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Board
In this section, delve into technology from a board perspective. Discover articles that illuminate key areas such as governance, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. These insights are designed to equip board directors with the knowledge to lead effectively in the digital boardroom, ensuring technology decisions are aligned with strategic goals and enhance organizational success.
London |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 12 minute read |
You’ve built your AI Centre of Excellence. It’s governing multi-speed adoption, delivering value, and - as we explored in the previous article - scaling beyond pilots to enterprise transformation. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the AI landscape will look radically different in eighteen months. Multi-agent systems, decentralised agent ecosystems, embodied AI, neurosymbolic reasoning, quantum-AI hybrids, cross-modal intelligence, federated AI networks, and artificial superintelligence will challenge every governance framework you’ve carefully constructed. Having achieved scale, this final article tackles the strategic imperative of continuous evolution: how to future-proof your AI CoE to govern these disruptive technologies whilst building the adaptive capacity to thrive on change rather than being disrupted by it.
Llantwit Major |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 12 minute read |
The successful completion of your AI Centre of Excellence’s first 90 days marks an important milestone, but it also brings into sharp focus the next critical challenge. Whilst the AI Initiative Rubric has proven effective for pilot selection and early wins have demonstrated value, the transition from isolated successes to enterprise-wide transformation requires fundamentally different approaches. This progression from pilot to scale represents one of the most significant hurdles in AI adoption, demanding new structures, governance models, and ways of thinking that go well beyond what initial success required.
Washington DC |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 11 minute read |
Last week in Washington DC, I hosted a dinner where Professor Ajay Agrawal presented data showing that individual AI training clusters will soon require more electricity than entire nations currently generate. Whilst the UK government announces plans to become an AI-first economy, the mathematics are stark: UK businesses face energy costs four times higher than US competitors, creating dangerous dependencies on foreign AI infrastructure.
Washington DC |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 15 minute read |
This sixth article in my AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) series transforms theory into practice with a comprehensive 90-day implementation roadmap. Moving from capability building to value delivery, it introduces the AI Initiative Rubric - a systematic pilot selection tool that ensures your first initiatives deliver Well-Advised value whilst strengthening Five Pillars capabilities. Complete with sprint portfolios, stakeholder engagement strategies, and common pitfall avoidance, this article provides the practical guidance needed to demonstrate tangible AI CoE value from day one.
Washington DC |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 14 minute read |
The fifth article in my AI Centre of Excellence series provides a comprehensive guide to building essential capabilities across the Five Pillars. Moving from governance frameworks to practical implementation, it details how to develop capabilities that match your multi-speed AI reality - from transforming shadow AI into governed innovation, to creating comprehensive literacy programmes. Complete with a 90-day implementation sprint, maturity assessment tools, and practical templates, this article transforms theoretical understanding into actionable capability development.
Llantwit Major |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 12 minute read |
In the first three articles of this series, we’ve established why Boards need an AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE), explored the eighteen essential functions that drive AI success, and used the AI CoE Simulator to reveal the multi-speed reality of AI adoption. Now comes the critical question: how do you structure an AI CoE that can effectively govern this complex, multi-speed landscape?
Seattle |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 11 minute read |
In the first two articles of this series, I’ve explored why boards need an AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) and detailed the eighteen functions that determine AI success. But before you can build effective governance, you need to understand where you actually are today - not where you think you are, or where you’d like to be. To help boards navigate this challenge, I’m sharing the AI CoE Simulator - a practical assessment tool taken from my AI governance toolkit that operationalises the AISA framework for real-world use.
Llantwit Major |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 12 minute read |
Every AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) needs a clear operational mandate. Through my experience designing and building Cloud Centres of Excellence for AWS customers, extensive research, and practical implementation, I’ve identified the essential functions that provide comprehensive AI governance without creating bureaucratic overload. These functions, organised around the Five Pillars mechanism, ensure your AI CoE can effectively govern multi-speed adoption while building the capabilities needed for sustainable AI transformation. Understanding these functions, and how they interconnect is crucial for boards establishing effective AI governance.
Washington DC |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 11 minute read |
Boards face an unprecedented governance challenge as AI systems operate at speeds traditional oversight cannot match. With the vast majority of AI pilots failing to reach production and shadow AI creating unmanaged risks across organisations, establishing an AI Centre of Excellence has become essential board infrastructure. This article explores how an AI CoE provides the governance framework needed to coordinate multi-speed AI adoption, build capabilities systematically across the Five Pillars, and transform ungoverned AI risk into strategic competitive advantage.
London |
Published in
AI
and
Board
| 15 minute read |
I’m regularly asked how to use the AI Stages of Adoption, Five Pillars, and Well-Advised together practically. In this article I explain how these three mechanisms integrate to address the unique challenge of AI’s multi-speed adoption across different business functions. I provide a straightforward approach for boards to coordinate AI transformation whilst managing the governance complexities that emerge when different parts of the organisation advance at different speeds.