Marketing Vanguard at Cannes: Why Forcing AI Adoption Backfires ft. Rafa Flores of Treasure AI

If you think the story behind AI is a productivity-led one, you’re wrong. Our series from Cannes 2026 continues as host Jenny Rooney sits down with Rafa Flores, Chief Product and Growth Officer at Treasure AI. In this one, Rafa cuts through the noise around AI adoption and AI-selling and gets into the real issue CMOs are facing: teams are not just unsure about AI; they are scared of what it could mean for their roles. He reveals how forcing AI adoption from the top can backfire, royally and why real AI success should be measured through revenue and conversion impact. Rafa Flores is the Chief Product and Growth Officer at Treasure AI, where he brings nearly two decades of experience across product development, engineering, growth strategy and partnerships. With an engineering background and a deeply practical view of how enterprise teams adopt technology, Rafa works at the intersection of AI, product-led growth and human-centered transformation. At Treasure AI, Rafa helps global brands rethink how AI can be adopted without creating fear, confusion or organizational resistance. His perspective is especially valuable for CMOs navigating pressure from boards, teams and vendors at the same time. What You'll Learn: Why fear of AI is real and should not be ignored by marketing leaders How to measure AI success through revenue, conversions and churn mitigation Why forcing AI adoption creates anxiety and resistance inside teams How CMOs can set guardrails that protect the business while empowering teams Why modern tech buyers expect to try products, not just sit through demos How product-led growth changes the customer journey in an AI-first market Why creativity in the AI era means orchestrating systems, agents and human judgment This episode is part of a special vidcast series that was recorded live during Cannes 2026 and presented in partnership with Edelman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.