427- The Hidden Cost of AI w/Cody Aldinger
You've Been Heard, Wednesday, May 27th, 2026
VP of IT Cody Aldinger discusses practical AI implementation, governance challenges, and the gap between AI hype and business reality.
In this episode of You've Been Heard, Cody Aldinger, VP of IT at KLJ managing 30 offices, shares his pragmatic approach to AI adoption and challenges the hype surrounding artificial intelligence.
He emphasizes that AI hallucinations are simply wrong answers, advocates for using AI as a thought partner rather than a replacement, and stresses the importance of redesigning processes before implementing AI to avoid automating inefficient workflows.
Aldinger discusses his rollout of Microsoft Copilot to 650 employees while maintaining security guardrails, warns about hidden AI pricing models, and underscores that effective IT leadership ultimately requires treating technology decisions as a sales process where listening to business leaders' real problems comes first.