The AI Problem Isn't the Tech — It's the Adoption

The AI Problem Isn't the Tech — It's the Adoption

Author: Maryrose Lyons April 28, 2026 Duration: 16:29

Simon Hodgkins has spent a career running global marketing — Sage, CMO Club president, and now Chief Marketing Officer at Vistatec, the Dublin firm helping iconic brands scale content and AI worldwide. He joins Maryrose to argue that the real AI bottleneck isn't the models. It's whether a company is ready to use them.


Simon makes the case for gap analysis before tooling: before you buy, pilot or deploy, you need to know how you actually work today — what content exists, which workflows are documented, how the Frankfurt office differs from New York, and what ISO 42001 would expect you to prove. He explains why bolting AI onto broken processes wastes money, why regulated industries still need human experts in the loop, and what an "intelligent workflow" actually looks like.


On the hype cycle, Simon is blunt: stop headline-reading. Figure out what you're doing first. Or as Rory Sutherland puts it — no robots are buying new cars.


A conversation for any leader whose pilots keep going nowhere.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Maryrose Lyons brings her experience from the AI Institute to Chatting GPT, a podcast that digs into the practical realities of artificial intelligence. Instead of theoretical discussions, these are grounded conversations with the directors, founders, and strategists who are implementing AI solutions right now. You’ll hear from people who have moved their organizations beyond pilot projects into genuine transformation, sharing what worked, what didn’t, and why. The focus often lands on the built environment-exploring how AI is actively reshaping design processes, construction methodologies, and facility management from the studio to the job site. This series is built on the premise that the most valuable lessons come from those with hands-on experience. Each episode unpacks the human decisions behind the technology, offering tangible insights for professionals in technology, business, and education who are navigating their own courses. By listening to this podcast, you gain access to a rare dialogue about applied intelligence, where the conversation is always rooted in real-world execution and impact.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 43

Chatting GPT
Podcast Episodes
The Web Is Being Componentised [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:51
In January 2026, Google was granted a patent that lets it read your website, break it into components, and serve searchers an AI-generated page assembled from your content. Visitors may never see your actual site. Joe To…
Pints, Petrol and Prices [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:21
The CSO stopped tracking the price of a pint of Guinness in Ireland in 2011. The last official figure was €3.93. Nobody picked it up again until Matt Cortland and John Fleming decided to call every pub in the country and…
Sean Blanchfield: Don't Let Your AI Go Rogue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:38
Sean Blanchfield, Co-Founder Jentic, joins Maryrose Lyons of the AI Institute for the second part of their conversation, this time diving deep into agentic AI, what it actually means for businesses, and how Jentic's infr…
Sean Blanchfield Says: Don't Get This Wrong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:21
Serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Jentic, Sean Blanchfield joins our host Maryrose Lyons for a conversation about Ireland's AI opportunity, and the risks of getting it wrong. From energy infrastructure and nuclear po…
The Death of the "Job Count" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:12
In this episode of Chatting GPT, Maryrose Lyons speaks with DC Cahalane, a venture partner at SureValley Ventures, about the evolving landscape of AI investment and its implications for startups and small businesses. The…
Are we in a race to the bottom? Friction can help [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:46
In this episode of Chatting GPT, host Maryrose Lyons of the AI Institute speaks with Dr. Lollie Mancey about the intersection of AI and anthropology, exploring how technology influences human relationships and societal s…
Making Sense of the EU AI Act with Taylor Wessing's Jo Joyce [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:56
Show Notes Summary: In this episode of Chatting GPT, Maryrose Lyons speaks with Jo Joyce, a partner at Taylor Wessing, about the intersection of AI, law, and regulation. They discuss the EU AI Act, its implications for i…
How Sisk is Scaling AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:39
AI Implementation in Construction: A Conversation with Charlie Corcoran of SISKIn this episode of Chatting GPT, host Maryrose founder of the AI Institute, sits down with Charlie Corcoran, Head of Technology, Architecture…