Process First: Creating the Conditions for AI to Succeed

Whether you are looking at where AI could fit across an organisation, or you have already been handed a tool and need to work out how to use it well, the trap is the same: starting with the technology instead of the work. MIT’s The GenAI Divide (2025) found that 95% of enterprise generative AI pilots produced no measurable bottom-line impact — a useful reminder that adopting a tool is not the same as creating value. Using a five-driver framework developed from 20 years of experience in digital transformation, training and change management, Amel will take participants through a practical way to assess whether the work around AI is actually ready. Participants will unpack a real process or problem from their own work: why it matters, what problem they are trying to solve, what the process looks like today, and how they would know if it had improved. They will then use the framework to identify what needs to change in the process before deciding where AI fits. The aim is to help participants create the right conditions for AI to succeed, starting with a stable and well-understood process. About the facilitator Amel Katrib is the creator of the five-driver AI readiness framework used in this session. Over twenty years, she has led multi-million dollar digital transformations in financial services and helped small-to-medium businesses simplify how their operations actually run, with a consistent starting point: fix the process first, then use technology as the lever. She is certified in Lean Six Sigma, Prosci change management, AI strategy, and no-code AI and machine learning. Her position on AI is the same one she has held about every technology before it: the tool is never the first step. AI CoLab events are intentionally open and collaborative. We capture photos, audio, and AI-generated transcripts so we can remix key insights for the AI CoLab Alliance community. This is always done in line with the Charter’s values; transparent, ethical innovation and knowledge sharing to accelerate collective learning (see join.aicolab.org). By participating in an AI CoLab event, you agree to your contributions being captured and shared in accordance with this policy.