Sales, One Seismic, ai-enablement

Supercharging the Future: AI Transformation at Shift Executive Summit

By Tony Smith — On October 7, 2025

At the Seismic Shift Executive Summit, industry leaders came together to tackle one of the most pressing questions in business today: How do humans and AI work together to drive growth? The AI Transformation Panel, moderated by Seismic's Chief Business Officer, Toby Carrington, featured:

James Roth, Chief Revenue Officer at ZoomInfo
Amanda Kahlow, CEO and Founder of 1mind and founder of 6sense
Stacey Epstein, CEO of Magnetic

The discussion explored how AI is reshaping organizations, redefining roles, and transforming the customer experience.

The challenge: From disruption to enablement

Just 18 months ago, the narrative was all about AI replacing sellers. Today, the story looks very different. Inbound traffic through traditional SEO has dropped by as much as 50% as buyers turn to AI for answers, pushing companies to rethink their strategies.

James Roth explained that the real opportunity isn't in replacement but in empowerment: giving sales reps instant industry fluency and a point of view that once took years to develop.

The Approach: Building "Super Humans"

Amanda Kahlow described 1mind's mission to create AI-powered agents — or "super humans" — that complement, rather than compete with, sales teams. These agents step in where human coverage is impractical:

Long-tail accounts: Small-deal opportunities that still require thoughtful engagement.
Deal support: AI agents embedded in deal rooms to answer questions and accelerate cycles.
Ride-alongs: Virtual copilots that join customer calls to handle complex solutioning so AEs can stay focused.

The goal is to extend human capacity into places where traditional models break down. By automating repetitive and the impractical tasks, teams gain the freedom to focus on deeper customer relationships, faster deal cycles, and more strategic growth opportunities.

Results: Guardrails, Standards, and New Metrics

AI transformation isn't a straight path — it's a balancing act between innovation and control. The panelists described this stage as the "messy middle," where organizations wrestle with rapid experimentation, mounting tech debt, and the urgent need for governance. They emphasized three key realities of this phase:

Governance matters. Without intake processes, companies risk "agent proliferation" and tech debt.
Experimentation is essential. Organizations are piloting AI aggressively, but only a subset delivers measurable outcomes.
New skills are required. Beyond IQ and EQ, leaders highlighted AQ — the adaptability quotient — as the differentiator for the future workforce.

Carrington summed it up: "You can't just say do AI. You need a strategy that ties directly to customer and business value."

Lessons for Business Leaders

The AI Transformation Panel distilled a complex conversation into a practical playbook for leaders. Rather than chasing every shiny tool, the guidance centered on the principles that will define long-term success with AI in the enterprise:

Empower, don't replace. AI is the exoskeleton that makes teams faster, smarter, and stronger.
Deploy strategically. Focus on long-tail opportunities, deal acceleration, and buyer experience.
Stay human. AI can frame insights, but human connection builds trust.
Establish guardrails. Intake processes and governance prevent waste and redundancy.
Hire for adaptability. The ability to embrace change (AQ) is the new competitive edge.

Looking Ahead

AI is no longer a future disruption. It's here, reshaping buying, selling, and enablement. As panel made clear, the organizations that thrive will be those that combine the best of both worlds: the scale and precision of AI with the empathy and creativity of humans.

Want to see how Seismic is bringing that future to life? Get a demo today.

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The challenge: From disruption to enablement

James Roth explained that the real opportunity isn't in replacement but in empowerment: giving sales reps instant industry fluency and a point of view that once took years to develop.

The Approach: Building "Super Humans"

Long-tail accounts: Small-deal opportunities that still require thoughtful engagement.

Deal support: AI agents embedded in deal rooms to answer questions and accelerate cycles.

Ride-alongs: Virtual copilots that join customer calls to handle complex solutioning so AEs can stay focused.

Results: Guardrails, Standards, and New Metrics

Governance matters. Without intake processes, companies risk "agent proliferation" and tech debt.

Experimentation is essential. Organizations are piloting AI aggressively, but only a subset delivers measurable outcomes.

New skills are required. Beyond IQ and EQ, leaders highlighted AQ — the adaptability quotient — as the differentiator for the future workforce.

Carrington summed it up: "You can't just say do AI. You need a strategy that ties directly to customer and business value."

Lessons for Business Leaders

Empower, don't replace. AI is the exoskeleton that makes teams faster, smarter, and stronger.

Deploy strategically. Focus on long-tail opportunities, deal acceleration, and buyer experience.

Stay human. AI can frame insights, but human connection builds trust.

Establish guardrails. Intake processes and governance prevent waste and redundancy.

Hire for adaptability. The ability to embrace change (AQ) is the new competitive edge.

Looking Ahead

Want to see how Seismic is bringing that future to life? Get a demo today.