Most executives frame AI as a far-off concept. Chris Calitz has been living it for twenty years. His career has taken him through healthcare, startups, and social impact projects, giving him a rare vantage point on how technology transforms entire industries. Today, he’s COO at DataMind Audio, where he’s building generative AI tools for music creators, while also leading Amplify Impact, a consultancy that helps organizations embrace AI in ways that stay true to their values.
Seeing AI More Than Just Another Tech Trend
Calitz has seen plenty of business fads come and go during his two decades in strategy and operations. AI feels different to him. “AI isn’t just a tool set, it’s a mindset shift,” he says, and he’s not talking about replacing people with robots. His approach centers on what he calls being “AI augmented but human led,” which sounds professional until you see how he actually applies it. At DataMind Audio, they’re not just building another AI product. They’re mapping emerging subcultures in music production and sound design across film, television, and gaming. It’s the kind of niche work that most companies ignore because it’s too complicated to track manually. But Calitz found that AI research tools can spot patterns that traditional market research completely misses.
Use AI To Generate Insight At The Edge
Most market research focuses on what everyone else is already doing. Calitz goes the opposite direction. “AI research tools are effective at surfacing edge insights, not just the averages,” he explains, talking about how tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity help him find opportunities hiding in plain sight. This isn’t theoretical for him. At DataMind Audio, they use these insights to enter niche markets with precision instead of fighting for scraps in oversaturated spaces. While competitors chase mainstream trends, his team is already setting up shop in markets that barely exist yet. It’s a different way of thinking about competitive advantage.
Scale Operations Without The Burnout
Ask any operations executive about their biggest challenge, and they’ll probably mention the same thing: everything takes too long. Calitz found a way around this problem by using AI to eliminate what he calls “execution drag.” His team uses AI-powered tools for investor decks and automated stakeholder scans, tasks that used to eat up weeks. “I’ve used AI tools to compress weeks of work into hours, freeing up my schedule and my team’s bandwidth to focus on innovation, not admin,” he shares. The savings add up fast. Instead of spending days formatting presentations or researching stakeholders, his team can focus on the work that actually moves the business forward. It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter.
Amplify Your Strategy With Data-Driven Storytelling
Good ideas die in bad presentations every day. Calitz has seen it happen too often, so he started using AI to change how his teams communicate their impact. At Amplify Impact, they create what he calls “AI enhanced narratives and roadmaps” that actually resonate with audiences. The approach combines visual dashboards with strategic communications, turning dry data into compelling stories. “When storytelling becomes both data-rich and dynamic, teams move faster with confidence,” Calitz notes. It’s the difference between showing someone a spreadsheet and showing them a story that happens to be backed by solid data.
He doesn’t recommend that companies try to transform everything at once. He’s seen too many AI initiatives fail because leaders bit off more than they could chew. “Whether you’re an early stage company or a legacy organization, the key is starting small with one meaningful use case and scaling from there,” he advises. This measured approach lets teams learn without risking everything on unproven technology. Pick one problem, solve it well with AI, then expand from there. It’s basic change management, but most companies skip this step and wonder why their AI projects don’t work.
Calitz believes the real opportunity comes when companies combine strategy, systems, and purpose with AI capabilities. “When strategy, systems and purpose meet AI, you’re not just keeping pace, you’re building what is next,” he says. It’s not about the technology itself, it’s about what becomes possible when you use it thoughtfully.
Connect with Chris Calitz on LinkedIn to explore his work at the intersection of AI, strategy, and impact.
