On this page, you’ll find a curated collection of key takeaways and analyst insights that capture the spirit and substance of this roundtable event. We invite you to dive in and experience the bold, unfiltered thinking that defines HFS Research.

Highlights from this executive roundtable

HFS Research and Publicis Sapient convened senior executives for a private, C-level discussion focused on the growing impact of tech debt on enterprise performance and transformation.

Participants explored findings from HFS Research and Publicis Sapient research, showing that Global 2000 organizations are carrying an estimated $1.5–2 trillion in tech debt, creating significant barriers to growth, innovation, and operational agility.

The conversation examined how AI is emerging as a powerful catalyst for modernization, enabling organizations to analyze, rewrite, and transform legacy systems at a pace that traditional approaches cannot match. Leaders also discussed why resolving tech debt is becoming an essential prerequisite for realizing the promise of Agentic AI.

What we heard

Several themes emerged throughout the discussion:

  • Tech debt has become a business issue, not just a technology issue. Leaders agreed that accumulated tech debt is increasingly constraining growth, innovation, customer experience, and operating performance, elevating it to a board-level concern.
  • AI is changing the economics of modernization. Participants discussed how AI-driven approaches can accelerate system analysis, code transformation, and modernization efforts that were previously too costly or complex to execute at scale.
  • Agentic AI requires stronger foundations. Organizations cannot achieve autonomy, resilience, or enterprise-scale intelligence while operating on unstable, fragmented technology environments.
  • Modernization is as much an operating model challenge as a technology challenge. Successful transformation requires alignment across technology, operations, finance, and business leadership.
  • The future points toward Services-as-Software™. Leaders explored how organizations are moving beyond labor-centric delivery models toward more intelligent, software-driven approaches that enable continuous reinvention and value creation.

Scenes from the Roundtable

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Executive interviews: Perspectives that push the conversation further

We captured four dynamic interviews that continue the roundtable’s bold conversation. 

AI can fix tech debt but it might also create more

Saurabh Gupta, President at HFS Research, speaks with Amardeep Setty, Director – Global IS – Customer Experience, at Nissan Motor Corporation, and Pinak Kiran Vedalankar, Group VP Technology & International Head of Engineering at Publicis Sapient, about what it really takes to become “AI-ready.” The discussion goes beyond technology to focus on mindset, governance, data readiness, and the shift toward new operating models.

Tech debt isn’t legacy anymore: What it really means for CPG

Helen Merriott, SVP, EMEA & APAC Industry Lead Consumer Products at Publicis Sapient, talks with David Cushman, Executive Research Leader at HFS Research, about how tech debt is evolving, shifting from old infrastructure to more complex challenges across supply chains, SaaS ecosystems, and emerging AI-driven architectures.

AI won’t fix your legacy problem alone

Mike Hobday, Senior Advisor at HFS Research, speaks with Sudeepto Mukherjee, EVP International Markets Lead at Publicis Sapient, about the reality behind legacy modernization. While AI tools are helping enterprises better understand and untangle complex systems, the real challenge goes beyond technology.

Tech debt is about to be solved faster than you think

Steve Dunkerley at HFS Research, speaks with David Cushman, Executive Research Leader at HFS Research, about how AI and autonomous workflows are transforming the way enterprises tackle tech debt. From automating business analysis to enabling end-to-end transformation, the shift is moving faster than many expected.

What’s next?

As organizations accelerate AI adoption, the challenge is no longer whether to modernize, but how quickly they can reduce the burden of tech debt while preparing for an Agentic AI future.

HFS is exploring these themes with industry leaders as enterprises rethink modernization strategies, operating models, and technology investments to support the next generation of intelligent operations. Let’s connect if you’d like to discuss the insights from this roundtable or your organization’s AI transformation journey. We’d welcome the conversation.

This roundtable was produced in collaboration with Publicis Sapient.

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