When Rob Purinton became chief AI officer at Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth in January 2025, he assumed first-year success would be defined by establishing governance and credibility.
Instead, he found the real work was translating enthusiasm into measurable outcomes.
“In practice, it became about moving the organization ‘from vibes to value,’” Mr. Purinton told Becker’s. “Interest in AI was already there. The real work was converting that interest into accountability for outcomes by making fewer, clearer bets tied to measurable improvements in experience and time given back for patient care.”
One of the biggest surprises, he said, was that the complexity of AI adoption in healthcare is often organizational — not technical.
“AI moves fast. Health systems move deliberately,” Mr. Purinton said. “The technology accelerates on its own. The hard part is redesigning how teams work, how decisions get made, and how incentives align so that caregivers and patients benefit.”
At AdventHealth, that meant starting small, quantifying benefits and scaling only what works.
“We learned to start small, quantify benefits, and scale only what works,” he said.
His view of governance also evolved. Early on, he saw it primarily as a brake on fast-moving technology. Over time, he said, he came to see governance as a form of strategic steering — one that helps leaders decide where speed creates advantage and where it introduces risk.
“AI universally compresses time, so leadership’s job is to hunt for bottlenecks and constraints, then deliberately decide where to slow down and where speed creates advantage,” Mr. Purinton said. “Governance should steer AI investment, not stall it.”
Ultimately, he said, AI leadership is about building sustainable teams — not choosing the perfect platform.
“The most important lesson is that AI leadership is ultimately about people and sustainability,” he said. “Hiring teams with an AI-first mindset matters more than any single platform decision.”
He added that AI-first work can be intense, and without intentional pauses for recovery and reflection, speed can backfire.
“Without intentional pauses for recovery and reflection, speed turns into noise rather than advantage,” he said.
At AdventHealth, he said, the goal is to deploy AI in a way that supports clinicians and strengthens human connection.
“We carefully integrate AI to create more space for human connection, deliver evidence-based outcomes and help people feel whole in body, mind and spirit,” Mr. Purinton said.
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