The Prime Minister even declared AI to be the "defining opportunity" of our generation. Adoption rates are growing fast. Today, over three-quarters (78%) of organisations use AI in at least one business function (up from 55% last year) with the main AI use cases in operations, sales and marketing, and R&D.
The reason behind the hype is because the technology isn’t style over substance. Sure, a cursory look on LinkedIn could have you believe it’s the latest ‘new shiny toy’, as people scramble to recreate their headshots as Simpsons characters, action figures, or Studio Ghibli-style art. But the truth is, AI delivers tangible business benefits: it reduces workloads, boosts productivity, delivers better customer service, saves money, and improves employees’ work-life balance.
Top performing companies are moving from individual AI use cases towards AI-powered business strategies, with nearly half (46%) of executives wanting to use the technology to help differentiate their organisation.
But while most businesses know AI is important, many continue to struggle with adoption.
The Challenges of AI Adoption
When Microsoft launched the GitHub Copilot IDE extension, 81.4% of users installed it the same day. Yet according to Gartner’s report, “The State of Microsoft 365 Copilot: Survey Results”, just 16% of pilots have transitioned to production.
So why the big drop-off?
Firstly, like many new innovations, Copilot suffered the curse of the ‘new shiny’, where users flock to give it a try and then move on once the excitement has passed. If we look at the technology’s adoption rates, uptake spiked in March 2024 with 5 million downloads, but by December, the figure dropped to 3.2 million.
Secondly, at $30 per user per month, Copilot is 83% more expensive than the Microsoft E3 suite, and therefore requires significant investment for organisations to take advantage. But despite the promise AI has to offer, only 3% of organisations believe Copilot delivers significant ROI.
It’s a story we see playing out across most AI deployments, as three-quarters of companies struggle to achieve and scale value from their AI investments. It doesn’t matter how good AI technologies are in theory, without demonstrating good ROI, adoption will remain low. And the main culprits for substandard ROI are:
- Lack of a comprehensive business case
- Not adapting the operating model and/or data structures
- Failure to engage the workforce
- Inability to quantify the benefits
- Insufficient skills to support AI adoption
However, with the addition of one key role, it can change your fortune entirely.
AI Champions Ensure AI Success
AI champions are leaders who bridge technical and business functions. They possess strong leadership skills, understand how to align AI’s technical capabilities with the organisation’s goals, and are well versed in change management.
AI champions will help to set stakeholder expectations, which can be challenging when there are competing priorities or differences in opinions. They can also calm employee fears around change, and overcome any resistance to AI adoption by helping others to see what change is necessary and why, and the role they have to play. And AI champions have exceptional communication skills, able to provide general updates, as well as initiate difficult conversations with senior managers.
Every Business Needs an AI Champion
With an AI champion in your business, you have the catalyst needed to successfully take advantage of the technology because they:
Identify compelling use cases: your AI champions understand your working processes, know your products/services, and interact with their colleagues everyday, so will be able to identify use cases that quickly deliver value back to the business.
Address adoption challenges: as with any transformation, AI comes with a range of potential issues. But your AI champion will know what to look out for and remove those barriers to ensure adoption is a success.
Share their knowledge: AI champions actively seek to educate their colleagues about AI use cases, how to manage change effectively, and the softer skills required for success, like communication.
Scale success quickly: because AI champions understand the importance of experimentation, they have the confidence to change/kill projects that aren’t delivering the intended outcome, and quickly roll out successful initiatives across the business.
How to Spot a Potential AI Champion in Your Business
While your AI champions might not be immediately obvious, there are certain traits to look out for that indicate you have talent, which should be nurtured. For example:
Tech enthusiasts: look for people in the business who are naturally drawn to the latest innovations and like to experiment with new technologies.
Curious learners: AI is a field that’s constantly evolving, so you want someone who asks questions and indulges in self-learning to further their understanding.
Natural leaders: while ‘manager’ or ‘team leader’ may not be in their title, look for people who others gravitate towards and listen to.
Good communicators: find people who possess the ability to adapt and interact with all functions and levels across the business.
Where to find your AI champions
The best AI champions sit outside the IT function. Ideally, you want an individual from a business background, such as finance, operations, or marketing, because they see the way you truly operate and can spot opportunities to enhance those processes using AI.
In fact, HR teams are among the biggest AI champions because their role is people-centred, and touches all functions within the business.
How to Train and Empower Your AI Champions
There are two traditional routes to upskilling your employees: professional courses and university degrees.
While professional courses focus on specific skills for a specific role, they tend to cater to the mass market, and therefore need to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to learning. Knowledge is delivered via lectures with limited practical exercises and interactivity, and the emphasis is on developing hard skills.
In contrast, university degrees are designed to give learners a broader academic foundation to allow for more diverse career options upon graduation. However, they still suffer the same challenges as professional courses, as they too lack the teaching of softer skills and are geared towards academic study. And with costs nearing £30k for a three-year course, it’s a very expensive and time consuming option.
AI Champion Apprenticeship (L3): the modern alternative
Enrol your team on the AI Champion Apprenticeship (L3) and they deliver value back to your organisation on day one.
Training is delivered through a blend of live lectures, practical workshops, self-paced e-learning, and off-the-job training. And at all times, your learners are supported by our expert lecturers, technical mentors and professionally trained coaches. At Cambridge Spark, we also provide access to our online learning platform, EDUKATE.AI. Requiring no IT set up, it allows learners to practice and hone their skills, helping you to accelerate training outcomes and build data and AI skills at scale.
Also, it’s a cost-effective option, since the programme can be funded through the apprenticeship levy, which means you don’t need to acquire budgetary approval because the money is already ring-fenced for training.
Next Steps: How to Get Started
At Cambridge Spark, we set the gold standard. And we’re always first to market with courses that develop new skills. Our focus is to ensure your investments in AI deliver maximum impact and ROI. To date, we have generated £350m+ in ROI for our clients. And we have a 99.5% pass rate with 70%+ distinction/merit grades compared to an industry average of just 33%.
Find out more about the AI Champion Apprenticeship (L3) and enrol your team today.