Stories from the Front Lines
Every organization's AI journey is different. Here's how four companies used Hi's Intelligence Ecosystem™ framework (across industries, AI platforms, and stages of readiness) to turn scattered experimentation into real momentum.
From "Go Slow" to "How Fast Can We Go?"
A legacy global manufacturer with iconic brands needed to move past AI caution and build executive alignment. One hands-on session changed the entire trajectory.
The Challenge
This family-owned company has been a global manufacturing leader for well over a century. Leadership recognized AI's strategic importance, but the organization was taking a cautious "go slow" approach. There was uncertainty about where to start and how to get the entire leadership team, from the chairman to business unit presidents, moving in the same direction.
What We Did
We delivered an Acceleration Lab, a hands-on, keyboard-driven session designed specifically for their leadership structure. Working in a Microsoft Copilot environment alongside specialty AI tools, participants didn't just learn about AI; they used it on real business challenges, together, in real time. The session was designed to surface how different leaders were thinking about AI and create a shared sense of what was possible.
What Happened
The shift was immediate. Leaders who arrived cautious left asking how to accelerate. The session unstuck decisions that had been stalling (including accelerating the company's Copilot deployment) and generated demand for functional deep-dives across HR, operations, and supply chain.
Key Results
- Organizational mindset shifted from "go slow" to "how fast can we go?"
- 50%+ hands-on AI time in Microsoft Copilot and specialty AI tools
- Accelerated enterprise Copilot deployment decision
- Leadership committed to functional-area deep dives
- From first conversation to delivered session in weeks
"We couldn't have imagined it going any better. The session transformed how our leaders think about AI and what's possible for our organization."
— Chief Information Officer
"This is the first corporate training where I couldn't wait to get home and apply what I learned."
— President, Largest Business Unit
Sparking Excitement at the Senior Leader Level
A precision medicine company needed to move senior leaders past AI uncertainty and into action, uncovering real use cases and building genuine enthusiasm along the way.
The Challenge
This pharma company is focused on precision therapies in a highly regulated, science-driven industry. Their senior leadership team knew AI would reshape the way they work, but many leaders were still uncertain about how it applied to their specific roles. The organization needed more than awareness. It needed its senior leaders to experience AI firsthand and start identifying real use cases.
What We Did
We designed and delivered an Acceleration Lab built specifically for their senior leadership audience. Working in a Microsoft Copilot environment, the session combined facilitated exploration with hands-on breakout groups, giving leaders structured time to work with the company's own AI tools on challenges drawn from their actual roles. Pre-read materials set the context so that session time was spent doing, not just discussing.
What Happened
You could feel the shift in the room. Leaders who arrived skeptical left energized and full of ideas. The breakout sessions surfaced use cases that leadership hadn't previously considered (many involving Copilot capabilities they didn't know existed), and the cross-functional conversations revealed shared opportunities across teams. The company came away with both the excitement and the practical starting points to move AI adoption forward.
Key Results
- Senior leaders moved from uncertainty to active engagement with AI
- Real, actionable use cases uncovered in Microsoft Copilot
- Cross-functional conversations surfaced shared opportunities
- Leaders left with practical starting points, not just inspiration
An Enterprise Approach Across Audiences and Formats
A global medical device company needed to build AI capability across its entire workforce, from individual contributors to VPs, across three continents. No single format could do it alone.
The Challenge
This global medical device company is a leader in its therapeutic area, with teams spanning the US, Europe, and the Middle East. They needed to build AI literacy across a diverse workforce, but different audiences required different approaches: executives needed strategic framing, commercial teams needed practical application, and individual contributors needed foundational skills. There was no single training solution that could address this complexity.
What We Did
We designed a comprehensive, progressive learning program tailored to the company's global structure, built around Microsoft Copilot as the primary AI environment. The program combines multiple Hi solutions: the Acceleration Lab delivered both virtually (four 90-minute sessions) and as condensed in-person intensives (two half-days), Comets for ongoing 10-minutes-a-day reinforcement, and Ignite modules for self-paced AI onboarding. Each format maintains 60%+ hands-on AI time and follows a deliberate progression, from AI foundations and guardrails through practical Copilot applications to agent building.
What Happened
What started as a pilot program has evolved into a full enterprise initiative. The first Acceleration Lab sessions exceeded all expectations, and the program has expanded from a single team to organization-wide deployment. The company is now extending the program to their European commercial team, with sessions designed specifically for senior managers through VP-level participants. Comets campaigns keep momentum alive between sessions, and along the way, the curriculum has evolved with the client, incorporating hallucination awareness, guardrails, and safe experimentation practices based on real needs that emerged from the program.
Key Results
- Program expanded from pilot to enterprise-wide deployment
- Multiple Hi solutions (Acceleration Lab, Comets, Ignite) working together
- 60%+ hands-on time in Microsoft Copilot across all formats
- Progressive learning pathway: foundations through agent building
- International expansion initiated
- Curriculum evolving with real learner needs
"The program design perfectly matched our global team's needs. Whether virtual, in-person, or through micro-learning, every format drove real capability building toward the same strategic outcome."
— Head of Learning & Development
AI Adoption for Intact Teams
A fast-growing software company wanted to accelerate AI adoption within existing teams, training whole teams together, building shared capability and a common language across the group.
The Challenge
This software company has a highly technical engineering culture, but the teams we worked with were on the business side, not the technical side. While their engineering colleagues were already deep in AI tooling, business teams were still figuring out where AI fit into their own workflows. They needed a way to build shared capability as a team, not just as individuals experimenting on their own.
What We Did
We designed an AI LaunchPad, a program built specifically for intact teams rather than cross-functional cohorts. Working in a Google Gemini environment, the approach started with a self-assessment that helped each team understand its current AI maturity and identify where members were aligned or divergent in their thinking. From there, the program moved into hands-on sessions where the team worked together on AI applications relevant to their shared business context.
What Happened
Working as an intact team changed the dynamic entirely. Instead of individuals learning skills they'd have to advocate for back at their desks, the whole team built shared context and a common language in Google Gemini simultaneously. The self-assessment revealed gaps between what people assumed their teammates knew and what they actually knew, and that insight alone shifted the conversation. The company came away with a team that was individually skilled and collectively ready to move.
Key Results
- Team-level AI adoption vs. individual skill-building
- Self-assessment revealed alignment gaps within the team
- Business teams built fluency in Google Gemini
- Shared language and context built across the intact team
- Practical applications tied to the team's actual work
Ready to Write Your Story?
Every organization's AI journey is unique. Let's explore how Harness Intelligence can help your team move from experimentation to momentum.