Transforming with AI: Leading the Change Through AI to Build an AI-Ready Organization in 2025

The question is no longer whether executives should embrace Generative AI but how to lead their organizations through this transformation. In 2025, standing still is not an option. Companies that hesitate risk falling behind, while those who act boldly can secure the first-mover advantage in the AI-driven economy.

Yet, navigating this transformation amidst unknowns can feel daunting. Driving AI transformation parallels the steps of any successful change initiative: setting a vision, defining ambition, galvanizing teams, and empowering champions. By anchoring efforts in these fundamentals, organizations can confidently embrace AI's transformative potential.

A Tested Framework: Five Steps for Leading the AI Transformation

1. Set a Bold Ambition

Leaders must think beyond today’s limitations and imagine what’s possible. In my experience as Chief Strategy Officer—and as an advisor working with CEOs—I’ve found that adopting a Future Back Strategy is critical. Unlike a Present Forward approach, Future Back starts with the desired destination and works backward to chart the path forward.

The key is defining clear, bold ambitions. AT&T’s CEO challenged the organization to ensure AI touches every employee and every role. Others set measurable targets: delivering $1 billion in new revenue through AI, powering 20% of new innovations, or achieving 33% cost savings in marketing. By starting with the end in mind and empowering teams, leaders galvanize their organizations to embrace AI as a catalyst for meaningful and measurable transformation.

2. Build the Value Case

AI’s power lies not just in cost savings but in transforming how businesses create and capture value. The focus should be on outcomes, not technology.

• Start with Value, Not Technology

  Shift from asking "What can AI do?" to "What do we need to achieve?" AI should enable organizations to address unmet needs, uncover hidden opportunities, and solve complex problems.

  
  

• Consumer-Centric Innovation

  Consumers are adopting Generative AI faster than businesses can adapt. Beyond productivity, consumers see AI as a tool for learning, exploration, and creativity. Businesses and brands that align AI strategies with consumer expectations will thrive.

  
  

• Move Beyond Use Cases to Need Cases

  Prioritize addressing critical needs over simply deploying AI for AI’s sake. By focusing on the outcomes that matter most to customers, employees, and the business, organizations can maximize the impact of their AI investments.

3. Prioritize and Focus

AI’s potential is vast, but success requires focus. Leaders must prioritize use cases that align with strategic goals and deliver the most impact.

• Optimize and Automate

  Free up resources by automating repetitive tasks. Examples in consumer technology companies like DELL, or across many US Banks and Insurances, include generating product and service specifications, analyzing call logs, or managing campaign content. This allows teams to redirect energy toward higher-value initiatives.

  
  

  In January, Oracle, released a new set of artificial intelligence agents to help salespeople with a range of tasks around dealing with customers, creating virtual assistants that can tackle repetitive or difficult tasks with more autonomy.

  
  

• Enhance Marketing Efficiency

  AI can transform marketing operations—streamlining campaign planning, optimizing media investment, and integrating creative development with performance measurement to maximize ROI. Start with marketing, where non-working investment and scarce resources can be put towards working media.

  
  

• Enable Breakthrough Consumer Engagement

  AI unlocks personalized marketing at scale, predictive insights, and real-time decision-making. These capabilities drive differentiation, foster loyalty, and create tailored consumer experiences. Challenge your team to rethink the consumer journey through AI-powered experiences.

  
  

  Suki exemplifies how AI can drive breakthrough consumer engagement by addressing clinician burnout, which affects over 50% of physicians due to administrative overload. Backed by $95 million in funding, Suki’s AI-powered voice assistant reimagines the healthcare technology stack to be invisible and assistive. By streamlining tasks, it allows clinicians to focus on patient care, fostering deeper engagement and improving outcomes.

4. Lead the People Change

AI’s greatest constraint is not technology—it’s people. Fear, uncertainty, and resistance to change can slow progress. Leaders must create a culture that empowers teams to adopt AI confidently and collaboratively.

• Empower Early Adopters

  Identify internal champions and encourage experimentation. “What-If” sessions help teams reimagine tasks using AI to think, create, and execute differently.

  
  

• Invest in Skills and Support

  Equip employees with the knowledge and tools to embrace AI. Training programs, visible leadership buy-in, and AI task forces signal commitment and build momentum.

  
  

• Foster Collaboration

  Break down silos and align cross-functional teams. Governance structures include marketing, legal, and technology, ensure agility, consistency, and clarity in AI initiatives.

LVMH’s AI Factory exemplifies how to integrate AI while preserving brand heritage and empowering employees. By developing modular algorithms tailored to each brand’s needs, LVMH enhances customer experiences and operational efficiency, For example, data-driven recommendations, improving sales outcomes without replacing human intuition. 

5. Measure, Codify, Scale

AI transformation requires a culture of continuous improvement, turning early wins into sustained and scalable processes.

• Start with targeted pilots: to test ideas on a small scale, adopting a fail-fast mindset to uncover insights and refine approaches. 

  
  

• Track performance and guide scaling: Real-time feedback loops to enable rapid course corrections, embedding a culture of learning and optimization.

  
  

• Identify internal champions and encourage experimentation: “What-If” sessions help teams reimagine tasks using AI to think, create, and execute differently.

Capital One uses a Test, Learn, Scale approach to integrate AI and ML into its operations. By experimenting with techniques like graph ML, they’ve improved fraud detection and personalized app experiences while reducing manual data processes. 

Conclusion: Embrace the AI Imperative

The transformative potential of AI is undeniable, but its promise depends on leadership. By setting bold ambitions, defining clear value cases, prioritizing strategic use cases, fostering organizational alignment, and embedding continuous improvement, leaders can unlock unprecedented growth and innovation.

The time to act is now. As AI accelerates, the gap between leaders and laggards will only grow. Those who move with intention and focus will set the benchmarks for the industries of tomorrow.

Benoit Garbe is founder and President of QUINT Advisory, a growth consultancy dedicated to helping CEOs and executive teams deliver topline growth and value creation in consumer-driven markets.