After the Hype: How to Create Real Business Value from GenAI

With guest speaker Nick Darby, Transformation and AI Strategy Specialist at our latest Tech Leaders Collective South West meetup, iO Associates welcomed Nick Darby, an experienced business transformation leader whose career spans global corporations, professional services, and founding his own companies. 

Although Nick self-describes as “not tech in any way”, he has more than a decade of experience helping tier-one organisations scope, shape and adopt AI, data and insight-led strategies. What stood out in the session was not only Nick’s perspective, but how his insights sparked engaging discussion, thoughtful questions and shared experiences from leaders across the room. 

This meetup is part of the wider Tech Leaders Collective series, where senior technology leaders come together to explore emerging trends, exchange real-world experiences, and discuss how technology is reshaping business. 

Click here to find out more information about the Tech Leaders Collective. 

From Hype to Reality: The Gap Between Expectation and Value 

Nick opened by acknowledging a sentiment many in the room connected with immediately. 

Over the past 18 months, many organisations have invested in GenAI tools, yet a significant number have not realised the value they expected. Several attendees agreed that while teams are experimenting with copilots and chat tools, productivity improvements are inconsistent and promised transformations often feel vague or out of reach. 

Nick suggested that this value gap stems from confusion about what AI can realistically deliver without the right foundations in place. During the discussion, leaders commented that their teams often feel overwhelmed by the volume of AI messaging in the market and unsure where to begin or how to integrate AI meaningfully into their work.

The room echoed Nick’s view that AI is not a shortcut to innovation; rather, it amplifies what already exists, whether that is clarity or confusion. 

Lessons from Industry: Challenging Assumptions Together 

Nick shared examples from his consulting work, including a project with a market-leading confectionery brand, where AI was used to challenge long-standing assumptions about customer behaviour. 

This sparked a lively conversation about how often organisations operate on untested beliefs. Several leaders admitted that their teams rarely stop to question assumptions about customer needs, internal processes or delivery models. 

The room found it striking that work which once required extensive data science resource and weeks or months of time can now be replicated in days through effective use of AI. Many attendees highlighted that this significantly lowers the barrier to experimentation. 

Key observations included: 

• AI is most valuable when it challenges what a business believes to be true
• Its purpose is to support better, more informed decision-making

AI as an Enabler of Human Strengths

Nick emphasised that AI should elevate human capabilities rather than replace them. This resonated strongly with attendees who expressed concern that their teams sometimes fear AI rather than see it as a support tool.
Leaders agreed that AI frees people from repetitive work and allows them to focus on creativity, problem-solving and meaningful interaction.

Nick described how organisations gaining the most value from AI use it to:

• Free teams from low-value tasks
• Create space for deeper thinking
• Strengthen, not diminish, collaboration

Several attendees shared that framing AI as an enabler rather than a threat has helped shift internal mindsets. 

Demystifying AI: Shared Challenges Across the Room

Nick outlined the three most common frustrations he hears across organisations, which felt familiar to the majority of attendees: 

• “I don’t understand AI well enough to use it confidently.”
• “I don’t know where to begin.” 
• “We’ve invested, but we’re not seeing value.” 

Leaders shared examples of employees feeling intimidated by AI tools or worried about using them incorrectly. Others discussed the challenge of balancing governance with innovation.

There was clear agreement that organisations making the most progress are those that create safe spaces for learning, experimentation and shared best practice.

Fixing the Foundations Before Scaling AI 

One of the strongest themes, echoed by both Nick and attendees, was that AI cannot fix broken foundations. Leaders shared examples of legacy processes, poor data quality and cultural resistance holding back progress. 

Several participants noted that AI initiatives often expose underlying issues rather than solve them. This prompted a constructive discussion about using AI adoption as an opportunity to reassess processes, clarify ownership and improve collaboration across teams. 

Roadmapping and Prioritisation: Making AI Practical 

Nick explained how successful organisations break AI ambitions into achievable steps. Attendees agreed that long-term AI strategies can feel overwhelming, while smaller, well-defined milestones make adoption more realistic.
The idea of 30, 60 and 90-day time horizons resonated strongly. Leaders discussed how prioritisation frameworks help determine which use cases to pursue first.

Several shared early use cases from their own organisations, noting that initiatives do not need to be perfect to build momentum and trust. 

Real Use Cases: What Organisations Are Actually Doing 

Nick outlined a range of use cases already delivering value, including workflow automation, structuring unstructured information, preserving organisational knowledge and supporting decision-making.
Attendees added examples from their own environments, such as automating documentation workflows, improving onboarding processes and using AI tools for rapid knowledge retrieval.

There was broad agreement that successful use cases begin with a clear outcome. Nick reinforced that purpose must drive data, not the other way around, and leaders agreed that starting with the business problem is essential. 

Winning Hearts and Minds: The Cultural Side of AI Adoption 

The human aspect of AI adoption generated some of the most engaging discussion. Leaders shared concerns about teams feeling threatened, overwhelmed or excluded, and agreed that early involvement makes a meaningful difference.
Nick described the cultural tipping point as the moment employees begin proactively suggesting AI ideas, which resonated with others who had experienced similar shifts. 

Many participants agreed that building confidence and psychological safety is just as important as technology investment. 

Measuring What Matters 

Nick closed by focusing on measurement and impact. Attendees agreed that efficiency gains alone are not enough to demonstrate value. Leaders highlighted the importance of balancing operational, cultural and customer metrics, noting how interconnected AI initiatives are across functions. 

Nick compared AI to electricity, woven throughout an organisation, and the room agreed that understanding these ripple effects is essential when evaluating outcomes. 

Final Thought: AI as Partner, Not Replacement 

Nick concluded by reminding the room that, despite its sophistication, AI still struggles with nuance and intent. This prompted discussion around the limitations of current tools and the importance of maintaining human judgement. Many attendees found reassurance in the idea that AI should support, not replace, the human element. 

Nick emphasised that even marginal improvements in decision-making or efficiency are worth embracing. The group agreed that transformation is achieved through consistent progress, not perfection. 

Thank You to Our Speaker and Community 

A huge thank you to Nick Darby for delivering a thoughtful, practical and engaging session, and to all attendees whose contributions shaped the discussion. The strength of the Tech Leaders Collective lies in leaders sharing openly and learning together. 

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