It's hard to keep up with the rapid AI developments and then determine which changes actually matter for your business. You have to know how generative AI works and understand the fundamental shift before you can assess potential impacts – both positive and negative.

Many organisations either rush into implementing AI without direction or freeze in uncertainty, unsure where to begin or afraid to make a mistake. Or they start an AI programme that fades away before it delivers any business value. All the while, it can feel like everyone else is already ahead in the AI game.

The truth is, the ‘age of AI’ has only just begun. If you want your organisation to succeed, you need a structured process to help you understand how generative AI works, what the change is really all about, properly assess your current situation and capabilities, determine where you need to head and then develop a clear roadmap for AI adoption that aligns with your overall strategy.

You need an AI strategy that shows you where you need to go and why, with a roadmap that explains what you need to do and when.

AI leadership challenges

Most senior leadership teams are struggling with critical questions about AI transformation, often falling into the trap of seeing AI as a way to do the same things faster, rather than reimagining what's possible.

The true potential of AI transformation is not about accelerating or automating existing processes—it's about fundamentally rethinking what your business does and how it creates value.

The challenging questions you need to ask are:

• How will your industry be fundamentally reshaped by AI, not just incrementally improved?

• Which AI opportunities or risks require you to reimagine what you do, not just enhance efficiency?

• What's your current AI capability? How do you increase AI literacy and maturity to spot risks and harness new opportunities?

• How do you move beyond automating existing processes to creating entirely new value propositions?

• What makes generative AI different to previous waves of disruption?

Tom Hovey’s collaborative and creative approach helps your teams explore these questions and shift from confusion to transformation. Tom uses experience, structured workshops, imagination and strategic analysis to provide clear advice on the right direction for your business.

This enables you to make informed AI investments that enable you to thrive in a rapidly shifting and competitive landscape that’s expanding with new possibilities.

AI policy challenges

Many organisations have developed an AI policy – that’s good. However, many of these policies were developed when generative AI was new and misunderstood. If your AI policy restricts your teams from using AI at work, it’s time to revisit the policy. Your policy should be permissive of AI usage, include guardrails and guidance on what ‘good’ looks like, and go hand-in-glove with AI training to increase literacy and reduce risks.

There is now genuine, independent research that demonstrates that people working with AI are more productive, more engaged with work, happier, and produce higher quality work. If your policy prohibits the use of AI in your organisation, you will eventually be left behind.