Ready or Not: Here AI Comes

Author

Charlene Li
January 13, 2025

A few weeks ago, I spoke with the CMO of a major consumer brand. 

“We don't really need AI,” he told me. Everything was going smoothly on his team. 

My response? “It's great that things are working well. But you have no idea what AI can do or can't do. You're just assuming it can't help you without actually looking into it.” 

The hard truth is that his approach won’t cut it anymore, and that’s because 2025 is the year that AI gets real. All leaders—and I mean all leaders—need to get on board. 

In 2024, we could get away with throwing AI against the wall, doing little experiments and use cases to see what sticks. Others, like the CMO, avoided it entirely. But in 2025, everything changes. 

This year, more than any other, is going to require an AI strategy. Not only is it essential for keeping up and getting ahead—it’s also a retention tool. Without it, you risk losing your top talent. Your people are already on the AI train (more on that, below). They’re seeing their friends and colleagues in other organizations taking AI to the next level, and they’re thinking “I don’t want to be left behind.” 

2025 is the year for leaders to get AI literate. This means understanding what AI can do for you (and what it can't), and fundamentally changing how you work. If you haven't experienced that mental shift yet, you're not truly AI literate.

Here are my four predictions that will reshape organizations this year—and how leaders should prepare:

1️⃣ Building Trust Through AI Amnesty 

AI adoption isn't starting in boardrooms—it's happening in the shadows. … "Don't tell anyone," people whisper to me, "but I'm using AI and it's fantastic." They're going rogue despite bans—because they see the value.

Smart organizations will flip this script in 2025. Instead of blanket bans, they'll offer "AI amnesty"—safe spaces to bring shadow AI into the light. They'll run "AI trust trials," visible experiments that prove how AI actually creates value. (Hat tip to Lisa Nirell and Michael Taylor for their help with this prediction!)

From control to permission, from restriction to transparency—the shift is clear. When we bring innovation into the light and prove what works (and just as importantly, what doesn't!), we build trust. This matters because AI raises fundamental questions about who we are as humans and what we're worth. We need to approach it with transparency.

2️⃣ The Rise of AI Greenhouses 

Think of these as protected spaces where teams can test, learn, and grow with AI. Unlike traditional innovation labs, here, AI agents will serve as catalysts, running experiments and analyzing results faster than we ever could before.

This means leaders need to shift from controlling outcomes to becoming gardeners of innovation. Your job? Create the conditions for growth and learning, then curate the best results. I'm seeing organizations that have already gone through digital transformation adapt more easily because they've built the cultural foundations for experimentation.

The key is psychological safety. Create a virtual walled-off area where people can try things, backed by clear guidelines and governance. Just like a real greenhouse, you need the right environment for ideas to flourish.

3️⃣ Scaling Leadership Through AI Partners 

Leaders need to scale their presence in 2025. Digital doubles—AI avatars that communicate vision and provide guidance—offer a solution. If our content will be in AI systems anyway, we should shape how it's used. (Check out my own "digital double," featured in one of October's newsletters! 🤖)

But this goes beyond leadership. Every employee needs what I call "IDEA concierges"—AI partners that transform early concepts into innovations. While we often relegate AI to routine tasks, it's actually a powerful creative catalyst, helping teams brainstorm and execute faster.

The key insight: AI amplifies—rather than replaces—human creativity. We drive the process, prompt the ideas, and guide the development. It expands what we can accomplish.

4️⃣ The Great Competency Swap—Humans Lead, AI Delivers 

We need to understand what humans do best and what AI excels at—then make that partnership work. AI brings incredible analysis, speed, precision, and scale. Humans bring judgment, relationships, and ethics.

The key is building what I call an "AI accountability ledger"—a transparent record of all AI-informed or AI-made decisions. When decisions are questioned (and they will be), you can go back, test for fairness, and build trust.

Leaders will become ethical stewards, ensuring AI aligns with our purpose, values, and long-term goals. Remember: AI is a tool. How we choose to use it is where leadership matters.

Trust in AI isn't automatic; it's earned through consistent, visible wins.

What This Means for 2025

2025 will be the year that leaders will begin to feel limitless. They’ll be able to drive greater clarity, consistency, and engagement across their organizations. But all of this can only happen if they step into this space proactively and completely. 

Are you ready to get on board? What are you most looking forward to? Hit reply and let me know.

-Charlene

What I Can’t Stop Talking About: 

  • Go big or go home. From raising kids to transforming businesses, I've learned that small changes are just as uncomfortable as big ones. When disruption exists either way, I always vote to maximize the impact. Here’s why. 👶

  • The 'bossy' double bind. Too assertive? You're bossy. Too nice? You're a pushover. As a female leader, I've navigated this impossible balance for years. Here are three practical strategies I use to lead with confidence while staying true to myself. Bookmark it—and go assume your power pose. 

  • Stretched, not stressed 📚 My son's middle-school principal gave me advice I'll never forget—and it became my mantra for personal transformation. Here's how this simple principle guides growth, from AI coding to leadership development.

My Latest: 

  • Catch up on my webinars! You can still review the slides and recordings of my two new webinars. In “Unlocking The Power of Generative AI,” I explain how to set up a generative AI “playground,” three ways to elevate your leadership with step-by-step instructions, and the broad outlines of creating a strategy. In “Developing a Winning Generative AI Strategy for Competitive Advantage,” I walk through the steps needed to create a cohesive AI strategy. 

  • The Six-Quarter Walk to AI success. In a world where AI capabilities evolve weekly, rigid 12-month plans just don't cut it anymore. In Leading Disruption, I’m diving into the Six-Quarter Walk—a dynamic 18-month rolling framework that combines strategic vision with quarterly flexibility. Head over to my newsletter for essential tips for meaningful transformation.

  • How belonging drives innovation. The research is clear: Diverse teams and cultures of belonging drive breakthrough growth. Join me in two weeks, on Tuesday, January 21 at 9am PT/12pm ET as I share how to harness healthy friction for transformation. 

My Upcoming Appearances:

If you want me to speak at an upcoming event or conduct a workshop with your executive team, please drop me a note at [email protected]. 

If this information was helpful, there’s plenty more!

📌 Sign up for updates and early access to my upcoming book, co-authored by Katia Walsh, which is all about creating a winning generative AI strategy.

📌 Want more? Check out my weekly publication, Leading Disruption, on LinkedIn.

Thank you for subscribing to The Big Gulp Newsletter, which goes out to thousands of disruptors every other week to help you on your disruption journey—plus a curated recommendation list of the things I can’t stop talking about. 

Charlene Li

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