Let’s Get Your AI Council Going! Or Should We?

Leadership in the Loop: Edition 19

Amir Hartman | Managing Director, Dasteel Consulting | Director AI Strategy Research Experience Alliance, Fidere.ai, Praxis AI

Venkataraman Lakshminarayanan | Chief Revenue Office & President Cron AI |

It’s one of the most common questions we get asked: "How do we build an AI council?" If you happen to be grappling with the what and why of AI councils, you're not alone. In fact, it’s right up there with "How do we upskill our employees on AI?" (which, spoiler alert, should be part of your council's charter).

We have a love-hate relationship with AI councils. On one hand, they are often necessary to help make investment decisions and drive change. On the other, many don’t add much value and end up being more of a formality than a true driver of progress.

In this edition, we’ll break down what makes an AI council truly effective. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to revamp an existing group, we'll guide you through creating a purpose-driven AI council with structured operations. Read through to the end, because we have a nominee for your council.

Isn't an AI council nothing but a panel of experts skilled in a wide range of AI capabilities that provide strategic guidance to the organization? Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of how you can go about creating a purpose-driven AI council with structured operations. Read through to the end, because we have a nominee for your council.

Staff Your AI Council

Think of your AI council as the Avengers of your organization – a lean, mean team of experts assembled to tackle the AI challenge. The goal is to balance diverse expertise with agility. Let’s take a look at who these experts are:

1. Executive Sponsor: A C-suite leader (e.g., CIO, CTO, or CEO) to provide strategic direction and resource allocation.
2. Technical Lead: An AI engineer or data scientist to address technical feasibility and implementation.
3. Business Strategist: A senior leader who understands business operations and can identify AI opportunities.
4. Ethics and Legal Representative: To navigate ethical considerations and regulatory compliance
5. HR/Talent Development Lead: To address workforce impact and upskilling needs.
6. Employee Advocate: To represent the perspective of those who will work with AI day-to-day.
7. Customer Advocate: If you are forward-thinking, include a customer to provide firsthand insights

This core group of about 6-7 members allow you to take in rich perspectives while maintaining agility. Note that you can bring in additional expertise on an as-needed basis.

Empower the AI Council with Purpose

Your AI council isn't just a fancy title for a group chat. It's a powerhouse team with a critical mission, that should:

1. Set the AI strategy and vision for your organization.
2. Develop governance frameworks for ethical AI use.
3. Evaluate and approve AI initiatives across the organization.
4. Monitor and mitigate AI-related risks.
5. Drive AI literacy and upskilling efforts across all levels of the organization.
6. Stay informed about the latest AI trends and regulations.

Operate your AI Council with Structure and Rigor

To keep your council humming like a well-oiled machine:

1. Start with a clear charter defining the council's purpose, scope, and decision-making authority.
2. Implement structured agendas for focused, productive meetings.
3. Establish a clear decision-making process.
4. Use work streams instead of formal subcommittees for specific initiatives or focus areas.
5. Implement a regular review mechanism to assess and improve the council's effectiveness.
6. To ensure broader representation without losing agility, try rotating certain positions periodically to bring in fresh perspectives.?
7. Hold periodic open forums or town halls to engage with a wider audience.

If you’re wondering why work streams and not sub-committees, it's because you want outcome-focus and flexibility, so that they can be created, modified, or disbanded as needed, allowing for cross-functional collaboration without administrative overhead. Set clear objectives for your work stream leaders, and allow them to pull in expertise from across the organization as needed.

How Often Should the AI Council Meet?

Find a rhythm that maintains momentum without overwhelming members:

1. Monthly meetings for regular check-ins and ongoing projects.
2. Quarterly deep dives for comprehensive strategy sessions and risk assessments.
3. An annual AI summit to review progress and set goals for the coming year.
4. Be flexible – you might need more frequent meetings during critical phases of your AI journey (periodic “town halls” for example)

Let’s not Forget the Importance of AI Literacy

AI literacy should be a key focus of your council's mission. Check out the recent article we wrote about the importance of AI literacy in the Leadership in the Loop newsletter.?

We point out why it is important to invest in AI literacy in order to achieve several critical objectives such as building the AI skills across your organization, demystifying AI, identifying new innovations, opportunities and use cases, and promoting ethical awareness - just to name the obvious ones.

Beware of AI Council Pitfalls

Here are the most common ones.?

• The natural tendency of such setups attracts administrative burden and needless sophistication, so beware of excessive management consulting frameworks and analysis paralysis.?
• Keep it lean and agile. If the council meetings feel like an echo chamber, it's time to bring more people into it so that diverse perspectives are represented and heard.?
• Find a way for the council to maintain regular interaction with various departments.?
• Avoid an echo chamber - rotate certain positions periodically to bring in fresh perspectives.
• And remember, what works for one department may not work for another.?

Building an effective AI council isn't about assembling a large group of people; it's about creating a dynamic, focused team that can navigate the complex world of AI while keeping your organization's goals, ethics, and employees front and center. By balancing key perspectives with agility and using flexible structures like work streams, you can create an AI council that's both representative and effective. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Create an AI council that's as unique as your organization. In other words, the council needs to be your company’s secret sauce. And most importantly, it gets things done and easily communicates progress and results that matter.

And hey, if all else fails, you could always ask ChatGPT to join your council. (Just kidding – or are we?)?

#AI #GenAI #AICouncil #AILiteracy

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