Identifying key stakeholders

- Involving a broad range of stakeholders in the development of an AI use policy is essential for creating guidelines that make sense for your organization, and start the process of getting buy-in from the most influential people. This video will set you up to identify and engage the key stakeholders needed for a comprehensive and inclusive AI policy, including senior leaders, functional experts, and diverse employee groups. First and foremost, you'll want to engage senior leadership. These are the decision makers who set the direction, allocate resources, and tell people what to do. Start with the C-suite. You know you'll need to get the Chief Technical Officer or Chief Information Officer on board, and never forget the Chief Financial Officer, but you really should also talk to the Head of HR and marketing executives. You're looking to get their agreement that a policy is necessary, and then take their measure. How receptive are they? Some people are terrified of generative AI, while others can't wait to use it for everything. Review the degrees of openness to change questionnaire and modify it to fit your establishment. Start with this assessment and then see if you can win over the resistant ones by finding out what tasks they do every day, and show them how AI can help them. They might become a vocal advocate. Getting buy-in from these top-level executives means that your AI policy will support prevailing business objectives and get the necessary backing and resources. Next, you'll want to involve representatives from key functional areas that are likely to be impacted by generative AI. IT and data governance teams are responsible for managing your company's technical foundation. Everything from software systems, to data sets and security protocols. Their opinion can overrule everybody else in the company. The same is true of your legal and compliance teams. In fact, there might be people in your company who can force the rest of you to abide by a policy that just says, don't. You need to know who they are and how to mollify them. HR will have to put some serious thought into retraining, upskilling and personnel shifts as generative AI takes on more tasks, and people's jobs are altered to the point of being unrecognizable. Make sure they know their responsibility and work closely with them. Business unit leaders come next. Managers and directors of specific departments or product lines will provide domain-specific knowledge on how generative AI should be used in their areas. To create a truly inclusive policy, you'll also want to talk to your employees across different levels, functions, and demographics. You have everything from data scientists who are hands-on with AI tools, to frontline people who will be using AI on a daily basis. Understanding their perspective on any policy that requires or restricts how they work is essential. Yes, that's a lot of people with competing priorities and busy schedules, but involving key stakeholders early and often is the only way to craft a policy that is comprehensive and tolerated, while avoiding a strict top-down enforcement approach. So, here's some tips. First and foremost, this is about identifying and feeling out people's deeply felt opinions. You're acting almost like a therapist to unearth their feelings, so tread carefully and practice active listening. Show empathy and try to understand their perspectives, even if, well, especially if they differ from your own. Start with a clear vision and purpose. Practice communicating why you're developing an AI policy and how it will help the company as a whole, as well as the individuals you're looking to for acceptance. Use a variety of communication channels. Different stakeholders may prefer different approaches. Some respond well to formal meetings, others prefer more discussions or online forums, and some might be all-in only if you address them one-on-one. Consider workshops or webinars, newsletters, even posters in the hallway, or even direct mail. However you transmit this information, do it regularly, and keep people informed about the whole policy development process, timelines, milestones, and the opportunities for input. Let them know how it's going, and how their feedback will be used. So, take a moment and think about the key stakeholders within your organization. Who are the influencers? Who are the decision-makers, the domain experts? Who are the voices that need to be heard? The perspectives that need to be included. Building trust, transparency, and practicing active listening throughout the stakeholder engagement process is the foundation of a successful creation of an AI policy. Now you're set. Go make a list and engage the vital stakeholders within your organization.