PwC’s Rima Safari on OpenAI, Agentic AI & Enterprise Adoption

Enterprise AI adoption is moving beyond copilots and isolated pilots toward agentic AI embedded across business workflows. Rima Safari, PwC Partner and US Data, Analytics and AI Practice Leader, joins Victoria Durgin to discuss how enterprise AI strategies are changing, what companies need to move AI into production, and how PwC’s expanding alliance with OpenAI is helping organizations rethink business processes. Safari explains why security, governance, enterprise data, operating-model change, and executive sponsorship are increasingly critical as organizations pursue measurable returns from AI. She also discusses the growing importance of modular AI architectures, token economics, AI-native workflows, and ecosystems built around humans working alongside agents. Timestamps: 00:00 – Why enterprise AI adoption requires more than technology 01:03 – How the enterprise AI market is changing 02:14 – Four barriers to scaling AI into production 04:08 – Moving from AI tools to AI-driven business operations 05:38 – Why AI time savings are not always becoming cost savings 07:02 – PwC’s evolving relationship with OpenAI 08:09 – From AI assistants to redesigned workflows 08:35 – Why the PwC-OpenAI alliance matters 10:26 – Building AI architectures for rapid technology change 11:09 – Data modernization, governance and AI ROI 14:00 – The gap between AI innovation and enterprise adoption 15:52 – Why executives need to see production AI in action 16:29 – What enterprise AI adoption could look like in 2027 17:23 – Humans and AI agents reshape enterprise ecosystems 18:28 – Why token economics could become a CIO discipline 19:59 – PwC and OpenAI expand their partnership 20:24 – How the OpenAI center of excellence will support production AI