The stuff that really makes a dent operationally and moves things from A to B to C to D, that’s where you’ve got to stop and think: how is this going to fit in our ecosystem?
True progress comes from purposeful integration—not just adoption. Effective leaders don’t chase AI trends; they engineer them to deliver meaningful, immediate impact.
Alex Long, Senior Marketing Operations Manager at AlphaSense, is navigating the AI maze to integrate intelligent solutions for her team that actually move the needle. We sat down to discuss how leaders can harness AI to deliver, not distract.
Protect the ecosystem: “The stuff that really makes a dent operationally and moves things from A to B to C to D, that's where you've got to stop and think: how is this going to fit in our ecosystem?” Long says. Her approach is all about pressure-testing: show vendors real use cases, push back hard, and walk if it doesn’t plug in cleanly.
“The thing people don't want to hear—especially CMOs—is 'maybe pump the brakes for a minute,'" she adds. But that pause matters. It's the difference between real value and a costly distraction.
Beyond the buzz: While much of the buzz is still around flashy generative tools, Long sees real promise in what she calls "Background AI", especially for analytics. "It's like thinking like a human and being able to spot patterns like a human," she says, describing neural networks that can handle complex modeling in hours instead of months.
Yes, we may be more productive—but what’s the point if there’s no net gain? If you’re just doing more work for the same return?
The human factor: "Regardless of what tool you go with—whether you build, buy, or expand something you already have—you're still going to need someone to run it," Long says. It's a reminder that tech doesn't manage itself. Behind every tool is a person making sure it works, improves what you do, and doesn't fall apart.
"The low-hanging fruit for us is really: how do we leverage the AI to do what we don't have time to do now?" Long says. Repetitive tasks are where AI shines, like turning a webinar into usable content across formats. "We still want a human to look at it before it goes live, make sure the voice and tone are right," she adds. "But that's a lot faster than starting from scratch."
For all the excitement new tech brings, she brings it back to a simple test: is it actually helping? "Yes, we may be more productive—but what's the point if there's no net gain? If you're just doing more work for the same return?" That focus on meaningful outcomes, not just output, is what will ultimately separate useful AI from wasted effort.
