AI adoption hinges more on how the organization is designed than on technology alone; MIT Sloan’s strategic design lens treats the org chart as an architectural layer that must align processes, reporting lines, and metrics with AI goals.

The core message is that the organization must be designed for AI from the start, with structural readiness as the foundation for successful AI adoption rather than retrofitting the organization around it.

Establish cross-functional AI governance within the organizational hierarchy to avoid ownership ambiguity, as seen when interdisciplinary teams spanning frontline staff, IT, compliance, patient experience, and finance review AI performance and adjust in real time.

Metrics should reflect AI capabilities rather than legacy volume-based measures, illustrated by JPMorgan Chase’s COiN platform which prioritizes accuracy, exception handling, and process improvement to match AI-enabled work.

Redesign roles before deploying tools, with a post-AI hiring strategy that creates AI-focused functions (infrastructure, safety research, developer tooling) and reorganizes around what AI amplifies, ensuring the org chart follows strategic AI goals.