Accelerate generative AI adoption through leadership
In season 3 of my podcast series, I engaged with marketing leaders to explore their paths to incorporating generative AI into their daily workflow. Along the way, these industry experts offered practical tips and insights into how senior business leaders can begin or accelerate an AI journey within their own organizations.
Business leaders are increasingly recognizing that training and education are essential for integrating AI into the workplace. In a recent survey, 82% of leaders report that their employees will need new skills to prepare for the growth of AI. Today, I’m excited to share some thoughts on the various ways business leaders can inspire their teams to harness the power of AI.
Facilitate digital transformation by embracing the unknown
For businesses eager to explore the capabilities of generative AI, senior leaders can facilitate digital transformation by embracing the unknown. Pip Arthur, Chief Marketing Officer for Microsoft Asia, advises leaders to jump in and start learning. “Get curious and take the time to more deeply understand this technology and the innovations that are ongoing,” says Arthur. “My other advice would be to get uncomfortable because we have not experienced this before.”
Incorporating generative AI requires a willingness to experiment and discover new ways to work. Leaders who accept the learning phase as an essential part of the process can inspire their teams to explore together. “Navigating this world of AI is really going to require adaptive leadership to help your teams do things that they’ve never done before in ways they’ve never done before,” says Stephanie Ferguson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Global Demand Center.
By encouraging experimentation and developing a working knowledge of generative AI, business leaders can help lay a foundation for governing organizational use. “One of the things I’m starting to see is to have a strategic AI team within the organization who puts in the governance rules,” says Chandra Stevens, Principal, Customer Experience Solutions Growth/Development, at Microsoft.
Identify small steps to maximize AI-powered tools
As senior leaders consider expanding AI use in their organizations, focusing on data and small steps can help gain buy-in from employees. The most important step for any AI adoption journey is preparing a business’s data estate to maximize the value of AI-powered tools.
In my discussion with Jose Luis Ortiz, Head of Sales for Microsoft US Retail and Consumer Goods, Ortiz emphasizes the importance of preparation. “[Businesses need] to build the right infrastructure, they need to be in the cloud, and they need massive amounts of computer storage and inferencing power so that they can really make generative AI work,” says Ortiz.
After the organization’s data estate is in order, leaders can focus on specific use cases where generative AI can improve operational efficiency and productivity. “Typically, when they’re in that early phase, [they should] think about two to three use cases and use some off-the-shelf tooling that can help expedite [them],” says Stevens.
Exercise the AI muscle daily
Business leaders can also accelerate their organization’s journey by encouraging and demonstrating daily AI use. Using Copilot for Microsoft 365, employees can harness the power of generative AI as they work with tools like Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. “[Consider how] you infuse generative AI into the tools that you work with every day so that you can [work faster in Microsoft] Excel and [Microsoft] PowerPoint, respond to emails, summarize, and draft things,” says Ortiz.
For marketing and sales teams, applications such as content and image creation save considerable time. In my discussion with Stevens, she recommends approaching each task wondering how AI can make it more efficient. “When I do my brief, how do I start generating my brief with AI?” says Stevens. “What is the imagery that should go into my content?”
Marketing industry experts emphasize the importance of encouraging teams to use AI daily. “Leaders, please ask your teams how they’re using generative AI every day,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager of Marketing at Microsoft Advertising. “Building that muscle as a team is absolutely critical.”
Harness the power of AI
Generative AI–powered tools are reshaping how marketing and sales teams gain better customer insights while increasing productivity. Senior business leaders and executives can accelerate their organization’s AI journeys by embracing the unknown, taking small steps, and encouraging daily AI use.
For more insights into how generative AI is boosting productivity and efficiency in marketing, check out my current podcast series, “Navigating Marketing & AI,” on LinkedIn or YouTube.
