From AI denial to AI pressure: The changing reality for CIOs
Legal IT Insider
2mo · 3 min
Law firm CIOs have gone from fielding skepticism about AI to fielding pressure to move faster — a shift this piece traces through a year of industry conferences.
One of the advantages of attending industry conferences is the ability to reflect on what was said once the dust has settled, putting into perspective some of those valuable ideas shared behind the scenes.
That was very much the case when I caught up with Vis-à-Vis organisers David Fazakerley and Stuart Walters following this year’s gathering of senior technology and business leaders from the legal and accountancy sectors. The annual event, held at Hanbury Manor, brought together a mix of CIOs, COOs, innovation leaders and technology executives. What was most striking was how much the sentiment among tech leaders has changed in a short space of time.
Even in October 2025, when Vis-a-Vis was last hosted, attendees were in a state of semi-denial when it comes to AI. Fazakerley observes: “We were all fed up and hoping AI would go away. I was surprised last year how much of that sentiment there was around. Six months later, and that sentiment wasn’t in the room. There was an acknowledgement that this is here to stay, accelerating, and that we have to lean in.”
That realisation is driving different stresses. Walters said: “There’s a lot of stress and fatigue. A lot of sharing around ‘this is really hard.’” Board members are piling on pressure to use AI, but it’s down to CIOs to do that safely and cost effectively.…
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