Even as AI investment rises, many organizations don’t see the returns they expected. They might see small improvements by deploying AI tools into existing structures. But true success means thinking beyond the technology alone, reinventing tomorrow’s workflows, and putting AI to work for people. Our research shows only 5% of organizations are redesigning work, while others are optimizing what already exists.

When my role evolved to blend people leadership with AI enablement, it sent a clear message from our CEO: AI requires a strong people strategy at the core. I’ve seen real transformation when organizations bet on people, not just AI.

The companies unlocking results are asking the right questions about how work should change. What those leaders are learning comes down to a few key steps.

When we rebuilt our AI HR operating model at ServiceNow, we considered how we would design it if we were starting from scratch. That helped us move from scattered pilots to a structured process with clear governance, accountability, and a way to scale without chaos.

PepsiCo’s executive vice president and chief people officer, Becky Schmitt, took a similar, structured approach. In a webinar we hosted, Schmitt a client of ours shared how she focused on data hygiene and prioritized all employees, including frontline and factory employees where safety and wellbeing are nonnegotiable.

With clean data and transparent definitions, employees can better trust and verify what AI tells them. When trust grows, adoption accelerates.

“As we’ve thought about what it means to adopt AI and harness the full power of this technology, we have five principles.

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