IT’s moment: how AI shifts focus in the enterprise

As intelligent systems move from the periphery to the core of business strategy, IT leaders are stepping into the spotlight. What was once a back-office function is now a strategic powerhouse, guiding critical decisions at the highest level.

In fact, 76% of UK technology leaders say the focus on AI has raised their profile at board level, up sharply from 60% just a year ago. It’s a clear signal: AI is not only changing what organisations can do, but who gets to decide how they do it.

And the momentum is only accelerating. According to McKinsey,  92% of executives plan to increase their AI spending over the next three years – a move that will widen the gap between organisations embracing AI and those not.

From CIOs to VPs of IT, leaders are no longer just maintaining systems and responding to outages. They’re driving innovation, shaping strategy and gaining recognition as key boardroom voices.

AI may be the catalyst, but it takes trust in its decisions, a clear understanding of how it works, and the infrastructure to support it in delivering real impact. Technology alone isn’t enough. As enterprises rewire themselves around AI, leadership must evolve too.

The platform effect

As AI adoption accelerates, enterprise networks are feeling the pressure. Nearly half of UK organisations say their network isn’t ready to support large-scale AI projects. 

The result? Bottlenecks that limit performance and insight, poor user experiences and strategic disconnect.

This pressure is driving a shift toward platformisation: combining networking, AI and security into a single, integrated solution. In our recent research report, 89% of executives (including 93% of CIOs and CISOs) said they want to move toward a unified approach that delivers built-in security, AI-native capabilities and seamless user experiences.

And leaders are backing it with action. 54% now rank AI deployment among their top three business priorities for 2025.

CFOs, in particular, have high expectations. More than half say poor network performance stunts business operations. They want tools that deliver ROI quickly: within quarters, not years.

Where IT was once seen as a support cost, it’s now recognised as a driver of growth.

AI literacy: the new skillset of modern leadership

This shift is driving a quiet revolution in executive skillsets. To remain effective, today’s C-suite must elevate their understanding of AI – not by becoming technical experts, but by grasping its strategic value, where it fits in the IT stack, and how to assess its risks and rewards.

AI isn’t just another tool. It’s changing how decisions are made, who makes them and what information those decisions are based on. 

If you’re not AI-literate, you’re not future-ready.

Training builds trust 

The response is heavy investment in upskilling. Our report shows 93% of execs are now training IT staff to deploy AI more effectively, with a focus on both capability and confidence in the technology.

People don’t trust what they don’t understand. As AI systems take on more complex decisions, building trust begins with knowledge,  through transparency, reliability and meaningful human involvement. 

For AI to be embraced in areas like NetOps, SecOps, and broader business operations, it must demonstrate accuracy, transparency, and security. Just as importantly, it should empower users, not replace them, by enhancing their expertise and supporting their decision-making. 

A conversational interface provides a good starting point, helping users retrieve information, automate simple tasks, and gradually build confidence in AI capabilities. As trust grows, users can partner with AI to extract deeper insights and eventually offload more advanced tasks. This evolution should be guided by “human in the loop” principles, ensuring users stay in control by approving, rejecting, or refining AI recommendations, maintaining oversight and accountability.

By interacting with AI, questioning responses, and seeing reasoning behind decisions, users reinforce their own understanding. AI becomes more than just a tool – it becomes a collaborator.

From assistive to autonomous

So where does this leave IT leaders? Right in the driver’s seat.

As companies move beyond basic automation toward Agentic AI – systems that act independently and make complex, real-time decisions – the strategic role of IT grows even more. These aren’t just efficiency tools, but agents of profound transformation. 

But with new power comes new complexity. Leaders must navigate everything from AI governance and data privacy to ethical deployment and regulatory compliance. 

What does that look like in practice? It means building systems that are not only powerful but also explainable, auditable and secure.

Finally, a seat at the table

AI has given IT a rare opportunity to redefine its value as a strategic partner. The boardroom is holding the door open.  

The organisations that thrive in this next chapter will deploy AI quickly. But more importantly, they’ll be the ones that integrate it wisely and put it in the hands of those best equipped to lead.

In the age of AI, IT is finally taking its seat in the boardroom. And ultimately, the enterprises that thrive will be those where technology leaders are empowered, strategic, and AI-literate.