This article was written by James Kuht MBE, CEO and CoFounder of Pair 

Every week, there’s another announcement about artificial intelligence (AI): A dizzying valuation of an AI start-up, some fiendish benchmarks exceeded, or another groundbreaking feature release.

They’re all impressive, but you’re probably left wondering why the news articles don’t cover the one thing you actually care about: “How can AI help me grow my business right now?”

In this article, I’ll try to put this right.

What are you trying to improve? 

In 2020, I helped to build the Prime Minister’s Data Science team in 10 Downing Street, charged with bringing data and AI into senior government decision-making. There was plenty of enthusiasm for “using AI” in the centre of Government, but less clarity about how it would help in practice.

Progress came when we reversed the logic and focused on defining the core problem we wanted to solve, rather than leaping ahead to the solution. In your case, it might be launching a new product or growing your client base – for us, it was improving the quality of data and evidence supporting the country’s decision-making.

Once we’d defined that problem and measured the current level of data and evidence supporting decision-making in the centre of Government (there was… room for improvement), it gave our team a clear goal to aim for, and we could measurably see which things were working.

Adopting AI became part of the solution – particularly where leaders needed to model trade-offs between different policy decisions – but crucially, everything we did was measured against whether it solved a problem that the organisation cared about, not whether it was a flashy solution.

Many firms now face the same challenge. AI is far more capable than it was in 2020, yet plenty of organisations don’t know what they’re solving for – are you trying to grow your business, drive efficiency or launch new products? Defining the problem you’re trying to solve can really improve AI adoption and buy-in.

👉 Level up with practical AI training that actually works. NI Chamber’s new AI Academy is a practical, hands-on programme that is completely tailored to your role and teaches you to use AI in your daily work.   

Reimagining what’s possible with AI requires AI mastery and context 

Having defined your overarching goals, as a leader, it’s tempting to define how you’re going to use AI to achieve them – but I’d advise you to resist this temptation.

After No.10, I became the CTO of a military regiment and arrived with a suitcase of preconceived use cases for AI in combat. Then I was deployed on operations and learned an obvious truth: I was not the expert in the regiment’s problems. The soldiers were. So, we changed our approach. Rather than keeping the AI team at headquarters, we deployed them on operations and had them report to a soldier.

The soldiers who took on that responsibility nicknamed themselves the “Nerd Herders”, and whilst the name was unpopular with our AI experts, the results were unarguable. When domain expertise is combined with AI expertise, AI becomes a force multiplier. It does not conjure value from thin air; it amplifies the insight of people who already know what matters.

For business, the implication is simple: Do not confine AI capability to a specialist team or person. Equip your domain experts, often those closest to customers and operations, with the AI skills to test ideas quickly and safely. They’re best placed to choose the problems worth solving that contribute to the business goal you’ve set.

Northern Ireland’s AI academy: Early signs of impact 

Since late last year, we’ve been fortunate enough to work with NI Chamber – who have set quite an extraordinary example on AI adoption. They enrolled twenty employees onto our AI Masterclasses – which teach people AI Mastery with learning personalised to their role and business goals, so the learning can quickly translate to results.

AI adoption has rapidly spread across functions, from event delivery to finance and member communications, while leadership has seen a visible shift from “can AI do this?” to “how can we reimagine how we work with AI?”

We’ve now partnered together to open the NI Chamber AI Academy to both members and non-members.

On 10 November, an initial cohort of 139 professionals joined from a wide range of Northern Ireland organisations. Within two months, 27% had become certified with AI Fundamentals, and some are already progressing to Mastery.

Collectively, 92% of participants said the quality of their work had improved, and 95% said work felt more fulfilling once they applied the skills day to day.

The use cases have been refreshingly concrete and tied to the business outcomes they care about: Tightening job adverts and interview rubrics to hire better candidates, producing clearer client communications to win more business, and drafting first pass budgets and cashflow narratives to ensure money gets spent on the things that drive growth.

“A really valuable course delivered by the PAIR team. The AI Academy has helped me streamline processes, work more efficiently and reflect on how I can improve the way I operate.

“Most importantly, it has shifted me from an AI sceptic to an AI optimist with boundaries.

“I particularly valued the ability to tailor the course to my role, with practical, relevant case studies and a strong emphasis on ethical AI use, reinforcing that AI is a tool to support, not replace, human judgement.”

– Joshua Kyle, Members Communications Executive, Derry Chamber of Commerce

How to use AI to grow your business: What next 

The next step is neither grand nor glamorous. Set yourself a clear business goal that AI can contribute to, empower your workforce with the AI Mastery to reimagine how they work, and track the results.

Northern Ireland has a strong tradition of practical innovation. The Chamber’s commitment to serious AI mastery that translates to real business results – first internally, then for members – deserves real credit.

We’re excited to hear more stories from local businesses exceeding their targets by adopting AI to reimagine how they work.

Dr James Kuht MBE is CEO and cofounder of Pair, a software platform that helps organisations build AI-native workforces through personalised, role-specific AI training and adoption support. 

Join the AI Academy today and book onto the kick-off webinar, 17 Feb, online, 10 AM – 11 AM.  

Email aiacademy@northernirelandchamber.com if you would like more information.