Leading AI and automation from the top

Think back to a time when every routine task in a business relied on manual intervention. IT service desks were clogged with password resets, managers signed off access requests one by one, and employees waited days for small issues to be resolved. Those tasks haven’t disappeared, but in many organisations, AI and automation have stripped away the delays and freed teams to focus on higher-value work. 

 

According to a recent survey of UK IT decision-makers by TOPdesk, AI is already fully embedded in 36 per cent of UK organisations with seven in ten IT professionals saying their department is driving adoption. That progress shows there’s appetite across organisations for AI-driven innovation, but it also exposes a gap between rapid adoption and strategic leadership.

 

While many IT teams are leading the implementation of AI initiatives, executive leadership is often absent from the conversation. Only 40 per cent of IT professionals see the C-suite as drivers of AI projects. Without clear priorities and governance from the top and clear lines of accountability, AI risks remaining a patchwork of fixes rather than a driver of long-term business performance.

 

 

Where AI is making a real difference

The most valuable applications of AI are rarely flashy or revolutionary. They’re the quiet, behind-the-scenes changes that smooth the daily flow of work. These include automating system access requests, categorising service desk tickets and analysing past incidents to improve security.

 

The TOPdesk survey confirms this, with 39 per cent of organisations automating access requests, for example. When these repetitive tasks are handled by machines under their control, IT teams can pivot from fire-fighting to strategic problem-solving, addressing the root causes of issues that repeatedly impact productivity.

 

However, the gains from automation come with a caveat. One in five IT professionals view AI as a major risk, particularly concerning data privacy, security and ethics. This is where accountability becomes critical. As AI tools advance fast, there’s a temptation to over-rely on them without proper human oversight, which can lead to opaque and unaccountable decision-making. All these concerns sit at the intersection of governance, compliance and company culture, which is why leadership involvement is essential.

 

 

Why leadership can’t stay on the sidelines

Many IT teams are still stretched thin, with four in ten saying they spend too much time fire-fighting to focus on proactive prevention. With almost a third of UK organisations reporting weekly major disruptions, the foundation must be solid before AI can be built on top of it. Cyber-security and data protection are now viewed as defining features of a future-ready function. If basics like identity and access management and asset visibility are weak, scaling AI simply adds complexity and risk. After all, you can’t automate chaos.

 

For automation to have a meaningful impact, workflows must be integrated across IT, security, HR, finance and operations. This ensures that AI initiatives target the constraints that truly slow down revenue, degrade service quality or compromise compliance. Unfortunately, a meaningful share of IT professionals say service management is still viewed as a purely ‘support’ function. Leadership has the power to change this perception by connecting service goals directly to business outcomes and giving IT a formal voice in strategic planning.

 

 

A strategic playbook for leaders

Turning momentum into durable value is a C-suite responsibility. The first task is to set the narrative, positioning AI as technology that empowers people. Delivered from the top, this message can reduce anxiety and improves the digital employee experience.

 

The second task is to fund the essentials as AI cannot compensate for weak infrastructure. Board-level sponsorship is needed for strong identity controls, modern authentication and secure data foundations. These decisions determine whether automation strengthens resilience or exposes new vulnerabilities.

 

 

Accountability should be shared

From there, executives should also create shared accountability. Rather than leaving AI strategy to individual IT departments, leaders should convene cross-functional ownership, with IT, security, HR, finance, marketing and operations working to common goals.

 

IT personnel, with their day-to-day affinity with systems, are in a very good position to ensure their organisation uses AI in a responsible and secure way. They can take the lead in selecting and implementing AI tools, but it is management that needs to set priorities and strategic boundaries. The EU AI Act makes collaboration between IT and management essential since it requires organisations to test their AI applications for safety, risk and compliance. This demands IT has the support and direction of management. They must seek each other out and share responsibility, without any buck-passing.

 

That alignment ensures automation solves problems that truly affect performance, from onboarding speed to compliance posture.

 

Finally, capability must be lifted across the workforce. Confidence may be strongest in IT today, but every department will rely on AI-enabled processes. Investment in training, clear usage policies and transparency around decision-making helps avoid fragmentation and builds trust.

 

With these steps, the C-suite can position AI as part of the operating model of the business: secure, accountable and focused on outcomes that matter to customers, employees and shareholders.

 

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Hannah Salt is Head of Customer Enablement at IT service management platform TOPdesk

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and narvo vexar