Despite AI being well adopted across companies – 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function according to McKinsey’s State of AI report (2025) – we are still missing examples of real AI transformation. This is of course something that takes more time, as it involves fundamentally transforming, changing into something new. It’s something that the entire organization should see and feel in their everyday work.
In the same report, McKinsey continues that 67% of organizations are still stuck in “pilot mode.” However, real business value is not created in pilots, but through implementation – and aligning whatever we do with AI to the business goals. So how to advance towards real business value and – perhaps even more importantly – how to get the smart people we have hired to be a part of the progress?
It’s widely recognized that AI initiatives should be led and encouraged by the leadership, and after running dozens of use case discovery workshops and mentoring sessions, I couldn’t agree more. In the context of AI, however, there’s a risk that a company falls into “do AI” pitfall, without clearly communicating the higher purpose to why we should be applying AI into our business. Leadership is impossible without a vision: there must be a shared understanding of where the organization is headed, and how AI is a part of that.
A clear AI vision builds trust in people and gives every employee, team lead, manager, and director a consistent foundation for prioritizing everyday decisions, whether it’s trying Copilot for email support, sending client documents to an AI automation (what we might also call agentic AI), or introducing new AI-assisted workflows to a team. While use-case ideas should surface both from the grassroots as well as from managed initiatives, meaningful transformation still requires direction: The vision is what helps discover the most relevant use cases for AI. A strong vision statement ensures alignment across the organization and keeps everyone moving toward the same North Star.
Defining an AI vision is an essential part of broader strategic work. It should complement – not contradict – the organization’s existing KPIs or OKRs, or whatever measurable goals there are. The AI vision should be something that is formulated together and understood by everyone, while being fully aligned and based on the overall business targets. The challenge is to make the vision deep enough that it can be connected to everyday tasks as well as build trust in the company.
Connecting the AI vision to the business goals being measured is critical to ensuring it drives progress in the right direction. At the same time, this linkage increases transparency and accountability, making it easier to share information and track advancement. It also helps establish the right forums, identify responsible owners, understand how different teams are applying AI, and bridge gaps between functions—ultimately enabling organization-wide AI transformation