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I write about businesses using AI and today I’m excited to show you how IgniteTech is radically changing their company.

IgniteTech¹⁷³ acquires and modernises enterprise software, offering it to customers through a cost-effective all-you-can-eat subscription model.

Thank you to the CEO, Eric Vaughan¹³⁷,⁶³ for spending time with me and sharing his thoughts.

Here are some takeaways from the post:

• Get leadership on board. It's important to have leaders not just say ‘let’s use AI’ but also get involved themselves.

• Start tinkering with processes and products. Find spots where AI can make a difference in what you do and how your products work. Small wins show what's possible and excite people.

• Give your team what they need. Provide time, tools, and training to experiment with AI. Encourage learning and experimentation.

• Change the culture. Getting AI to work is about the people as much as the tech. Get everyone on board and support those ready to jump in.

• Expect some bumps. Implementing AI is complex, especially for large companies stuck in certain ways. Push through early struggles and remind everyone it's about the long-term potential.

• Promote grassroots enthusiasm at scale. Make AI skill-building available and rewarding. Carefully shift talent unable or unwilling to adapt.

• Keep communicating the why. Make sure AI ties back to the big-picture goals so it feels like part of a bigger plan, not just tech for tech's sake.

Driving cultural change with AI

Eric, a technologist at heart, founded 3 software companies over the last few decades. But when he saw what generative AI could do, it changed his perspective on the world, like the internet and iPhone did.

As CEO, Eric made AI the top priority at the company.

In Q2 of 2023, they kicked off with a company-wide challenge to foster engagement and exploration.

A month-long project ensued where all employees were asked to share information in a Slack group; articles they’ve read, newsletters, products they tried, ChatGPT prompts, etc.

Employees were given $200 (and ChatGPT+ accounts) to spend on AI learning tools.

The engagement level was scored.

There was a funnel with three colours: green, yellow, and red.

• Green for top scorers - who got a $2,500 reward

• Yellow for people who were engaged but weren’t in the basement

• Red (basement) for least engaged people

Anyone in red will be leaving the company.

This thinking changes the culture, which Eric was conscious of.

But the potential competitive advantage is too large to ignore. AI will create "haves and have-nots", and Ignite Tech is positioning its people as ‘haves’.

Eric said learning AI is imperative for employees to stay in the company. Those who know it and leave are much better placed in the market than those who haven't learned it.

Not all employees need to become AI experts, but they need to be willing adopters, as AI will increasingly affect all parts of the business.

Getting the Team Trained on AI

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