Aalto Business School Leaders’ Insight: AI is advancing faster than corporate culture
February 14, 2026
Helsinki, Finland, February 14, 2026 – Carl-Johan Nakamura, Co-Founder & CEO of AI81Works LLC, was featured in Aalto Leaders’ Insight, the thought-leadership publication of Aalto University Executive Education. The interview ran ahead of his keynote at the CDOIQ Nordic Symposium at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland. In it, Nakamura argues that the biggest barrier to enterprise AI is no longer the technology but the culture, incentives and leadership around it.
The Technology Is Ready. The Organisation Often Is Not.
Agentic AI moved from experiment to everyday reality in 2025. Systems can now draft emails, enrich customer records, update CRM systems and manage schedules with little human input. Yet most enterprise AI pilots still fail to deliver a return on investment. Nakamura’s diagnosis is clear: the bottleneck is people and processes, not the tools.
Key Insights from the Interview
Culture starts at the top. A leadership team’s attitude to risk, data and governance spreads through the whole organisation. Short executive tenures often end transformations before they take hold.
Align incentives with adoption. Boards that think only in quarters underinvest in data and AI. Tying executive bonuses to data quality and AI adoption turns long-term capability into a near-term priority.
Automation has limits. AI agents can absorb routine workflow tasks, but human relationships, judgement and face-to-face selling remain hard to replace. Leaders who cut too fast risk regretting it.
Europe must raise its ambition. AI adoption among EU companies still trails the United States by a wide margin. A lower risk appetite and slower investment cycles are part of the reason. Nakamura believes Europe can close the gap if leaders pair responsible regulation with a stronger appetite for experimentation.
Continuous learning is the competitive edge. Companies that invest in AI literacy across their workforce adapt fastest. For emerging talent, this means building real transformation experience and presenting it in the language of AI.
Leadership Quotes
“Every executive team I speak with has access to the same models,” said Carl-Johan Nakamura, Co-Founder & CEO of AI81Works LLC. “What separates the winners is whether leaders are willing to change incentives, invest in their people and stay long enough to see the culture shift. That is the work AI81Works was built to support, from placing the right data and AI leaders to building literacy across the organisation.”
Reflecting on his commitment to the next generation, Nakamura added that much of his work with symposiums, seminars and education is done pro bono, because he was mentored himself and believes in passing that on.
About the CDOIQ Nordic Symposium
Hosted by Aalto University Executive Education, the CDOIQ Nordic Symposium brings together data and business leaders from industry, government and academia across the Nordic region. Its aim is to advance data-driven innovation and responsible AI.
The full interview is available at Aalto Leaders’ Insight: https://www.aaltoee.fi/en/aalto-leaders-insight/2026/carl-johan-nakamura-ai-is-advancing-faster-than-corporate-culture-can-follow
Media Contact
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Liliana Trinkle
Email: ltrinkle@ai81works.com
Phone: +1-781-650-6800