Smartsheet takes a people approach with AI adoption

While many organizations view AI adoption as simply rolling out new tools and technologies, the vendor opted to focus on the human side of the technology rather than on the technology itself.“Smartsheet decided we needed somebody to put their hands around all this work that’s happening with AI and drive adoption appropriately,” said Markus McKay-Fleisch, describing his job, which involves promoting AI adoption inside the company. “We quickly realized this wasn’t just about the use of the tool; it was about how that tool is impacting your daily work, and then more broadly how it’s impacting the company goals.”Early adoption of generative AI technology at Smartsheet involved simple usage tracking, McKay-Fleisch, professional services enablement director at Smartsheet, said on the Targeting AI podcast from TechTarget. Later, it changed into what employees are getting out of the tools.However, one caveat to adoption is shadow AI, he said, adding that shadow AI -- the unauthorized use of AI -- is a signal that employees want tools not available within the organization.Related:Microsoft could hold an advantage with Copilot for Legal“There's a lot of risk incorporated with it, but pay attention to it because people are asking for tooling inside of those shadow AI use cases,” McKay-Fleisch said.He added, though, that another aspect of adoption involves relying on the IT department.“They hold the keys in our organization,” he said. “For Smartsheet, if we want to enable tooling, we have a change management process to turn on different features.”About the AuthorsNews Writer, AI BusinessEsther Shittu has covered AI technologies and industry trends since 2021. As co-host of the Targeting AI podcast, she talks with experts, thought leaders and practitioners exploring critical AI developments. Before AI Business, she wrote for SearchEnterpriseAI, the New York Daily News, Bklyner and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. When she's not diving deep into the world of AI, she spends her time on passion projects and raising her three daughters.Senior News Director, AI BusinessShaun Sutner, a journalist with more than 25 years of daily newspaper experience and 12 years at Informa TechTarget as an editor and writer, directs news coverage for AI Business. He was previously a senior news and features writer covering health IT and HR software at TechTarget and a senior news director overseeing coverage of AI, business analytics, data management and government tech regulation.Sutner's newspaper career included investigative reporting and covering the Massachusetts State House and politics for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. He has written about snow sports as a T&G columnist and correspondent for 21 years. Sutner's interests also include tennis, standup paddleboarding, cooking and popular music.