A Crash Course In AI Readiness

By Larry English, Andersen Alumnus, President and cofounder of Centric Consulting and author of Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams. To learn more about him, visit www.LarryEnglish.net

AI is a transformative technology—if organizations can implement it strategically. It’s up to leaders to understand AI, be able to analyze and act upon the insights it provides and boldly imagine a new future.

Although successfully implementing AI in business requires a new way of thinking, at the end of the day, it’s a tool like any other. Below, I pulled some of my top tips for AI readiness from my Forbes column.

How to Implement AI in Business

First, some reassurance. If your company struggles with how to implement AI, you’re in good company. One survey found that 94% of leaders have “tech anxiety” following the emergence of AI. Leaders are worried about the rapid pace of technological change and what it means for their business models and workflows. In other words, will we ever be able to catch up?

Yes—if you can fast-track your organization’s AI readiness. Here’s how:

1. Focus on the fundamentals. Understanding your core capabilities and differentiators will guide you in:

• Knowing where to invest to enable a competitive advantage.
• Developing a strategic roadmap grounded in a realistic vision for your organization’s future.

2. If you’re not in the cloud, now’s the time. AI requires vast storage and compute abilities. Having your data in a cloud is table stakes for AI. More on data below.

3. Get AI literate. To begin envisioning how AI can transform your organization, you need an AI literacy crash course. Leaders and employees alike need to understand the basics of AI and its capabilities. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s not a silver bullet. And it definitely extends far beyond ChatGPT.

4. Reenvision the future. AI has the potential to change everything. How can the technology change how your do work? Your products and services? How you deliver products and services?

5. Embrace the experimentation phase. AI has big disruptive potential. We’re all still figuring out how to implement AI in business, and likely will be for some time.

For more on fast-tracking AI readiness: Caught Off Guard By AI? Here’s How Your Company Can Catch Up. (forbes.com)

Data Governance for AI: Think Big, Start Small

The big hurdle for companies getting on board AI is data. Feed AI systems bad data, you’ll get bad results. And most companies do not have their data in order. Data governance isn’t nearly as exciting or flashy as AI, but it does form the foundation of any successful AI project.

Fixing your organization’s data and creating a data governance for AI strategy may be a huge undertaking. But you don’t have to get it all in order before embarking on an AI implementation journey. Here’s how to take an incremental approach to data governance for AI that lets you get started on AI now while creating a solid strategy for data moving forward:

1. Pick a use case. What’s a major business mandate AI can help with? Where do you have proprietary or third-party data that can be mined for AI? What’s the state of the data you’ll be working with?

2. Clean up the data required for that use case. Your data doesn’t have to be perfect to start creating value from AI, but you do need to understand its flaws before you leverage it.

3. Create your data governance for AI strategy. While you’re exploring and preparing your initial AI use case, begin creating an overarching framework and strategy for data governance for AI. Moving forward, how will you collect, maintain and secure data throughout your entire organization?

For more on data governance for AI: Fix Your Data, Win At AI. Here’s How To Get Started. (forbes.com)

Minimize AI’s Security Risks With AI Governance

Another major component to AI implementation is making sure you’re appreciating and preparing for the risks involved with the technology. To prepare for the security implications of AI, you need an AI governance strategy that includes:

1. Company-wide security awareness. Employees need to be aware of the security risks associated with AI and its data. Comprehensive and ongoing training must cover policies, guidelines and best practices around AI use.

2. Clear AI guardrails. Your AI governance plan should promote the responsible and ethical use of AI tools. Designate a cross-functional AI governance committee that can define AI guidelines and best practices, establish a decision-making process for using AI and auditing AI tool usage.

3. Regular AI risk assessments. Frequent penetration testing is a must. Leaders must keep close tabs on tech investments and build in tools that screen and flag AI-generated content in communication to prevent phishing and other scams.

For more on security and AI and AI governance: AI And Security: Is Your Organization Ready? (forbes.com)

In conclusion, AI is a transformative technology. Leaders that figure out how to implement AI in business and keep pace with a rapidly evolving world will be ahead of the curve.