Artificial intelligence is accelerating at a pace that is outstripping organizational roadmaps. As capabilities grow and costs plummet, raw intelligence is no longer a scarce resource—it is becoming a commodity.
In this keynote, Jacey draws on production-grade examples from Pella Corporation, and beyond, to reveal what happens when AI is no longer a tool, but a teammate. From computer vision operating at scale to agentic systems that plan, decide, and act, we are entering an era where the most capable "thinker" and “doer” in the room is often silicon-based.
The challenge for leadership is no longer about acquiring the smartest tools—it’s about designing an enterprise capable of harnessing them. The winners of this era will not be those with the best algorithms, but those who build AI-ready platforms, govern autonomy without stifling speed, and intentionally redesign the very nature of work, teams, and human decision-making.
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## Session: When the Smartest in the Room is No Longer Human **Track:** General | **Time:** 9:25 AM–10:10 AM | **Room:** 220-230-240 | **Type:** Keynote **Conference:** CIRAS AI Summit for Iowa — May 6, 2026, Scheman Building, Iowa State University, Ames IA ### Speaker(s) **Jacey Heuer** — Head of AI & Data Science, Pella Corporation (Pella, IA) Jacey leads AI, Data Science and Advanced Analytics for Pella Corporation. Pella Corporation, based in the U.S, is one of North America’s largest manufacturers of premium windows and doors. Jacey is a storyteller who bridges the gap between the possible and the practical, fostering organizations to a future enabled by AI. Jacey holds master’s degrees from Iowa State University in business and data science. He carries strong AI & Advanced Analytics experience across many industries including manufacturing, e-commerce, energy, financial services and real estate. ### Session Description Artificial intelligence is accelerating at a pace that is outstripping organizational roadmaps. As capabilities grow and costs plummet, raw intelligence is no longer a scarce resource—it is becoming a commodity. In this keynote, Jacey draws on production-grade examples from Pella Corporation, and beyond, to reveal what happens when AI is no longer a tool, but a teammate. From computer vision operating at scale to agentic systems that plan, decide, and act, we are entering an era where the most capable "thinker" and “doer” in the room is often silicon-based. The challenge for leadership is no longer about acquiring the smartest tools—it’s about designing an enterprise capable of harnessing them. The winners of this era will not be those with the best algorithms, but those who build AI-ready platforms, govern autonomy without stifling speed, and intentionally redesign the very nature of work, teams, and human decision-making. ### Suggested prompts for this session - "What questions should I prepare to ask the speaker(s) at this session?" - "Create a structured note-taking template for this session focused on actionable takeaways" - "Based on this session description, what background reading should I do to get the most value?" - "After I attend, help me create an action plan for implementing what I learned" - "How does this session connect to the other sessions in the General track?"