Episode
From PegaWorld: Pega CTO Don Schuerman on AI ambitions versus reality
- Published
- Jun 15, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1432
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-agile-brand-with-greg-kihlstr-m-expert-mode-marketing-technology-ai-cx-1164310/episodes/from-pegaworld-pega-cto-don-schuerman-on-ai-ambitions-versus-reality/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-agile-brand-with-greg-kihlstr-m-expert-mode-marketing-technology-ai-cx-1164310/from-pegaworld-pega-cto-don-schuerman-on-ai-ambitions-versus-reality.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Nearly every marketing leader has been told to "do more with AI" — and many of them are now sitting on a pile of pilots, a growing bill, and not much to show their CFO. So why is it that adoption of AI in marketing is so high, while the number of organizations actually getting predictable returns from it is so low? Agility requires the discipline to reimagine how work gets done before automating it — because pointing AI at a broken process just produces a faster broken process. Today, we're going to talk about: - Why so many enterprise AI initiatives stall between ambition and production, and what separates the organizations that succeed from the ones that quietly cancel their projects - How marketing and CX teams can move from disconnected experiments to a governed, agent-powered operating model that turns a brief into live 1:1 engagement - How to make the economics of AI predictable — so the people approving these investments can actually forecast both outcomes and cost To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Don Schuerman, CTO & Head of Marketing at Pega. About Don Schuerman As CTO and Vice President of Marketing & Technology Strategy at Pegasystems, I see my role as being a "Chief Translation Officer" – bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world business value. With 25 years of experience in orchestration and AI technology, I'm passionate about translating complex technical concepts into meaningful solutions that drive digital transformation for global organizations. My approach to technology leadership has been shaped by an unexpected source: 20 years of improv comedy at ImprovBoston's Mainstage. The skills I honed there – active listening, storytelling, and thinking on my feet – now help me connect with both technical team…