Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The drumbeat for AI is deafening. We are surrounded by a mixture of hype, fear and intense pressure to do something with this technology that seems to advance at the speed of light. For CIOs and business technology leaders, the path forward can seem murky and fraught with challenges. But I believe that the greatest risk is not to make a mistake; he waits for a “perfect” AI strategy while the world rushes forward. A real impact with AI don’t start with big, impeccable projects. It starts with access, trust and a commitment to hands-on learning.
My journey with technology, even before my corporate career, has been a constant lesson in overcoming the challenges and opportunities of innovation. I remember experimenting with early expert systems, which led to my first business designed to help people choose outfits. When we pitched it, potential investors scoffed that people would never buy clothes online. This, and many subsequent experiences, taught me a vital lesson: new technologies are often met with resistance – which, in hindsight, is usually short-sighted.
This trend continued as I began my career as a CIO in state and local government. There was a natural tendency toward caution, a preference for caution. However, I have also witnessed the significant cost of this hesitation: missed learning opportunities, stifled innovation, and the struggle to build a forward-thinking culture. When we wait too long to understand and adopt new technologies, we risk being left behind. I often think back to this initial skepticism about online shopping or initial resistance to SaaS when I talk about AI with my peers. We’ve seen this movie before. It’s time to embrace the immense possibilities of AIand not let fear dictate our pace.
From control center to innovation catalyst: the evolving role of IT
THE role of IT management is undergoing a profound transformation. We were once the gatekeepers of technology. Then came SaaS, which began to democratize access to technology, putting powerful tools directly into the hands of employees. AI represents an even bigger change. It can seem intimidating, and as leaders we have a crucial responsibility to demystify it and make it accessible. Much like the dot.com boom, we are witnessing a moment of transformation, and IT leaders must harness this potential to drive innovation.
Consider Workday’s approach to AI adoption: We’ve been deliberate and iterative. We did not wait for a comprehensive end-to-end strategy. Instead, we started by focusing on awareness and enthusiasm. We deployed AI capabilities that were readily available and integrated into the tools our employees already used every day. The goal was to make AI accessible, intuitive and useful. This enabled employees to immediately find ways to integrate these tools into their daily work, demystifying AI and generating real excitement.
Building trust by putting AI in the hands of employees
It is not enough to simply provide access; employees must learn to use these tools effectively. This is where our AI Champions the initiative has become invaluable. These individuals, selected from various teams, focused on socializing personality-based AI use cases. They became internal advocates, sharing real-world examples of how their teammates were using AI to improve workflows. This peer-to-peer approach has helped build trust and make AI feel less like a mandate from above and more like a shared opportunity.
As we progressed towards what I call "Functional AI" — more complex applications tailored to specific business domains — the importance of collaboration and the willingness to learn from missteps became even clearer.
Redefining ROI in an experimental world
This journey has also required a significant shift in how we evaluate AI investments. We created an AI Advisory Council, bringing together leaders to guide our decisions. We quickly realized that traditional evaluation criteria, rigidly focused on immediate, quantifiable ROI, were insufficient for the dynamic nature of AI.
We’ve had to adopt a more open mindset, recognizing that even projects without an obvious, immediate financial return can generate incredible value through learning, speed, and the discovery of new possibilities. For example, one of our teams, with minimal resources, developed a valuable revenue reporting tool in just a few weeks. This demonstrated the potential for rapid and impactful development and informed our future planning. Mistakes, especially on a small scale, are not only acceptable; they are essential for rapid learning. Waiting for AI technologies to reach full maturity means missing crucial opportunities to inject new energy and innovation into our businesses.
A call to action: fostering a culture of learning
The key to successful AI adoption is fostering a culture of learning and experimentation. Employees at all levels, whether developers or non-developers, executives or individual contributors, must have the opportunity to get their hands on AI tools and understand how they work. Some companies have their employees train AI models and learn rapid engineering, which is a fantastic way to take away the mystery and show people how AI really works. We encourage our own teams to write prompts and train chatbots, with the goal of AI becoming a true co-pilot in their daily tasks.
Think of it as an athlete who trains regularly, refining their skills to achieve better results. That’s the feeling we want our employees to get from AI: a tool that makes their work faster, better, and ultimately more meaningful and joyful. My own mother’s relationship with her voice assistant, which has become an integral part of her life, is a simple reminder of how seamlessly technology can integrate when it is truly useful.
So, to my fellow CIOs and technology leaders: don’t let fear or the quest for perfection paralyze you. Start by raising awareness. Make AI tools accessible. Empower your champions. Redefine your investment criteria to value learning and iteration. Most importantly, foster a culture where experimentation is encouraged and employees feel empowered to explore. The future of work is smart, and it is our responsibility – and opportunity – to lead the way in shaping it.
Rani Johnson is CIO of working day.
