AACF
Culture & Change ยท CUL-01

Planned approach to AI change

AI adoption is managed as organisational change, with a change plan, named sponsors and the resources to carry it out.

Why it matters

Most of the effort in adopting AI goes into changing how people work, not into the technology. Treating adoption as a technology rollout leaves processes, roles and habits unchanged, and the expected benefits do not arrive.

Levels
0 AbsentConfirmed absent: the evidence shows nothing is in place. Not known is recorded as insufficient evidence, not 0.
1 InitialNo change approach; AI tools are made available and people are left to work out what to do with them.
2 DevelopingSome change activity happens on individual projects, but there is no organisation-wide plan or dedicated resource.
3 DefinedA documented AI change plan, based on an assessment of the current culture, has named senior sponsors and funded resource, and is applied to every significant use.
4 ManagedProgress against the change plan is measured and reported, and areas where adoption is stalling are identified and given extra support.
5 OptimisingThe change approach is refined from what has and has not worked in earlier rollouts and from changes in the scale and type of AI being adopted.
Level 3 criteria

Level 3 is met when every applicable criterion is met. Criteria marked with an overlay apply only to organisations with that characteristic (overlays).

  1. CUL-01.1 An assessment of the current culture and what has to change for AI adoption has been carried out.
  2. CUL-01.2 A documented change plan for AI adoption is in place and builds on that assessment.
  3. CUL-01.3 The change plan has named senior sponsors.
  4. CUL-01.4 A funded change resource is in place to carry out the plan.
  5. CUL-01.5 The change plan is applied to every significant use of AI.
Assessment questions
  • Is there a change plan for AI adoption, and who sponsors it?
  • What people and budget are assigned to change, as opposed to delivery?
  • How is the change approach applied to a new use of AI going live?
Evidence an assessor would expect
  • The AI change plan, with sponsors, resources and timescales
  • Change plans or impact assessments for recent uses of AI
How to reach Level 3
  1. Assess the current culture and how people work today, using a short survey and conversations with teams, and record what has to change for AI to be used well.
  2. Write a change plan for AI adoption based on that assessment, with aims, activities and timescales.
  3. Name senior sponsors and set aside a budget and people for change work, separate from delivery.
  4. Make a change plan or a proportionate change section a requirement for every significant use of AI, checked at the stage gates (POR-04).

Common pitfalls

  • Treating AI adoption as a tool rollout and putting all the budget into technology.
  • Writing a plan without first finding out how people work and feel today.
  • Naming sponsors who have no time or authority to act.

Starter artefacts

  • Culture and readiness assessment
  • AI change plan with sponsors and resources
  • Change section template for individual uses of AI
Ownership and sequence
Accountable
executive sponsor
Contributors
people lead, business owner, delivery lead
Depends on
GOV-02, STR-01
Roadmap step
3
Lifecycle
strategy, design, deploy
Cross-references
MITRE AI Maturity ModelP3.1 direct
UK Data and AI Ethics FrameworkSAT 3.8 partial
UNESCO AI Maturity Framework2.3 partial; 2.4 direct

direct: this control at Level 3 meets the item. partial: it covers part of it.