AI is transforming every industry, from automating insurance claims to optimizing supply chains in manufacturing. But for many organizations, the challenge isn’t whether to adopt AI; it’s how to start.
This blog, the first in a two-part series, outlines the initial steps you can take to deliver a strong foundation for AI success using SAS® Viya®. But before tackling the technology, let’s take a look at the tactics that can prepare your organization for AI success.
Step 1: Commit to making a change
Using AI is now a clear mandate for any organization hoping to stay competitive, serve customers and expand in any environment. As a result, business leaders are grasping for ways to implement this wide-ranging technology with an eye on delivering results that matter.
A global survey on generative AI found that 92% of organizations are budgeting for GenAI projects in 2025, aiming to:
- Improve customer satisfaction and retention (81%)
- Reduce operational costs (76%)
- Enhance compliance and risk management (72%)
Whether you’re in public health, banking or logistics, AI can help reduce manual tasks, analyze large datasets, and improve decision-making. Using AI will not only yield better outcomes for your business, but it will also give employees a new skillset that prepares them for a future, AI-enabled workplace. As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said, “AI won’t steal jobs, but someone who’s an expert with AI will.”
Need a place to start?
Starting a broad AI program can seem overwhelming. In almost all organizations, there are pockets of AI use and adoption that may need to be incorporated into your AI program. Learn how to begin your journey with the free Generative AI Using SAS® course.
Step 2: Identify the business problems
Before embarking on an AI initiative, it’s crucial to identify the business problems you can solve. This process begins with identifying the specific challenges and opportunities within your organization.
According to experts, the first step is to pinpoint what you hope to achieve with AI. Instead of asking, “How can we get ourselves ready for AI?” it’s more effective to ask, “What are the problems we need to solve? What are our opportunities and threats?” This approach ensures that AI is used purposefully to address real business needs.
Start with a “north star” question, one that, if solved, would have the greatest impact on your business. For example:
- A pharmaceutical company might aim to reduce clinical trial timelines.
- A financial institution could focus on improving fraud detection.
- A government agency may want to enhance citizen service delivery.
By integrating data and AI, SAS aims to create systems that are not only powerful but also responsible and trustworthy. This approach ensures that AI technologies are developed and deployed in ways that prioritize human values, transparency, and accountability, ultimately fostering a more equitable and sustainable future. Agentic AI represents a transformative approach to artificial intelligence, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations and human-centric design.
Step 3: Update your development plan
To update your development plan for your AI initiative, it’s essential to start with the stakeholders. Begin by accounting for the individuals, roles, and groups that will be affected by your organization’s AI initiative. This ensures that all relevant perspectives are considered and that the initiative aligns with the overall business strategy.
Building sustainable partnerships and enabling cross-functional collaboration are key to ensuring the project’s success. Additionally, developing strong, clear governance and establishing ongoing oversight are critical to maintaining the initiative’s momentum and achieving the desired outcomes.
When looking at AI implementations that work, success happens when you focus on “organizational learning” – the ability for both humans and AI to learn from their interactions and ultimately change in response to what they’ve learned. This approach enhances the effectiveness of the AI initiative while helping you adapt to ever-changing business needs.
SAS offers a free AI Literacy course to help teams build foundational knowledge. This is especially important as regulations, like the EU AI Act, begin to mandate AI competency. It’s not enough to have the technology in place. You need to have a workforce that can use AI to improve their roles and increase productivity.
Start small, think big
The first three steps help you set the stage for a successful AI program, both immediately and in the long term. You don’t need to overhaul your entire operation overnight. Start with a clear goal, build internal support, and invest in your people.
In the next blog, we’ll explore how to seize your data, test AI use cases, and scale responsibly – all within the SAS Viya ecosystem.
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