What it means in practice
Bringing AI into a company is not a one-off event of the “buy the software and we are done” kind. It is a process. The AI adoption ladder works as navigation for companies that do not know where to start. It keeps your feet on the ground.
Rather than jumping straight to replacing a whole department with AI (which almost always ends in an overpriced disaster), the ladder makes you start on the bottom rung. Personal productivity for individuals first, then standardisation through tools like Custom GPTs, and only at the top of the ladder does full automation of company processes through APIs arrive.
Why companies need to know this
- It limits financial losses. You do not sink thousands of euros into complex AI systems before you even know whether your team can write a basic prompt.
- It lowers resistance from employees. People are naturally wary of new things. Move step by step and they start seeing AI as a useful helper rather than a threat to their job.
- It guarantees a real return. Every rung has to deliver a tangible saving in time or money before you move to the next.
An example from practice
A marketing agency wanted to automate all of its content production. Instead of expensive custom software, they started on the bottom rung: they bought ChatGPT licences and taught the copywriters to find ideas faster. When that worked (two hours saved per person per day), they moved up a rung and built a Custom GPT trained on their tone of voice. Only after six months of experimenting did they move to fully automating client reporting.
In our company AI workshops we help owners work out which rung they are on and set them a clear plan for the next three months.