Do You Have an AI Strategy or Just AI?

Marnie McLeod

1 June

We have business strategies. Financial strategies. Some of us even have security strategies.

But what about an AI strategy? A real one, not for show?

Here's why I ask. This year, the AI company Writer surveyed 2,400 employees and executives and found something most leaders would never say out loud: 75% of executives admit their AI strategy is more for show than real guidance. And only 29% are seeing a real return on what they spend on AI.

That's not a small number. Three out of four leaders are admitting, in a survey, that their own strategy isn't real. And less than one in three are getting meaningful value back.

Why so low?

Because most businesses measure the wrong thing. They count logins, adoption rates, and hours saved — activity. Almost nobody measures the outcome: did this actually make the business better? Activity is easy to count. Outcome is what matters.

A real AI strategy is simpler than it sounds

It doesn't have to be a complicated document. It can start with a few honest questions:

Why are we using this tool, what problem does it actually solve, and is it a necessity?

Not "everyone else is using it." Not "it was in our subscription." A real reason, specific to your business.

How will we know it's working and what's the outcome we're after?

Not "people are using it." A genuine business improvement you can point to.

What are the risks to our customers, our staff, and the business?

Most businesses skip this entirely until something goes wrong.

Who's accountable when AI gets something wrong?

This one stops most leaders. If you can't name a person, you don't have accountability you have a gap.

One more thing: document it

Whatever you decide, write it down. Your answers to those questions are your AI strategy, but only if they're documented. If something ever goes wrong, especially with privacy regulations tightening everywhere, you'll want to show what you decided and why. Documentation also keeps you on track and helps ensure the AI tools you bring in are the right fit for your business, not just the ones everyone else is using.

The honest reality

Most leaders making the calls around AI adoption will scroll past this. The focus will stay on the race — on creating efficiencies and cutting costs. And the strategy stays for show.

I'm not against AI. I use it every day. I just believe in using it deliberately, not on autopilot.

So, do you have an AI strategy? Or are you rolling tools out because everyone else is, or because someone said it's the best? And is it actually the right tool for your business?

If you'd like guidance on building a real AI governance and privacy strategy for your business, book a free 20-minute conversation — no pitch, no obligation. We work with companies on AI governance in the UK, USA, Australia and across the globe.

Source:
Writer 2026 AI Adoption in the Enterprise survey (run with Workplace Intelligence, 2,400 employees and executives): https://writer.com/blog/enterprise-ai-adoption-survey-results-press-release/

Marnie McLeod

Marnie McLeod is the Co-Founder of Hyplon, a Governance and Privacy Advisor specialising in AI, and author of Don’t Let Your Business Get Cooked.

With 20+ years running businesses, sitting on boards and working across business, education and government including government agencies, Marnie brings something most AI governance advisors don't: a genuine understanding of how businesses actually operate, not just how frameworks say they should.

Having worked with government agencies, she understands both sides of the table, what businesses need to do, and what regulators and government bodies are actually looking for. It is a perspective most advisors simply don't have.

Currently working across Australia and the UK on AI governance projects, governance and privacy uplift whole of organisation program projects, and as a appointed fractional DPO for organisations in the UK, she works with businesses at every stage including those in start up, have been operating for some years and are operating on a global scale, or preparing for sale.

Known for looking under the hood[1] , she goes beyond policies and compliance checklists to understand how people, processes, data and technology actually work together. She has seen firsthand how hidden system failures, unclear accountability and operational shortcuts become expensive disasters and how fixing them properly creates businesses that are not just compliant, but genuinely more valuable.

She is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and ISACA.

Her mission is straightforward: she supports businesses so compliance doesn't stifle innovation, business growth and progress.

Looking at our the business operates/ functions