Hey there,
AI agents are now integrated in core workflows, not side projects, so a tight debrief is the fastest way to see where they add value and where they introduce risk.
A focused 15-minute review of incidents, metrics, and access lets you decide which agents stay live, which need limits, & which should remain pilot.
In this issue:
Playbook of the Day
How to Run a 15-Minute AI Agent Risk Debrief
Goal: Spot risky AI agent behavior early, strengthen governance, and keep deployments useful, not dangerous.
Who: COO/Head of Ops, security lead, and one AI/product owner per major AI-exposed workflow team.
Before the debrief (3 mins):
Each owner adds 2–3 bullets: which agents ran, what systems/data they touched, and any odd behaviors..
Host skims for red flags: over-permissioned agents, “agent washing,” fraud signals, or security incidents.
During the 15 minutes:
Today’s AI (4 mins): Each lead shares biggest win, biggest issue, & 1 risk signal. These should be recent.
Risks & Fixes (6 mins): Review the riskiest agents or workflows and assign one concrete containment step per issue (limit access, add logging, or pause) with a clear owner.
Tomorrow’s Plan (3 mins): Host recaps 3–5 to-do obligations: which agents stay live, which revert to pilot, and what audits (tools, data, or access) must happen next.
Rules: No new projects, no hype. Only real behavior, measurable impact, and whether agents are safe enough to keep in production.
Latest News
AI Guide for Operations Leaders in 2026⚙️
Published: 01/13/2026
Operations Council explains how AI is moving from experiments into core workflows that drive efficiency, throughput, and service, with operations the function most likely to increase AI use in 2026. AI is applied to automate tasks, improve scheduling, optimize resources, reduce manual handoffs, shorten cycle times, improve forecasts, and support frontline decisions.
Upside: For operations leaders, this is a direct opportunity AI as part of continuous improvement tied to KPIs, not as a side project. Integrating AI in a few existing processes, training teams, and improving data quality turns small gains in high-volume work into meaningful results across plants, service desks, and logistics.
Impact: With disciplined execution, AI becomes a tool for lasting productivity and resilience, not another stalled pilot. Operations leaders who standardize AI use, document results, and coordinate across functions are better positioned to scale what works and benchmark progress using the 2026 Corporate AI Outlook Study.
🧑💻 Agentic AI Gets a Gemini Enterprise Boost
Published: 01/20/26
CGI has expanded its global alliance with Google Cloud to roll out Gemini Enterprise, an agentic AI platform that lets teams discover, create, share, and run AI agents in one secure environment. The year-long deal will give tens of thousands of CGI consultants access to Gemini Enterprise and fund joint go‑to‑market work, internal training, hackathons, and scaled delivery through CGI’s global network.
Upside: CIOs and COOs get a partner to modernize data, embed agentic AI into mission‑critical operations, and use Gemini 3 and tools like Antigravity to turn pilots into measurable results, with 150+ alliances giving flexibility for existing stacks and sovereignty rules.
Impact: Treated as an execution engine, Gemini Enterprise can be a secure “front door to AI” that orchestrates complex work at scale; with CGI’s implementation discipline, clients can convert agentic AI into sustained productivity and innovation instead of one‑off experiments.
COOs Turn Operational Insight into Strategy 🧭
Published: 01/09/2026
2026 marks a significant point per the Operations Council, as COOs shift upstream into strategy by linking operations realities; capacity, risk, and customer delivery to every major decision. Urging the COOs to anchor strategy: roadmap AI/automation, use live core data over stagnant reports, prioritize sustainable supply chains, design hybrid team structures, refresh plans quarterly via live KPIs.
Upside: If you lean into this shift, HR tech can finally take the grunt work out of management by automating monitoring, basic coaching, and fairer evaluations based on real contribution rather than tenure or gut feel. That frees leaders to focus on the work only they can do, such as making contextual trade-offs, mentoring high-potential talent, and building psychological safety across teams.
Impact: COOs who follow this playbook can anchor corporate strategy in what the business can actually deliver under unstable conditions, using live data and operational insight to adjust plans quarterly instead of relying on stagnant, annual decks. This positions operations not as a expense center, but as a standard action for growth, adaptability, & board-level credibility.
Prompt of the Day
The COO Weekly Risk & Operations Radar
Trigger Event | Action | Use Case Example |
|---|---|---|
Start of the week. | One-page view of this week’s priorities, critical deadlines, and must-hit performance numbers. | Helps the COO see where to lean in early, spot overload, and rebalance focus before issues surface midweek. |
Before leadership/ops sync. | Curated decision pack: key topics, trade-offs, and cross-team dependencies that need alignment. | Keeps the meeting focused on 3–5 decisions, avoiding status noise and ensuring each item has a clear owner and next step. |
When a project feels “wobbly.” | Rapid health check with status, confidence level, and top 3 risks or blockers. | Gives leaders a fast signal on whether to intervene, re-scope, or add support before the project slips. |
After a surprising incident. | Tight incident brief with facts, customer/financial impact, and policy or process gaps exposed. | Turns surprises into learning loops, driving quick fixes and longer-term control changes instead of blame. |
Month-end / quarter-end planning. | Forward-looking capacity and risk view tied to upcoming goals and commitments. | Equips the COO to adjust staffing, budgets, or sequencing so the next 30–90 days are realistic and de-risked. |
Prompt
“Act as my ops early‑warning system. Using this snapshot of projects, metrics, and team signals, (1) rank the 3–5 execution risks most likely to derail our next 4 weeks, (2) spell out the earliest signs that each risk is starting to materialize, and (3) propose 2–3 specific actions or reassignments I can make today to reduce impact or likelihood.”
Consistent alignment of capabilities and internal processes with the customer value proposition is the core of any strategy execution.
One last Thing
Consistent, KPI-driven reviews can turn AI agents from ad hoc pilots into governed infrastructure that supports safer, faster, and more reliable operations.
Treat each debrief as a small governance checkpoint: confirm where agents are safe, useful, and aligned to KPIs, & adjust or roll back anything that is not.
Until next edition,
Chloe Rivers
Editor-in-Chief
COO Intelligence
P.S. Interested in sponsoring a future issue? Just reply to this email and I’ll send packages!