AI isn’t the hard part — transformation is. Most organisations don’t fail because of the tech; they fail because they treat AI as a capability to deploy rather than a business strategy to execute.

In this session, we’ll unpack why so many AI efforts stall or underdeliver, despite significant investment. We’ll explore:

Why Organisations Get It Wrong: The common traps — tech-first thinking, disconnected pilots, and a lack of clarity on the problem AI is solving. Leading with Business Strategy:How to flip the narrative and ground AI in your core strategic objectives — whether that’s improving citizen services, reducing costs, or unlocking new operating models. Taking a Mission-Based Approach: Why the most successful transformations are mission-led, not model-led — and how to align leadership, funding, and effort around a few high-value, clearly-defined outcomes.

The session will challenge assumptions, share hard-won lessons, and give leaders a more intentional, strategy-driven path to AI value.