People & Skills ยท PPL-02
Leadership capability
Leaders understand AI well enough to set direction for it, question proposals and risks, and make informed decisions about its use.
Why it matters
Leaders approve AI investment, accept its risks and set the tone for how staff use it. If they cannot judge claims made for AI, decisions are left to enthusiasts or vendors, or are not taken at all.
Levels
| 0 Absent | Confirmed absent: the evidence shows nothing is in place. Not known is recorded as insufficient evidence, not 0. |
|---|---|
| 1 Initial | Leaders' understanding of AI depends on personal interest and vendor briefings. |
| 2 Developing | Some leaders have attended AI briefings, but there is no defined expectation of what leaders should know. |
| 3 Defined | Board members, executives and senior managers have completed a defined learning offer on AI opportunity, risk and governance. |
| 4 Managed | Leadership capability is assessed, gaps are addressed, and the quality of AI decisions and challenge is reviewed. |
| 5 Optimising | Leadership learning is updated from decision reviews and external change, and leaders keep their knowledge current through ongoing exposure to AI in practice. |
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).
- PPL-02.1 A defined leadership learning offer covers AI opportunity, risk, governance and the questions leaders should ask.
- PPL-02.2 Board members, executives and senior managers have completed the offer.
Assessment questions
- What are leaders expected to understand about AI, and how was that decided?
- Which members of the board and executive have completed AI learning?
- Give an example of a leader challenging an AI proposal or risk.
- The leadership learning offer and attendance records
- Board or committee minutes showing informed challenge on AI
How to reach Level 3
- Agree what the board, executive and senior managers need to understand about AI opportunity, risk, governance and the questions to ask of a proposal.
- Build or buy a short leadership session or series that covers those four topics, using examples from your own organisation where possible.
- Schedule it so every board member, executive and senior manager completes it, including new appointees.
- Record attendance and give leaders a one-page list of challenge questions to use at decision points (GOV-03, POR-04).
Common pitfalls
- Relying on vendor briefings, which explain the product's benefits rather than how to judge them.
- Covering opportunity only and leaving out risk and governance.
- Letting the board opt out because members are assumed to know enough already.
Starter artefacts
- Leadership AI learning outline
- Attendance record for board, executive and senior managers
- Leader's challenge question card
Ownership and sequence
- Accountable
- people lead
- Contributors
- executive sponsor
- Depends on
- None
- Roadmap step
- 1
- Lifecycle
- strategy, design
Cross-references
| EU AI Act | Art 4 partial |
|---|---|
| GDS AI Playbook | P1 partial; P9 direct |
| JSP 936 Part 1 | para 20 partial |
| MITRE AI Maturity Model | P3.3 partial |
| NIST AI RMF 1.0 | GOVERN 2.2 partial |
| UNESCO AI Maturity Framework | 2.3 partial; 2.5 partial |
direct: this control at Level 3 meets the item. partial: it covers part of it.