PwC CEO Paul Griggs on the two traps of AI adoption

Companies that relegate AI oversight to the CIO or CTO office are missing the core value of the technology. Griggs argues that leadership must stop viewing AI through a narrow technical lens. Instead, the implementation should be treated as a comprehensive change-management exercise that touches every employee and internal process. The primary challenge for executives is not just achieving productivity gains, but deciding how to reinvest those dividends into new growth opportunities rather than simply inflating the bottom line.

Equally dangerous is the assumption that AI can salvage inherently flawed business models. Griggs notes that applying automation to inefficient workflows merely accelerates the visibility of those existing failures. Rather than layering software over systemic disorder, firms must first audit and rebuild their processes from the ground up. Success requires an end-to-end approach, where technology serves as the backbone for deeper customer engagement and the development of entirely new business capabilities.