Recent discussions with board members and senior leaders regarding AI adoption increasingly focus on the role of culture. As we covered in Lessons in implementing board-level AI governance, studies suggest many companies are not achieving the desired return on investment from AI projects. Effective leaders report that having the right culture for their organization is essential to effective AI adoption. They also report that though culture change does not happen quickly, it impacts outcomes.
According to the National Association of Corporate Directors’ (NACD) 2025 Trends and Priorities Survey, three of the 10 top director trends involve technology. In WTW’s most recent Emerging and Interconnected Risks Survey, executives worldwide listed AI risk as the top risk of 752 emerging risks.
Several studies suggest five cultural elements can make AI adoption more effective:
Culture of purpose
WTW’s Max Wright and Asumi Ishibashi recently noted that those with skills in AI, machine learning and cybersecurity are the most difficult talent to attract and retain, according to the WTW Global Artificial Intelligence and Digital Talent Compensation and Trends Report. Other scarce skills are in cloud computing, data science, business intelligence, augmented reality and autonomous vehicles. According to the study, the top factor in retaining those with such critical skills in North America is whether those individuals believe they have a real impact on the organization’s performance. In EMEA and Asia Pacific, the top factor is interesting, challenging and varied work.
Effective leaders have long understood that purpose serves as the leadership glue that drives constancy in company culture while business models and daily operations transform. This also holds true during AI adoption.