Organizations that have a leader who ensures AI is understood, accepted, and strategically integrated will get the most from the technology.
By Wellington Wu
Adopting AI in the workplace without the right strategy is like skydiving without an instructor—exciting in theory, but chaotic (and unwise) in practice. While businesses everywhere are rushing to integrate AI solutions, tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are launching AI-powered tools to automate everything from customer service to predictive maintenance.
These innovations offer the potential for greater efficiency, but technology alone doesn’t guarantee success. Organizations often assume that once AI is introduced, employees will naturally adapt. The reality is quite different. Without clear guidance, AI tools can go underutilized, misapplied, or outright resisted. This is why companies taking AI seriously need to establish a new role: the “AI Orchestrator.”
Why AI Alone Won’t Guarantee Success
AI is no longer just a futuristic concept. It’s here, and it’s reshaping industries at a breakneck pace. From finance and HR to supply chain management, AI-driven automation allows employees to offload repetitive tasks and focus on strategic, high-value work.
The problem? The speed of AI adoption has created a paradox. While AI promises efficiency, its integration into everyday workflows is not particularly seamless. Employees are often left without clear direction on how to use it effectively, leading to resistance or even avoidance of the new solutions. The question is no longer whether companies should adopt AI, but how to ensure it becomes a productive, accepted part of daily operations.
The Pitfalls of Implementation Without Proper Leadership
One of the biggest mistakes in AI adoption is assuming it happens automatically. Companies can deploy the most advanced AI platforms, but without employee engagement and proper training, the technology’s impact remains minimal.
Several key challenges contribute to AI implementation failures. For example, a company needs to establish how this solution fits into the operating model. If it doesn’t become part of business as usual, then the company will have inconsistent utilization and disconnected processes, which leads to inefficiency.
On the talent side, a lack of employee buy-in can occur as many workers fear AI will replace them rather than enhance their roles. Unclear use cases can create roadblocks to the understanding and acceptance of AI since it must be integrated into existing workflows rather than introduced as a disconnected tool.
Insufficient training also often leaves employees struggling to use AI effectively, while difficulty aligning with business goals can result in AI initiatives focusing more on technical capabilities than meaningful organizational impact.
How HR Can Pioneer a New Role to Bridge the AI Gap
AI orchestrators are essential for fostering the right environment and ensuring AI is embraced, understood and meshes with the organization’s broader business objectives. Unlike traditional IT or HR roles, this role is responsible for connecting the dots between AI tools, business objectives, and team member adoption to ensure AI-driven tools are effectively utilized.
This role involves:
- acting as an essential guide, helping employees navigate the AI transition and see its benefits firsthand;
- ensuring workforce adoption by addressing concerns and creating structured learning pathways;
- driving continuous AI literacy and ensuring upskilling efforts keep pace with technological advancements;
- aligning AI with broader business objectives and ensuring AI is a strategic asset;
- mitigating the impact of AI on employees, helping teams transition into AI-augmented roles rather than feeling displaced;
- implementing ethical AI governance to ensure AI use remains responsible and transparent; and
- providing platform and upgrade recommendations to unify the employee experience.
In HR, AI can streamline recruitment and employee performance tracking. But, without a business leader guiding the adoption, HR teams may struggle to integrate AI into their decision-making processes, leading to skepticism and resistance.
Why Every Business Needs an AI Orchestrator
The AI orchestrator role is essential for companies looking to maximize their AI investments. Organizations that introduce this function can see increased employee engagement, as orchestrators demystify AI and turn their uncertainty into confidence. They also get a better return on investment by ensuring their AI tools are actively used, rather than simply implemented and then ignored.
Additionally, these leaders help align AI initiatives with long-term business strategies, ensuring that AI drives sustainable growth rather than serving as a short-term automation fix. By reducing friction in adoption, they enable a smoother, faster transition and make AI a natural part of daily workflows.
Steps for Introducing the AI Orchestrator Role
Building an AI orchestrator role demands more than just assigning an AI expert a new title. While technical knowledge is important, this person should also have strong leadership skills. The leader needs to be able to guide all employees in AI training and onboarding by communicating technical processes in a way that’s easily understood.
They are also the ones holding the business and its employees accountable for responsible and successful AI tool usage that aligns with the larger business objectives. This person should be able to define AI integration methods and metrics to track progress against while also ensuring responsible AI use through governance policies. The AI orchestrator is the single source of truth for everything AI-focused in an organization and must be able to balance technical expertise and people skills to be successful in their role.
HR leaders should look for candidates with these qualities, whether through recruitment or within the organization, to fill this role. If recruiting for the role, job descriptions should include qualifications, such as a background working with IT/AI platforms, project management and reporting skills, and familiarity with the organization’s existing tech platforms, to ensure successful adoption. They are in a prime position to champion this initiative and ensure AI adoption is a collaborative effort rather than a top-down mandate.
While Unit4 does not have a dedicated AI orchestrator, the organization does have a committee with representatives from legal, IT, product experience, and other parts of the business. This team utilizes Unit4’s defined policy and governance around how the company vets, implements, and deploys AI in the organization. While this is relatively new for the company, it has been a positive addition as AI becomes a growing part of Unit4’s ecosystem.
A Human-Centered Approach
AI is reshaping the modern workplace, but getting it right depends on more than just technology—it requires human alignment. Organizations that neglect to consider the human side of AI adoption risk facing resistance, inefficiencies, and wasting their investment.
Companies that embrace this type of leader now will future proof their AI investments and create workplaces where employees and AI collaborate, rather than compete, for success.
For HR leaders and executives, the next step is clear: AI is here to stay, and organizations that invest in the right leadership to make its integration a success will lead the future of business.
Wellington Wu is the vice president of global talent at Unit4.
