Inside the Agentic Era: How Enterprises Can Thrive Amid AI Agent Sprawl w/ Tim Crawford, CIO Strategic Advisor at AVOA

In this episode of AI Realized, Tim Crawford, founder and CIO of Avoa, joins the show to unpack the realities of enterprise AI deployment. Tim dives into the rise of AI agent sprawl, clears up common misconceptions between chatbots and AI agents, and underscores the critical role of governance frameworks in managing AI at scale. He explores the cultural, technical, and strategic shifts required for organizations to adopt agentic AI effectively—and shares why the next 1–3 years will be pivotal in shaping how humans and AI agents collaborate. From orchestration layers to digital agents, this conversation offers a forward-looking roadmap for enterprise leaders navigating the agentic era.

00:00 Introduction to AI Realized Podcast

00:47 Meet Tim Crawford: Influential CIO and AI Expert

01:53 The Rise of AI Agents

04:20 AI Agent Sprawl: Challenges and Solutions

08:17 Governance Frameworks for AI Agents

10:33 Misconceptions About AI Agents

13:49 Future of Human-AI Agent Interaction

18:22 Conclusion and Future Events