Monday Morning AI: Weighing Cost and Innovation

Brad Hintze, Executive VP, Global Marketing, Crestron Electronics

Let me tell you a secret – a little insider tip that could make you the company hero this budget season. It’s a simple technology strategy that earns executive buy-in and delivers real ROI from day one.

So, what’s the secret? It’s an idea I call Monday morning AI.

Monday morning AI

You’ve seen the headlines. Companies are touting AI solutions, making big promises, bold claims, and declaring their tools as the future of work.

Monday morning AI isn’t that.

The secret isn’t chasing moonshots. It’s delivering real, practical AI – not for how we want to work in the future, but for how we work right now.

It’s about creating experiences where your CEO walks into a conference room on a Monday morning, and without changing a single behavior, AI adds value to their workflows.

Maybe you’ve already had a taste of this experience. My favorite AI enhancements create these small moments of delight that still surprise me.

Like when my monthly PR planning call ends and – without lifting a finger – I get a meeting summary with action items delivered straight to my inbox.

Or when I’ve had a great conversation on an industry podcast and I want to revisit key insights. I don’t have to remember who said what or take notes in real time. I just drop the transcript into an AI chat tool, and it pulls out the insights I need.

I even used that same process to write this article. I uploaded the transcript from the AVIXA Vision 2030 panel I participated in, and Microsoft 365® Copilot helped me surface this quote:

“People will move for an experience ... they’ll sit in traffic for Taylor Swift. They’ll come to the office if it’s worth it.”

 —Jason Antinori, TELUS

Jason is exactly right. Monday morning AI is about creating a better modern work experience. It’s about making meetings worth it.

How do we achieve Monday morning AI, you ask? That is the real secret ...

What does a modern Monday morning look like?

I’m going to make a prediction about you.

Stop reading this right now and glance at your calendar. I predict that over 30% of your week is filled with meetings.

Pretty close, right?

According to Forbes, U.S. employees spend at least 20% of their workweek in meetings, with senior executives spending up to 35% of their time in them.

That leaves 65% of the week at your desk. And here’s what’s happening there: if your organization isn’t providing AI tools to individuals, they’re finding their own. I call it BYO-AI – Bring Your Own AI.

Once employees experience the benefits of AI at their desks – whether it’s summarizing notes, drafting emails, or analyzing data – they start expecting the same level of support in meetings. That 35% of their time spent collaborating in meetings needs to deliver just as much value.

The good news? You don’t need to burn your budget building your own AI models to meet those expectations. If your organization is already standardized on Microsoft Teams® or Zoom® software, you’re in a great position. These video conferencing platforms are rolling out powerful AI features – like intelligent meeting recaps, action item tracking, and real-time transcription – that can be activated with the right licensing.

Now, those expectations that were set due to BYO-AI can continue into the meeting room.

But it can’t happen without my favorite branch of technology – AV.

High-quality AV is an investment in AI

AI in the meeting room is a great idea in theory, but without high-quality AV in the room, that Monday morning AI experience might cause problems.

The secret is, AI needs clean, accurate inputs to function well. If your microphones are low quality, they might miss key phrases or misinterpret what’s said. That could mean inaccurate summaries, missed action items, or worse, miscommunication at the executive level.

A great AV system also transforms hybrid meetings. Your CEO will immediately notice clearer audio and better-framed video. Remote participants will feel more included. Everyone will collaborate more effectively. And AI tools will finally have the high-fidelity inputs they need to deliver real value.

This is the recipe for Monday morning AI.

Cost vs. innovation: You can have both

What this all boils down to is a practical strategy for pursuing your AI roadmap without burning your budget on custom models and moonshot tactics.

Invest in great AV systems for your meeting rooms in 2026. You’ll immediately improve hybrid meeting experiences across your organization. And you’ll be setting the stage for AI today and into the future.

By investing in AV systems that integrate, evolve, and support both edge and cloud AI, you’re balancing cost and innovation. You’re setting your organization up to continuously gain new value from existing investments, rather than ripping and replacing every time a new capability comes along.

Then, when you’re ready, revisit your Microsoft Teams or Zoom software licensing. Add AI features at your own pace. And under the umbrella of these trusted platforms, you can feel confident in your security posture.

Be the hero

This is your moment to lead.

Invest in AI enablers like high-quality AV. Create the Monday morning AI experience – real, reliable, and impressive. And become the hero your organization needs.

As Jason Antinori reminded us:

“They’ll come to the office if it’s worth it.”

Let’s make it worth it.