Artificial intelligence is often framed as a question of efficiency: faster workflows, automated tasks and smarter systems. But according to Áine Fanning, chief sales and marketing officer at Cpl Group in Dublin, that framing misses the bigger story.

AI is not only a new tool entering the workplace, but is a catalyst for organisational change too. “The most persistent myth about AI is that it’s a technology project,” she says. “It isn’t. It’s a people project with a technology component.”

Without that perspective, organisations risk disappointing results. Introducing AI successfully means bringing it into everyday processes while supporting employees through training, experimentation and change management.

“Real transformation happens when people understand why a tool changes their role, not just how to click the buttons,” she explains. For leaders navigating the shift, the task is less about installing software and more about guiding teams through a new way of working.

Start where the friction is

For companies beginning their AI journey – particularly small and medium-sized businesses – the question of where to start can feel overwhelming. Fanning advises a simple reframing: identify where time is already being wasted.

“For most SME owners, that answer sits in the administrative layer,” she says. “Emails, meeting notes, first-draft proposals, social media content, customer follow-ups. These are the tasks that consume hours every week without ever moving the business forward.”

A well-prompted AI tool can often return meaningful time within days, without large investments or technical overhauls.

“The key is to start with the area causing the most friction right now, get genuinely comfortable there, and build from a position of confidence rather than overwhelm,” she says.

This problem-first approach turns AI from a daunting strategic initiative into an immediate practical advantage.

From users to co-creators

Technology alone does not change behaviour. To move teams from passive adoption to active curiosity, workplace culture must evolve, too.

Fanning emphasises the importance of psychological safety when introducing AI tools. “You must make experimentation safe and visible,” she says. “When leaders only talk about AI in the context of efficiency targets and cost savings, employees experience it as surveillance, not opportunity.”

Instead, she encourages organisations to create spaces where teams can share their own discoveries. “The shift happens when people bring their own use cases to the table,” she says. “Something that saved them an hour, solved a problem differently, or improved a client interaction.”

At Cpl, informal “show and tell” moments allow employees to demonstrate how they are using AI in their work. Within weeks, she says, curiosity spreads organically.

“Suddenly you move from a handful of early adopters to a team that’s genuinely competing to find smarter ways of working,” she explains. “Curiosity is contagious when it’s rewarded rather than managed.”