“From Efficiency to
Empowerment”
How a modern UK university aligned leadership, staff, and students around a shared vision for AI-driven transformation.
AT A GLANCE
Challenge: AI adoption felt urgent but disorganized.
Solution: Strategic planning + governance frameworks.
Result: Clear priorities, faster vendor decisions, stronger board alignment.
INITIAL FEEDBACK ABOUT THE WORK
“Huge thank you … excellent feedback from attendees … we need to have this workshop with our University Executive Team!”
AFTER
WORKING WITH AIGG
“He spoke very positively about your conversation and mentioned how helpful it had been.”
— Director of External Relations & Communications
STORY STATS
Institution:
A modern, teaching-led, and research-active university in the UK
Scope:
~2,400 staff, 40,000 students
Sponsor:
Director of External Relations & Communications
Turning Point & Engagement
Trigger: We built credibility through prior workshops and facilitated a proposal. Strong relationship quickly formed with the university sponsor and her teammates in HR, OD and student services.
Approach: Over several months, conducted interviews, planning sessions, and workshops for both the AI Workgroup and Executive Leadership Team. Introduced frameworks such as SAiAF, discussed the EU AI Act and NIST’s Data Assessment tool. Delivered pre-work videos for asynchronous learning.
Project Implementation
AI Workgroup: 3–4 planning sessions, 12–15 interviews, 2 workshops, and additional meetings. Supported post-workshop transition with new staff and incoming AI leaders.
Executive Leadership: 2–3 planning sessions, pre-work videos, 3–4 interviews, two workshops. Engaged follow-up with academic and AI leadership staff after project conclusion.
Customization: Entirely bespoke methods, adapted to university’s specific context.
Outcomes
Strategic AI Statement quickly developed and widely disseminated; engagement broadened to include students and partners.
University Executive Team achieved common understanding and strategic alignment regarding AI, with cross-college and cross-functional collaboration.
AI Workgroup deepened literacy in both data and people aspects of AI, expanding beyond efficiency toward holistic transformation.
Transformation
Leaders and staff now grasp the transformational potential of AI, acknowledging it changes not just productivity but how students learn and prepare for new “human plus AI” working futures.
Formal Outputs: Strategic AI Statement, influence on compliance, IT, and security policies.
Measurable Impact
Significantly accelerated strategic planning—AI strategy emerged where none existed prior.
Leadership alignment and decision speed improved sharply.
Successful launch of student-facing AI chatbot, enabled by improved cross-functional readiness.
Positioning & Future Steps
University now positioned to reimagine education, research, and leadership in the age of AI.
Next steps: Ongoing AI literacy, governance work, and strategic preparation for rapidly evolving AI landscape.