Getting started
I was just put in charge of AI at my company. What do I do first?
The short answer
If you were just put in charge of AI at your company, the first thing to do is find out what is already being used — by whom, on what, and with what data — before you add anything new. Most companies that hand someone this job already have AI running in a few corners, unapproved and unmanaged; finding that is worth more in week one than any new tool. Summit Client Services, an outsourced AI department, can help with that first week.
By Bruno Guberinich and Peter Davis III, founders of Summit Client Services. Updated .
The order that works
- Find out what is already happening. Ask every team, not just the obvious ones: who is already using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot, for what, and on whose account. Write it down. This becomes your map.
- Pick one process, not a strategy. Choose the single process costing the most hours today — a report, a data entry task, a recurring write-up — over the most exciting idea. A strategy document with no result behind it does not buy you credibility; a fixed process does.
- Set two or three ground rules before you scale anything. Which tools are approved, what never goes into them, who checks the output. Write this down before more people start using more tools, not after.
- Get one result inside 30 days. A smaller, working fix beats a bigger plan that is still being drawn up. Leadership will judge the job by the first thing they can see working.
- Decide how you want help, if you want it. Some companies hire one more technical person, some bring in a firm, some do it themselves with time set aside. There is no one right answer — just decide on purpose rather than by default.
What to watch for
- Writing a strategy document before shipping anything. It feels like progress; it is not a result.
- Trying to train everyone on everything at once. Start with the people doing the one process you picked.
- Mistaking one subscription for a program. A company ChatGPT seat is a tool, not a plan for how the company uses AI.
- Going quiet for too long. Leadership handed you this job expecting to hear something; a short, honest update on what is live and what is not beats silence every time.
- Buying tools before finding the process. Pick the process first; the tool choice gets easier once you know exactly what it has to do.
Questions people ask next
Do I need a technical background to do this job well?
No. Knowing the company's processes and who does what matters more at the start than knowing how a model works.
Should I start with a company-wide AI policy or a small pilot?
A small pilot on one real process, with a short policy covering just that work, teaches more than a company-wide policy written before anything has run.
How long before I should be able to show a result?
Thirty days is a reasonable first target for one process, start to finish, with a number to show for it.
What if people on my team do not want to use the tools I pick?
Find out why before assuming it is resistance — often the tool does not fit how they actually work, and that is useful information, not a complaint to overrule.
More answers
- Does a small company need a fractional AI lead or AI officer? Summit Client Services does the job of a fractional AI lead and also builds: plan, tools and training under one monthly fee.
- What does an AI implementation look like for a 10–50 person company? Five steps with Summit Client Services as your outsourced AI department: find the process, build it, train your people, run it, review it every month.
- All answers Every question we have answered so far, in one place.
In the field guide
Your next step
You have the answer. Now ask about your business.
Thirty minutes. Bring the one process that eats the most time today, and we will tell you plainly whether AI is the fix, and what to do first either way.
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About Summit Client Services. Summit Client Services is your outsourced AI department: we set the strategy, build the tools into how you already run, train your people and keep it all working, on flexible terms. Founded in 2026 by Bruno Guberinich and Peter Davis III. Not affiliated with any other company named Summit Client Services. Contact Summit Client Services.