The AIRK Brief

A five-minute read for people who set technology strategy.

Every Thursday, one number worth knowing, one idea from the Institute's research, and one thing worth reading — written for CIOs, CTOs and the people who advise them.

Built on Knowledge. Driven by Reinvention.

Weekly
Frequency
~5 minutes
Read time
Issue 014
Latest

The Institute's research, distilled to what a CIO needs before Monday.

What's inside every issue

The Brief follows the same format every week, so it's fast to read and easy to forward.

I.

One number worth knowing

A single data point from the Institute's research or the wider market, with the context to use it.

II.

One idea from the Institute

A framework, field note or early finding from current research — before it appears anywhere else.

III.

One thing worth reading

A paper, report or article we think is worth your five minutes this week, with why it matters.

IV.

One question for the room

A question to bring to your next leadership meeting, drawn directly from the issue.

Archive

Every issue published so far, most recent first.

No. 014

LatestThe board doesn't want an AI strategy. It wants a decision-rights map.

Why 'what's our AI strategy' is the wrong question for most boards to ask.

Jun 25, 2026
No. 013

Why your platform modernization stalled at 60%.

The predictable point where legacy replacement programs lose momentum — and how to see it coming.

Jun 18, 2026
No. 012

The real cost of 'just add another integration.'

A short model for pricing architectural decisions in something other than sprint points.

Jun 11, 2026
No. 011

Three questions to ask before funding a pilot.

Most AI pilots aren't killed by the technology. They're killed by the question nobody asked at kickoff.

Jun 4, 2026
No. 010

Technical debt is a governance failure, not an engineering one.

Reframing debt as an unfunded decision-rights liability changes who should be in the room.

May 28, 2026
No. 009

What the adoption curve gets right about enterprise AI — and what it misses.

Standard diffusion curves assume the adopting unit is stable. In most enterprises, it isn't.

May 21, 2026
No. 008

The maturity model we use with every client, in one page.

Five levels, one page, no consulting-speak. The model behind the Institute's governance framework.

May 14, 2026
No. 007

Founding issue: why we're publishing everything in the open.

The case for a research-first advisory, and what you can expect from this list every week.

May 7, 2026