Strategy & Value ยท STR-01
AI ambition aligned to organisational strategy
The organisation has a stated ambition for AI that is derived from its own strategy and objectives, and that leaders and staff can describe.
Why it matters
AI adopted for its own sake produces scattered pilots that do not add up to anything the organisation needs. Tying the ambition to existing objectives gives every later decision on funding, priority and risk a test to apply: does this help us do what we are here to do.
Levels
| 0 Absent | Confirmed absent: the evidence shows nothing is in place. Not known is recorded as insufficient evidence, not 0. |
|---|---|
| 1 Initial | No stated ambition; AI activity is driven by individual interest or supplier offers. |
| 2 Developing | An ambition or vision statement exists, but it is generic, not linked to organisational objectives, or not agreed by leadership. |
| 3 Defined | An approved AI ambition, owned by a named person and expressed in terms of the organisation's objectives, is known across the organisation. |
| 4 Managed | Progress against the ambition is measured and reported, and AI activity that does not serve it is identified and challenged. |
| 5 Optimising | The ambition is refined from evidence of what AI has delivered and from changes in the organisation's strategy. |
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).
- STR-01.1 An approved AI ambition states what AI is for in terms of the organisation's objectives.
- STR-01.2 The AI ambition has a named owner.
- STR-01.3 The AI ambition has been communicated across the organisation.
Assessment questions
- What is the organisation trying to achieve with AI, and which organisational objectives does that serve?
- Who approved the ambition, and where is it written down?
- Can you show a recent AI decision that was tested against the ambition?
- The approved AI ambition or strategy, showing links to organisational objectives
- Approval record from the board or executive committee
- Decision papers that refer to the ambition
How to reach Level 3
- List the organisation's current strategic objectives and, for each one, write down where AI could help and where it has no part to play.
- Draft a short ambition of one page that says what AI is for in terms of those objectives, not in terms of technology.
- Name a senior owner for the ambition and get it approved by leadership through the normal decision route.
- Communicate the approved ambition to all staff through existing channels and include it in AI induction material (see CUL-02 and PPL-01).
Common pitfalls
- Writing a vision about the technology that could belong to any organisation and gives no test for choosing between proposals.
- Getting approval but never telling staff, so the ambition exists only in a board paper.
Starter artefacts
- One-page AI ambition statement linked to organisational objectives
- Objective to AI opportunity mapping table
- Staff briefing note on the AI ambition
Ownership and sequence
- Accountable
- executive sponsor
- Contributors
- ai governance lead, business owner
- Depends on
- GOV-02
- Roadmap step
- 2
- Lifecycle
- strategy
Cross-references
| ISO/IEC 42001 | 4.1 partial; 6.2 direct |
|---|---|
| MITRE AI Maturity Model | P2.1 direct |
| NIST AI RMF 1.0 | MAP 1.3 direct |
| UK Data and AI Ethics Framework | Societal impact 1 partial |
| UNESCO AI Maturity Framework | 1.1 direct; 1.2 direct |
direct: this control at Level 3 meets the item. partial: it covers part of it.