Your AI strategy is only as strong as your team’s confidence to use it. Most organisations have a handful of AI champions, but they’re rarely in leadership positions. Today I’m walking you through the five stages of AI adoption and the specific trap hiding at each one.
The Five Stages of AI Adoption
It’s very unusual to find an organisation where all leadership and staff are highly confident and competent in artificial intelligence. In my experience, you’ll find a number of AI champions and early adopters leading the charge, but they’re not necessarily in leadership positions.
Here’s how AI adoption typically unfolds across five distinct stages:
- Awareness – People are aware of AI, everybody’s talking about it
- Exposure – People are getting formal training and using tools
- Application – Knowledge is being put into action and AI is delivering meaningful value on a concurrent basis
- Integration – Workflows are automated, stepping into agentic AI
- Strategic – The organisation is AI first
The Danger Zone: Application Without Governance
The most critical risk lurks at the application stage. This is where shadow AI use creeps in – people are using tools without proper governance structures in place. That’s why having an AI policy, even if it’s just a one-pager, is absolutely essential before you scale adoption.
Move Your Team One Stage at a Time
In my own business, we’re definitely at the integration stage. I wouldn’t say everything is AI first, because I’m very careful about my client base and what I’m delivering. But we certainly have an AI first mindset and an integration approach to it.
Here’s what I recommend: audit where each person sits on this adoption curve, then lift the bottom up first and champion the most curious. Don’t try to move everyone at once.
Five Things To Do Over the Next 30 Days
Confidence isn’t something that just happens. It’s a leadership outcome you build deliberately, the same way you’d build any other capability. Here’s where to start:
- Organise an AI strategy meeting – Whether it’s you, yourself and I as a solopreneur, or your department, get people together to talk about AI and where you’re going
- Begin working on your AI policy – Even if it’s just a one-pager covering what tools are allowed, what’s not allowed (like confidential proprietary information), and requiring people to disclose how they’re using AI
- Put together an AI team – This should be a mixed team of seniority, roles, and departments. We had a very rich conversation with exactly this mix – different seniority, different experience levels, different opinions. It was brilliant
- Define the AI team’s role – Maybe it’s to lead, work on policy, work on strategy, or roll out those first AI use case pilots
- Set goals for 2026 – By the end of the year, have an AI policy that’s functioning, an AI roadmap with three AI goals, and train everyone
The AI First Principle
You should be AI first on something you want to build in-house. I’ve done that with GovComs – that’s an AI first product trained on 20 years of my knowledge and experience. Have one thing, just one thing, that is AI first, that does not exist and could not exist without AI. That should always be simmering. And I’m telling you, that idea will come from around a table with all your people.
Make learning continuous and celebrate visible wins. That’s how you build confidence that sticks.
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Sources
AI Strategy Webinar Replay: https://webinarkit.com/replay/6a197f3a80561b683414ca48
About the Podcast Host
AI and Communications Specialist | Author | Podcaster | International Speaker
Joanne Sweeney is a recognised leader in digital marketing and digital transformation, specialising in the practical application of AI to enhance communication strategies. The founder of Digital Training Institute, Joanne, empowers leaders and communications professionals to leverage AI responsibly and effectively, ensuring transparency, trust, and tangible results.
She completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Programme in AI and Public Policy this summer before launching her fourth book AI Playbook, in September. Joanne has also published two editions of Public Sector Marketing Pro, which were preceded by her first title, Social Media Under Investigation Law Enforcement and the Social Web.
Her books have become go-to resources for governments, public sector and policing agencies, as well as marketing and communications professionals, all navigating the challenges of the changing Internet.
Joanne is the host of the AI SIX Podcast, a daily six-minute podcast that provides actionable insights, expert interviews, and practical advice to help professionals navigate the new world of work.
