From "AI Curious" to "AI Determined": Clariti's Journey to Strategic AI Implementation

The Challenge: Moving Beyond Ad-Hoc AI Experimentation

Like many organizations in early 2025, Clariti had reached a critical juncture with artificial intelligence. While some team members actively experimented with AI tools for tasks like drafting emails, the company-wide approach lacked structure. The leadership team described their organization as merely "AI curious" - with some employees enthusiastically adopting tools while roughly 25% remained hesitant or scared of using AI.

"We enabled the team to do a lot of experimentation on AI throughout 2023 and 2024," explained Jake. "We put out our data policy around it, but I'd say it was just encouragement with a lack of structure and, frankly, strategy behind it."

The Turning Point: Creating a Strategic Vision

In early 2025, Clariti's leadership decided to prioritize AI as a strategic initiative using a systematic approach. This included:
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‍Leadership alignment: The senior leadership team drafted an AI vision outlining where they wanted to be in the next 1, 3, and 5 years‍
‍Data strategy development: They created clear guidelines about data handling and privacy‍
‍Use case framework: They established criteria for when to pilot AI initiatives and when to scale them
Employee feedback: They conducted an adoption survey to understand how employees were using AI and identify barriers

Implementation: A Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach

Clariti's leadership team recognized that successful AI implementation required both top-down direction and bottom-up enthusiasm.

Top-Down Elements
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‍Company-wide presentation: The strategy was shared in a town hall with Q&A
‍Central knowledge repository: They created Confluence pages with supporting resources
‍Clear priorities: AI initiatives were aligned with existing company priorities
Tool recommendations: They provided a list of recommended AI tools with clear data privacy controls

"We put together that strategy, got feedback from the senior leadership team, and got great ideas there, including doing an adoption survey to see how people were actually using AI today and their biggest blockers," said Jake.

Bottom-Up Support
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AI committee: They formed a committee to support ongoing development
Learning budget: They allocated $750 per employee annually for learning tools or courses
Use case prioritization: They encouraged employees to submit AI use cases from their own work

Addressing Hesitancy

Clariti's adoption survey revealed that 25% of employees rarely used AI, with 9% never using it at all. The main concerns were security and compliance concerns, lack of trust in AI output and concerns about bias, and lack of knowledge about how to use AI tools effectively.

"I don't blame those folks at all for not using it. I actually see that as we did not communicate enough how important it was and really how to use it and give the right education of what tools to use," Jake reflected. "I see it as the job of leaders to open the doors to using it and give the tools, resources, and education. But I still see it as the job of the employee to walk through that door."

Early Wins: Lead Generation Improvement

One of Clariti's first significant AI implementations focused on lead generation. The problem was clear: stale and inconsistent contact data for local government officials meant sales teams were calling people who had retired, changed roles, or had no decision-making authority.

Their AI solution gathered:
- Updated contact information with confidence scores
- City council meeting minutes mentioning permitting and licensing
- Contextual information for more targeted outreach

"We're projecting our Business Development Representatives to get 25% more discovery meetings as a result of reaching the right people," noted Jake.

Balancing AI Investment with Business Priorities

To ensure AI initiatives supported rather than distracted from core business needs, Clariti:

Aligned AI use cases with top company priorities: "We are aligning the work with AI use cases to our company priorities so that they're in support of them and people are rallied around them," explained Jake.
Started with focused implementation: "We have a lot of ideas and use cases, but we want to walk before we run."
Empowered while managing distraction: "We are building an AI committee where people can contribute and feel like owners of this. But at the same time, we need to make sure it's not too distracting."

Results: From "AI Curious" to "AI Determined"

After implementing their structured approach to AI adoption, Clariti observed a significant shift in employee attitudes. Jake described the change: "Before, it was AI curious - some folks were experimenting with it. It was increasing curiosity but less actionable. Now, I'd say it's AI determined. Folks are really determined to figure out how they can impact change in the company."

Concrete outcomes included:
- Increased employee feedback on AI use cases
- Two prioritized use cases implemented within weeks
- Projected 25% increase in sales discovery meetings
- Better alignment between technology adoption and business priorities

Key Takeaways

‍Strategic direction matters: Moving from experimental to strategic AI adoption requires clear vision and leadership support
Balance top-down and bottom-up: Combine leadership direction with employee empowerment
Address adoption barriers directly: Understand and address security concerns, trust issues, and educational needs
Start with high-impact use cases: Focus first on areas with clear business impact, like lead generation
Align with existing priorities: Ensure AI initiatives support rather than distract from core business goals
Provide resources and education: Give employees the tools, budget, and knowledge to succeed
Measure and adapt: Plan to reassess adoption and impact after implementation

Clariti plans to conduct another adoption survey in six months to measure progress and refine their approach, continuing their journey from "AI curious" to "AI determined" and eventually to "AI proficient."

Please reach out to Scott Barstow with any questions regarding AI implementation. Pacific Lake CEOs can click here to access our AI Starter Kit.