Sabrina Geremia is the vice-president and country managing director at Google Canada.
Over my three decades working across industries and geographies, I have witnessed three major transformations: the internet, mobile and now the opportunity of artificial intelligence.
It’s increasingly clear that this moment is of a different magnitude. The economic and societal gains from AI will likely exceed the web and mobile eras combined. As Canadians, we have a unique claim to this frontier. We had the foresight to invest in AI decades ago, we’re home to many of the technology’s pioneers and our institutions house some of the world’s leading researchers.
Canada should be the architect of the AI-powered economy. A recent study by Public First found that scaling AI adoption could add $230-billion to the Canadian economy, supercharging entire industries from mining and manufacturing to our financial institutions. Many of which have already been on the cutting edge of embracing new technology.
But we face a challenge. When it comes to applying that intelligence at scale, Canadian firms are adopting AI at a slower rate than our global peers. As a country, we have slipped to eighth from fourth in the Global AI Index.
The good news is that Canadian CEOs are taking charge. When I speak with business leaders across the country, they recognize the importance of AI, often have an AI strategy in place and can point to several pilot projects. The most successful leaders go a step further. They are building their core business objectives with AI in mind, using it as a powerful tool to accelerate their existing goals.
While companies are moving at different paces, many are encountering the common hurdle of ‘pilot paralysis,’ a lot of small scale trials but a less clear path to scale and value creation. It’s time to move beyond incremental thinking to generate real results and drive the full value from AI.
To really scale value, leaders need to shift their mindset from experimentation to accountability. Most companies have launched small pilot projects but have hesitated to scale the successful ones. The real power of AI is in its ability to scale that return on investment. Leaders should identify one or two “big payoff” projects where AI can solve a major challenge and deliver significant returns or new revenue.
RBC, for example, has taken a forward-looking approach by anchoring their work in an overarching business goal. They publicly announced their intent to create nearly $1-billion in value from AI, moving the internal conversation to creating real value and, in doing so, setting up an accountability framework to drive results.
Outdoor gear company Arc’teryx uses Google AI in their marketing campaigns to generate ad creative in real time based on local weather. For example, if it’s raining in Vancouver you’ll see an ad for a waterproof shell and if it’s snowing in Toronto you’ll get an ad for a heavy parka. It’s about connecting people with the right gear at the exact moment they need it, while also uncovering new revenue and customers they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
Next, focus on solving customer problems. Much of the early AI work focused on internal efficiencies. Now is the time to turn outward. By focusing on customer facing issues, you’ll be able to create real value, like faster service or more accessible products.
Shopify did this with SideKick, its AI-powered commerce assistant that acts as a 24/7 mentor for merchants to help them run and grow their business. Bell Canada is using Google Cloud’s AI technologies to automate network issue detection and resolution, reducing customer-reported issues by 25 per cent, a key improvement with connectivity so critical to our daily lives.
Finally, driving real results with AI requires a workforce, from the C-suite to the frontlines, empowered to use it. Formal training programs such as Grow with Google’s AI Essentials are foundational. But we also need to create time and space for experimentation and empower early adopter employees already using AI to mentor others. Most importantly, we must establish clear guidelines that are communicated and reinforced by leadership so employees know how to use AI responsibly. This culture of trust and continuous learning is a key step in building an AI-fluent team ready to drive the business forward.
Canadian companies have an opportunity to lead, but we need to move quickly to shed incremental thinking and embrace AI as an exponential technology. If we work together to anchor our AI strategies in real value, focus on customer facing problems and equip our people with the skills they need, we can set the foundation for the next century of Canadian innovation and value creation.
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.