As a follow-up to our CIO Forum event on November 20, 2025, we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who joined us for an energizing and thought-provoking evening.
A special thank you to Apogem Capital and Steve Scolnik for generously hosting the session. We’re also grateful to our moderator, Stephen Brobst, and to our outstanding panelists — Marc Donner, Reuven Aronashvili, Michael Herskovitz, and David Hirschfeld — for bringing such depth, candor, and insight to the discussion.
And of course, thank you to all of you for your active participation, sharp questions, and the spirited debate that carried the conversation through the evening. The energy in the room made this one of our most engaging sessions yet.
Below is a recap of the key themes and takeaways from the discussion.
Summary of CIO Forum –November 20th 2025
Panel & Audience Voting on Key AI Issues
This CIO Forum session featured rapid-fire voting rounds where a panel of experts and the audience took positions on major AI-related questions. Their responses revealed clear patterns around hype, risk, workforce disruption, and the future of human interaction.
- AI Valuations & Market Outlook
Consensus: Severe overvaluation.
- Panel: Unanimous (4/4) “Bust within 5 years.”
- Audience: ~⅔ agree.
Panelists cited circular valuations, extreme P/E ratios, and a hype-driven cycle headed toward a “trough of disillusionment.” Long-term value ultimately flows to data ownership.
- Future of Google Search
Consensus: Search won’t become irrelevant quickly.
- Panel: 3 disagree; 1 neutral
- Audience: Split 50/50
Google’s ad model remains powerful. Expect bifurcation between traditional search and conversational AI. Generative engines grow, but not enough to erase legacy search in the near term.
- Engineering Productivity & Use of Copilot
Consensus: Don’t mandate AI or measure by lines of code.
- Panel: 3 disagree; 1 agree
- Audience: ~⅔ disagree
AI can assist with small modules, but maintainability and code quality remain concerns. Best engineers writeless code; code = tech debt. Strong preference for using AI to generate specifications, not code.
- AI’s Impact on Jobs
Consensus: Job displacement risk is high.
- Panel: 2 agree AI will create more jobs; 2 neutral
- **Audience: Majority believe more jobs destroyed
Concerns centered on drivers and other low-skill labor facing major disruption. Expect widening inequality comparable to the Gilded Age. Long-term: more business creation, but uneven benefits.
- Time Ferris’ Four-Hour Work Week Scenario
Consensus: Not happening.
- Panel: All disagree (3 strongly)
- Audience: No one supports the idea
Human competitiveness, expanding ambitions, and historical precedent show work hours rarely decline despite automation. More people will do more of what they like- i.e. musicians & artists.
- Human Relationships & AI Companions
Consensus: AI will replace some human interaction.
- Panel: 1 agree; 3 disagree with the statement (i.e., expect replacement)
- Audience: Mixed, but skeptical it’s “real”
Younger generations’ comfort with bots and shrinking social circles suggest gradual substitution.
- Use of AI agents & Cyber Fraud
Consensus: AI will make fraud worse, not better.
- Panel: 4/4 disagree AI will reduce fraud
- Audience: Only one person expects fraud reduction
AI simplifies attacks and accelerates the attacker–defender arms race.
- AI Agents in Government
Consensus: Hard “no.”
- Panel: Unanimous strong disagreement
- Audience: Only two supported the idea
Ethical and democratic legitimacy concerns override frustrations with current leadership.
Overall Takeaways
- AI value is real but currently overhyped.
- Short-term disruption > short-term efficiency gains.
- Human nature limits utopian productivity narratives.
Trust, inequality, and social impact dominate long-term concerns.
Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season — looking forward to seeing you at our next event!
-malka
Malka Treuhaft
Executive Director East Coast CIO Forum &
President
Truision Inc.
