The Jet Engine of Digital Transformation: Why AI Engagement is Critical for Your Team

The Jet Engine of Digital Transformation: Why AI Engagement is Critical for Your Team

For years, we’ve been hearing about the need to prepare for digital transformation. It’s been a constant drumbeat in business strategy discussions, urging companies to modernize their operations, adopt new technologies, and stay competitive in an increasingly digital world. But as Joi Ito highlights in his book Whiplash, the pace of change is accelerating—and nowhere is this more evident than in the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

To truly grasp the speed of this transformation, consider the evolution of AI in just a few short years.

"AI for Thinking Humans", published in 2019, painted a picture of AI’s limitations, emphasizing its role as a tool for augmenting human intelligence rather than replacing it. Just 5 years later, the capabilities of AI have leaped forward dramatically due to "Transformer Technology".

Tools like ChatGPT, as explored in the recent book Co-Intelligence, are not just augmenting human intelligence—they’re reshaping how we think, work, and innovate. AI is no longer a supporting player in digital transformation; it’s the driving force, putting businesses on an entirely new timeline.

The Risk of Falling Behind

The implications of this shift are profound. Businesses that fail to adapt risk being left behind, running steam engines while their competitors have moved on to jet engines. The competitive landscape is no longer defined by who has the best product or service—it’s about who can leverage AI to innovate faster, operate more efficiently, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

But digital transformation isn’t just about adopting new technologies. It’s about people. The success of your AI initiatives depends on your team’s ability to understand, engage with, and collaborate around these tools. Without widespread buy-in and participation, even the most advanced AI systems will fail to deliver their full potential.

Engaging Your Team with AI

To avoid being left behind, it’s critical to get everyone on your team engaged with AI. This means fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Here are three steps to get started:

1. Demystify AI
Many employees may feel intimidated by AI or unsure of how it applies to their roles. Provide training and resources to help your team understand the basics of AI, its capabilities, and its limitations. Make it clear that AI is a tool to enhance their work, not replace it.

2. Encourage Open Dialogue
Create opportunities for your team to discuss AI’s strengths and weaknesses. What tasks could AI help streamline? Where might it fall short? By encouraging these conversations, you’ll uncover valuable insights and identify areas where AI can have the greatest impact.

3. Empower Experimentation
Give your team the freedom to experiment with AI tools and explore how they can be integrated into their workflows. Celebrate successes, learn from failures, and iterate quickly. The more hands-on experience your team has with AI, the more confident and capable they’ll become.

The Future is Now

The pace of digital transformation is only going to accelerate. AI is no longer a distant horizon—it’s here, and it’s reshaping the business landscape in real time. To stay competitive, you need to ensure that your entire team is not only aware of AI’s potential but actively engaged in leveraging it.

The companies that succeed in this new era will be those that embrace AI as a collaborative tool, foster a culture of innovation, and empower their teams to think critically about how to use these technologies effectively. Don’t let your business be left running steam engines while others soar ahead with jet engines. The time to act is now.