EY
Q. LOOKING AHEAD, HOW DO YOU SEE THE ADOPTION OF AI-FIRST OPERATING MODELS SHIFTING?
» For a long time,“ AI‐first” was aspirational language. That is changing quickly. We will start to see more organisations treating AI‐first operating models as an architectural shift, not a tooling upgrade. One that requires rethinking processes, controls, incentives and decision rights around AI‐enabled execution, not simply layering new technology onto old structures.
Organisations that have done the foundational work are already seeing the difference. Over the next few years, I expect to see significant restructuring, not just of technology architectures but of operating models themselves.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON AI SYSTEMS BECOMING MORE AUTONOMOUS AND INTERCONNECTED?
» The possibilities created by more autonomous and interconnected AI systems are genuinely exciting. They open doors that simply weren’ t available before, from advances in healthcare and climate response to how we manage critical infrastructure at scale.
At the same time, greater autonomy changes the nature of risk. That’ s why governance, assurance and security have to evolve alongside these systems. Autonomous AI can deliver enormous value, but only if leaders can observe how systems behave over time, intervene when necessary and
“THE AI ERA REQUIRES A RESET IN HOW LEADERSHIP ITSELF WORKS”
Raj Sharma Global Managing Partner for Growth and Innovation EY
explain outcomes clearly to regulators, customers and other stakeholders.
There’ s also an important human dimension to this shift. The question isn’ t whether AI will change jobs – it already has – but whether people feel they still have agency and accountability in systems where execution is increasingly automated. If humans don’ t understand how decisions are made, or where responsibility sits, trust erodes quickly.
The right response isn’ t to slow progress, it’ s to build better systems. That means investing in governance infrastructure that keeps humans meaningfully in the loop.
10 ey. com