Starting on Your AI Journey: A Quick Guide

Are you ready to take the leap and embrace AI? This guide will help you identify key areas to focus on as you chart your AI strategy and roadmap. Here's what you need to consider:

1. Crafting Your Business Strategy

   • Ask yourself: What are our key business objectives? Customer experience, productivity, revenue growth, or employee experience – which is a priority?
   • How will we measure the value of these objectives?
   • Can we identify AI use cases that align with our goals?
   • Can we build a portfolio management plan to guide our investments effectively?

2. Developing a Robust Technology Strategy

   • Considering your top-priority AI use cases, should you buy, modernize or build applications?
   • Do you have the necessary infrastructure for AI applications to access data securely and efficiently?
   • Where should you host your data and AI applications – on-premises or in the cloud?
   • Is your cloud infrastructure capable of handling large AI workloads reliably?
   • How strong is your organization’s Zero Trust security posture?
   • Could you leverage AI to enhance security measures?
     
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3. Mastering AI Strategy and Experience

   • Have you explored generative AI use cases that could benefit your business?
   • Do you have a systematic process to incorporate AI into every use case?
   • Have you looked at patterns in your business units and processes that might reveal opportunities or roadblocks?
   • Could intelligent apps enhance the relevance of model outputs?
   • Have you considered using Microsoft 365 Copilot to speed up learning and increase value?
     
     

4. Fostering an Organization and Culture Aligned with AI

   • Have you defined your operating model for AI?
   • Do you have leadership support and the necessary resources?
   • Are you fostering relationships with a diverse range of subject-matter experts?
   • Are you prepared to manage change effectively?
   • Do you have the right learning and skill-building paths in place?
   • Have you considered AI as a sustainable capability within your organization and culture?
     
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5. Implementing Effective AI Governance

   • Have you reviewed resources on responsible AI use to identify models and approaches that suit your organization?
   • Which enablement model suits your needs best - hub-and-spoke, centralized, or distributed?
   • Have you considered secure AI principles to protect your data from platform to applications and users?
   • Have you thought about the processes, controls, and accountability mechanisms required to govern AI use?
     
     

Remember, this is just the beginning. As you embark on this exciting journey, remember to embrace the opportunities and face the challenges head-on. With dedication, expertise, and a clear vision, you're well on your way to AI success!

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