Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at the Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [2:11] Chris Perry breaks down the hype versus reality of AI 
• [6:00] How AI will eliminate, reshape, or hybridize roles rather than boost productivity
• [10:43] Step zero for AI adoption: experimenting with tools to build comfort and intuition
• [20:03] Navigating organizational restrictions, security concerns, and uncertainty around AI usage
• [26:10] The emerging workforce categories created by AI, including displaced, reskilled, fractional, and AI-native roles
• [33:49] How continuous learning, community conversations, and humility sustain relevance in AI-driven environments

In this episode…

AI has sparked excitement, fear, and confusion across the digital and commerce landscape. Leaders are pushing adoption, teams are unsure of how to respond, and individuals are left wondering what it implies for their careers. How can professionals prepare for an AI-driven future without being left behind?

Commerce and digital transformation leader Chris Perry notes that professionals can manage AI’s impact by taking ownership of their learning. He urges professionals to start by experimenting with AI tools, then applying them to eliminate tedious tasks and elevate strategic thinking. By asking intentional questions, understanding the tools required for the work, and reshaping your role, AI can enhance, rather than replace, your value. 

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Chris Perry, Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, about how AI is reshaping work and careers. Chris discusses the hype of AI, practical first steps for adoption, and how professionals can reskill to stay indispensable.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn
• BWG Connect
• Chris Perry: LinkedIn | Email
• firstmovr: Website | Email
• Oskar Kaszubski: LinkedIn | Email
• What Color Is Your Parachute?: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success by Richard N. Bolles 
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins

Quotable Moments:

• “There is a lot of hype around AI, but also less positive forecasting for what that means for work.”
• “AI plus human equals Super Mario. Mario plus mushroom equals fire Mario.”
• “One plus one can equal three. It’s not to totally remove all jobs.”
• “Don’t then go, ‘oh, the tool stinks.’ No, you stink because you don’t know how to use it.”
• “Be so good they can’t ignore you. Be indispensable because you’ve figured out how to add immense value.”

Action Steps:

1. Start using AI tools in low-risk, personal ways: Experimenting with AI outside of work builds comfort and confidence without fear of making mistakes. This hands-on familiarity makes it easier to apply AI effectively in professional settings later.
2. Learn how to ask better questions with AI: Strong prompts lead to better outputs, making AI far more useful for real work. Developing this skill helps you move beyond surface-level results and unlock meaningful productivity gains.
3. Identify and automate your most tedious tasks: Removing repetitive, low-value work frees up time for strategic thinking and higher-impact contributions. This shift makes your role more valuable and harder to replace.
4. Clarify which AI tools are approved at your organization. Understanding which tools you’re allowed to use reduces hesitation and inaction. Clear boundaries empower experimentation while minimizing risk.
5. Proactively evolve your role with AI in mind: Adapt your responsibilities before change is imposed, putting you in control of your career path. This approach helps ensure AI enhances your impact rather than diminishing it.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.