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SOL RASHIDI

AI strategist, inventor, and author who helps leaders amplify human intelligence through responsible AI

  • Pioneering enterprise Chief AI Officer (first in 2016)
  • Holds 10+ patents in AI & Data
  • Author of “Your AI Survival Guide”, bestseller in AI categories
  • C-Suite experience across Fortune brands (Estée Lauder, Merck, Sony, etc.)
  • Trusted for translating complex tech into business impact

Sol Rashidi is an AI strategist, inventor, and best-selling author whose mission is to empower leaders and organizations to use artificial intelligence without compromising human judgment. As one of the earliest enterprise Chief AI Officers (appointed in 2016), she has held multiple C-Suite roles across Fortune 100 companies, including Estée Lauder, Merck, Sony Music, Royal Caribbean, and Amazon.

With more than 10 patents in AI and data analytics, Sol bridges deep technical rigor with executive clarity. She played a key role in IBM’s Watson launch in 2011 and has overseen 50+ keynote talks and over 100 panel appearances worldwide.

Sol’s signature approach is to demystify AI—cutting through hype to surface what really matters: trust, accountability, human + machine synergy, and business ROI. Organizations hire her when they want to move beyond experimentation into impactful, scalable deployment. Her book, “Your AI Survival Guide: Scraped Knees, Bruised Elbows, and Lessons Learned from Real‑World AI Deployments”, offers a practical framework for leaders navigating AI’s messy realities.

Recognized by Forbes as an “AI Maverick & Visionary of the 21st Century,” Sol appears regularly in top AI & tech lists and is a go-to thought leader for boards, executives, and conferences seeking grounded, human‑centered AI leadership.

Sol tailors each presentation to the needs of her audience and is not limited to the topics listed below. Please ask us about any subject that interests you:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Future Trends
  • Innovation
  • Leadership
  • The Future of Work in the Age of AI

The New Workforce of the Future, the AI + Human Workforce

As some employees adopt AI, while others resist it, AI will undoubtedly be a part of a company fabric no matter what scale of AI you’re deploying and it will come in various forms, the adoption of AI Agents, AI Models, and/or embedded AI systems (like Microsofts co-pilot, Salesforce, Snowflake, etc). What should you do to prepare for this human + AI workforce integration? What should you look out for? What assumptions won’t hold true? How should your HR, Leadership, and Middle-Management teams proactively plan for whats to come in the next 1-3 years.

Your New Organizational Operating Model after AI

The goal of AI is to amplify and accelerate what we do best in order to do MORE with the SAME (not less). So how do you prepare your organization model post-launch? What is the new Operating Model after deployment? What considerations and assumptions do you need to know NOW to achieve your ROI, establish a regenerative growth model, and drive “Catalytic commerce” – where AI as an enabler that creates compounding value generation vs. taking a one-time slingshot approach with barely any returns.

AI: Fact or Fiction

Geared for Non-Technologists who want to make sense of the AI world and what it entails, this conversation gets past the ‘Art of the Possible’ and into the ‘World of the Practical’. A majority of us aren’t technologist, so its important to understand what all this means today, for the future, and how to best be prepare for it personally and professionally. It also discusses the hype, the marketing, whats fact vs. fiction, and how to tell the difference.

The Good, the Bad, and the Not So Ugly sides of Innovation

While many companies strive to be innovative, nearly 76% of all innovation projects fail and nearly 92% fall short of expected results. This conversation focuses on how to avoid the pitfalls and quicksand of innovation and why BUSINESS VALUE is not the metric of choice when choosing your innovation projects. It also discusses how to make sense of the new world of CXO’s where the boundaries of technology have expanded past the CIO.  How should one think through the division of labor, motivating a work force that can be apprehensive or resistant towards the latest advents of today, and how to forecast innovation projects.

Enterprise Data: Why all the FUSS

Many organizations are focused on being ‘Data Centric’, ‘Data Driven’, and monetizing on data because its the new enterprise oil. However, most organizations fail to make the pivot, with nearly 73% of organizations fall short of what they set out to accomplish with their data strategy.  This discussion will go into all the reasons ‘Why’, and what we can do to course correct, evangelize, and create a movement that will build a last legacy with data. Everyone can be data-centric without removing the creativity, critical thinking, and experience we bring to the table.

How to Be Responsible & Safe with AI

With the advent of AI and with nearly 86% of organizations investing in AI-based capabilities, its been proven that AI is not a fad or a trend that will go away. However, what we can’t measure are the economical and moral impacts AI will have on our society. Like parents, who are the caretakers of children, their responsibilities are to teach children right from wrong and to embed a moral compass in each of us. Similarly, WE as humans are the caretakers of AI, also teaching it right from wrong, yet we’re at a cross roads with moral compass because of the biases, poor practices, falsification, and misinformation we’re helping it propogate. I will share a personal story of how ‘fake news’ almost ruined my 20+ career and how I caught it, and how to embed safer and responsible practices for AI.

Why All Leaders Should Go Rogue

Change is hard. Disruption is hard. With the pace of change being the fastest its ever been, leaders have an unfair advantage in todays world. Constantly distracted by messages and emails, combined with the pressures of motivating teams, aligning strategic priorities, balancing workloads, and all while innovating, leaders are not set up to succeed, UNLESS THEY GO ROGUE. This discussion is all about finding the rogue in us. The leader who focuses on not being busy, but being productive. The leader who lets go of the need to respond in exchange for the need to reflect. Leaders who in spite of resistance can see beyond the trees and around the corner, and put forth passion and relentless pursuit to achieve what needs to be accomplished, and all while staying sane. This discussion is about managing our energy so we can show up in the right way, in the right time, and for the right people to drive change and create outcomes.

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