of investment, some extraordinary companies, and a lot of noise that will eventually shake out.


The concern isn't that AI isn't valuable. The concern is that not every company rushing to market with an “AI solution” is doing the work required to make it reliable, safe, or actually useful.

Due diligence matters now more than it did two years ago. Critical and ethical thinking as well.


What's Coming


The conversation closed on a forward-looking note: AI-driven content and visual technology in film and commercial production is advancing faster than most industries realize — and it's worth paying attention to, especially when it comes to curating quality material vs slop.





The broader takeaway from the roundtable: AI is neither a silver bullet nor a threat to be overly feared. It's a tool — one that rewards deliberate implementation and punishes shortcuts or unethical usage.


Flowstone Group is an agnostic software advisement firm helping organizations evaluate, select, and implement the right technology solutions.



Flowstone Group is an agnostic software advisement firm helping organizations evaluate, select, and implement the right technology solutions.


 
 
 

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