As we celebrate ChatGPT's second birthday, artificial intelligence has shifted from a curiosity to a critical competitive advantage. Right now, 79% of business leaders believe their company needs to adopt AI to stay competitive, while 60% worry their organization lacks a clear implementation plan.
This guide is your blueprint for bridging that AI readiness gap.
The stakes are clear: AI isn't just about staying current β it's about fundamentally transforming how you work, compete, and deliver value. With the right approach, businesses can unlock dramatic gains in profit and performance.
We teach 5 stages of AI adoption. In order, they are:
- AI Activation (pilot projects)
- AI Alignment (strategy + ops)
- AI Adoption (onboarding + training)
- AI Accountability (change management + support)
- AI Transformation (business reinvention)
This roadmap breaks down AI adoption into five stages, each designed to help you systematically integrate AI without overwhelming your team or risking critical business operations.
For each stage, I've outlined:
π You Are Here If
Β π§ Top Priorities During This Stage
β What to Learn and Buy
π Relevant Resources
π© Signs That You're Stuck
π‘ How We Can Help
Use it to guide your 2025 planning. Letβs dive in!
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Stage 1: AI Activation (Pilot Projects)
π You Are Here If
- You haven't begun using AI at all.
- You are sporadically testing and experimenting.
- You're struggling to identify use cases for AI.
π§ Top Priorities During This Stage
- Understand what's possible with AI.
- Learn how AI can be applied to your business practically.
- Build foundational generative AI knowledge.
- Identify a couple AI tools to experiment with.
β What to Learn and Buy
Learn to:
- Define what AI, generative AI, and large language models are.
- Understand basic principles of generative AI technology.
- Identify various generative AI use cases and at least one AI use case in your work.
- Get practical hands-on experience with at least one AI tool.
Get:
- A free or low-cost generative AI tool (preferably a frontier LLM like ChatGPT)
π Relevant Resources
- AI-Powered Productivity: When & Where to Use AI to Get More Done (90-minute masterclass)
- Finding AI use cases: One helpful framework to try
- Use the 5x5 AI Framework to uncover AI use cases in business
- Lessons learned from our first (big) AI pilot project
π© Signs That You're Stuck
- Inability to identify practical use cases at work.
- Continually experimenting with new tools without finding a useful, scalable approach.
π‘ How We Can Help
Guided AI Use Case Selection + Pilot Projects
- Understand, apply, and integrate AI with hands-on guidance and support. Over 90 days, your team will learn how to:
- Brainstorm potential AI use cases.
- Uncover ways to use AI in their work.
- Pinpoint the best use cases for your company.
- Manage and evaluate AI pilot projects.
- Past pilot projects include:
- AI Pilot Project Saves Client $200,000 (case study)
- Using AI, Client Completes Weekly Task in 50% Less Time (case study)
Generative AI in the Workplace
- Everything in the βLearnβ section? We cover it in modules 1 and 2 of our on-demand course.
Stage 2: AI Alignment (Strategy + Ops)
π You Are Here If
- You are regularly using AI in your work, but want to establish guidelines for your team.
- You're using AI in sporadic ways and need a more systematic approach.
- Your team is using AI, but there arenβt any guidelines or processes around it.
π§ Top Priorities During This Stage
- Identify your reasons for using AI.
- Develop a vision for AI application within your company.
- Create standards and guidelines for team AI use.
- Establish approved tools and use cases.
- Implement human-in-the-loop review processes.
β What to Learn and Buy
Learn to:
- Understand the risks and benefits of using generative AI in the workplace.
- Understand how generative AI can improve efficiency and creativity in professional tasks.
- Mitigate risk and bias when using generative AI in the workplace.
- Understand AI ethics and governance fundamentals.
- Identify AI tools' company plans and their privacy and security protocols.
- Get an introductory understanding of legal ramifications (copyright, intellectual property).
Get:
- 1-2 AI models with a company license
- 1-2 specialized AI tools (optional)
π Relevant Resources
- Sample generative AI policy (template)
- Simplify AI decisions with this quick framework
- My AI tech stack (& how much I pay) Q4 2024 edition
- Why AI hallucinates and what you can do about it.
π© Signs That You're Stuck
- Fear or hesitation around AI use is stalling progress (Tip: Use the AI Alignment Matrix and our 3S framework for risk mitigation.)
- Youβre hung up on creating the perfect AI policy for every possible scenario.
π‘ How We Can Help
The 30-Day AI Ops Jumpstartβ’
- Randall Pineβs AI Ops Jumpstart is a fast-paced process designed to equip your company with the foundation for safe, effective AI adoption: a policy, a prompt library, and a pilot project.
The AI Ops Jumpstart Workshop Series
- Session 1 | The Policy: Vision & Governance for AI Use
- Session 2 | The Pilot Project: AI Application & Integration
- Session 3 | The Prompt Library: Managing & Scaling AI Adoption
Generative AI in the Workplace
- Everything in the βLearnβ section? We cover it in modules 3 and 4 of our on-demand course.
β
Stage 3: AI Adoption (Onboarding + Training)
π You Are Here If
- You're ready for your team to use AI.
- Your team doesn't know how to get started with AI implementation.
π§ Top Priorities During This Stage
- Identify an AI training curriculum for your team.
- Schedule and roll out comprehensive AI training.
- Assign key organizational AI roles (AI leaders, AI innovators, AI users).
β What to Learn and Buy
Your team should learn to:
- Explain the basics of generative AI and business applications of AI.
- Identify tasks within their job role that are repetitive and potentially automatable with generative AI.
- Describe how generative AI can be applied to streamline or enhance the efficiency of these recurring tasks.
- Mitigate risk and bias when using generative AI in the workplace.
Get:
- Any specialized AI tools necessary for employees to complete recurring tasks
π Relevant Resources
π© Signs That You're Stuck
- Team members have participated in AI demos or training but remain unsure how to apply AI to daily work.
- Lack of practical implementation despite informal training efforts.
π‘ How We Can Help
Generative AI in the Workplace (live workshop series)
- From understanding the basics to mastering practical applications, this four-part series of live, virtual workshops offers a comprehensive journey through generative AI.
- Session 1: Generative AI for Professionals
- Session 2: Getting Started with AI
- Session 3: Using AI in the Workplace
- Session 4: AI Trailblazers: Mastering and Mentoring
Generative AI in the Workplace (on-demand)
- Everything in the βLearnβ section? We cover it in modules 5-7 of our on-demand course.
Stage 4: AI Accountability (Change Management + Support)
π You Are Here If
- Your team is using AI sporadically or haphazardly.
- AI usage isn't improving efficiency or productivity.
- AI training hasn't translated into consistent systems or behaviors.
π§ Top Priorities During This Stage
- Scale AI-powered use cases and systems.
- Encourage AI-first thinking and habits.
- Restructure systems to make AI adoption more intuitive and consistent.
- Create documentation and shared prompt libraries.
β What to Learn and Buy
Learn to:
- Craft clear, concise, and effective prompts.
- Execute a recurring job assignment using generative AI, while adhering to best practices and operational guidelines.
- Analyze the responses generated by the AI to the prompts, identifying areas for refinement in prompt engineering.
- Adjust the crafted prompts based on performance analysis to optimize for future iterations of the job assignment.
- Create systems and processes that support consistent AI use.
Get:
- Any project management, task management, habit tracking, or other tools aimed at supporting consistency in behavior and process.
π Relevant Resources
- Sample generative AI prompt library (template)
- How to create, organize, and scale your generative AI prompt library
- Itβs time to focus on people problems
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
π© Signs That You're Stuck
- Attempts at process implementation with no meaningful change. Β
- Your team is resistant to new AI-driven workflows.
π‘ How We Can Help
Current AI Accountability offerings include:
- AI leadership coaching
- Team office hours / Q&A sessions
- Weekly team accountability emails
- Dedicated Slack / Microsoft Teams channel coaching
Generative AI in the Workplace
- Everything in the βLearnβ section? We cover it in modules 8-12 of our on-demand course.
Stage 5: AI Transformation (Business Reinvention)
Unlike the previous four stages, AI Transformation represents a fundamental reimagining of your business. This isn't about incremental improvements β it's about radical redesign.
π You Can Begin This Stage If
- You've gained some experience experimenting with AI.
- You want to make changes to your business and apply AI in novel ways.
- You recognize opportunities for new service offerings.
- You're ready to rethink organizational structure.
π§ Top Priorities During This Stage
- Take a first-principles approach to business design.
- Challenge existing assumptions about your business model.
- Investigate how AI could fundamentally transform:
- Talent acquisition and management
- Organizational structure
- Operational processes
- Service and product offerings
- Pricing strategies
β What to Consider
- Potential AI-driven innovations
- Structural changes enabled by AI capabilities
- New value propositions
- Workforce and skill set transformations
οΌ Guiding Questions
- If I were rebuilding my company today using current AI capabilities, what would I create?
- How can AI fundamentally reshape my approach to delivering value?
- What competitive advantages might AI-driven transformation unlock?
π‘ How We Can Help
Current AI Transformation offerings include:
- AI leadership coaching & 1:1 consulting
Final Thought: AI adoption is a journey, not a destination. Each stage builds upon the last, creating a robust, adaptable approach to technological integration. Stay curious, remain flexible, and view AI as a collaborative tool that amplifies human potential.
If you have any questions about these stages or our services, please reach out. Good luck with your 2025 planning!
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