GILD Dallas: Making AI Gains Stick
Why early AI gains often fade inside organizations, and how structure, incentives, and operating models determine whether value compounds or quietly disappears.
GILD Roundtable for CEOs & Founders | Dallas, TX
May 12, 2026 · 6:00–8:30 PM
Presented in partnership with Tecla
Helping AI-forward companies hire elite talent across product, engineering, and growth.
About the Event
This evening brings together a small, curated group of CEOs and founders for an off-the-record conversation about a pattern many companies are beginning to encounter with AI.
Early pilots often produce impressive gains. Work speeds up, productivity spikes, and teams experiment quickly. But months later, those gains frequently fade. Tools go unused, processes revert, and the organization quietly absorbs the change without compounding it.
The leadership challenge is not the technology itself. It is whether the company’s structure, incentives, and operating model reinforce progress or slowly neutralize it.
This conversation focuses on how leaders are recognizing the pattern early and what they are changing within their organizations to make AI value compound.
This event is designed for peer exchange on real decisions leaders are already making within their companies.
Evening Agenda
6:00 PM – Check-in & Seating
Guests arrive, check in, and are seated. Food and drinks are available throughout the evening.
6:15–7:20 PM – Dinner & Discussion
6:30–6:40 PM – Welcome + Sponsor Introduction
Brief framing of the challenge that many organizations are encountering with AI adoption, and the introduction of our partner, Tecla.
6:40–7:00 PM – Conversation Starter
Gino Ferrand of Tecla will open the conversation by framing a pattern many companies are beginning to experience: early AI gains that look promising in pilots but fade once they encounter real organizational structures, incentives, and workflows.
7:00–7:20 PM – Breakout Round 1
7:20–7:40 PM – Breakout Round 2
7:40–8:00 PM – Breakout Round 3
8:00–8:30 PM – Closing, Dessert & Open Networking
Dessert is served, and the room opens for continued connection.
Breakout Prompts
All tables discuss the same prompt during each round.
1. Where has AI actually changed how work gets done inside your company, and where have early gains already started to fade?
2. What parts of your organization’s structure, incentives, or operating model have made AI adoption easier, and what has unintentionally slowed it down?
3. Over the next 12–18 months, what leadership decisions will determine whether AI value compounds in your organization or quietly disappears?
Chatham House Rules apply.
Discussion stays private. This is what unlocks candor.
Expect an intimate, thoughtful environment with elevated food and drinks throughout the evening.
Who Will Be in the Room
This roundtable is curated for senior company leaders, including:
CEOs
Founders
Presidents
Operators responsible for execution and performance
Attendance is limited to keep the room focused, candid, and high-signal. Because our rooms are small, no-shows may not be prioritized for future events.
Privacy & Experience Standard
Chatham House Rules apply.
Discussion stays private. This is what unlocks candor.
Expect an intimate, thoughtful environment with elevated food and drinks throughout the evening.