As with any aspect of digital transformation, the effective deployment of generative AI will depend less on technological capability than on human adaptability. Indeed, the human factor — people and culture — will drive the adoption of AI, or lack thereof. That means that companies need to spend as much time thinking about how to harness cultural strengths, and implement the necessary processes to complement or compensate for its cultural weaknesses, to drive AI adoption. For example, if a culture is passive aggressive or risk averse, then setting up the right formal incentives to reward risk will work wonders. Conversely, if a culture is so entrepreneurial that it jumps on any new market opportunities to the point of being distracted by shiny new objects, formal incentives and processes must reward focus, discipline, and the ability to ignore novel fads.
