When mid-market IT leaders call about AI, most ask the wrong question. Instead of “What problem are we solving?” they jump straight to “Which LLM should we use?” — a mindset that helps explain why 95% of AI pilots fail to deliver measurable business returns.

In this episode, two of Softchoice’s leading AI experts — Sean Larkin, AI Principal Architect, and Ron Espinosa, Director, Google Cloud Category — break down why technology-first thinking derails AI initiatives before they start. From market validation to crawl-walk-run design, they reveal how organizations can escape the hype cycle and build AI solutions that actually work.

Key takeaways:

• Why “What LLM should we use?” is the wrong first question
• How market validation prevents multimillion-dollar failures
• Why data hygiene is still the most overlooked risk
• What crawl-walk-run actually means in AI deployments
• How executive alignment eliminates costly blind spots between IT and business teams

Guests

• Sean Larkin, AI Principal Architect, Softchoice
• Ron Espinosa, Director, Google Cloud Category, Softchoice

This episode is packed with field stories, hard truths, and practical frameworks mid-market organizations can apply immediately.

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The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.