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By Sabrina Tullo
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Artificial intelligence has shifted from a boardroom talking point to a commercial imperative. Companies are investing billions in automation, predictive analytics, and generative AI, while executives race to determine how quickly they can deploy new capabilities.
Goldman Sachs has estimated AI could eventually contribute trillions of dollars to the global economy, while surveys from firms including McKinsey continue to show rapid adoption across business functions. Yet despite the exponential investment, Forbes reported that only 5 percent of all AI pilot projects produced an identifiable return on investment.
Technology has never struggled to evolve faster than people. Every wave of disruption has exposed the same weakness: organizations often concentrate on acquiring new systems while overlooking the “human-in-the-loop,” which is the human decisions that determine whether those systems deliver meaningful value. AI has simply accelerated a challenge that has existed for decades.
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Many organizations still frame AI as a technology project. Budgets are allocated, and implementation timelines are announced. Employees, meanwhile, are left wondering whether their skills remain valuable and who is ultimately responsible when machines begin influencing decisions that once belonged entirely to people.
Claudia Harvey, the founder of The Native AI Group, believes that many executives are solving the wrong problem. Drawing on decades of executive leadership, entrepreneurship, and business transformation experience, she argues that organizations struggle because leaders fail to prepare their people for continuous change.
“AI is not going away,” Harvey says. “But it also isn’t something to fear. It’s something to embrace. How you embrace it is what matters.” Her perspective has been shaped by a career that spans senior leadership roles, building and scaling businesses of her own, and advising executives navigating periods of growth and transition. Those experiences have convinced her that transformation succeeds only after leadership establishes the direction that employees understand and trust.
Many businesses, Harvey adds, rush toward emerging technologies because competitors appear to be moving first. She often watches organizations chase what she calls the latest “shiny spoon” instead of remaining disciplined around measurable objectives. Companies that continually redirect attention toward every new trend often lose momentum before meaningful progress can take hold.
“The most successful companies understand exactly who they serve and where they’re going. They don’t keep jumping from one opportunity to another,” she says. Guided by this philosophy, Harvey advises leaders to define their business objectives before deciding on an AI platform. Once they establish this destination, technology serves as a tool to support the strategy instead of becoming the strategy itself.
Harvey’s training in Six Sigma, a method to make processes as perfect as possible, reinforces that discipline. She emphasizes the idea of “reverse engineering” goals, which means to identify the desired business outcome before mapping the operational changes required to reach it. AI may become one of those solutions, though she argues that it should always remain accountable to commercial objectives instead of novelty.
Leadership alignment comes next. Harvey believes that employees are far more willing to embrace change when communication is consistent, transparent, and ongoing. “Communication is absolutely key. Employees need to understand what they can do, what they can’t do, and why those decisions protect both the company and themselves,” she says.
Her concerns extend beyond productivity. As more employees experiment with publicly available AI tools, organizations face growing questions around intellectual property, confidential information, and responsible governance. Harvey believes many risks emerge without malicious intent. Staff members often use new technology enthusiastically without realizing the implications for company data or brand reputation.
Clear policies, therefore, become a strategic necessity rather than an administrative exercise. Leaders, she argues, should establish practical AI guidelines, continue educating employees as technology evolves, and create regular opportunities for questions instead of assuming understanding after a single announcement.
She also encourages executives to remain visible throughout the transformation. Harvey recalls a CEO who arrived in the office before everyone else simply to greet employees by name at the front door. The gesture stayed with her because it reflected accessibility rather than hierarchy.
“Trust comes from communication,” she says. “People have to know they can ask questions.” That principle has become increasingly valuable as AI reshapes workplaces. Employees who understand the organization’s direction are more likely to contribute ideas, identify opportunities, and develop new capabilities alongside evolving technology. Leaders who remain distant often create uncertainty that spreads faster than any software rollout.
Harvey has embraced AI within her own consulting work through her collaboration with The Native AI Group, using it to strengthen strategic planning and marketing. She sees enormous commercial potential in the technology while remaining equally convinced that human judgment must continue guiding critical business decisions.
Competitive advantage, she believes, will soon look very different from today’s headlines. AI capabilities will become widely available, and software advantages will narrow. Sustainable differentiation will belong to organizations capable of adapting faster because their people understand where they are headed and why.
Executives, therefore, may be asking the wrong opening question. Harvey believes that the conversation should move away from “How do we implement AI?” and toward “How do we prepare our people to succeed through continuous change and use the tools to our advantage?”
Technology will continue changing business at an extraordinary speed. Leadership remains the force that determines whether organizations simply adopt innovation or convert it into lasting progress.
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