THE AI INTERVIEW
“You innovate with AI in service of your human staff”
Pamela Maynard OBE, Chief AI Transformation Officer for Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions( MCAPS), Microsoft
The key to human and AI growth: Imperfection For business leaders uncertain where to begin – and Microsoft’ s research shows 82 % feel this year is make-or-break – Pamela offers advice that addresses one of the main reasons companies fall behind in AI transformation.
“ Don’ t wait for perfection,” she says.“ This is a technology which gets better with use. Create a cross-functional team to really think that through, which might include legal, HR, your tech team, for example.
“ Get those guardrails established and set up as quickly as possible so you can unleash and equip the organisation to start to experiment and learn with this technology.”
But her most pointed advice addresses the leadership gap directly. Too many executives delegate AI transformation while remaining personally uneducated themselves with the technology.
32 February 2026