How to Talk AI with Skeptical Executives

As a member of our AI Practice at Crossfuze I often come across ServiceNow Platform Owners that are excited about AI, only to hit a wall of skepticism from their senior leaders and executives. It’s a challenge many of us have faced. Many senior leaders are very much aware of AI but they are being cautious about whether it’s just another overhyped trend or if there’s genuine business value in it.

The way to approach this is to skip the tech jargon and focus on outcomes – this is ultimately what leaders care about the most. Don’t try to explain what an LLM is or what GPT stands for, instead, explain what AI will actually do for the business. In other words, ground it in reality rather than presenting it as an expensive, risky experiment.

In my experience executives care about 3 things: Growth, Cost & Risk.

1. Growth – How can we do more with less?
2. Cost – How can we do what we’re doing today more efficiently?
3. Risk – How can we take vulnerability out of how the business operates?

Let’s break those down.

Growth – How can we do more with less?

One of the most practical ways AI supports growth is through Self-Service. When employees or customers can solve their own problems quickly - without logging tickets or chasing someone down - your teams are freed up to focus on more strategic work.  

AI is incredibly effective at dealing with high-volume, low-complexity requests like password resets or annual leave requests. You don’t need more headcount to serve more users. You just need smarter, scalable service.

Cost – How can we do what we’re doing today more efficiently?

AI has become an expert at augmenting people - allowing people to move faster and be more productive rather than replacing them. It helps teams move faster by removing repetitive, manual work that clogs up workflows and increases the cost-to-serve. This type of work also directly impacts end-user productivity. When someone’s stuck waiting for a resolution, they’re not doing their job.

With AI, instead of spending 15 minutes manually figuring something out, your support teams spend 3 minutes reviewing and clicking send. That time adds up. Across your various support functions, that translates into real cost savings.

Risk: How do we reduce vulnerability in how the business operates?

This is where Automated Process Execution comes in. AI and automation can take over predictable, rule-based processes from start to finish. No human needed. These automations reduce human error, ensure process consistency, and eliminate delays caused by bottle necks or forgotten tasks. In short: they help de-risk the way your business runs.

And when AI agents start playing a role in monitoring or even resolving issues proactively, you’re not just reducing operational risk - you’re building a more resilient business.

So, when your execs ask, “What’s the point of AI?”, don’t go to the whiteboard and sketch out a neural network.

Say this instead:

“AI helps us serve more people without hiring more people. It helps our teams work faster and smarter. And it helps us automate the stuff that slows us down or leaves us exposed. It supports growth, reduces cost, and takes risk out of the day-to-day.”

And that’s the story they need to hear.