AI success increasingly depends on ecosystems, trusted partnerships, and the ability to combine technology innovation with business transformation expertise.

In this final part of a three-part series, Former Qlik CEO Mike Capone joins Dr. Adita Karkera of Deloitte, to discuss where Agentic AI is delivering value today, how board-level AI conversations are evolving, why trusted partnerships are becoming essential, and what the next three to five years of enterprise AI will look like.

Part 1 of the conversation explored the evolving relationship between AI, analytics, governance, and enterprise transformation. Part 2 examined responsible AI, enterprise trust, AI literacy, and the cultural shifts required to scale AI effectively.

Agentic AI is delivering real operational value in customer success and sales

According to Capone, some of the clearest enterprise AI wins today are happening in customer-facing functions where AI can augment employees with richer operational intelligence and automate repetitive workflows. One major area is customer success.

He explains that AI agents can now identify usage friction, surface customer risk signals, and proactively guide customer success teams toward intervention opportunities before problems escalate.

In many cases, the system can automatically recommend the next best actions for customer-facing teams. 

Qlik has also operationalized AI-driven automation in renewals, with 80% renewals now being automated. Sales is another function seeing major transformation.

Capone says AI is giving sales teams significantly deeper context about customers, their environments, and potential business opportunities.

“We’re now able to give a much richer view to salespeople in terms of what a customer is doing. What’s going on in their business? Are they striving or are they struggling? What vendors are they using today?”

That intelligence, he notes, fundamentally changes how sales strategies and proposals are developed.

CEOs can no longer delegate AI leadership

As AI becomes central to enterprise strategy, Capone believes CEOs must personally lead AI conversations rather than treating AI as a purely technical initiative.

When asked how AI is changing board-level conversations, Capone emphasizes the importance of executive readiness and continuous engagement.

“My board is extremely technology savvy. So we have meaningful conversations about how we’re leveraging AI. They’re expecting rapid innovation around AI because we’re an AI and data company,” he says.

Capone also stresses that CEOs cannot afford to lag behind the pace of AI change.

“I would advise any CEO to be in front of this conversation with the board. There’s no room for lagging behind. Every CEO has to be Chief AI Officer,” he adds.

Further, Capone adds that staying current requires continuous learning and active involvement.

“I spend hours each day devoted to either our AI strategy as a business or trying to keep up talking to people on what’s going on out there, what am I missing, how can I be better?”

Why trusted ecosystems will define the next era of enterprise AI

One of the strongest themes throughout the discussion was the growing importance of trusted ecosystems and strategic partnerships. Capone argues that no organization can succeed alone in today’s AI environment.

He uses the partnership between Qlik and Deloitte as an example of how enterprise AI partnerships are evolving. “As a technology company, we bring amazing technology and innovation to bear on complex business problems. Deloitte brings the transformational and strategy skills, and an amazing way of engaging customers,” says Capone.

According to him, enterprise customers increasingly want fewer vendors and more deeply trusted strategic relationships. That alignment creates stronger outcomes for enterprise customers because technology providers and consulting partners can jointly focus on business transformation rather than isolated implementations.

“If Qlik can walk into a customer with Deloitte and say we’re going to work together to get the outcome that you want, that is a very compelling story,” says Capone.

He also emphasizes the importance of long-term trust between ecosystem partners.

“We have fewer, more trusted partners who share that same trusted vision of doing the best thing for the customer.”

The next 5 years of AI will belong to durable and adaptable systems

Looking ahead, Capone believes the next phase of enterprise AI will not be defined by experimentation alone, but by operational resilience and adaptability.

“The next phase of AI is going to belong to organizations that can make AI useful across their entire enterprise,” he says.

That usefulness, however, must meet much higher standards than many current AI deployments. Capone says enterprise AI systems will need to demonstrate several critical characteristics:

• Explainability under scrutiny
• Reliability under pressure
• Durability in production environments
• Adaptability as business conditions change
• Flexibility to evolve alongside market shifts

For Capone, the coming years will ultimately separate organizations that operationalize AI effectively from those still treating it as isolated experimentation.

CDO Magazine appreciates Mike Capone for sharing his insights with our global community.