AI Drives Organizational Leadership Shift, Demanding Managers as Change Agents

Ido Ron, partner and head of AI and digital transformation at KPMG Israel, emphasized that leaders who drive AI adoption will shape the future of large organizations and lead broad business initiatives. Speaking at the second XimusNxt Change Leaders project workshop, held quarterly with KPMG experts, Ron highlighted practical tools for leading organizational change amid rapid technological advances. The XimusNxt forum gathers executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and senior professionals from product, marketing, finance, and technology sectors to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Ron illustrated AI’s transformative potential with examples such as Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance, where a digital Rambam figure interacts with visitors in multiple languages, and Sheba Medical Center’s AI-based triage system “Project K.” This system reduces unnecessary emergency room visits by using AI to conduct initial assessments and recommend treatments, easing physician workload and shortening wait times. Ron noted that AI’s business goal is to generate profit by innovating and improving services, with solutions developed in hospitals potentially marketed globally.

Unlike previous technologies, AI integrates horizontally across functions, but legacy systems, regulations, and habits slow adoption. Ron suggested viewing transformation as 10% technology, 20% data, and 70% human factors. Uneven AI implementation risks creating organizational bottlenecks, as seen when marketing departments rapidly increase output while operations lag. He identified six key AI application areas: manual work, information retrieval, decision support, product generation, coordination, and smart process controls. Prioritization requires balancing speed, impact, risk, ROI, and build versus buy decisions.

Leah Hameiri, Chief AI Officer at Meuhedet Health Services, shared her experience leading AI adoption in government and healthcare. She stressed that human factors and trust-building are the greatest challenges, beyond regulatory and technical barriers. Hameiri led initiatives such as AI FOR ME, which made AI tools accessible to public sector employees, and developed an AI-powered organizational chat system for the Ministry of Welfare to quickly locate precise information. She also founded a government Data and AI Leaders forum to foster a new paradigm focused on what AI enables rather than just where to apply it.

Ron concluded that managers must become change agents by understanding departmental challenges, mapping solutions, and prioritizing AI use cases. He categorized solutions as Quick Wins, Growth Boosts, or Strategic Impacts and urged managers to ask critical questions about accountability, risks, explainability, and ongoing effectiveness before approving AI projects. "Managers MUST BE change agents," Ron said, noting their evolving role from data handlers to problem definers, team builders, and decision-makers who drive organizational progress.