Alison McCauley

WORK HISTORY

SKILLS

ABOUT ALISON MCCAULEY

It was the 1990s. People were getting crushed by tech acceleration. But I was obsessed with understanding how everyday people and organizations could shift from being reactive and overwhelmed to using innovation to drive real advantage. I began researching how to navigate large-scale change as a graduate student at Stanford-this was back when the concept was new, and then joined a small revolutionary group at Accenture that translated discoveries emerging from business, research, and practice to forge a new field. We called it change management. None of us knew it at the time, but we were on the ground floor helping shape what would become one of the defining skills and success drivers of the AI era. Over three decades, I’ve focused on helping people—individuals, teams, and organizations—leverage emerging tech to advance performance. Along the way, I’ve operated as a conduit between Silicon Valley disruptors and enterprise leaders determined to turn their innovations into advantage. It’s given me a rare vantage point. By spanning the innovators building the future and the organizations striving to implement it, I’ve earned a deep understanding of the forces that drive real change: human behavior, organizational dynamics, and the ability to translate innovation into performance. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with tech pioneers to help develop entirely new market categories, including more than a decade working alongside early leaders in AI. When ChatGPT ignited a global wave of AI adoption in 2022, I turned my attention to a new question: why were some people unlocking extraordinary power from AI while others struggled to move beyond basics? I launched an intensive study of hundreds of successful early adopters to understand what set them apart. My most recent bestseller, How to Think with AI, a Simple Guide to Boost Creativity & Cognitive Performance, distills this research into a clear and practical framework to help individuals turn AI into cognitive advantage. Today, I spend my time speaking at innovation forums and conferences around the globe, advising Fortune leaders, and have reached more than learners through my executive education programs. I am a 2x best-selling author and my articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Venture Beat. All of this focuses on one mission: helping people turn AI into a true human advantage. I believe emerging tech holds great opportunity, but comes with great responsibility. I am honored to be a part of the challenging work ahead.