Elevate AI Consulting CEO Thiago E. Ferreira Featured in BizWeekly on Why AI Adoption Stalls
TL;DRShort Answer
Thiago E. Ferreira, founder and CEO of Elevate AI Consulting and adjunct professor at the University of Miami, was featured in BizWeekly in October 2026. The article explains why AI adoption stalls: students trust AI too quickly, corporate teams trust themselves too little, and both need hands-on practice, verification habits, and room to make mistakes.
Elevate AI Consulting CEO Featured in BizWeekly
Elevate AI Consulting founder and CEO Thiago E. Ferreira was featured in BizWeekly in an article titled "Elevate AI CEO and University of Miami Professor Thiago E. Ferreira Reveals Why AI Adoption Stalls." The feature draws on his experience teaching Human-Centered AI at the University of Miami and leading corporate AI training bootcamps for organizations across the United States and Latin America.
Same Tool, Opposite Problems
As an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, Ferreira teaches a full three-credit course on Human-Centered AI. As a consultant, he leads hands-on AI programs for corporate teams. In both settings, he runs the same exercises: participants verify an AI-generated answer for errors, then build a small working application around a real task.
The reactions are opposite.
"My students trust AI too quickly. My corporate teams trust themselves too little. Same tool, opposite problems."
Thiago E. Ferreira, in BizWeekly
Students tend to accept polished answers without checking them. Professionals tend to hesitate because they fear misusing the tool, exposing sensitive information, or getting it wrong in front of colleagues.
Why AI Adoption Stalls
Both groups share one root cause: they have been taught what AI can do, not how to work with it. A demo can show impressive capabilities, but it does not teach anyone to question an inaccurate answer, recognize a limitation, or apply a tool to a real business process. Adoption takes judgment, practice, and confidence.
This is the core of Elevate AI Consulting's Human Intelligence First philosophy: AI works best when people understand how to use it, verify its output, and make the final decision themselves.
How Teaching Changed Elevate AI's Corporate Bootcamps
What Ferreira learned in the classroom now shapes how Elevate AI Consulting trains corporate teams:
- More building, less presenting. "When people build something real in the first hour, the fear goes away. That's why I cut presentation time and add building time."
- Verification as a habit. Participants learn to check outputs, consult trusted sources, and apply their own expertise before acting on an AI answer.
- Room to make mistakes. Basic questions are expected, because fear is the most common barrier to corporate AI adoption.
The approach is built into every Executive AI Training Bootcamp and individual AI workshop. Elevate AI bootcamps generate 50+ custom AI use cases per program. In one bootcamp for a Miami mobile devices company, the team built six AI workflows and saved more than 10 hours per week.
Why Elevate AI Consulting Turns Down Headcount-Reduction Projects
The same lesson explains one of the firm's policies. Elevate AI Consulting declines engagements where the primary goal is replacing employees with AI.
"I turn down work when the goal is replacing people. I'm proud to work with companies that are using AI to grow their businesses and hire more humans, not fewer."
Thiago E. Ferreira, in BizWeekly
When employees believe AI threatens their jobs, they hold back: they avoid testing new workflows and keep practical insights to themselves. Even capable tools fail when the people expected to use them don't trust the process.
Read the Full Feature
Key Takeaways
- AI adoption stalls because people are taught what AI can do, not how to work with it.
- Students over-trust AI output. Corporate teams under-trust themselves. Same tool, opposite problems.
- The fix is the same for both: build real things early, practice verification, and make it safe to make mistakes.
- Elevate AI Consulting declines projects whose primary goal is replacing employees with AI, because fear blocks adoption.
For more media coverage, podcast appearances, and credentials, visit our Citations & Media page.
About the author
Thiago E. Ferreira is Founder and CEO of Elevate AI Consulting and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami, where he teaches Human-Centered AI. He holds an MBA from IE Business School and is a Certified AI Consultant. See his full credentials or connect on LinkedIn.
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