Above the Noise

Above the Noise is the advisory and media practice of Phil Komarny, based in Crested Butte, Colorado. The premise is simple. Every organization is drowning in AI noise. Vendor pitches. Hype cycles. Pilots that never ship. Above the Noise exists to cut through it and get leaders to signal: what to build, what to buy, what to ignore, and how to treat data as a strategic asset instead of a cost center. The practice runs on three lines of work. Advisory. Direct engagement with presidents, boards, and executive teams on AI strategy, data sovereignty, and governance. Not slideware. Working sessions that end with an operating model, a data strategy, and a build plan. The core thesis is what I call The Flip: the SaaS era rented you software and kept your data. The AI era inverts that. You own the intelligence layer. Your vendors become interchangeable. I help leadership teams make that flip without burning the place down. Speaking and workshops. Keynotes and hands-on sessions for boards, cabinets, and system offices on AI in the enterprise, with deep specialization in higher education. Recent work spans university systems, statewide boards, and executive networks including the Chief AI Officer Network, which I co-founded. Writing and media. The Above the Noise blog and podcast at philk.ai, read by leaders navigating the same shift. No hype. Short sentences. Real builds. The background behind the practice: VP of Innovation at Salesforce. CEO of Robots & Pencils, which grew 3,400% on my watch. CIO roles across higher education. Currently Chief Future Officer at Maryville University, where my team ships AI-native systems in production, not in decks. I advise on what I actually build. If you want another AI thought leader, there are plenty. If you want someone who has shipped, this is the practice.