From Pilots to Programs: Making AI Stick (Ivo Strohhammer)

About this episode

Stop chasing the rainbow—this episode shows how to turn AI pilots into repeatable programs that actually deliver business value.

Host Andreas Welsch talks with Ivo Strohhammer about the hard work behind scaling AI adoption: moving from experiments to production, building a community that learns together, and helping small and medium businesses avoid the same pitfalls large enterprises faced. Ivo shares hands-on approaches from his work at Siemens and his new local ecosystem: how to enable people, provide secure playgrounds, and balance fast experimentation with the governance and standards needed to scale.

Highlights from the conversation:

• Why employees are your most powerful lever: democratize access, offer secure tools, and create tiered learning paths so people can progress from curious user to local AI champion.
• How to balance speed and structure: let teams experiment but create standards to avoid reinventing the wheel; use short, adaptive planning cycles and measure impact early.
• The difference between everyday AI vs. process AI vs. new AI—and why rethinking processes often produces far larger gains than just layering models on existing workflows.
• Practical ways to help SMEs: open local labs, shared trainings, and a three-stage approach (Awareness → Ability → Application) so smaller orgs can punch above their weight without huge budgets.

Three quick takeaways:

1. Put people first—train, enable, and give secure spaces to experiment.
2. Find the sweet spot between experimentation and standardization—pilot widely, scale selectively.
3. Stay agile—test fast, keep what works, fail fast, and move on.

If you want a practical playbook for making AI stick—whether you lead a global program or run a local SME—this episode is full of examples and actionable advice. Tune in now to hear the full conversation and start turning your AI pilots into lasting programs.

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Disclaimer: Views are the participants’ own and do not represent those of any participant’s past, present, or future employers. Participation in this event is independent of any potential business relationship (past, present, or future) between the participants or between their employers.

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