As AI moves from pilots to production, I&O constraints increasingly determine whether AI initiatives can start, be trusted and scale cost‑effectively. This session explains why not all I&O technical debt affects AI equally and how treating I&O constraints as AI execution risk — rather than routine cleanup — enables better prioritization and sequencing of remediation. Heads of I&O will learn how to identify which issues block AI entirely, distort outcomes, or quietly erode ROI and what to address first to deliver sustained AI value.