Technology executives from Amgen, Salesforce, and Thomson Reuters discussed the governance and expectations surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) pilot projects during a roundtable discussion at Fortune Brainstorm Tech in June 2026.

Sean Bruich, Chief Technology Officer at Amgen, stated that while it is easy for pilot projects to proliferate, successful scaling requires careful management. He emphasized the importance of having a broad range of ideas but maintaining strict governance over which pilots receive approval. "It’s so easy with a pilot to let a thousand flowers bloom," Bruich said. "The key to making pilots scale successfully is actually having a wide number of ideas, but a very tight governance on which pilots are actually greenlit."

Lashonda Anderson-Williams, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at Salesforce, addressed the expectations associated with AI. She noted that some anticipate immediate results when AI is integrated. "When you put AI on top of that, the expectation is you’re going to see some magic, and there’s no magic there," Anderson-Williams said.

Caitlin Halferty, Chief Data Officer at Thomson Reuters, spoke to the benefit of early issue detection in AI projects. Halferty indicated that uncovering potential problems during the discovery phase improves the likelihood of success for these initiatives. "The earlier we can uncover that in discovery, the better we’ll be set up for success," Halferty said.

Why It Matters

The discussions among these technology leaders indicate a focus on practical implementation and controlled growth within the field of artificial intelligence. Their remarks reflect efforts to manage project expectations and establish governance frameworks as businesses explore AI applications.