10 Steps To Corporate AI Adoption

Forbes

3 days ago

Flat illustration of business people carry AI processing chip embracing artificial intelligence for ... More work success
Last week, Shopify CEO, Tobi Lütke sent an email to all staff ordering them to prove they "cannot get what they want done using AI" before asking for extra hires. The email, extolling the virtues of AI adoption, came on top of reported layoffs of 14% in 2022, a further 20% in 2023, and 2.5% in December 2024. It set out a clear "AI first" manifesto requiring that staff train and use LLMs (Large Learning Models like Chat GPT) in their daily work, put AI at the heart of software development, and have AI usage and competence included in performance reviews.
No doubt, Tobi's intention was to set a new reality for the firm, encouraging people to embrace AI. But put yourself in the shoes of the average Shopify employee—how inspired and enthusiastic might you feel reading this email?
When people have been thinking and doing things in a particular way over and over for years, organizational practices, cultural norms, processes, methods, and structures become deeply ingrained in their brains as part of their "mental model of the world." Neural pathways form and a sort of tribal addiction ensues. Brains crave safety and consistency because learning new ways is metabolically expensive, and the brain has plenty to do without managing yet another new challenge.
So when the brain is confronted by dramatic change, its first reaction is to say "no" and try to avoid the change—because it's much easier to keep doing things the way they've always been done.
Right now, most brains that read the press, engage with social media, or watch TV have been given the impression that AI is a worrisome technology that might even take their jobs away. So the brain's reaction is to reject and resist.
I suspect the brains at Shopify will now be in total resistance mode because Tobi's email will have created an existential threat in the minds of company employees, making his laudable ambition much harder to achieve.
In my article Corporate AI Adoption May Fail If Education Doesn't Keep Up, I suggested that AI isn't a technology challenge—it's a culture and behavioral challenge.
In this article, I've set out 10 people-centric steps for achieving mass adoption of AI across an organization safely, securely, efficiently, and quickly. These steps help every brain come to terms with a new reality while generating enthusiasm and support. They're based on 40 years of managing changes in workplace behavior and a recent study I directed involving leading companies from various sectors that examined AI's impact on jobs and organizational structures.
Miss out on any one of these steps, and the journey to maturity gets longer and trickier. Here they are:
Get top leaders must come together to align on what AI is and what it means for the organization. They must define whether AI is primarily for competitive advantage, operational efficiency, customer experience, or workforce augmentation, and create a compelling vision for AI. Address fundamental questions about cultural fit, risk tolerance, and organizational values. This shared vision becomes the North Star that guides all subsequent decisions and communications.
Make a credible leader responsible for AI transformation at the C-suite level. Develop a powerful steering group and provide a program management office with the skills and influence to build and manage a cross-disciplinary change program that addresses skills, attitudes, behaviors, education, processes, legal issues, risks, and security.
Evaluate whether your culture supports the transparency, experimentation, and iterative learning that AI requires. Identify cultural and skills barriers that could undermine AI adoption and plan how to address them. This includes understanding existing skills, power structures, decision-making processes, and how change has been received historically. Assess current roles, organizational structures, and capabilities alongside potential AI applications. Identify which positions will be eliminated, transformed, or enhanced.
Create honest, transparent and consistent messaging about AI's role in your organization's future. Address fears directly rather than avoiding them. Explain the "what," "why," "how," "when," and "who" of AI adoption and what it means for individual employees. Ensure all leaders undergo AI training and can communicate the same message to prevent confusion and mistrust. Develop a list of "tricky questions" with associated answers to address the awkward questions people will ask. Consistency, honesty, and fairness are key. Develop an engagement and change program that is the cornerstone of your change program not a bolt on PR campaign.
Find employees across all levels of the organization who have the skills and enthusiasm to become AI advocates within their teams—then train and nurture them. These champions bridge the gap between leadership vision and ground-level reality. They're the people who will get asked the questions their colleagues don't dare ask those in power. Invest in their development, maintain them as a special community, and give them platforms to share experiences and address concerns from their peers. For those with a technical bent, give them deeper "prompt engineering" skills and knowledge so they can become "super users" who train colleagues and new recruits and develop local apps to address micro-process challenges.
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McKinseys "Generative AI and the future of work in America" report suggests that by 2030 as many as 30% of the hours worked by US workers will be replaced by AI. It's critical therefore that training and support is provided to upskill every employee so they understand what AI is (and isn't) and feel confident and competent using core AI tools like LLMs (Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.). By doing this, you remove some of the fear as people become familiar and skilled. New roles in IT, HR, and Legal will need to be defined, and new career development routes will need to be considered in an AI-enhanced organizational model.
Use champion networks and teams to identify "use cases"—situations where AI can be applied to deliver immediate improvements in effectiveness. Start with AI applications that clearly augment rather than replace human capabilities. Choose initial projects that solve real problems employees face and make their work more interesting or valuable. Success here builds acceptance and enthusiasm for more advanced implementations.
Create policies that ensure AI systems remain transparent, ethical, and under human control. Include diverse perspectives in governance decisions, especially from employees who will work directly with AI systems. This framework must address both technical and cultural concerns about AI decision-making and bias.
Launch carefully selected pilot projects that demonstrate AI value while building organizational capability. Combine technical implementation with intensive change management support, putting people at the heart of the program. Create feedback mechanisms that capture both technical performance and human experience. Make sure you document these with diaries and videos, and create video testimonials based on outcomes.
Expand AI implementation based on lessons learned. Continue investing in workforce development and cultural adaptation. Regularly reassess and adjust your approach based on organizational learning and evolving AI capabilities.
Remember that unlike other change programs you may have been involved in, this one doesn't have an end because AI is constantly evolving. New developments will come quickly that may make your existing implementations redundant faster than you'd imagine. Perpetual change management is the new name of the game.
By adopting these 10 steps, you'll have a greater chance of harnessing the energies and enthusiasm of your people, removing misunderstandings, and working with the brain's natural resistance to change. While AI adoption is underpinned by deep technology, the rewards will only be reaped by treating it as an organizational and behavioral change program.