In this guest article, Joanna Trippett, EMEA CEO at DEPT draws parallels between government and business, unpacking what boardrooms need to get right on talent and culture for their AI initiatives.
There are a lot of similarities between government and business. As Andy Burnham settles into his new role as PM, he is ultimately responsible for the same objectives as any leader: determine direction, build the right team to enact that direction, and drive growth.
Growth is the shared currency of both the public and private sector. We need to outgrow our competitors, and Burnham needs our economy to grow faster than global markets. This is why one of Burnham’s first moves has been so interesting.
Within days of entering Number 10, he closed up the nascent Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and brought the department’s focus under a Business umbrella. In the same breath, we saw the AI Minister, Kanishka Narayan, invited to join the Cabinet for the very first time.
The message is clear. AI is inescapably part of modern business and it deserves its own seat at the table as a priority. So what can business leaders learn, and what can we teach Burnham about his own approach?
Breaking the Silo
While there has been some uproar from the tech community about no longer having a dedicated DSIT, this is a smart move from our new PM. In business, I’m a firm believer that no future-facing business should just have a single “Head of AI” responsible for all transformation – it typically siloes innovation to one team. In his reshuffle, Burnham has done the opposite. He’s collapsed the responsibility for technology and innovation across all departments whilst representing it at the highest level through Narayan. AI will impact everything this Government works on: jobs, defence policy, healthcare – both as an opportunity and a threat. It’s not that technology doesn’t matter enough to have its own department. It matters too much.
Innovation and AI adoption is core to business direction, it can’t be ring-fenced in a playground of sunken experiments and separate R&D budget. All leadership, from CTO to CMO to CEO, has a role in defining that direction within the boardroom. Burnham, hopefully, understands exactly this.
Should this come at the expense of having trusted AI experts? Absolutely not. As the intelligence of the DSIT is reallocated across the Department for Business, they will be a critical part of this plan’s success.
Investing in Talent
Bringing the AI Minister into the Cabinet elevates the technology to its rightful place in the decision making process, but closing the DSIT risks leaving AI decisions to leadership who may not have the relevant experience or knowledge. This technology is still new and fast-evolving – dedicated and embedded experts will always be needed to build it and inform strategy.
Today’s leaders need to understand the technologies rapidly shaping the future, but not without guidance. What I’ve learned in my career is that, every time a wave of new technology or growth opportunity arises, the most impactful thing you can do is put the most passionate people into a room alongside senior leaders.
Transformation is not hierarchical. The future of this technology must play out in the boardroom, but it will live and breathe within company culture, within each team, department and each employee’s day-to-day work. What’s required is an open-minded culture and the want to be the most innovative department in the world. That requires a level of curiosity, creativity and emotional safety to get things wrong, not necessarily traits our government is renowned for.
Folding AI into business at the highest level must be balanced with creating space for technical creativity, R&D and expertise at every level. Business is, more often than not, people. Asking at board-level how to inspire, empower, and guide talent through an AI transformation will be far more impactful than a policy or handbook.
Driving New Growth
One thing our new PM understands clearly is that AI, when it is everyone’s responsibility, is a powerful growth enabler. A rising tide lifts all boats. It can also be expensive if not applied correctly or deployed without a clear vision.
In this environment, it’s critical that businesses create a framework for how and where AI should be used – and importantly, where it should not. And this should look beyond efficiency. Every business can already use AI to work faster. Competitive edge comes from understanding how AI can operationalise what already exists while empowering new growth, how it can be embedded in strategy to invent new and better business outcomes, beyond just creating more outputs at speed.
This comes from changing who determines the role of the technology in a business. When AI is its own workstream with its own KPIs, it becomes inherently limited. If AI is adopted as a cost-saver or efficiency driver, for example, its success will only be measured in time and spend. It’s a framing problem.
Boardrooms – and the Cabinet – need to be focussing on outcomes and value creation, not just cost. When AI initiatives are tied to business outcomes and metrics at the point of approval, then enacted by the very best people to do it, businesses create a true transformation programme. Rather than discussing how something saved 150 hours, the conversation becomes about launching in 6 markets instead of 3, or reaching 250,000 more eyeballs in a campaign through an agile, multi-channel content strategy.
Burnham’s vision for innovation is yet to be seen or realised, but these first moves do at least show that it is a priority; which is a critical signal for business and national success. What I hope to see from the Government is what I hope to see in business: growth prioritised over efficiency; a framework for where to use AI and where not to; and real thought given to what this transition means for jobs and education.
What I absolutely do know is that, if we want to remain a small-but-mighty player on the global stage, we need a radical review of the school curriculum, yesterday. While Burnham has shown the power of a top down, strategic focus on AI and innovation, the talent that will make this future a reality are just joining the workforce. These workers are the catalysts of change: AI-native, curious, and ready to challenge how we work and define success long before they enter the boardroom.
