Discipline, not hype, will define AI innovation

(April 2026) Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of how companies experiment, build, and compete.

Yet many organizations take a scattershot approach, launching pilots and prototypes that don’t add up to a clear strategy.

That’s the challenge identified by Chris Heemskerk, Founder and CEO of The Innovation Alliance and former Head of Scaled Acquisitions at Google.

Heemskerk argues that real innovation requires a clear sense of where AI fits within the organization’s strategy, how it creates value, and which opportunities are worth pursuing.

In a Transform Talks interview with Huawei’s Executive Editor-in-Chief Gavin Allen, Heemskerk explains how AI can evolve from a tool for efficiency to a driver of strategy.