How will AI transform enterprise IT? Lara Burns, The Scouts

AI will ‘smash our expectations wide open’

Lara Burns, CDO at The Scouts, explains how she feels artificial intelligence is reshaping enterprise IT.

Artificial intelligence is transforming industries left, right and centre. How do you prepare to ride the wave of change, rather than being swept away?

Answering that question is why we’ve launched our AI in Action content hub, the one-stop shop for all things AI. Here you can find a range of news articles, features, research and interviews covering every aspect of the AI debate.

To celebrate the launch, we brought together a selection of IT leaders to talk all about how they’re using AI today, plus their concerns for and excitement about the technology. We’ll be releasing clips from these interviews as a mini-series through the rest of this week.

In the first video Lara Burns, chief digital officer at The Scouts, explains that nobody knows how AI will affect enterprise IT - even its creators - so leaders need to be flexible and embrace opportunities as they come.

AI is going to “completely shift” everything, from how IT works to behaviour in the workplace. Lara compares it to YouTube, which created new roles and business models that even the site’s founders hadn’t thought of.

The technology will “smash our expectations wide open,” and IT professionals need to be ready to adapt to a market that can and will change quickly.

Lara also discusses her concerns around AI today, which revolve around misuse of tools and a lack of understanding around the dangers. Education isn’t just going to be important – it already is.

This is just an excerpt from the full video, in which Lara explains how she is already working with AI at The Scouts; how she ensures and tracks AI return on investment; and how she’s upskilling her team to work with AI. Find it now on Computing’s AI in Action hub.