Innovation Circle - Learning together, moving forward together

Last week, another Innovation Circle took place. For those who don't know what this is yet, it's a place where organizations, experts, and curious minds come together to talk about the practical side of AI adoption. No marketing talk, no unrealistic visions of the future, but real stories from practice. 

And that's what makes it so valuable. Because honestly? Everyone is talking about AI these days, but not everyone knows how to make it land successfully in an organization. 

Trivium Packaging as an example 

This time Jenny from Trivium Packaging took us along. Her story was more than impressive. She showed how she makes AI accessible to 2,500 employees worldwide. What immediately struck me is how she takes on the role of bridge builder. Between business and IT, between policy and practice. She combines structure with humanity – and that is exactly what it takes to not only start adoption, but also to keep it up. 

A few lessons that stuck with me: 

• Structure gives freedom. At Trivium, every license request goes through a central ITSM process. No loose ends, no chaos. This prevents shadow IT and gives employees clarity. It may sound boring, but it is precisely these kinds of processes that make people use AI with confidence. Clear agreements! 
• Governance is not a choice, but a must. In a world where AI processes more and more data, you can't do without clear frameworks. From HR data to sensitive business information: Trivium shows that compliance and trust are inextricably linked to adoption. 
• Training = more than adoption. I found this an eye-opener. Jenny showed how direct training moments lead to higher adoption rates. Not only in theory, but with measurable results. So we can talk as much as we like about strategy, but without investing in people, adoption will stick. You have to provide people with a good program and the added value for these people must come up time and time again. Make sure you have champions (often people who lead the way and help others) in your organization. 

From strategy to technology 

After Jenny's story, we went into more detail about the latest Copilot updates.  

• GPT-4 vs GPT-5 in Copilot: The difference is clear. GPT-4 is fast, efficient, short and to the point. GPT-5 goes deeper, takes more time, but delivers richer, strategic analysis. So it's not black and white, but the trick is to choose: when do you want speed, and when is that extra depth of value? 
• The Research Agent: Soon, you'll be able to decide which sources Copilot uses in its search. This sounds small, but believe me: it's big. Because less noise = more focus. Organizations that struggle with information overload will benefit enormously from this. 
• The Copilot dashboard: For managers, this will be a game changer. Not only because you get insight into usage and time savings, but because you can also finally talk about ROI that is visible both quantitatively and qualitatively. Saving hours is great, but improved work quality and satisfied employees really make the difference.  

Why This Matters 

What inspires me so much about the Innovation Circle is the honesty. Nobody says: "we have everything under control." No, we share the successes and the struggles. Because adopting AI is not a straight line up. It is searching, testing, adapting – and above all: persevering. 

And that perseverance only works if you: 
have a clear AI strategy, 
takes governance seriously, 
continues to train and communicate. 

Without that foundation, technology is not going to save you. With that basis, technology becomes the accelerator that makes everything possible. 

My personal takeaway 

I walked out of the session with a big smile and a clear insight: technology always follows people. Not the other way around. AI only becomes valuable if you take people with you, take their concerns seriously and give them concrete tools. And that is exactly what makes the Innovation Circle so special. It is not a one-off meeting, but a rhythm. Every month we come together, share experiences, learn from each other and build further. 

Because only by learning together can we not only sustain this AI journey – but also make it sustainable and impactful. And believe me: I am already looking forward to the next session.