Beyond Adoption — What Meaningful AI Engagement Actually Looks Like

In this roundtable, Kristian McCann brings together a panel of experts to unpack one of the biggest AI challenges in business today: why usage numbers are rising, but real productivity gains are still lagging. The conversation explores the gap between management perception and employee reality, and what organizations can do to turn AI from a checkbox into meaningful workflow improvement.Featuring Kelly Pallanti of North Star PMO, Kemmbelly Durst of Klein, Sid Parakh of Medible, Melonie Boone of Boon Management Group, and Tanesia Leflore of Right Fit Enterprise with FlexHR, the discussion digs into adoption barriers, vanity metrics, and the role of change management in making AI work across the enterprise. The panel also looks at why blanket rollouts fail, why psychological safety matters, and how leaders can build trust while measuring actual value.Talking points include:Why AI adoption is often more performative than productive.The danger of vanity metrics such as logins and training attendance.Why adoption needs to be tailored by team, role, and workflow.How middle managers can bridge the gap between leadership goals and frontline reality.Why psychological safety and feedback loops are essential for meaningful AI engagement.Next steps:Visit how AI is introduced, measured, and supported across different departments by checking our coverage on UC Today.