Artificial intelligence can potentially transform businesses and societies, but many organisations struggle to implement AI technologies effectively. One solution to help accelerate AI adoption is identifying and empowering "AI champions" within organisations.

AI champions are employees who are passionate about the potential of AI and act as a catalyst in their companies to integrate AI successfully. They can help in several ways:

  • Identifying use cases. AI champions are closely familiar with their companies' products, services, and processes. This puts them in a great position to spot opportunities where AI could drive real value. They can help identify promising use cases and applications of AI that could benefit their organizations.
  • Educating others. There is still a lot of mystery and confusion surrounding AI, its capabilities, and its limitations. AI champions can help educate their colleagues about what AI is, how it works, and its potential applications and benefits for their industry and company. This education and awareness building is crucial to gaining buy-in and adoption.
  • Experimenting. The best way to learn how AI can help is by experimenting. AI champions can help run pilot projects and experiments applying AI to problems to see what works well and what doesn't. They can closely monitor experiments and share lessons learned to determine how to implement the best AI going forward.
  • Addressing challenges. The process of implementing AI will inevitably surface challenges, issues, and blockers. AI champions can help address these challenges, such as data gaps or regulations around data and AI use. Their passion and expertise can help companies figure out solutions to implement AI.

In summary, AI champions can help blaze the trail for AI adoption at their organizations by identifying opportunities, educating colleagues, running experiments, and addressing challenges. Identifying and supporting AI champions is a simple but effective strategy to accelerate the integration of AI and realize its potential to transform businesses.