Across large enterprises, AI is moving quickly from experimentation into daily work. That shift is forcing leaders to confront issues they can’t delegate to technology: how performance is measured, how people are supported through change, and how values show up when machines start doing more of the work. Not every company is approaching those questions in the same way.
Some organizations are responding by racing for efficiency. Others are stepping back to define, or reaffirm, what kind of company they want to be as AI becomes more embedded in the organization; and what obligations they still owe the people who make the business run.
In practice, this means senior executives are grappling with the social contract between the company and its employees. As AI takes on more execution, leaders must decide what remains human, what becomes automated, and how much disruption their culture can absorb along the way. These are leadership decisions about trust, accountability, and what kind of organization people are being asked to commit to.
At Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer in 32 countries, leaders recognized that tension early and set out to adopt AI in a way that wouldn’t put their culture at risk. The technology would move forward, but not without steady leadership and clear support for their people. IKEA’s approach stands out as one example of how a large enterprise is choosing to let values, not just productivity, shape how AI enters daily work.
