Secret CTO Newsletter | Why Saying “No” Could Be Your Best AI Strategy

I’ll admit it: last week, I nearly greenlit a flashy GenAI pilot simply because it looked cool. But as I stared at the proposal, I realised something-our real bottleneck isn’t the technology, it’s our willingness to ruthlessly prioritise. Every CTO I know is bombarded with “must-have” AI projects, but the ones who sleep well at night are those who say “no” more than “yes.”

Here’s my takeaway: it’s not about who has the most AI pilots, but who has the guts to kill the ones that don’t move the needle. My team now has a standing challenge: for every new experiment, we must be able to explain-in plain English-how it will make our customers’ lives better or our business stronger. If we can’t, it’s out. Ruthless? Maybe. But in this market, focus is the ultimate competitive advantage. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the AI gold rush, remember: your “no” is just as powerful as your “yes.”

But let’s get even more real. GenAI is exposing every crack in our digital foundations-from data quality to security to the way our teams collaborate. I’ve watched as small, cross-functional teams outpace sprawling “innovation labs” simply because they’re closer to the customer and more honest about what’s actually working. The best thing I did this quarter? Put our engineers in direct conversation with our frontline staff and biggest clients. The insights were humbling and, frankly, a little uncomfortable-but they’re shaping our roadmap in ways no dashboard ever could.

My challenge to you this week: cut one “cool” project that isn’t delivering real value, and spend that time talking to the people who use your products every day. The future won’t be won by those who chase every trend, but by those who build trust, deliver outcomes, and never lose sight of the basics.