CASE STUDY through Microsoft 365 Copilot, helping employees prepare reports, summarise meetings, analyse information and communicate more effectively. Second, we are progressing business-led AI workstreams across crewing, contracts, safety, finance, supply chain and marine operations. The conversation has therefore moved from whether AI works to how we scale it responsibly and convert it into sustained business value.
What are the most compelling AI use cases you have identified across the organisation, and how do you determine which ones are worth scaling?
We look at AI through two complementary lenses.“ Everyday AI” helps employees work smarter by accelerating research, reporting, knowledge access, analysis and decision support.“ Game- Changing AI” is aimed to redesign end-to-end business processes in areas such as crew lifecycle management, contract intelligence, safety and compliance, supply chain optimisation, finance and marine operations.
We scale use cases only when there is a clear business owner, a measurable outcome, reliable information, a process ready for change and a practical path to adoption. This keeps the focus on outcomes such as safer operations, faster turnaround, better decisions and improved service quality, rather than on the novelty of the technology.
How are you measuring the business value of AI?
We measure AI value across productivity, decision quality, employee experience, risk reduction and longer-term business performance. Cost savings matter, but they are not the only measure. We also look at faster decisions, stronger compliance, improved operational visibility, better service and the capacity released for higher-value work.
There are already tangible indicators. Our Microsoft case study work has recorded more than 200,000 Copilot prompts across the business and more than 900 active users. Specific use cases have demonstrated an 80 % reduction in report creation time and a 90 % reduction in validation and compliance-checking time. These examples are important because they connect adoption statistics to business outcomes. As our operational AI workstreams mature, we will increasingly measure value against process cycle time, safety and compliance performance, service quality, avoided cost and opportunities for growth.
Many organisations are struggling to move AI projects from pilot to production. What have been the biggest barriers?
The biggest barriers are usually organisational rather than technical. AI struggles to scale when process ownership is unclear, information is fragmented, expected outcomes are not defined, or the business is not ready to change the way work is performed.
Our response has been to prepare the operating environment before scaling. We mapped and reviewed business processes, clarified ownership, strengthened the underlying information, and brought business leaders into prioritization and value assessment.
Culture is equally important. Employees need to understand that AI is there to augment their judgement and remove repetitive work, not to replace accountability or human expertise. Building that confidence is essential to moving from a successful pilot to sustained adoption.
How important is enterprise data to your AI strategy?
Trusted information is fundamental to trusted AI. If information is inconsistent, difficult to access or lacks clear ownership, the resulting decisions will be unreliable regardless of how sophisticated technology is.
We have therefore focused on making business information more consistent, connected and accountable. This includes clarifying who owns critical data, improving quality, standardizing key processes, strengthening common definitions and creating a more integrated information foundation.
In business terms, this means employees and AI solutions can work from information that is more dependable, explainable and suitable for decision-making.
How is generative AI changing employee productivity and workflows?
Generative AI is changing the starting point of knowledge work. Employees no longer have to begin every report, analysis, meeting summary or presentation from a blank page. They can create a strong first draft quickly, interrogate information more effectively and spend more time applying experience and judgement. www. intelligentcio. com
INTELLIGENT CIO MIDDLE EAST
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