AI Can't Read the Room: Myra Roldan on Why Human Judgment Still Wins

Everyone says they're behind on AI. According to Myra Roldan, Chief AI Officer of UnDesto AI, if everyone's behind, then no one really is — and that hype is costing organizations real money. In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Myra, a 15+-year AI veteran, framework builder, and contributor to Vanessa's upcoming book, for a refreshingly honest conversation about what AI can and can't do for the modern organization. Together they pull apart the most expensive misconceptions: that personal AI use translates to business readiness, that everyone is suddenly a programmer, and that a 90% "adoption" rate means anything when people are really just using AI to read meeting notes. The throughline is one Kirkpatrick Partners has championed for years — AI is a powerful accelerator, but human judgment, context, and ethics still decide whether the work is any good. Myra and Vanessa also explore why the Kirkpatrick Model can evaluate an entire AI implementation, not just a training program, and why a negative return early on is normal, not a reason to quit. **In this episode:** •       Why "we're behind on AI" is usually a myth — and an expensive one •       The difference between AI adoption and real, value-creating usage •       How to measure AI's impact with the Kirkpatrick Model and Return on Expectations •       Why your people — not the tools — are your real business intelligence **Ready to evaluate AI with rigor?** Join the Kirkpatrick AI-Powered Evaluation Specialist Certification at https://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/event/kirkpatrick-ai-specialist-1/ **Connect with Myra:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/myraroldan/ https://www.undesto.ai/  ### **Enterprise Performance Intelligence (EPI) Maturity Assessment** Think your organization is measuring impact? Most aren't. The EPI Maturity Assessment helps you quickly identify where you stand—and what's needed to better connect learning to performance and results. 👉 Take the assessment and get clarity on your next step. ### **Building a Culture of Evaluation** Order the book behind the Culture of Evaluation framework and updated Kirkpatrick Model. The book comes with a Companion Guide to help support you on the journey. 👉 Order the book now **Kirkpatrick Learning and Performance Center of Excellence** Certification builds capability. Accreditation builds systems. The Kirkpatrick Certified Organization accreditation recognizes organizations that have embedded the Kirkpatrick Four Levels® into how they actually operate — through governance, SOPs, feedback loops, and cross-functional accountability. If your evaluation capability would disappear when a key person leaves, this is the credential designed to fix that. Founding Organization status is now open — first year of annual maintenance waived for inaugural cohort members. 👉 Learn more and apply **Not ready to apply yet because you need to build the systems? Grab the SOPs.** We're building a library of Kirkpatrick-standard SOPs — governance frameworks, evaluation procedures for all four levels, planning templates, and implementation guides — so you can build your infrastructure before you apply. 👉 Learn more ### **Kirkpatrick Collective** If you're ready to move beyond activity and start driving real performance, the Kirkpatrick Collective brings together leaders focused on applying evaluation in the real world. Get practical tools, shared insight, and the structure to make better, evidence-based decisions. 👉 Join the Collective and start building evaluation as a capability—not just an activity. Learn more about the Kirkpatrick Model Watch the Show on YouTube! Submit your Questions/Stories: Do you have a question you would like us to answer on the Kirkpatrick Podcast? Have a story about how the Kirkpatrick Podcast or other Kirkpatrick events/programs have positively impacted your career? We would love to hear from you! Follow this link to submit your questions and/or stories, and we may just share them on the next episode of the Kirkpatrick Podcast. **#KirkpatrickPodcast #LearningImpact #PerformanceImprovement #TrainingEvaluation #CultureOfEvaluation #KirkpatrickModel**