Developing a Gen AI Strategy for your Business: The Value of an AI Readiness Review

Chris Blakley, COO - Veracity

At a recent Queensland Leaders Gold Coast workshop, Veracity’s Chief Operating Officer, Chris Blakely shared insights on how businesses can assess their readiness and develop a strategy for the implementation of Gen AI technologies within their organisation.

As Gen AI continues to transform industries, businesses must consider how to integrate AI tools effectively and securely into their operations – particularly in light of tightening data and privacy requirements. 

The Benefits for Gen AI for Business

Generative AI, powered by Large Language Models (LLM), can create original content, including text, images, and reports by learning patterns and structures from existing data held in the LLM. This can significantly boost productivity by augmenting and automating routine tasks. By 2030, Gen AI is predicted to add tens of billions to Australia's economy, enhancing efficiencies and driving new opportunities across multiple industries.

While tools like ChatGPT have already gained popularity for drafting emails and creating content, advanced AI applications—such as Microsoft 365 Copilot—offer even more comprehensive support, automating data analysis, summarising meetings, and generating insights.

Considerations for Developing an AI Strategy

Before diving into Gen AI adoption, businesses need to carefully evaluate several key areas:

• .Business Strategy Alignment: AI should not be a novelty add-on. Define clear objectives and use cases that align with your business goals, whether it’s improving operational efficiency or enhancing customer experience.

• .ICT Platform Readiness: Your technology environment needs to be ready for AI. For example, cloud-hosted platforms, like Microsoft 365, must be structured to prevent AI from accessing sensitive, PII or off-limits data.

• .Governance and Security: AI requires watertight governance frameworks to prevent unintended consequences, such as privacy breaches or biased outcomes. Businesses must ensure their data is secure and that their systems are designed to protect confidential information.

• .Organisational Culture & Upskilling: – Successful AI implementation depends on a culture that embraces innovation. Teams need to be ready for AI-driven changes and equipped with the expertise to use and monitor AI tools effectively.

The Importance of an AI Readiness Review

Given the complexity of AI technologies, it’s essential to assess your current readiness before implementation.

For example, Microsoft 365 Copilot can streamline workflows, such as drafting documents or generating meeting summaries. But before deploying this AI-powered tool, organisations must ensure their data is secure, prevent unauthorised data sharing, and implement proper governance frameworks.

This is where Veracity’s AI Readiness Review comes in. Our review evaluates your organisation’s ability to adopt AI solutions like Microsoft 365 Copilot, focusing on security, governance, and data privacy. This might include recommendations such as tightening access permissions for platforms, deploying data protection policies, or enhancing security features.

Is your business Gen AI ready?

Whether it's automating routine tasks or improving customer experiences, AI offers enormous potential. However, to unlock its full value, senior business leaders must develop a clear AI strategy and ensure their IT environment is prepared for AI technologies.

An effective AI strategy is more than just selecting the right tools—it's about preparing your business for seamless integration while maintaining security and governance.

If you need support assessing your readiness for AI adoption, please get in touch with Chris Blakley at chrisb@veracity.com.au