Who owns AI in your organization—and what does ownership actually involve?
Chad Harvey welcomes Matt Symes, CEO of Symplicity Designs, to AI for the C-Suite to explore the leadership, workforce, and financial questions behind AI adoption.
Matt runs a portfolio of nine companies across Atlantic Canada. In the AI transformations he leads, AI reports to HR rather than IT. His argument: when you redesign a workflow around people and machines, you change the skills, responsibilities, and team structure needed to create value.
The conversation examines what happens when organizations distribute tools without redesigning work—and why middle managers often absorb the pressure.
Listen for:
• Shadow AI, “slop grenades,” and the squeeze on middle management
• Why documenting a bottleneck is a practical first step
• Using AI to develop systems thinking
• The shift from salary costs to salaries plus AI spend
• Measuring financial returns rather than assuming productivity equals profit
• Agent sprawl and the need for governance
• Why workforce development belongs in your AI strategy
• Scenarios, deliberate practice, and AI-assisted coaching
• Matt’s recurring research and meeting-preparation workflows
• Privacy, security, and the questions boards should ask
• Being more intentional with the time and capacity AI can help create
Learn more about Matt’s company, Symplicity:
https://www.symplicity.ca/
Watch the full conversation on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/NIE1ia505rs
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