Playbook series: Why you need a DRI for your AI program

Published via GitHub Executive Insights | Authored by Matt Nigh, Program Manager Director of AI for Everyone

Unlocking the full potential of your company's AI usage comes down to one crucial element: leadership. Whether you're just starting to build your AI program or looking to accelerate its impact, having a clear, dedicated owner, a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI), is the key to transforming scattered efforts into a unified, powerful movement.

A strong DRI program can turn pockets of innovation into company-wide best practices and ensure your grand strategy translates into tangible results. It’s the difference between declaring a strategy and truly executing it with excellence.

This post offers a blueprint for defining, empowering, and maximizing the impact of this critical role.

Enabler, not gatekeeper

Before we go further, let’s be clear about what this role isn’t. It’s not another project manager chasing status updates or a compliance officer policing tool usage. Viewing the AI DRI through that lens is a fundamental misunderstanding of their purpose.

Think of this person as an enabler and an accelerator. They are the connective tissue between the executive vision and the on-the-ground reality, a coach whose mission is to help everyone else succeed with AI. Their job is to clear roadblocks, not create them.

This can't be a side-of-the-desk job or a rotating hot potato. If you're serious about building AI fluency, it demands a dedicated leader who is accountable for the program's success. At GitHub, for example, this function is formally resourced with a Program Director and a Program Manager who partner to drive their "AI for Everyone" initiative.

The Core Responsibilities of the AI Program Lead

While the mission is strategic, the responsibilities are tangible. The DRI is a unique blend of strategist, change manager, consultant, and community builder. Here’s what they own:

• Chart the course: The DRI translates the high-level vision for AI into a concrete, actionable roadmap. They define clear goals, manage the planning process, and ensure every part of the program aligns with what the company and its senior sponsors want to achieve.
• Be the Storyteller-in-Chief: The DRI is the company's lead change agent for AI. They build and execute a comprehensive change management plan, ensuring that new AI tools and skills are introduced in a way that feels helpful, not disruptive, driving excitement and adoption.
• Serve as the go-to AI consultant: When teams hit a wall, the DRI is their first call. They serve as the go-to expert for the organization, providing 1:1 support and hosting office hours. This hands-on help builds immense credibility and unblocks the most valuable use cases.
• Amplify what works: The DRI is constantly on the lookout for clever uses of AI across the company. They find these bright spots, celebrate them in workshops and communities, and turn individual wins into company-wide best practices. This creates a virtuous cycle of inspiration and adoption.
• Quarterback the AI toolkit: The DRI acts as the central intake point for new AI tool requests. They partner with IT, Security, and Legal to create a streamlined process for vetting and deploying tools, ensuring a consistent and safe approach for everyone.
• Own the scoreboard: The DRI is accountable for the health of the program. They track key metrics on adoption and fluency, using data to show what’s working, justify the program's value, and make informed decisions about where to invest next.

What the DRI Actually Does

That all sounds great, but what does the DRI actually do all day? The day-to-day work is tactical, hands-on, and deeply collaborative. A typical week might look like this:

• Hosting office hours: Running the weekly drop-in session where anyone can get real-time help with their specific AI challenges. It's not a presentation; it's an open forum for unblocking real work and hearing unfiltered feedback.
• Consulting with champions: Taking 1:1 calls with internal AI advocates to brainstorm how to drive adoption within their departments, perhaps by co-developing a short training session for their team.
• Curating the learning hub: Finding and vetting a new external course or an insightful internal use case and adding it to the central learning portal. This keeps the content fresh and prevents it from becoming a stale, unused resource.
• Telling stories with data: Pulling the latest adoption metrics and weaving them into a concise, compelling update for executive sponsors. This data-driven storytelling is crucial for securing continued investment.
• Connecting the dots: Identifying two people from different departments who are unknowingly working on a similar problem and making an introduction. This active community management prevents siloed work and sparks cross-functional innovation.

The DRI's Essential Partnerships

The AI Program Lead does not work in a silo. Their success depends on building strong, collaborative partnerships across the company. Key relationships include:

• IT and Security: This is the DRI's most critical operational partnership. They work together to vet new tools, manage licenses, and ensure the company's security posture keeps pace with AI innovation.
• Legal and Compliance: To navigate the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of AI risk, data privacy, and intellectual property.
• HR and L&D: To ensure AI enablement is woven into core employee processes like new-hire onboarding, performance management, and formal training programs.
• Communications: To amplify success stories, manage company-wide announcements, and build a consistent and compelling narrative around the company's AI journey.
• Executive Sponsors: For budget, strategic alignment, removing organizational roadblocks, and providing visible, top-down support for the program.

A Strategic Investment, Not Overhead

An AI enablement program without a DRI is a ship without a captain. It may have a destination in mind, but it lacks the leadership to navigate the currents of a major organizational transformation.

The DRI is not overhead. They are the strategic investment that ensures all other investments you make in AI, from tooling to training, deliver their full value. For any leader who is serious about building a truly AI-powered workforce, appointing this individual isn’t just a good idea; it’s the essential next step.

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