Building an AI-Ready Organisation: Insights from March Roundtable

Since our tech discovery visit to OpenAI during the 2022 Silicon Valley Technology Summit, we have closely tracked the rapid evolution of Generative AI (GenAI). What has been fascinating is how quickly GenAI has transitioned from a specialist deep-tech innovation to a mainstream consumer tool. Many technological breakthroughs often take years to move from early adoption to widespread use or simply never quite achieve mass appeal. GenAI has made that leap incredibly quickly. In just a few years, it has shifted from an academic concept to a tool embedded in everyday applications, creating both opportunities and challenges for organisations trying to harness its potential.

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While many individuals have begun using AI tools in their personal lives, there still appears to be a gap between personal and widespread organisational adoption. This gap was a key driver for our March roundtable, bringing together digital consultants and leaders across our client base to share strategy insights, experiences and explore robust innovation pipeline strategies for successful AI adoption.

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Who Owns the AI Agenda?

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A central theme was the ownership of AI initiatives. Participants highlighted that many AI projects remain confined to IT and data teams, lacking sufficient involvement from leadership, operations and strategic decision-makers. While technical teams possess the expertise for deploying AI, they often miss the broader strategic perspective essential for ensuring long-term business value. Without clear leadership involvement, AI risks becoming just another isolated technology experiment rather than a strategic enabler of digital transformation.

Several participants strongly agreed:
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Meaningful AI adoption occurs best when there is shared ownership among technology leaders, business executives and operational teams. This collaboration ensures AI aligns with organisational objectives, incorporates modern agile approaches, and is properly governed and embedded within daily operations.

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The Importance of AI Literacy

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AI literacy emerged as another significant discussion point, particularly regarding leadership teams. Our partners at UptakeAI excel in helping business leaders improve their AI understanding. While IT teams actively pursue AI exploration, senior executives frequently express uncertainty about engaging strategically with AI, creating barriers to progress. Hesitations often stem from limited experimentation, making it challenging to distinguish realistic tech insights from hype, alongside concerns around ethical implications, regulatory compliance and workforce impact.

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Overcoming these barriers requires targeted investment in leadership AI education, supported by peer learning opportunities and structured training programs. The roundtable consensus was clear:

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AI literacy is no longer optional for leadership teams—it is essential for guiding digital and cloud transformation initiatives.

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AI Literacy + Technical Capability = Meaningful Progress

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While AI literacy is crucial, achieving meaningful progress also requires strong technical capabilities, such as resource augmentation to support internal teams and the development of custom web applications. For instance, we shared insights into how Ntegra built Nora, our internal AI assistant, leveraging Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Azure AI Studio. Nora provides secure, context-aware responses to employees, aligning closely with business needs and ensuring compliance and data security.

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This example reinforced a key takeaway from the discussion:

Organisations that pair AI-literate leadership with strong internal technical capability are making the most meaningful progress.

Leaders equipped with AI literacy set clear strategic directions, while technically skilled teams effectively translate these strategies into operational reality.

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Final Reflections: From Curiosity to Transformation

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The session concluded with a shared challenge: How do organisations move from AI curiosity to meaningful business transformation?

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‍The discussion made it clear that AI adoption cannot be left solely to IT teams, nor can it be driven by leadership without technical execution. Success depends on a partnership between leadership, technical teams and employees, ensuring AI is embedded into organisational strategy, properly governed and continuously supported.

Connect with Ben Parish to explore how we can support your AI adoption journey.

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