87: "Where Not to Use AI Matters More Than Where to Use It,” Says Brad Freels, Microsoft

Brad Freels, Azure Data and AI Specialist at Microsoft, shares how meeting customers where they are, building AI Centers of Excellence, and diving in without waiting for "perfect data" are reshaping how enterprises unlock value from cloud, data, and AI. He explains why the biggest barrier to AI isn't technology but fear and paralysis, how partners compress time to value by bridging Microsoft best practices to each customer's unique environment, and why executive-sponsored Centers of Excellence lower the temperature on change management while creating guardrails that prevent shadow AI and governance nightmares. He also shows where to start now, such as standing up a 60-day Fabric trial, rebuilding an existing report, and letting AI itself help curate the messy data you already have, because your competitors aren't waiting and neither should you.