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Artificial Intelligence

Transforming AI Into Value: Driving Business Growth and ROI

March 2025

Your Presenter(s)

Joyce Shen

AI Investor & Machine Learning Faculty at UC Berkeley

Joyce is a seasoned venture capital investor and business builder with deep expertise in emerging technologies, data, AI/ML, and cybersecurity for enterprise applications. She also serves as adjunct faculty in data science at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, Joyce was the Global Managing Director in the Office of the CTO at Thomson Reuters (Reuters News, Refinitiv, and Thomson Reuters), where she founded the corporate venture fund. Before that, she was the founding Global CFO and COO of IBM Cloud Platform and began her career in M&A and Corporate Development at IBM. Joyce is the author two books, including "From Talking to Doing", a guide to corporate innovation, and holds a patent related to detecting unsecured sensors in critical infrastructure.

Natasha Gray

Owner at Graytree Consulting

Natasha Gray is a visionary leader with over two decades of transformative impact in the pharmaceutical industry. As the owner of Graytree Consulting, Natasha enables life sciences companies to adopt and scale their use of AI, Data & Analytics to grow their business. Previously, Natasha was Head of R&D Transformation at GSK, where she co-led a program to build digital fluency and drive adoption of new technologies. Brefore that, she was GSK's Head of HIV Data & Analytics, where she introduced AI-driven approaches to unlock growth and influenced the culture to be more data-driven.

Christina Sandema-Sombe

CDAIO & Co-founder at Datum café

Christina is an award-winning thought leader in the data culture transformation space. She runs an eponymous data strategy consultancy. She has 15 years of experience leading enterprise-wide behavioral data practice transformation across retail, professional services, and not-for-profit organizations. Christina is also the co-founder and CDAIO at Datum Cafe, a services and publishing company coaching data leaders on data culture transformations. Previously, Christina was Chief Data Steward at Nike, and a data executive at Deloitte and Evanta. She was recognized in 2024 as a Top 10 Global Data Innovator and AI 100 Most Influential AI Leaders in the USA and in 2023 as a Data IQ 100 leader, and is listed in Leading Influencer North America List and Global Data Power Woman.

Summary

AI innovation is advancing rapidly, yet its adoption in business environments is lagging, creating a gap between potential and value. Organizations that act swiftly to close this gap can realize significant ROI and enjoy a competitive advantage. In a recent session on transforming AI investments into business value, several key insights were provided by a panel of experts, including Joyce Shen, Christina Sandema-Sombe, and Natasha Gray. The discussion centered on the need for an AI strategy aligned with business goals and the importance of collaboration across the organization. A culture of experimentation and openness to adopting new technologies is essential, as is leadership support and alignment with business objectives. Additionally, data and technology infrastructure readiness, along with a clear understanding of data ownership and governance frameworks, are essential for success. The panel also highlighted common challenges, such as failing to collaborate with the right parties, building unnecessary systems, and not having the necessary data quality. Emphasizing the human aspect, the speakers discussed the importance of an AI-ready culture where employees are engaged and informed about how AI will impact their roles. Throughout the session, the speakers shared practical strategies for embedding AI into business processes, ensuring measurable outcomes, and creating a collaborative environment for successful AI adoption.

Key Takeaways:

AI strategy must align with business goals to demonstrate clear ROI and competitive advantage.
Leadership support and a culture of experimentation are essential for successful AI adoption.
Data quality, ownership, and governance frameworks are vital for AI initiatives.
Common challenges include failing to collaborate with key stakeholders and building unnecessary systems.
An AI-ready culture involves employee engagement, education, and understanding of AI impacts.

In-Depth Analysis

Aligning AI Strategy with Business Goals

A successful AI strategy must be clearly aligned with an organization's overarching business objectives. Natasha Gray emphasized that AI initiatives should not be random experiments but should directly support business goals. To achieve this, collaboration across departments is crucial, ensuring that everyone involved understands and supports the AI strategy. This alignment helps in demonstrating measurable ROI and driving competitive advantage. Joyce Shen highlighted the importance of treating internal users as customers, understanding their needs, and building prototypes that address those needs effectively. This customer-centric approach ensures that AI solutions are relevant and add value to the business processes.

Importance of Data Quality and Governance

Data quality is crucial when building AI applications. Joyce Shen pointed out that having a modern data stack, even a basic one, is essential for smaller organizations just starting with AI. It involves more than just having good data; it's about ensuring data reliability, completeness, and ethical usage. Organizations must have a clear framework for data quality expectations, as Christina Sandema-Sombe noted, which dictates the effectiveness of data management efforts for various use cases. Proper data quality and governance frameworks enable organizations to trust their data, leading to more successful AI deployments.

Building an AI-Ready Culture

An AI-ready culture involves creating an environment where employees are not only informed about AI but are also eager to engage with it. Natasha Gray discussed the importance of alleviating fear and uncertainty among employees regarding AI's impact on their roles. Organizations should focus on education and creating learning opportunities to enhance understanding and excitement about AI. Joyce Shen added that promoting awareness and consistent education are necessary to make stakeholders at all levels comfortable with AI, ensuring they see its potential benefits rather than as a threat.

Scoping and Executing AI Use Cases

Identifying the right AI use cases is critical for achieving measurable success. Joyce Shen recommended looking for opportunities where AI can improve knowledge retrieval and enhance existing business processes. The familiarity of form factors, such as those seen in consumer-facing AI applications like ChatGPT, can be leveraged for enterprise use cases. Christina Sandema-Sombe emphasized the importance of defining clear metrics for success and ensuring that the chosen use cases align with business priorities for them to be seen as valuable. Successful execution relies on a collaborative approach and clear measurement criteria to track progress and demonstrate impact effectively.