The Role of Human Experiences (HX) in GenAI Adoption

My lightning talk at the Salesforce Design Days '25, the hybrid design conference, Oct 9-10, 2025. In this talk, based on my doctoral research on the Theory of Cognitive Chasms, I describe how elements of human experiences (or, "HX") play a critical role in the success of GenAI adoptions. I call HX as the gyroscope of GenAI Adoption.

1. The Role of
Human Experiences
(“HX”) in GenAI Adoption
Dr. Tathagat Varma
“Theory of Cognitive Chasms: A Grounded Theory of GenAI Adoption”©, 2025
Executive Fellow, Indian School of Business (ISB), India
Walmart Global Tech, USA

2. Personal Views:
My presentation,
comments, and opinions
are provided in my
personal capacity and not
as a representative of
Walmart. They do not
reflect the views of
Walmart and are not
endorsed by Walmart.
Disclaimer
Research Based:
Key ideas are based on
my doctoral research
titled “Theory of
Cognitive Chasms: A
Grounded Theory of
GenAI Adoption”, ©
2025. Available  https://
eprints.exchange.isb.ed
u/id/eprint/2340/

3. GenAI evolution continues…
Questions to ask:
•Is a bigger LLM
necessarily
better?
•Is exceeding
human
performance
levels enough?
•Is “AI technology”
sufficient for
successful
adoption?

4. The GenAI Divide: State of AI in
Business 2025, MIT NANDA
Despite $30–40 billion in enterprise
investment into GenAI, 95% of
organizations are getting zero return.
Just 5% of integrated AI pilots are extracting
millions in value, while the vast majority
remain stuck with no measurable P&L
impact. This divide does not seem to be
driven by model quality or regulation, but
seems to be determined by approach. 
The observed phenomenon
Then (2019-22) Now (2025)

5. Describe
“What are the
drivers and barriers
to a successful
adoption?”
What are the antecedents, moderators,
and consequents of successful AI
adoptions?
My Research Questions…
Explain
“Why do most
GenAI adoptions
fail?”
How do we explain why most GenAI
adoption initiatives seem to fail and
use these learnings to predict future
outcomes?
Predict
“How can a firm
improve its GenAI
adoption journey?”
How does studying the failure modes
improve our understanding of GenAI
adoption?

6. Theory of Cognitive Chasms(c)
A Grounded Theory of GenAI Adoption
“Human Experiences”
(“HX”)

7. SkillsMindsets
Human Experiences (HX)
Values Capabilities Outcomes

8. Successful GenAI adoptions are
associated with designing solutions that
preserve human agency by offering
human oversight, control and
judgment.
•Oversight: Human In the Loop
•Controls: The “Kill” Button
•Judgment: Do the right thing!
Values
Values

9. Cognitive Mindsets are the
attitudes and beliefs about learning,
purpose, decision-making, and
human agency are positively
associated with successful GenAI
adoptions.
Cognitive Mindsets are sequential
and accretive.
Each mindset is described using
three principles.
Mindsets
Mindsets

10. •Cognitive Collaboration: The skills
and abilities needed for humans to
accept agentic AI as co-workers
participating in decision-making
working together on problem-
solving. The “New Division of Labor”!
•Algorithmic Problem Solving:
Humans and AI collaborate using
data-centric probabilistic algorithms,
including ensemble approach, to
complete a task, or make a decision.
Skills
Skills

11. Cognitive Decision Making: This
is the organizational capability to
make data-informed and
algorithmically curated
decisions based on emergent
and pervasive learning, leading
to the cognitive empowerment of
humans and agents in roles that
involve cognitive collaboration.
Capabilities
Capabilities

12. •Productivity: How can I use
GenAI to do my job faster, better,
cheaper?
•Experiences: How does using
GenAI affect my experiences?
•Identity: What does being a
human mean in an AI-world?
•Social Good: How does using AI
create a future that’s good for the
whole society?
Outcomes
Outcomes

13. Outcomes
Capabilities
Skills
Mindsets
HX of GenAI Adoption
Values

14. •AI is a “general purpose
technology” that can already do
many things now or in the near
future. However, should it do it all?
•GenAI is a potent technology, and
Agentic AI might be even better…
but is that sufficient for successful
adoption?
•Human Experiences (EX) is the
gyroscope of GenAI adoption -
they keep the boat steady while it
navigates choppy waters!
Recap

15. My book…

16. Theory of Cognitive Chasms: A Grounded Theory of GenAI Adoption: My doctoral dissertation at
Indian School of Business (ISB): https://eprints.exchange.isb.edu/id/eprint/2340/  
PhD Colloquium at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB), Dec 2024: https://
www.youtube.com/live/UBmkl7Vpr0Q?si=lqw2JJUVhUI8cWL7
Cognitive Chasms: A Typology of GenAI Failure Modes: My talk at Walmart: https://
www.slideshare.net/slideshow/cognitive-chasms-a-typology-of-genai-failure-failure-modes/279832748
Theory of Cognitive Chasms: Lecture at Sam Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas:
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/theory-of-cognitive-chasms-failure-modes-of-genai-adoption/
278463456
GenAI Value Spectrum – delivering the “true value” from GenAI initiatives: Keynote at IEEE
Bangalore Technology Conference (BTC) 2024: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/genai-value-
spectrum-delivering-the-true-value-from-genai-initiatives/273734671
The role of Cognitive Mindset in GenAI Adoption: Invited talk at Project Management Institute (PMI)
Bangalore Chapter Footprints:  https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/the-role-of-cognitive-mindset-in-
genai-adoption-pdf/274055306
Managing Fast-Evolving GenAI Adoptions : Invited Keynote at Siemens Agile Conference
2024:  https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/managing-fast-evolving-genai-technology-adoptions/
273470070
References