The Future Of Less Work Why Most AI Strategies Fail And How to Fix Them with Mary Alice Vuicic
Most organizations say they want to adopt AI. But very few are doing what it takes to actually change how work gets done.
In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Mary Alice Vuicic, Chief People Officer at Thomson Reuters, to unpack what real AI transformation looks like inside a global organization—and why so many companies are missing the $19,000 per person productivity opportunity AI puts on the table.
Mary Alice shares how her team moved from pilots to full-scale adoption across a global workforce—and why AI strategy isn’t about tools or pilots, but about tone, training, tools, and time. She explains how curiosity became a cultural cornerstone, why AI champions emerged organically, and how psychological safety helped people let go of legacy expertise to make room for new value.
Together, they explore how managers can lead AI adoption, why change management—not tech—is the real constraint, and how to redesign work for a world where agents and humans work side-by-side.
If you’re tired of surface-level AI efforts and want to understand what true organizational shift requires, this is the episode for you.
Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, "If You Treat AI Like Software, You’ll Miss The Real Transformation", to explore these ideas further.
Guest Information:
Mary Alice Vuicic is the Chief People Officer at Thomson Reuters, leading Human Resources, Communications, Government Affairs and ESG.Thomson Reuters is a global content-driven technology company operating in the business information services sector.
Chapters:
00:00 — What’s Missing From Most AI Adoption Strategies?
01:49 — How the $19,000 AI Productivity Opportunity Was Calculated
03:02 — What Is a Clear AI Strategy—and Why Most Fail
04:29 — Why Tech Isn’t the Problem (It’s Change Management)
05:39 — The 4 T’s Framework: Tone, Training, Tools, and Time
07:46 — Why Psychological Safety Is Key to AI Adoption
09:27 — How to Find and Support AI Champions in Your Workforce
11:04 — What Tools Are Employees Actually Using with AI?
12:18 — Real AI Use Case: Eliminating 95% of M&A Admin Work
13:56 — Why Transparency and Empowerment Matter for AI Success
16:09 — How to Drive 75% AI Adoption Across a Global Workforce
18:16 — What Managers Should Do With AI Usage Data
20:16 — How AI Is Changing the Future of Professional Services
22:25 — Rethinking Roles, Org Structures, and Ownership Models
24:09 — What Happens to Experience When AI Does the Work?
25:43 — Advice for Leaders Scaling from AI Pilots to Full Adoption
27:06 — What Quality Metrics Should You Use for AI Output?