Arguing for a 'Simplifier' Specialist in Organizations to Clear Up AI Confusion
There is a disagreement about whether a person who would create clarity is needed
Carmine Gallo recently argued, in his Forbes’ article, Why Every Leader Needs A Simplifier-In-Chief To Cut Through AI Confusion. Could he be the voice in the wilderness that organizations and AI communications experts need right now?
Gallo, a former journalist and currently an author and the president at Gallo Communications Group, wrote “CEOs and leaders know they have to leverage AI to transform their business, but they’re just as confused as everyone else on how best (do it). Their confusion is your opportunity.”
He briefly elaborated.
“When a CEO says they want people who ‘understand AI,’ what they really want is a Simplifier-In-Chief: a person who uses AI and, more importantly, can explain it clearly enough to drive action.”
Media reports show that most CEOs are not satisfied with the current knowledge, degree of application within the workplace, competency with the technology and the earned tangible benefits.
“While 97% of C-suite executives view artificial intelligence as transformational, only 13% of companies report creating measurable business value from their investments, an 84-percentage-point gap between perception and execution,” wrote John Brewton in his Substack newsletter, Operating by John Brewton.
“Organizations purchase AI tools, deploy platforms and mandate adoption, yet fail to build workforce capabilities necessary to leverage these systems effectively,” Brewton added. “The result is expensive technology that generates a minimal return.”
So, is Gallo making a credible call for simplification?
“The workplace needs a simplifier now more than ever,” contends Mary Sahagun, a public relations and communications strategist and the founder at TargetLink.
“In every AI-driven company I’ve worked with, the biggest source of friction isn’t the technology, it’s the gap between what the AI can do and what people think it can do. A simplifier closes that gap.”
She knows why a specialist can prove helpful.
“When someone can communicate AI in a way that feels human, grounded and non-threatening, adoption stops feeling like a chore and starts becoming something people voluntarily participate in,” Sahagun says.
She knows from experience and has been impressed.
“I’ve seen teams shift dramatically once AI is explained with clarity, instead of jargon,” Sahagun reports. “People stop resisting, start asking smarter questions and begin using the technology with actual intention.”
This is because something takes root in people’s minds.
“A simplifier gives employees the confidence to act, not because they suddenly know everything, but because someone finally made the information make sense,” Sahagun explains. “This shift alone can change the pace and quality of how an entire organization embraces AI.”
Heather Page, the chief of staff at TribalScale, a company that identifies strategic opportunities to build, design, and release technology solutions to benefit their customers, isn’t so certain.
“A role like Simplifier-in-Chief or even ‘AI Czar’ is a solution coming out of a misidentified problem,” Page contends.
“Straightforward workforce training on AI basics, when combined with ‘use-case identification’ workshops that help teams identify and test ideas for how to use AI in their job workflows, would be a much better solution.”
She proposes what could achieve CEO goals for more ideal use of AI and the desired and expected financial wins.
“Some organizations can achieve this through their HR or operations function and certainly some of what I’ve mentioned would be best done with a pre-defined outside expert,” Page says.
“Setting up entirely new roles and company divisions is wasteful and unnecessary, because your teams already now what they need to do and if you can empower them with AI, they can figure out where it fits into your business. “
She recommends a specific approach to ensure improvement and growth.
“The key thing is to empower your team members and leverage short, transparent feedback loops,” Page says. “Help teams learn from each other, showcase wins and build a culture of learning by doing. Your ‘simplifier expert’ could also be one of these empowered team members.”
Indra Nooyi was the chairman and chief executive officer at PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018 and in her book, My Life in Full, she communicated that her “skill in being able to “‘simplify problems and communicate them effectively’ proved to be a valued strength,” Gallo wrote.
“She became considered irreplaceable and rose to a respected CEO position. Nooyi was known for asking, “What problem are you trying to solve?”
Questions help teach and create understanding.
“The strongest simplifiers don’t lead with long explanations; rather, they lead with questions that make people feel seen,” Sahagun says.
“In my experience, asking ‘What part feels complicated?’ or ‘Where does the process break down for you?’ immediately lowers the fear barrier. It signals to employees and users that the goal isn’t to overwhelm them with knowledge, but to understand how the technology fits into their real workflows and concerns.
This earns respect and trust.
“When an AI expert does the same, they instantly become someone others can rely on,” Sahagun adds. “It builds trust because people can tell the conversation is about their experience, not the expert’s ego. And once trust is built, teams become far more open, curious, and adaptable — exactly what the modern AI workplace needs.”
Page advises deeper engagement with your people
“For best results, you need to meet teams where they are and be willing to get into the weeds and listen,” she says.
“This is why it can be more effective to teach these skills to the teams you want to see benefit from this approach, rather than designing a broad role and scope for someone new.”
She addresses Nooyi’s curiosity to define where difficulty and assistance is needed.
“Questions like Nooyi’s help identify assumptions being made through the design of a service or workflow,” Page says.
“Questions like these also have best results when the answers are transparent across teams, so transparent information sharing and ‘learn by doing’ hands-on exercises can create opportunities to ask and answer these questions and ensure the insights are available across the team.“
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https://thelastchord.substack.com/p/what-is-the-emotional-and-physical