AI Can Work for You—Or Against You
Hamilton Yu
Chief Executive Officer
Change in IT is nothing new. But AI? This one feels different. The pace, the potential, the risks—many say it’s coming at them faster than anything before.
In working with technology leaders across industries, I hear the same divide when it comes to AI: Some are all in—eager to automate security, optimize workflows, and make sense of the mountains of data their teams are facing every day. Others are more cautious, holding back due to security concerns, bad data, and the risks of handing over too much control.
Both perspectives make sense. AI doesn’t replace people—it amplifies their work. But when it’s rushed, mismanaged, or left unchecked, it works against you. The difference between AI being a competitive advantage or a liability comes down to how it’s led. Over 60 percent of CIOs view AI as part of their IT innovation plan, yet less than half feel ready to manage its risks.1 That gap between adoption and control is where the real challenges and opportunities can be found.
Five AI Moves That Are Already Paying Off
I’ve worked with organizations at every stage of AI adoption—those just testing the waters with pilot projects and those already embedding AI deeply into their operations. The ones seeing the biggest returns aren’t just experimenting anymore. They’ve moved beyond proof of concept and are making AI an integral part of how their teams operate.
What I hear from them is clear: AI isn’t just making their IT faster—it’s improving accuracy, efficiency, and decision-making. It’s helping their team cut through complexity, automate routine tasks, and focus on the high-value work that drives results.
Here’s where AI is delivering real impact:
1. Cybersecurity shifts from reactive to proactive.
Cybercriminals are using AI to launch sophisticated attacks that are harder than ever to detect.² I’ve seen customers successfully leverage AI to spot threats they might have previously missed, stopping them before they escalate. With AI-driven attacks increasing, this capability isn’t optional—it’s essential. In this way, security teams aren’t just responding to incidents; they’re predicting and preventing them before any damage is done.
2. Repetitive IT tasks disappear.
When AI takes over patching, monitoring, and troubleshooting, it frees teams from tedious, error-prone work so they can focus on more strategic, value-added initiatives. With less time spent on maintenance, staff is deploying updates faster, reducing downtime, and preventing small issues from turning into major disruptions.
3. From data overload to real insights.
More data doesn’t mean better decisions. AI filters the noise, surfacing critical insights in real time. Instead of wading through endless reports, employees that make AI work are more readily identifying risks, optimizing performance, and acting on opportunities way ahead of the competition.
4. IT support stops being a bottleneck.
AI-driven automation is impressive when it can reduce ticket volume and response times. Virtual assistants and chatbots are now handling basic troubleshooting instantly, meaning fewer users stuck waiting for help. Now, staff members aren’t just responding faster—they’re redesigning support models to be more predictive and efficient.
5. Less firefighting, more long-term impact.
AI isn’t just improving efficiency—it’s reshaping how IT operates. Instead of being stuck in reactive mode, teams are using AI to anticipate issues, secure systems proactively, and build long-term resilience. The result? Fewer urgent fixes, more meaningful improvements, and IT that drives real business value.
The companies seeing these benefits didn’t get here overnight. They started small—pilot projects in security, automation, or analytics—then refined and expanded what worked. The difference is that AI isn’t just something they’re testing anymore. It’s changing how they work.
Five AI Menaces That Need Defending Against
But for every company successfully integrating AI, I am still seeing just as many finding out the hard way that AI isn’t just a tool to help IT departments—it’s also a weapon being used against them. Cybercriminals and bad actors are leveraging AI at scale, creating new threats that traditional defenses can’t always catch. In one recent survey, only 50 percent of data professionals in a recent industry survey say their organization’s data security strategy is keeping up with AI’s rate of evolution.3
Here’s what I hear most often about the risks:
1. Cybercriminals are using AI too.
IT leaders are seeing AI-powered phishing attacks, deepfake scams, and automated hacking tools grow more sophisticated. Sadly, companies that aren’t using AI in their security strategy are already falling far behind.
2. Bad data leads to bad decisions.
A real eye-opener is facing the realization that AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on. Flawed, biased, or incomplete data lead to error-prone results. The biggest mistake? Blindly trusting AI-generated insights without questioning where they come from.
3. Over-automation can backfire.
AI is powerful, but it still needs oversight. When teams rely too much on automation without the right safeguards, they face more outages, compliance failures, and costly mistakes. I’ve seen well-intended automation go wrong—one bad input, and suddenly the entire system is in trouble.
4. Lack of governance is a ticking time bomb.
Companies without clear policies on AI security and ethics are exposing themselves to unnecessary risks. In fact, organizations with poor AI governance saw breach costs that were 30 percent higher than those with strong policies.4
5. Falling behind is a downward spiral.
AI is evolving fast, and those who don’t keep up risk entering a cycle that’s hard to break. Teams that fail to continuously upskill, refine their AI strategy, and invest in AI-driven security aren’t just lagging—they’re making it even harder to catch up as the gap keeps widening.
These risks aren’t hypothetical—they’re happening now. The companies that are successfully managing them are the ones that treat AI like any other critical IT function: with strategy, governance, and ongoing oversight.
We’re in This Together
AI is already reshaping IT. Some companies are using it to drive efficiency, security, and smarter decision-making. Others are watching it be used against them. The companies leading the way aren’t waiting to see how it all plays out. They’re taking control now.
So, the question isn’t whether AI will change how IT operates—it already is. The real question is:
Are you leading AI? Or is AI leading you?
Reference
- Gartner, Get AI Ready — What IT Leaders Need to Know and Do, 2024, February 2025.
- FBI, FBI Warns of Increasing Threat of Cyber Criminals Utilizing Artificial Intelligence, May 2024.
- Immuta. 2024 State of Data Security Report, February 2025.
- IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report, 2024.
About the Author
Hamilton Yu
Hamilton Yu is the CEO of NexusTek, bringing over 28 years of executive IT experience to the role. Prior to joining NexusTek, he served as CEO of Taos (an IBM company), where he led transformative initiatives, and also held key executive roles at Nuance Communications and Accenture, driving innovative solutions and cloud capabilities across the tech industry.
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