AI Strategy Is Not an IT Project (CEOs)

Many CEOs hand AI over to their tech teams. That’s a mistake. Here’s why leadership needs to take charge—and why waiting too long could seriously hurt your business.

It's time for Boardrooms to get a grip on AI

Is your AI strategy buried in the IT department?

If so, you may already be falling behind. As businesses shift toward AI-first models, the winners will be those who realise this isn’t just a technology rollout. It’s a full-scale business transformation. Wait too long, and you risk losing your edge, talent, and future.

AI belongs in the boardroom, not just the server room

Leaving AI to the CTO or Head of Data means missing the big picture. This isn’t just about software or data pipelines (although important). It’s about delivering value, serving customers, and staying ahead of the pack. If AI isn’t shaping your strategy, it’s just another cost centre—one that squanders opportunity instead of creating it.

Waiting comes with a price, your competitors aren’t

According to McKinsey (2024), 72% of high-performing companies have already scaled at least one generative AI solution. The longer you wait, the wider the gap. Your competitors are cutting costs, launching new services, and attracting top talent while you’re still drafting your AI vision. One mid-sized logistics firm in the UK used AI to optimise driver routes and reduce fuel costs by 14% in just three months.

Skill gaps are more than HR problems—they’re strategic risks

You probably don’t have enough in-house AI talent. Hiring one or two prompt engineers won’t fix it. You need a rethink: new roles, partnerships, and working methods. AI capability should be tracked alongside your core business KPIs.

Managing risk is essential, but doing nothing is worse

Yes, AI introduces risks around regulation, reputation, and ethics. But hiding from risk isn’t a strategy. The smart move is to build sensible guardrails so teams can test and learn safely. That means having a clear AI charter, backed by leadership.

AI fluency should be part of your leadership toolkit

You don’t need to become a data scientist. But you do need to ask the right questions. What work can we automate? Where can generative AI boost margins? What are we doing about synthetic content? If you can’t probe the AI roadmap, you can’t lead it.

Global AI Adoption in 2025. Composite visual based on PwC (2024), IBM (2023), and WEF (2024) CEO trend data.

Action Checklist

·        Form a board-level AI steering group within 90 days

·        Align AI use cases with core business goals

·        Conduct a skills and readiness audit

·        Define executive-level risk and ethics policies

·        Run a leadership workshop on AI fundamentals

From the Professor’s Desk

I’ve sat in too many leadership meetings where AI is an afterthought, tagged at the end of the agenda as ‘something for IT to handle.’ The businesses I see making progress are those where the CEO is actively involved—asking thoughtful questions, setting clear goals, and supporting bold experiments. AI isn’t just another tool. It’s a shift in direction. The next 12 months will define your next 12 years.

Exploding Topics. (2025). AI Adoption Statistics: 2025 Trends & Benchmarks. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ai-stats

Google Search Central. (2024, March 5). What web creators should know about our March 2024 core update. Google Developers. https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/03/core-update-spam-policies

IBM. (2023). Global AI Adoption Index.https://www.ibm.com/reports/ai-adoption– Notes executive concern around regulation, talent, and unclear outcomes.

McKinsey & Company. (2024). The state of AI in 2024: Generative AI’s breakout year. McKinsey Global Institute. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2024

PwC. (2024). CEO Survey: Navigating the AI Age.https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/ceo-survey.html– Highlights CEO focus on cyber risk, tech ROI, and talent as strategic AI blockers.

WEF. (2024). Future of Jobs Report.https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2024– Reports leadership anxiety over skills mismatch, ethics, and system complexity.

WhitePress. (2024, December 12). Mastering Google's helpful content guidelines in 2025. https://www.whitepress.com/en/knowledge-base/2227/google-helpful-content