Cyber Savvy AI: Using AI Without Putting Your Business at Risk | Brett Schklar | The Cyber Savvy Woman | EP 109

Cyber Savvy AI: Using AI Without Putting Your Business at Risk AI adoption is accelerating across businesses—but many leaders still don’t realize how widely it’s already being used inside their own organizations. In this episode of THE CYBER SAVVY WOMAN, host Rachele Schainker sits down with Brett Schklar, serial entrepreneur, AI adoption strategist, and author of AI Without the BS, to talk about how CEOs and business owners can embrace AI while protecting their companies from unnecessary risk. The conversation cuts through the hype around AI and focuses on practical leadership decisions: how to set the tone inside your organization, avoid “shadow AI,” create simple guardrails for employees, and focus on the use cases that deliver real ROI. Brett shares lessons from decades of building and scaling companies, why many CEOs misunderstand how their teams are already using AI, and how leaders can introduce AI without damaging culture, trust, or security. If you’re a business owner, leader, or operator trying to figure out how to adopt AI responsibly, this episode offers a clear, practical roadmap. Key Topics in This Episode • Why many CEOs underestimate how much AI their teams are already using • The real risk of “shadow AI” inside organizations • Why AI adoption should be led by leadership—not just IT • How to create simple AI guardrails without slowing innovation • The danger of copying company data into free AI tools • How companies discovered hundreds of AI tools already in use • Why “show and tell” can accelerate safe AI adoption • Where AI delivers the fastest ROI (marketing and sales) • How AI can reduce RFP response time from weeks to under an hour • Why businesses should train one primary LLM (Copilot or Gemini) Timestamps 00:00 Cyber Savvy Welcome 00:51 Meet Rachele and Brett 02:04 Entrepreneur Lessons on Change 03:53 Scaling Systems and Clients 06:24 ChatGPT Turning Point 09:06 CEO AI Misconceptions 11:20 Why IT-Led AI Fails 13:55 Low-Stress AI Start 17:59 Bring Your Own AI 18:36 Copy-Paste Data Risks 20:23 Free Tools Data Risk 21:11 Auditing Shadow AI 22:09 Show and Tell Adoption 23:04 Where ROI Shows Up 24:30 RFPs in Under an Hour 26:13 Pick One Use Case 27:01 Centralize Your LLM 29:35 Plain English AI Policy 32:04 Multiple LLMs Debate 34:48 AI Without the BS Book 36:36 Cybersecurity Rapid Fire 37:58 Final Takeaways and Wrap About Brett Schklar Brett Schklar is the founder of AI-First Leadership, a keynote speaker, and an AI adoption coach who helps CEOs cut through the hype and deploy AI in ways that drive productivity, speed, and competitive advantage. A former agency CEO who successfully built, scaled, and exited Market Creation Group, Brett has worked with more than 230 companies helping them turn unclear positioning and messy go-to-market strategies into repeatable growth systems. Today he leads GROW Powered, the market’s first assembly of AI-First Fractional CMOs, and advises leaders on how to implement AI responsibly—without sacrificing culture, trust, or momentum. He is also the author of AI Without the BS: The CEO’s Playbook for Actually Getting AI Right. Connect with Brett Schklar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bschklar YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aifirstleadership About THE CYBER SAVVY WOMAN THE CYBER SAVVY WOMAN is a podcast that helps women business owners protect their businesses and build confidence in the digital world. Hosted by Rachele Schainker, a Silicon Valley technologist and owner of the award-winning managed service provider CMIT Solutions of San Mateo, the show brings practical conversations about cybersecurity, leadership, and navigating technology safely.