AI Strategy: Solve Real Problems, Not Hype

Irvine-area business leaders told a recent panel that companies should meet fast-moving change by solving concrete business problems, not by chasing every new technology. The message was clear: workers and communities feel the pace of change long before balance sheets do, and that gap deserves attention.

David Coffaro, President & CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce, moderated the discussion. A strategic adviser, keynote speaker and author, Coffaro helps organizations navigate change. He leads the chamber, serves as principal of Strategic Advisory Consulting Group and co-founded fintech firm Atticus. Earlier, he held senior leadership roles at Wells Fargo and Bank of America, then served as interim CEO of Members Trust Company and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. He holds an MBA from Claremont Graduate University's Drucker School of Management.

Early Warnings Live Outside the Balance Sheet

Panelists said financial reports rarely show the first signs of trouble. Changes in customer behavior and employee turnover can offer early warnings, well before the numbers catch up. That matters to workers, not just executives: a departing workforce often signals problems that employees already see.

Colin Fraser, Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, put it bluntly. "Financial results are necessarily a lagging indicator," he said. The leaders he works with watch margins and ask about newer customers, as well as where their organizations' best people might be looking.

Growth brings risks of its own. Eric Gallagher, Partner at Withum, said a company may have outgrown its structure when decision-making remains concentrated in one person. "Along with growth comes complexity," Gallagher said, and eventually an organization's decision-making power no longer matches its scale. Fraser added that old contracts can expose firms to intellectual-property, liability and data-security problems. Those problems often surface as lawsuits, he said, and regular review makes them much easier to prevent than to fix under pressure.

Human Talent Before Algorithms

The panel's most consistent message: artificial intelligence should strengthen people, not replace their judgment. Panelists urged businesses to use AI to develop human talent, protect core values and involve employees openly as organizations adapt.

Fraser cautioned against treating technology as a substitute for thought. "There's using it to amplify the talent you have, and then you can use it as sort of a substitute for thinking," he said. That approach, he said, produces recycled output that everyone else already has because everyone uses the same tools. He described AI as a central strategic priority, not an IT concern, and said the whole company needs ongoing education.

Gallagher offered a practical suggestion. Start using AI this week, he told listeners, and choose a task that eats up time. "Look for a way that you can automate it to make it either be faster or better," he said, "to free up some of the mundane things."

Transparency and Participation

Fraser urged leaders to involve employees in decisions about how new systems work, calling that probably the most important step. His advice was direct: "Don't fake it till you make it. Be transparent about what you don't know and what you do know." Broad participation, he suggested, can help guard against the fatigue and disengagement that major changes tend to produce.

Fraser also drew a line between different kinds of decisions. Leaders should move quickly on fixable, low-cost choices and adapt as they execute. Irreversible, high-cost choices demand disciplined judgment, thorough input and expert consultation because the legal and organizational risks are significant.

Gallagher warned that waiting for complete information can leave decision-makers too late. "The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty," he said. Leaders should use the best information available, make a decision and then evaluate the result.

Coffaro closed the session with a reminder that change doesn't pause. "Change is not an event. It's an ongoing process," he said. "Planet Earth is spinning at 1,000 miles an hour – we're in constant change. Why would business be any different?"

Why This Matters:

The panel's advice rests on a simple premise: people who bear the consequences of business decisions, from frontline employees to customers who notice when service slips, should have a voice in how those decisions get made. Fraser and Gallagher described risks tied to concentrated decision-making, outdated contracts and opaque technology rollouts. Workers with the least say over outcomes often feel those risks most sharply. The panelists' call for transparency and shared participation points toward a workplace where employers manage change with the people it affects, rather than impose it on them. Whether Orange County employers follow that path will shape how the region's workforce experiences the next wave of automation.