Manage AI in the Enterprise like an asset – Transcript:
Welcome to this new video series, where I’ll be exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the enterprise and, more importantly, outlining my proposition—my manifesto, if you will—for treating AI as a genuine organisational asset. Now, I come from a governance background, but this isn’t solely about risk and cost containment. The heart of my argument is that by managing AI as an asset, we can unleash innovation and remove barriers to effective adoption. As a result, we can empower organisations to become more competitive and clearly differentiated.
Over the course of this series, I’ll examine how AI is currently deployed across the enterprise. We’ll look closely at what’s really happening on the ground, the risks entailed, and the emerging regulatory landscape that’s fast approaching. We’ll consider how to build a governance framework around AI, and I’ll leave you with practical takeaways—both for your organisation and for your personal professional development.
AI is showing all the hallmarks of classic IT sprawl
In today’s video, I want to begin by discussing the concept of “sprawl.” According to research from the ITAM Forum, 59% of organisations are already experimenting with or using AI in a professional capacity. That’s a significant figure—nearly six out of ten enterprises are engaged in some form of AI experimentation or application. However, the same sample reveals that 38% of these organisations have no clear idea who is ultimately responsible for the management of AI across the business.
This scenario should sound familiar; it closely mirrors the patterns of IT sprawl we’ve witnessed time and again. While AI may be transformative—I believe it’s as monumental a development as the invention of the internet itself—its adoption is following a path we’ve seen before. Consider the early days of public cloud, Software-as-a-Service, the introduction of USB memory sticks, iPads, or the initial wave of VMware and virtualisation. These technologies often began life as experimental tools on the fringes of the organisation, before proliferating rapidly. Only later did we step back and realise we needed proper governance.
My call to action is that we need to address AI governance now—not just to manage cost and risk, but to facilitate and accelerate innovation in a structured, sustainable way. By viewing AI as an asset, we give ourselves the tools to guide its growth rather than merely reacting to it after the fact.
In the next video…
In the next video, I’ll delve deeper into how AI is actually being implemented within the enterprise—the practical realities and the real-world risk profile. We’ll then move on to consider what a robust governance model looks like and how we can manage AI as effectively as we’ve learned to manage other significant IT assets.